Hello! Welcome to the party.
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Welcome to the resource page for the one and only FUnicorn! Here you'll find links to all the info you need (and then some) to get going with the FUnicorn and to make it truly your own. Because there are really no end of ways that you can tell someone.....
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Don't have your FUnicorn yet? Get yours from our Tindie storefront! (It's like Etsy, but for electronics. And better.)
Basic Instructions - How to Put it Together and Use it
(Beginner - no prior experience needed)
(Beginner - no prior experience needed)
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View online, scroll to "Instructions":
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Download our printable datasheet:
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...or if you're too impatient to read more than 3 bullet points:
- Put it together
- Plug it in
- Touch the unicorn
If you have the Full Kit with the Big Red Button, plug that in too. The message will activate by either pushing the button, or touching the unicorn. If you want it to be battery-powered, put it in low power button-only mode by pressing and holding the Big Red Button for the duration of one of the blinking patterns.
How to Set Up the FUnicorn in the Arduino IDE, for Re-Programming
(Beginner to Intermediate - this can be your first programming project!)
That's also taken care of on Hackaday and in the datasheet, see links above. If it's your first time programming, there are a lot of great tutorials that will get you up and running on adafruit and arduino.cc. The FUnicorn is arduino-compatible, meaning it's a spin-off that you can work with in the Arduino environment. Some pins may have their own special FUnicorn function, but the basic function is all there!
(Beginner to Intermediate - this can be your first programming project!)
That's also taken care of on Hackaday and in the datasheet, see links above. If it's your first time programming, there are a lot of great tutorials that will get you up and running on adafruit and arduino.cc. The FUnicorn is arduino-compatible, meaning it's a spin-off that you can work with in the Arduino environment. Some pins may have their own special FUnicorn function, but the basic function is all there!
Hacking and Adding Parts to the FUnicorn
(Intermediate - some electronics knowledge needed)
Here are some documents that show how the FUnicorn is wired, and what parts are on the board. They're also in the "Files" section on Hackaday.
(Intermediate - some electronics knowledge needed)
Here are some documents that show how the FUnicorn is wired, and what parts are on the board. They're also in the "Files" section on Hackaday.
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FUnicorn Schematic:
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FUnicorn Assembly Diagram:
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FUnicorn Bill of Materials:
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You can add practically anything to the FUnicorn, using the Arduino shield pattern on the back.
Note that the digital i/o signal interface is 3.3V! This is lower than the UNO which has a 5V signal interface.
The FUnicorn is kind of a cross between these two boards:
Things particular to the FUnicorn that are different from an Arduino Mini or Uno:
Got Questions? Contact Us!
The FUnicorn is kind of a cross between these two boards:
- Arduino Pro Mini, 3.3V, 8MHz (except the FUnicorn has onboard USB)
- Adafruit Metro Mini 328 (except the FUnicorn processor voltage is 3.3V)
Things particular to the FUnicorn that are different from an Arduino Mini or Uno:
- The normal 5V pin is still 5V, but it's supplied by the USB connector. So no USB means no 5V.
- The IOREF pin is at 3.3V.
- AREF, and the SDA and SCL pins in the lower right corner, near D13, are NOT CONNECTED. You can solder jumper wires from other parts of the board to these pins if your shield needs them to operate. See the schematic, downloadable above.
- Several I/O are hardwired to things in the unicorn - its body parts, the LEDs, etc. We've tried to note anything hardwired as (in parens) next to the pin, but also take a look at the schematic before assuming a pin is free and wiring something to it.
Pins that are totally free are:- A2
- A3
- A4/SDA
- A5/SCL
- D5
- D6
- D7
- D12
- D13
- The ISP port is 5V tolerant. And you can use it with either a programmer than powers the board, or one that polls the board on that pin (like the old Atmel mkII or ICE). You're welcome!
Got Questions? Contact Us!