WELCOME TO THE COMMAND CENTER PORTAL!
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN THIS PORTAL
Whether you have completed your Piper Command Center build or are about to get started, you have come to the right place! We've built a bunch of really cool content to get you started, so here's a sneak peek of what you have in store in this portal:
Learn the Circuitry of Your Arduino Micro with Tinkercad
Use BlocklyDuino Drag and Drop Code Editor and Arduino Create/IDE to learn how to program your Arduino Micro
Use your Command Center to Play Minecraft Classic
Sound interesting? Before we get started, let's walk through some basics first so you know what you want to use your command center with.
| Microprocessors | Microcontrollers | Microcomputers |
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PROCESSES data by moving it around |
CONTROLS data and peripherals. |
COMPUTE with data by using microcontrollers and microprocessors |
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These are soldered into your Arduino Micro and Raspberry Pi |
Your Arduino Micro (plugged into the breadboard) is a microcontroller |
Your Raspberry Pi (of your Piper Computer Kit) is a microcomputer |
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Ever heard of dual core or 8-core CPUs (central processing units)? Those are microprocessors which run at Hz speeds. Alone, we can't use it for much. |
Usually microcontrollers come with microprocessors built in. Also adds memory (RAM), storage (ROM), IO, busses, power management and other stuff. |
Basically a regular computer and will run its own Operating System (OS), with external RAM and ROM, and use things such as USB and Ethernet |
WHAT IS YOUR COMMAND CENTER?
Your command center is a game controller which uses the powerful Arduino Micro Microcontroller to controls a joystick and button pad.
Because microcontrollers do not COMPUTE data (i.e. you cannot play Minecraft, etc.) with them alone, you must pair your command center with either a microcomputer or a computer.
You will have to plug the microUSB cable from your Arduino Micro into the USB port of your COMPUTER
You will have to plug the microUSB cable from your Arduino Micro into the USB port of your RASPBERRY PI
STEP 1: BUILD YOUR COMMAND CENTER
Let's started by building your Piper Command Center using the enclosed blueprint.
CLICK FOR BLUEPRINT
After you've assembled your command center and plugged in the USB, open your browser and navigate to www.playpiper.com/pages/command-center-portal
On your Piper, to get to this page:
Click the POWER icon in the top left
Click EXIT TO DESKTOP
Click the CHROMIUM icon to open your browser
Once you've built your command center and plugged it all in, click that red GET STARTED button to see how what your command center can do!