Battery

Using a screwdriver, unscrew the screw on the battery cover until the cover becomes loose. You don't need to remove the screw entirely

Lift off the cover, the screw will stay in place with the cover

Put the batteries in, paying attention to the polarity markings. Then screw the cover back on and you're good to go!

USB

Alternatively, just connect a USB-C cable to power cog directly.

Turning Cog on

To turn cog on, just push the power button. The LED ring will light up for a few seconds

Turning Cog off

To turn cog off, just hold the power button for a couple of seconds. The status light will turn off It will take about 10 seconds before Cog can be turned back on again

Online App

Suitable for: Chromebooks, PCs with bluetooth, optionally Android

Just go to robotical.app to get started!

iOS App

Download the Robotical app from the App Store

You will need to allow location permissions in order for bluetooth connectivity to function

Android App

Download the Robotical app from the Play Store

You will need to allow location permissions in order for bluetooth connectivity to function

QR code scan

Every Cog has a QR code underneath it that can be scanned to select that Cog as the one you want to connect to

When you press connect the camera will start to let you scan the QR code

Once the code is scanned, you can click the green button to proceed

If you're using the web app, you'll then see a popup with a cog listed. Select it and press Pair

LED verification

Alternatively, if you prefer you can select the cog or Marty that you want from a list. Just press the button for LED Lights Verification instead

You'll then see a list of Cogs and Martys in range, ordered by signal strength

Select the one you want and press Pair. The app will connect and then display a pattern of lights so that you can check you got the right Cog Press Yes if you connected to the right Cog, or No if you need to try again!

Disconnecting

Once connected, you'll see the status of the connection displayed. When you want to disconnected just press the red X

Introductory Games

These games are designed to gradually introduce the functions of cog and the Blocks Jr programming environment in a fun way! Students will typically be asked to program Cog to be a controller for a particular game. If they get it right they can play the game, count along as they get up to the required score, and then will proceed to the next one!

These games are in progress, there will be more available soon!

Code Wheel

The Code Wheel is where we first introduce sequencing. It's a super easy place for students to play around with the functionality of Cog and learn about making simple sequences

The Code Wheel begins with three wheels, one for an event, one for lights and one for sounds. Press the up and down arrows on each wheel to rotate it and select different options. When you're ready, press the play button, then interact with Cog to trigger your Code. Press the plus button in the top right to add extra wheels!

Blocks Jr

The Blocks Jr Interface is a simple icon based programming interface based on Scratch Jr. Here you can program full sequences of sound and light for Cog, have actions triggered by Cog's sensors, and move around sprites or Marty the Robot!

• Cog / Marty Connection - You can control one Cog and/or one Marty in Blocks Jr. Connect and disconnect without needing to leave the Blocks Jr interface
• Sprites - Add multiple sprites to scenes with the “+” button!
• Sprite & Logic Blocks - The categories here are blocks that work with the sprites, or are general logic blocks like loops
• Marty Mode Toggle - Activating this will change from Sprite mode to Marty mode, and swap the Sprite blocks for ones that'll make Marty move! Use this with a Marty the Robot connected, or just simulate Marty on screen
• Scenes - Add extra scenes with the “+” button!
• Cog Blocks - Most importantly, here are the blocks that let you interact with Cog! Yellow is events, purple is lights, and green is sounds

Press the Home button in the top left when you want to return to the main app

Blocks

The Blocks interface is based on Scratch 3 and gives a full programming interface with much more access to Cog's various sensors and outputs! In the Blocks interface you can connect multiple Cogs and/or Martys, as well as controlling sprites on the screen

In the Blocks interface, code you write is linked to a particular Sprite, Device or Stage.

To get started you must first add a device (a Cog or Marty) or a Sprite, and then you can select which sprite/device/stage you want to program from the lists on the right.

The blocks on the left will change based on what type of object you've selected - a Cog, Marty, sprite, or stage

Sensor Dashboard

The Sensor Dashboard lets you see the sensor data from one or more Cogs or Martys in real time! Add a device to it to get started, select the sensors you want to see from the list on the left, and then press play to start showing data!

Acceleration and Tilt

The yellow marker on Cog shows you which way is forwards. To activate the tilt left/right/forward/backward blocks, make sure you're holding Cog flat with the yellow marker pointing away from you!

Ambient Light

The ambient light sensor is inside the yellow point on Cog - if you point it towards a bright light source you'll see the values change

Center Button

The center button on Cog is force sensitive

Obstacle Sensors

The obstacle sensors can give you a simple yes/no reading, or in the Blocks interface can give you a rough distance measurement!