Logiblocs Spy Kit User manual

INVENTOR’S
MANUAL

INDEX
Contents 4
Introduction 5
Understanding Logiblocs 6
Let's Get Started 7-9
Recording and Playing Back 10-11
1. Recording 10
2. Playing Back 10
3. Overwriting Recordings 11
4. Making Your Messages Louder 11
5. Sending Secret Messages 11
Playing With Shadows 12
1. Logiguard 12
2. Shadow Surprises 12
Let's Get Connected! 13-15
1. Door Alarm 13
2. Drawer Guard 14
3. Security Mat 15
More Use Of Light 16
1. Light Breaker Alarm 16
Lie Detector 17
Creating Coded Messages 18-20
1. A Simple Code 18
2. The Vigenère Square 19
Let`s Get Detecting 21
1. Hunt The Spy 21
2. Check For Metal! 21
3. Water Detector 21
What the Logiblocs Do 22-24
Battery Installation 25
Safety Advice and Useful Tips 26
3

CONTENTS
Please check that you have all the parts in the Spy Kit as follows:
BATTERY BOX
CROSS
IN
NOT
BUTTON
LIGHT SWITCH
MICROPHONE
RECORDER
AMPLIFIER
SPEAKER
JACK PLUG
PRESSURE MAT CARDS (x 2) & STICKERS
4

SPY KIT
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the hi-tech world of Logiblocs!
These instructions will tell you all you need to make your Spy Kit record
and play-back messages. Find out how to make a Lie Detector, play-back
messages automatically and surprise your friends. You will also find out
how to send secret messages using the blocks as a messenger.
You may have other Logibloc kits and, if so, you will be able to combine the
Logiblocs in this kit with your other kits to increase their power and flexibility.
If you join the Logiclub you will be able to get loads more ideas of things to
make and do with your Logiblocs. You may try to win a prize by entering
your own ideas in the regular competitions.
SAFETY
Logiblocs are absolutely safe if used correctly. Please read the section
on safety at the end of this booklet. Do not use the Logiblocs until you
understand the safety advice. Please keep these instructions for
future reference.
Never ever touch or try to push any wires into a mains electrical socket or
plug. This would be very dangerous. Do not let the Logiblocs get wet
and never put any parts or wires into your mouth.
LOOKING AFTER YOUR LOGIBLOCS
It’s a good idea to keep your Logiblocs in the box. There is plenty of
space underneath the plastic holder to store your models and any
Logibloc Extrablocs you may have.
Remember that Logiblocs are very special and need to be looked
after well. Keep them clean and try not to step on them!
THE LOGIBLOC GUARANTEE
If by any chance anything is missing or not working properly, please write to us
at the address on the back of this booklet and we will sort things out as soon as
possible. This does not affect your right to return this product to where you bought
it from under the retailer’s usual terms and conditions.
5

UNDERSTANDING LOGIBLOCS
Logiblocs make computer technology simple!
Logiblocs is the electronic discovery system that helps you understand about
the world of technology around you as you create your own inventions.
From traffic lights to super computers, everything in today's high-tech world
runs by the same principles that Logiblocs demonstrate. Inside each
Logibloc is a printed circuit board and every block is colour-coded for the
function it performs. By plugging together Logiblocs in different
combinations you can create circuits and virtually write your own simple
program to build each new invention.
Each block has its own job to do, described by its colour:
Logi Yellow
Input: These blocks trigger the system at the press of a button and in all
sorts of other ways.
Logi Blue
Throughput: These blocks take messages from place to place.
Logi Orange
Logic: These brain blocks do the thinking and make sure that everything
happens in the right place and at the right time.
Logi Red
Output: These chatterboxes turn things on and off and communicate with
the outside world through light and sound.
Logi Green
Power: These energy suppliers give life to Logibloc inventions.
All Logiblocs work with each other so with a few Extrablocs you can build on to
your inventions to make them even more powerful using your Logimagination.
6

LET’S GET STARTED
The first thing to do is to get to know the Logiblocs and make sure
that they are working OK.
You will need four 1.5V AA size batteries.
Step 1
Open the BATTERY BOX and put
the batteries in. See the section on
battery installation near the end of
this booklet.
Step 2
Plug in the BATTERY BOX
to the CROSS
Step 3
Plug in the BUTTON.
When you press it the light on
the CROSS should come on.
If this doesn’t happen,
check that the batteries
are put in correctly.
If you still have trouble,
maybe your batteries are flat!
BATTERY
PACK
CROSS
BUTTON
7

