What's the Weather Tomorrow?- With LittleBits

This simple internet connected device uses the cloudbit by LittleBits to fetch the weather forecast for tomorrow. It lights up the sun or raincloud accordingly to remind you!

What you need:

• Littlebits: USB power, USB power cable and plug, cloudbit, 2 long led (or other led bits with wires) , mounting board, latch, NOR (or another logic gate eg. inverter is ideal)
• Paper/card (grey and yellow) /pens/tape/glue etc. (craft supplies)
• Craft knife/scissors
• Computer

By computer: I found a cloud and sun image online, traced an outline on inkscape, and cut out onto card on a vinyl cutter. Alternatively draw by hand and cut with a craft knife!

Go to cloud control on the LittleBits website and set up. I named my cloudbit ‘weatherbit’

(If This, Then That: a simple pre-written code platform). I made 3 recipes, one that turns the cloudbit on when the forecast tomorrow is sunny, one that turns it off when it is cloudy and one that turns it off when it is rainy. Using data from Weather Underground.

If you do not have a inverter bit to hand, improvise! I only had a NOR bit so I used this instead. The purpose of the gate is to have either the cloud light on or the sun light on at a time, depending on the output of the cloudbit. Test the logic out using a button in place of the cloudbit. I added some bright led bits connected to wires to make the light brighter.

Stick the sun and cloud together with glue. Place the littlebits on the mounting board and stick the leds behind the cutouts so they glow from behind. Place the mounting board on a table and stick the cutouts on the wall. I covered the lights on the power and cloudbit with bluetac to not confuse looking at the other lights. Add a title of ‘weather tomorrow’ above if you want other people to understand your cryptic sun and cloud!