Term 3 Assessment — The Component Mixer

Week 24 Term 3 Assessment Week

Assessment Objective

Demonstrate mastery of Term 3 by combining hazard and soil sensing, the LCD display, flowchart logic, and your first Rule Engine automations into working systems that run without you.

Assessment Overview: From Operator to Programmer

What You Learned in Term 3

In Term 3 you taught the MakerBuddy to think for itself. You added two sensors, showed readings on a screen, planned logic on paper and wrote your first automations.

Week	Topic	What you must be able to do
17	Gas & Air Quality (MQ-2)	Read air quality and tell a safe baseline from an alert level.
18	Smart Agriculture (Soil Moisture)	Read soil moisture and judge when a plant needs water.
19	Visual Output (LCD Display)	Show live sensor values on the 16×2 LCD using wildcards.
20	Algorithmic Thinking	Draw a correct flowchart with a decision diamond before you build.
21	Rule Engine & 4 Loop Modes	Choose the right Loop Mode and explain the priority order.
22	"No Loop" & Multi-Step Sequences	Build a one-shot rule with several steps and correct delays.
23	Forever Loops	Build a repeating pattern and explain output locking.

The Component Mixer Challenge

Now you mix sensing, display and automation in one system. It must keep working after you close the dashboard.

Assessment Structure

Part 1: Individual Skills (40%) — show you can do each Term 3 skill.
Part 2: Integration Project (40%) — build the Safety & Growth Monitor as specified.
Part 3: Creative Challenge (20%) — design and build your own automation.

For Teachers

The question is no longer "can the student make the hardware work?" but "does it work without them?" Require every rule to be drawn as a flowchart before it is built: it is assessable evidence and catches mistakes early. Condition mode arrives in Term 4, so students use No Loop and Forever only.

Try It: The Component Mixer Sandbox

Interactive demo · no kit needed

Play with a pretend MakerBuddy board and its web page, right here.

Follow the steps one at a time. Got the kit? You can switch to the real board inside.

Part 1: Individual Skills (40%)

Complete at least 5 of the following 7 tasks. Each takes only a few minutes.

Safety: in every part of this assessment, plug modules in or out only while the USB cable is unplugged, and never force a plug. Keep fingers clear of the servo arm while it moves. Use only the kit's low-voltage fan or lamp on the relay, never mains electricity.

Air Quality Baseline: read the MQ-2 gas card and record the normal classroom value. If a response demonstration is needed, only the teacher may use an approved vapor source in a ventilated room. Never use a flame, lighter or released fuel gas.
Soil Moisture Range: after calibrating Dry and Wet, show the reading in air, in damp soil and in water (only up to the line on the sensor). Name the threshold at which you would water the plant.
LCD Wildcards: on the LCD Display card choose Custom and show two live readings at once, for example Temp: {temp}C on line 1 and Soil: {soil}% on line 2. The board refreshes them every 5 seconds.
Flowchart: on paper, draw the logic for "if the room gets smoky, sound the buzzer". Use the right shapes: oval for start/stop, rectangle for actions, diamond for the decision.
Loop Mode Choice: your teacher reads out four scenarios. Name the right Loop Mode for each, and explain one answer out loud.
One-Shot Rule: build a working No Loop rule with at least 3 steps that ends with the servo back at a known home position.
Repeating Rule: build a working Forever rule with 2 steps that switches the RGB LED between two colors. Then stop it to get manual control back.

Remember: every Delay (ms) box needs a whole number from 0 to 3,600,000. Use 100 ms or more so you can see and hear each step. If 💾 Save Rule does nothing, look for a box the browser marks as empty or too big.

Part 2: Integration Project (40%)

Project: The Safety & Growth Monitor

Build a station for a small greenhouse. It shows conditions on its own screen and runs a warning pattern without the dashboard.

