High School / HS-08
Available Grades 9–12 Computing & data Robotics & controls
Build a camera-guided servo sorter, classify objects by color or shape, and measure accuracy with a confusion matrix.
A webcam looks down at a small tilting tray. Students drop a token in, an IR break beam starts the clock, Python + OpenCV measure the token's shape (circularity, extent) and colour (hue on a circle), a classifier decides, a servo diverter aims a chute at one of four bins, and the tray tips. Then students do what real inspection engineers do: run 45 tokens, build a confusion matrix, compute accuracy with an honest confidence interval, precision and recall, and find out what breaks it (lighting, rotation, thresholds) and how fast it can go.
Students will:
Every high school pack includes worked math and physics, prediction-versus-measurement labs, at least two design-and-test iterations, data logging, a rubric, and documentation templates, plus printable Builder's Corner build journal pages.
Parts, specs, quantities, and estimated unit costs, with places to buy. Prices change; anything marked as an estimate is an estimate. Links were checked when the BOM was written.
Totals are computed from the line items below. Prices were read from vendor pages on the dates shown and will change. Rows tagged estimate have no verified link and are planning numbers only.
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | USB webcam, 720p Logitech C270 HD · 720p/30 fps, 55° diagonal field of view (vendor page); UVC, works with OpenCV on Windows/macOS/Linux | 1 | $29.99 | $29.99 | logitech.com Logitech $29.99 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any UVC webcam with manual exposure (re-measure the field of view in Lab 1) | — |
| E2 | ESP32 Feather V2 (controller) Adafruit PID 5400 · USB-C | 1 | $19.95 | $19.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $19.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Adafruit HUZZAH32 Feather (PID 3405); same code | Header soldering: adult supervision, eye protection, ventilation |
| E3 | 8-Channel PWM/Servo FeatherWing (PCA9685) Adafruit PID 2928 · I2C 0x40, servo headers, 2-pin power terminal block | 1 | $9.95 | $9.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $9.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Generic PCA9685 breakout + jumpers (same library) | — |
| E4 | Stacking headers for Feather Adafruit PID 2830 · 12- and 16-pin female (Wing stacks on the Feather) | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 | adafruit.com Adafruit $1.25 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Plain female headers | — |
| E5 | Micro servo TowerPro SG92R Adafruit PID 169 · 2.5 kg·cm, 0.1 s/60° at 4.8 V, 19 cm lead, horns + screws (vendor); one tips the tray, one turns the diverter, one spare | 3 | $5.95 | $17.85 | adafruit.com Adafruit $5.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any 9 g micro servo (re-measure the body and update SERVO_W/SERVO_D in mv_cut_gen.py) | Keep fingers out of the tray pivot while powered |
| E6 | IR break-beam sensor pair, 3 mm Adafruit PID 2167 · emitter + receiver, 20 × 10 × 8 mm housings, 230 mm leads; open-collector output (LOW = broken) | 1 | $2.95 | $2.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $2.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Skip it and press Enter to trigger each capture (Lab 4 loses the timing data) | — |
| E7 | NeoPixel Ring, 16 × 5050 RGB Adafruit PID 1463 · 44.5 mm OD / 31.7 mm ID (vendor); controlled lighting for the camera | 1 | $9.95 | $9.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $9.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Desk lamp at a fixed position (low total); Lab 3 then compares room vs. lamp | Do not stare into the ring at full brightness |
| E8 | 5 V 2 A switching power supply (UL listed) Adafruit PID 276 · 2.1 mm barrel; feeds the servos and ring | 1 | $7.95 | $7.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $7.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | — | Use the listed adapter only; no bench supplies above 6 V on the servo terminal |
| E9 | 2.1 mm DC jack to screw terminal Adafruit PID 368 | 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 | adafruit.com Adafruit $2.00 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | — | — |
| E10 | USB-A to USB-C data cable Adafruit PID 4474 | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $4.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Classroom cable | — |
| E11 | Hook-up wire 22 AWG solid (6 × 25 ft) Adafruit PID 1311 · ring power, beam sensor extensions; one box serves a classroom | 1 | $15.95 | $15.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $15.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Classroom stock | — |
| E12 | 74AHCT125 quad level shifter, DIP-14 (NeoPixel data 3.3 V -> 5 V) Texas Instruments SN74AHCT125N · VCC 4.5-5.5 V, V_IH(min) 2.0 V (TI datasheet); powered from 5 V, drives the ring's DIN through a 470 ohm resistor | 1 | $0.87 | $0.87 | tme.com TME $0.87 (1 pc) · checked 2026-10-09 · 1552 in TME stock | Adafruit PID 1787 ($1.50, out of stock 2026-10-09); any SN74AHCT125N/74AHCT125 in DIP-14 from a distributor (TME ships from Poland: check shipping) | — |
| E13 | Electrolytic capacitor 1000 µF, 10 V or higher (ring bulk capacitor) SparkFun COM-08982 · 1000 µF / 25 V; across the ring's 5V and GND pads, stripe (−) to GND | 1 | $0.50 | $0.50 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $0.50 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any 1000 µF electrolytic rated 10 V or higher | Polarised: stripe (−) to GND; a reversed electrolytic can vent |
