Piper Mini Instructions

WELCOME TO YOUR PIPER MINI

This quick start guide will walk you through the basics of how to build and use your Piper Mini most effectively. For more specific troubleshooting, check out our help page, post on our Community Forum, or email us at hi@playpiper.com


STEP 1

Assemble your Piper following the enclosed blueprint. You might need to use a hammer to tap the snug wood pieces together!

Not Shown: Plug in your external monitor using the HDMI cable and speakers/ headphones into the Pi headphone jack.  

STEP 2

Plug in your Raspberry Pi to a wall power source using the included power cord and power block.

Note: Your external monitor and speakers may require separate power supplies. Make sure they are also plugged in and switched ON.

STEP 3

Let the system start up, you should be taken directly to a desktop with "Pipercode" and "Piper" icons. Click PIPER to start with Storymode.

Follow the gameplay to play the levels. Guides for each of the levels are included here.

PIPER STORYMODE

LEVEL ONE: MARS

Welcome to your first mission on Mars! Your first task is to help Piperbot move. First, complete a circuit in the game then physically completing circuits with jumper wires connected to GPIO (Global Placement Input Output) pins on the Raspberry Pi. Good luck!

Piper Mini Instructions
Piper Mini Instructions

MINIGAME: RING RACE 

Learn about minigames to start flying and collect rings as you go!

LEVEL TWO: CHEESTEROID

Help Piperbot learn a new jumping function to get out of the Cheeseteroid maze! Students can accomplish this by continuing with the wiring scheme presented earlier. The main difference is that the yellow wires will go into pins 13 and 14. Once able to jump, it’s just a matter of getting through the maze following the red blocks. Good luck!

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL THREE: TREASURE HUNT

Help Piperbot find the Golden Wrench. Piperbot will need to find a series of clues from info boxes which will eventually lead to a crafting table. Once there, Piperbot will wire an LED to a small breadboard and Pi. The LED has been coded as a “treasure detector”. (Note: When Piperbot gets closer to the X, marking the hidden Golden Wrench, the LED will flash increasingly faster. Good luck!)

Piper Mini Instructions

MINIGAME: DARK MAZE

Navigate through a dark and perilous maze using the torch powerup.

Piper Mini Instructions

MINIGAME: SNAKE TRAP

A wild snake is on the loose! Build the autobridge power up and see how fast you can trap the snake!

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL FOUR: CHAIN REACTION

Piperbot will need to blow its way through sand and castle walls to reach the next portal. Along the way, momentary switches (buttons) and switches are compared and contrasted. (Note: Make sure to follow the first instructions, to left click the TNT block in order to find the crafting table.) Good luck!

Piper Mini Instructions
Piper Mini Instructions

MINIGAME: EXPLOSIVE ESCAPE

Build the TNT powerup and blast the Sand Worms before they can escape!

LEVEL FIVE: PIP HOP

Create and listen to your own music on Piper. Pip Hop is a music sequencer where students place blocks to create measures of music and the sequencer will play their custom song!

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL SIX: BOT BUILDER

Piperbot, but make it fashion -- Design a new look for Piperbot

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL SEVEN: RAINBOW BRIDGE

To reach the next portal, Piperbot has to cross a constantly changing rainbow bridge. One random color of the rainbow bridge disappears periodically. Can you help Piperbot get over the rainbow bridge? (Note: To be able to cross, Piperbot will have to enable its buzzer, which hints at which color will disappear next. The number of beeps indicates which color will disappear.) Good Luck!

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL EIGHT: FUNKY FUNGI

Piperbot gets transported to the magical world of funky fungi! Help Piperbot combine buttons and switches into a new wiring scheme and recall different structures from memory. Once completed, make your way to the next portal. Good luck!

Piper Mini Instructions
Piper Mini Instructions

MINIGAME: CHEST QUEST

Build an advanced treasure detector and use it to find secret treasure.

LEVEL NINE: POWER PLANT

Piperbot has found himself in a whole new world! Help Piperbot activate the Power Plant to open gates, release & pump water, and raise elevators. Once completed, make your way to the next portal. Good luck!

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL TEN: BREADBOARD BLUFFS

Help Piperbot repair the breadboard to make sure the current is flowing properly. Once the toaster is fixed, watch the toast pop! Good luck!

Piper Mini Instructions

LEVEL ELEVEN: RETURN TO THE CHEESETEROID

Get ready because Piperbot will face his toughest challenge yet...the Cheeseteriod. Help Piperbot recall different structures from memory to cross the chasm and pave platforms. Once completed, you will have successfully helped Piperbot save Earth and unlock CreativeMode. In CreativeMode, students can invent and build their own circuits. Can you help Piperbot save Earth from the Cheeseteroid? Good luck!

NOW WHAT?

Congratulations! Now that you've played through our core levels, you're ready for Creative Mode! Click on those planets at the very bottom there and start exploring and building with the circuits you know how to build. If you think of something super cool, shoot us an email at hi@playpiper.com and maybe you can work with us to make a new level for others to play!

NEED HELP?

For more specific troubleshooting, check out our help page, post on our Community Forum, or email us at hi@playpiper.com

PIPERCODE

You can always return to your home page by hitting the exit icon in the top right corner and returning to desktop -- from there you can click on PiperCode. We've curated some projects for you as well that you can access by clicking the icons below:  

Ultrasonic Drum

Drrrrrrum Roll, please? Use your ultrasonic range finder as a drum

Twinkling Lights

Use your LEDs to make a spoooooky jack-o-lantern

Speak Like a Machine

Beep beep boop boop, learn the basics of binary code

Prepare for Launch

3, 2, 1... Blastoff! Go #OutofThisWorld with this project

Launch Sequence

Prep for takeoff by programming your lights and sounds

Binary Hero

Like Guitar Hero, just with binary!

Control Freak

Use your breadboard and buttons to create your own controller

Rocket Ship

To Infinity and Beyond! Go #OutofThisWorld with your own rocket

Temperature

Find the temperature that is *just right* with your sensor and LEDs

Security Zone

Intruder Alert! Use your range finder to create an alarm

Ther-Mood-Stat

Fiery or Icy? This temperature sensor project is #mood

Color Coded

Code secret messages and make sure to hide your ~true colors~

Stoplight

Learn the basics of the program editor and programming

Debug

Bug-B-Gone -- Learn to debug a program and circuit here!

Light Show

Let there be light! Learn to use buttons to control LEDs

Blink

Don't blink an eye! Learn the basics of the program editor

Circuit Design

+ or -: Learn to control pins by connecting them to one another

Siren

Sound the alarm! Learn how to make lights and sounds

Tally

Count me in! Learn to make a tally machine in this project

Frog Frenzy

Ribbit ribbit, use red and green LEDs timing to play one another

Randomizer

Snake eyes! Learn how to simulate a dice roll by making a random number generator

El Pangolin (Simon)

Design a game to play against one another

Beat the Buzzer

Fastest reflex wins! Play each other to hit the buzzer and turn on your light first

5-Button Synthesizer

Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So -- Make your five button synth using your buttons!