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Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 Board Explorer

Run the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 Board Explorer MicroSim Fullscreen

About this MicroSim

Students will identify each major component on the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board and state its function in the robot system.

Bloom's Taxonomy level: Remember (L1) — Identify the main components on the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board.

You can embed this MicroSim in your own course page with the following iframe:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/stem-robots/sims/cytron-board-explorer/main.html" width="100%" height="502" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning objective: Students will identify each major component on the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board and state its function in the robot system.

Suggested use (5-15 minutes):

  1. Predict first. Before touching the controls, ask students to predict what they expect to see.
  2. Explore. Have students interact with every control and observe how the display responds.
  3. Explain. Ask students to describe, in their own words, the relationship the MicroSim demonstrates.

Discussion questions:

  • What changed on screen when you interacted with the MicroSim, and why?
  • How does this idea show up when you program the real robot?

References

Specification

The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 2: Hardware Platform and Robot Assembly.

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Type: infographic
**sim-id:** cytron-board-explorer<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified

Bloom Level: Remember (L1) — Identify the main components on the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board.
Bloom Verb: Identify

Learning Objective: Students will identify each major component on the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board and state its function in the robot system.

Layout:
- Left 65% of canvas: Stylized top-view illustration of the Cytron Maker Pi RP2040 board showing component placement with labels
- Right 35% of canvas: Info panel that updates when the user clicks any labeled component

Components shown on the board illustration (each is a labeled, clickable region):
1. RP2040 chip — large square IC in the center
2. Raspberry Pi Pico module outline — dashed border showing the Pico footprint
3. USB Micro-B connector — left edge
4. Motor driver terminals (M1, M2) — blue screw terminals at the bottom
5. Grove connectors (GP0, GP1, GP2, GP4, GP16, GP17, GP26) — white 4-pin connectors along the edges
6. Onboard LEDs (13 total) — small circles adjacent to GPIO pin labels
7. Piezo buzzer — small circular component with label
8. Reset button — labeled square button
9. Boot button — labeled square button
10. Power terminal — large green screw terminal block

Info panel content displayed on click:
1. RP2040 Chip: "The brain. Dual-core ARM processor at up to 133 MHz. Executes your MicroPython code."
2. Pico module: "The Raspberry Pi Pico mounts here. Its 40 pins align with sockets on this board."
3. USB connector: "Plug your USB cable here to upload programs or to power the board from a laptop."
4. Motor drivers M1, M2: "Each channel drives one DC motor up to 1 A and can reverse direction. M1 = left motor, M2 = right motor."
5. Grove connectors: "Keyed 4-pin connectors for sensors. They only plug in one way — you cannot wire them backwards."
6. Onboard LEDs: "Each LED lights up when its GPIO pin goes HIGH. No extra wiring needed to see pin state."
7. Piezo buzzer: "Generates tones. Your code uses PWM to play notes or beep patterns."
8. Reset button: "Restarts the board without unplugging USB. Press once to reboot."
9. Boot button: "Hold this while plugging in USB to enter bootloader mode for firmware updates."
10. Power terminal: "Connect the AA battery pack here. Provides motor power independently of USB."

Visual style:
- Board drawn as a flat top-view illustration in the Cytron blue-green color palette
- Clickable regions glow orange on hover
- Active (clicked) region outlined in orange with info panel updating immediately
- Info panel: white text on dark navy background
- Transitions smooth when switching between components

Responsive behavior: Canvas redraws on window resize. Board illustration scales proportionally. Info panel always occupies the right column.

Instructional Rationale: Clicking labeled component regions at the Remember level builds part-name fluency before students handle physical hardware. Hover highlights prevent "where is it?" confusion during assembly.