Welcome to the first in our Circuits & Systems block series! This week, we’ll be telling you all about the basic – and necessary – input blocks. As we said in the previous blog, we’re starting small, and showcasing the easier blocks in order to ease you into it. Then we’ll get bigger and better from there…
So what are input blocks?
There are three input blocks: beam sensor, button and toggle.
How do they work?
The button is a basic input block that emits a signal value of 1 for a split second when you interact with it.
The toggle is a basic input block that emits a signal value of 1 when you interacts with it, and continues to do so until you interact with it again.
The beam sensor is a laser tripwire sensor that outputs a signal value of 1 when a tech that is not itself is detected in its laser area.
What do they do?
The beam sensor allows you to drive through it without interacting with anything manually, instead triggering something with your tech.
With the button, you right click on it and after a split second, you can let go and it will output a signal of value 1 for a very short amount of time – a quick brief signal being sent that you can do something with.
As for the toggle, you decide when it starts and stops, simply by clicking on it.
What can I make with them?
These inputs are very fundamental, so they’ll be a part of anything you want to do!
The best (although basic) example is lights. If you want a light to flash, a button block is the best choice. If you want a light to stay on until you turn it off (like a lightswitch!) then you want a toggle. And if you want a light to turn on when your tech is in a specific area and turn off when you leave, then the beam sensor will be your block of choice.
However, when you combine them with other blocks, your imagination really is the limit!
Stay tuned for next week, when we tell you all about wireless and carrier blocks…