Electronic Map

This is the second lesson from a Simple Circuit Unit that I created for middle school and high school students. It is fun and involves hands-on learning. For more cool hands-on engineering projects check out Machine Science (This is where I work).

http://www.machinescience.org/catalog

Step 1 Simple Circuit Games Unit 2: Electronic Map

Have you ever looked at a map and wanted a quick way to know where a particular business, subway station, or landmark is located? Electronic maps, like the one shown in Figure at Boston's Museum of Science, use lights to mark the positions of local landmarks. Each button on the panel in front of the map corresponds to a location in Eastern Massachusetts. When you press the button for a particular location, its spot on the map lights up.

In this unit, you will make your own electronic map. In Challenge 1, you will construct the map board. In Challenge 2, you will add the electronic components.

Comments

[mimiandelliott]

I'd sure value some help if anyone can provide it. I'm not an electronics whiz but I'm trying to help my fourth-grader do a project. I'm confident we can do this as explained here... BUT what we'd really like to do is figure out how to make it into a game, so that if someone presses the right button, the correct location lights up in green... but if they press the wrong button, a different light comes on red (perhaps even with an audible buzzer). Anyone got a source I can use to make something like this?

[Chuza]

Hello. I got brains but no skills and I'm a granny.  So I'm just gonna put this out there:   Who can I convince to make one of these for my Christian Education class but with a twist.  Using two maps one for the layout of the land in todays time and one showing the layout of the land in  ancient biblical  times.  Configure the lamps to light up at the same time on both maps as we talk about that particular country or province. 
Thanks to all.

[Xellers]

You guys teach this to middle school students?! Why do you underestimate them so much?!

[brehzer]

This can be a lot for middle school students. however if it does seem too simple you can always start with this and lead into more advanced projects.

[QuiksilverRox]

I've done this type of stuff as an elementary student!

[Seifpic]

I thought the resitor should be on the anode side! NOTE: That is why your LEDs light orange...

[Coodude26]

The side that a resistor is on relative to an LED makes absolutely no difference.

[GorillazMiko]

Awesome Instructable, great pictures, that 2nd one looks really cool.

[marc92]

Its pretty impressive to see in person and light up all the places in the city. Perhaps you could correspond the colors of your LED's to the T line that each MBTA station is on.

[oakironworker]

Great Instructable I can use these as an intro to electronics in my high school classes.

[DavidRobertson]

Very simple and good idea.