Getting Started with littleBits: Prototyping and Inventing with Modular Electronics

by Ayah Bdeir, Matt Richardson

littleBits are electronic building blocks with over 60 modules and trillions of combinations. With littleBits, anyone can harness the power of electronics, microcontrollers, and the cloud--regardless of age, gender, technical ability, or educational background. You can combine these simple, snap-together, magnetic bricks to make simple electronic circuits, or build robots and devices that combine sensors, microcontrollers, and cloud connectivity. This book, co-authored by littleBits founder Ayah Bdeir, along with top-selling author Matt Richardson (Getting Started with Raspberry Pi), teaches you just enough electronics to start making things with littleBits and takes you on up through connecting littleBits to the cloud and programming with its Arduino-compatible module.

Genres: Technology, Education, Design

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2015

Reviews

[Daniel Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice introduction to this interesting product or, rather, platform. It provides some history about its origins (what was the initial goal, where did the inspiration come from, what kind of difficulties it encountered...), but mostly it comprises a catalog of the most common modules both as an example of what you can achieve with them and as a pragmatic exposition of the background philosophy behind the whole thing. I think it's a very interesting study case for those interested in effectively applying design to bringing something rather difficult (electronics, device prototyping, product development) to a broad audience (including very young children), bringing tremendous value to the public while (and therefore) building a successful business for itself.

[Ravi Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I did enjoy the appeal of something analog rather than the usual odd digital project, and while I do appreciate the innovative Lego-style electronic 'Bits' that can be arranged in an exponential number of ways (no mess) to develop innovative circuits, the obvious downside I see is the impracticality of buying more and more littleBit 'kits' (those aren't cheap; they'll add up quickly in money _and_ space in your house because different projects require different kinds of Bits). But for whatever reason I got introduced to these at a previous job and I've enjoyed this book and some naïve projects that I could do with my couple of basic kits.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

littleBits are modularized microchips that allow even the layperson to make electronic objects or even smart objects that utilize the internet of things to allow you to, say, turn on and off your house lights from your phone while on vacation.

This book is co-written by the founder of littleBits and is half a basic introduction to littleBits and the company, and half a beginner's how-to. The how-to is really just an introduction to some of the most basic littleBits modules, how they work, and some suggested starter projects to get one creating. It is very basic and better used as a reference than a cover-to-cover read.

I've been interested in littleBits for a while now, and though I haven't ponied up the cash for any of my own yet, I found the book interesting enough to read without the little microchips right in front of me. I may check it out again when and if I get my own set of littleBits, or I may just look online for similar starter projects and how-to information.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of books has fantastic projects. My one objection is that a lot of the littlebits projects are kind of permanent. I was looking for something reusable which I could use for my library programs. The music section was an exception. However, if you aren't sure what you can use certain littlebits parts for, you can get a lot of ideas here. I also found the explanations with diagrams and pictures more helpful than some of the project instructions I have found online.

[Beth Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview with lots of links to more information on any of the sub-topics. Looking forward to using the bits now.

[Joy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The intro and first chapter are very informative