System Requirements:

Plan first: hand in a flowchart before you build.
Sensing: use at least 2 sensors. At least one must be the MQ-2 gas sensor or the soil moisture probe.
Reporting: show two live readings on the LCD with wildcards. Use either an 📺 LCD Display step inside your Forever rule (refreshed each loop), or the LCD Display card's Custom mode (refreshed by the board every 5 seconds).
Startup rule: a No Loop rule with 3 or more steps that puts the system in a known state and shows it is ready (for example: RGB white, one short beep, servo to 0°).
Warning rule: a Forever rule with at least 2 steps that makes a repeating pattern you can see or hear.
Independence test: close the dashboard completely (or press ❌ Disconnect) and wait a minute. Your Forever rule keeps going. Reopen it: the Forever rule shows ▶️ Running, and the startup rule shows ⏸️ Stopped because it has already finished. Then unplug the board's power, plug it back in, and watch the startup rule run again by itself.
Documentation: a short note listing each rule, its Loop Mode, and the component it owns.

Worked Example

A greenhouse station that reads soil moisture and DHT11 temperature. Rule 1 (No Loop, runs at every power-on): RGB White → delay 1000 → Buzzer On → delay 200 → Buzzer Off → delay 100. Rule 2 (Forever): LED On 255 → delay 1000 → LED Off → delay 1000 → LCD shows Soil: {soil}% / Temp: {temp}C (an LCD step has no Delay box: it waits 1 second by itself). This gives a steady "system alive" heartbeat and fresh readings every 3 seconds. Rule 1 owns the RGB LED and the buzzer, and Rule 2 owns the LED and the LCD, so they never fight.

Marking Guide:

10% — flowchart handed in and matches the finished build
10% — both sensors read correctly and interpreted sensibly
10% — both rules built, saved and running as specified
5% — LCD shows live values with correct wildcards
5% — passes the independence test with the dashboard closed

Part 3: Creative Challenge (20%)

Design and build your own automation with any components. Use at least one saved rule, and explain why you chose its Loop Mode. Solve a problem you care about.

Project Ideas:

Plant Health Display — an LCD screen cycling soil, temperature and light readings
Kitchen Gas Warning Beacon — a Forever rule flashing red as a constant reminder (a classroom model, not a certified gas alarm)
Morning Routine Starter — a No Loop startup rule that greets you with light, sound and a message
Classroom Attention Signal — a repeating color pattern the whole room can see
Interactive Art Installation — an endless RGB color cycle with a matching LCD caption

Presentation (2 minutes each): show your system working, then answer two questions: "Which Loop Mode did you choose and why?" and "Which component does each of your rules own?"

Coming Up Next Term:

Week 25: Time-Based Automation — Term 4 starts with Timer mode, and your MakerBuddy learns to follow a schedule.

Learning Support

Use this quick guide to help every learner understand, practice and explain Term 3 Assessment.

For students

Try it in three steps

Say it: explain the main idea in one simple sentence.
Show it: Prove Term 3 skills: gas and soil sensing, LCD wildcards, flowcharts, and Loop Mode choice.
Stretch it: Pass the independence test - close the dashboard and prove your rules keep running.

Checkpoint: What was your input, what decision or process happened, and what was the output?

For teachers & parents

Coach without taking over

Before: ask the learner to predict what will happen and why.
During: use prompts such as “What changed?” and “What could you test next?” instead of giving the answer.
After: ask for a 30-second explanation, one piece of evidence and one improvement.

Look for: safe handling, correct vocabulary, a result the learner can demonstrate, and an explanation in their own words.

Safety reminder: Unplug the USB cable before plugging modules in or out, and never force a plug. The MQ-2 gets hot: don't touch its metal cover, and never test it with flames, lighters or released fuel gas. A gas warning you build is a classroom model, not a certified gas alarm. Put only the soil sensor's blade (below the line) into soil or water, and keep the board dry. Keep fingers clear of the servo arm while it moves, and switch only the kit's low-voltage fan or lamp with the relay, never mains electricity.

Did you get it?

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right, and why.

1What does the independence test in the Safety & Growth Monitor prove?
2Which flowchart shape do you use for a decision such as "is the room smoky?"
3Why record a clean-air baseline from the gas sensor first?