In this tutorial, we will be making an electronic name tag using the TinyDuino and the TinyShield LED Matrix. This is a very simple project that can be used to display any type of text.

Step One: Materials

Hardware aside, the program you will be using is the codebender plugin below in the tutorial. It includes all the libraries needed, but if you wish to use a different program, be sure to download the Lots of LEDs Library. Before you program your Tinyduino, the proper drivers must be installed to detect COM ports. These drivers must be installed before downloading any codes from the codebender plugin. The drivers needed can be found here.

Materials:

• TinyDuino Processor
• TinyShield USB
• TinyShield LED Matrix
• Magnet
• Paper clip or other magnetic material
• CR1632 3V coin cell battery OR
• 3.7V Lithium Polymer Battery (140 mAh)

Step Two: Magnetic Attachments

Here we are just attaching a magnetic material to the back of the TinyDuino. If you have a processor with the battery holder attached, you're good to go! If not, well we will have to make some small modifications. One solution is to bend a paper clip like in the picture above. This is a nice fix because it also holds our battery in place nicely. Another is to use double sided sticky tape to tape the battery to the board and the metal to the battery. If you do not want anybody to see the actual boards or use magnets, you could sew or pin it to the inside of your shirt. The possibilities are endless so let us know what you come up with!

Step Three: Program

Below is the program used for the Tiny Name Tag. It explains what needs to be changed in the Charlieplexing.h and .cpp files. You can test out the program by directly uploading it to you TinyDuino processor. Thanks for reading and have fun!