| E14 | 470 Ω ¼ W resistors (pack of 25) Adafruit PID 2781 · series resistor at the ring's DIN | 1 | $0.75 | $0.75 | adafruit.com Adafruit $0.75 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any 300-500 Ω resistor | — |
| E15 | Half-size solderless breadboard (400 tie points) Adafruit PID 64 · holds the 74AHCT125, resistor and wiring | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $4.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Small protoboard (soldered) | — |
| Subtotal | $129.81 | Low-cost path: $98.96 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Baltic birch plywood 3 mm, 12 × 20 in Wood Vault, 1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant; 3 sheets (base + mast / towers, tray, diverter / chute, bins, 36 token layers) | 3 | $3.50 | $10.50 | woodvault.com The Wood Vault $3.50 per sheet (1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not confirmed (variant availability not in page HTML) | Any 3 mm laser plywood (check thickness; slots are 3.2 / 6.2 mm) | — |
| S2 | Acrylic paint markers, red / yellow / blue (+ white or matte white card) Colour the 18 tokens (two each of 3 shapes × 3 colours); matte white card for the tray floor | 1 | $12.00 estimate | $12.00 | Craft / office store (no link) — | Coloured card glued on, or tempera paint | Ventilate while markers dry |
| S3 | M3 × 12 screws, nuts, washers; M2 servo screws; zip ties; rubber feet Tray pivot (tower B), servo flange screws, sensor ties | 1 | $6.00 estimate | $6.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | Classroom stock | — |
| S4 | Wood glue, clear packing tape Glue-up of doubled mast, bins, chute; tape lowers chute friction | 1 | $5.00 estimate | $5.00 | Hardware / office store (no link) — | — | — |
| S5 | Laser cutter access or cutting service 3 sheets, ≈ 15 min each (estimate) | 1 | $15.00 estimate | $15.00 | Makerspace / cut service (no link) — | — | Trained adult operator; never leave a running laser |
| Subtotal | $48.50 | Low-cost path: $31.50 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Temperature-controlled soldering iron Pinecil (Feather and Wing headers) | 1 | $68.50 | $68.50 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $68.50 · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded | Assumed owned in the low total | Adult supervision |
| T2 | Lead-free solder 15 g SparkFun | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $4.95 (single-unit price) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded | — | Wash hands after soldering |
| T3 | Safety glasses, ANSI Z87.1 Z87+ (high-impact) (soldering, cutting, servo testing) 3M SecureFit SF201AF · clear anti-fog polycarbonate lens marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 impact-rated; 3M spec table on strobelssupply.com and safetycompany.com, read 2026-10-09) | 2 | $5.32 | $10.64 | platt.com Platt Electric Supply $5.32 EA · checked 2026-10-09 · 40 in stock (company-wide) | Any glasses marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 high-impact). Not SparkFun SWG-11046: it lists only CE/EN 1836, a sunglass standard, not impact-rated | — |
| T4 | Laptop with Python 3, numpy, opencv-python, pyserial Windows, Linux or macOS; one USB port for the camera, one for the Feather | 1 | $0.00 estimate | $0.00 | School (no link) — | Raspberry Pi 4/5 (not priced) | — |
| Subtotal | $84.09 | Low-cost path: $15.59 | |||||
The pack is digital files only. Hardware is bought separately.
These are standards the pack's activities are mapped to by Laue Labs. They are not a certification or endorsement by any standards body or state.
| Activity | NGSS | Common Core Math |
|---|---|---|
| Lab 1 Camera geometry, calibration | HS-ETS1-2 (break a problem into smaller, solvable ones); HS-PS4-5 (devices using waves/light to capture information) | HSG-SRT.C.8 (right-triangle trig); HSF-LE.A.1 (linear model of µs vs angle) |
| Lab 2 Shape features | HS-ETS1-3 (evaluate solutions against criteria and trade-offs) | HSG-GMD.A.1 (area/perimeter formulas); HSG-MG.A.1 (model objects with shapes) |
| Lab 3 Colour and lighting | HS-PS4-3 (light: wave/particle models, colour as spectrum) | HSF-TF.A.2 (angles on the unit circle) |
| Lab 4 Full run, friction, timing | HS-PS2-1 (Newton's 2nd law on an incline); HS-ETS1-4 (computer simulation of a system) | HSA-CED.A.4 (rearrange formulas: μ_k from t) |
| Lab 5 Classifier evaluation, report | HS-ETS1-3; SEP 4 (analysing and interpreting data), SEP 5 (computational thinking) | HSS-IC.B.4 (margin of error from a sample); HSS-IC.B.6 (evaluate reports based on data); HSS-CP.A (conditional probability: precision/recall) |
One student or one household.
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You may not:
One homeschool family, or one co-op group of up to 10 learners with its facilitator(s).
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You may not:
One teacher with up to 30 students in a single class or cohort.
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All licenses: digital files only (hardware not included). Keep Laue Labs attribution on printed handouts. After checkout you get an instant download on the thanks page. License questions, more learners, or site licenses: lance.haney@gmail.com.