Slide the slider switch on the
RECORDER to Record ●
If you press the BUTTON the red light
will come on. This tells you that the
RECORDER is recording.
Say “Hi!” into the MICROPHONE
while you are pressing the BUTTON.
Now slide the switch to Play ➤
and press the BUTTON again.
If the Logiblocs say “Hi!”
then everything is OK.
Step 4
Now add on the four sound blocks.
MICROPHONE
RECORDER
AMPLIFIER
SPEAKER
8

Step 5
Add on the NOT and press the BUTTON
to check that its red light goes on and off.
This block always does the opposite
to what it is told!
Step 6
Replace the BUTTON with the
LIGHT SWITCH. Pass your hand
slowly over the LIGHT SWITCH
and see what happens.
Step 7
Replace the LIGHT SWITCH
with the IN and plug in the
Jack Plug leaving
the wires loose.
Hold the wires, one in
each hand and touch
the metal ends of
the wires together.
Again the Logiblocs
will say “Hi!”
LIGHT
SWITCH
JACK PLUG
IN
9
You have successfully completed the test procedure. Well done!
Now it is time to get the Logiblocs to work and have some fun!
NOT

❷PLAYING BACK
Now slide the slider switch to Play ➤.
This makes sure that you do not
record over your message by mistake.
Hold the blocks so that the SPEAKER block
is close to your ear and press the BUTTON.
Your message will playback to the end
through the SPEAKER. There is no need
to keep the BUTTON pressed.
RECORDING ANDPLAYING BACK
As you have seen, using the RECORDER block we can record and playback
messages and sounds. The next section gives you some practice at fixing
the system up to record and playback.
❶RECORDING
The simplest way to switch the
RECORDER block on and off is by
using the BUTTON block.
Put the blocks together as shown.
Slide the slider switch to Record ●.
Decide what you want to say and then press
and hold the BUTTON and speak clearly
into the MICROPHONE.
Release the BUTTON when you
have finished. During recording the
red light will be on.
If your message is a long one
then you will only be able to record
the first 10 seconds. The light
will go off when you have
reached the end of the recording
time. To start again, just release
and press the BUTTON again.
10
RECORD PLAYBACK

❸OVERWRITING RECORDINGS
To make a new recording, slide the switch back to the Record position ●
and press the BUTTON again. This will erase (overwrite) your earlier
message, replacing it with your new message.
Have fun creating and playing back messages. Try talking louder or softer
and put the MICROPHONE closer or further away to get the best results.
❹MAKING YOUR MESSAGES LOUDER
Put the AMPLIFIER between the
RECORDER and SPEAKER, as shown,
to make your messages louder.
Playback your messages in the usual
way by pressing the BUTTON. Don’t
forget to slide the switch to Play ➤
Be careful not to put your ear too
close to the SPEAKER block just in
case the noise is too loud!
➎SENDING SECRET MESSAGES
Once you have recorded your secret
message, move the slider switch
to Play ➤. Disconnect the RECORDER
block from all the other blocks and slip it
into your pocket or hide it somewhere safe.
Even if you leave it for weeks the message
will still be there. To hear it back, all you
have to do is put it back into the Spy Kit
and press the BUTTON.
Just in case the wrong person gets hold of the secret block,
push the slider switch to Record ●so that the next time
the BUTTON is pressed the message will be wiped clean for ever!
Later on we will show you how to use this
to decode secret messages.
11

12
PLAYINGWITHSHADOWS
This section gives you some ideas about the way you can make your Spy Kit
playback automatically using Shadow Activation.
❶THE LOGIGUARD
First make the circuit shown and
lay it down on a flat surface.
Put the switch into the Record ●
position and record the words “Give
that back!” in your loudest voice.
Move the switch to Play ➤and press the
BUTTON again to check that your
recording is OK.
Now replace the BUTTON with the LIGHT
SWITCH. Make sure there is enough light shining
down onto the LIGHT SWITCH to activate the
playback.
Now cover over the LIGHT SWITCH with
the loose IN block. The light should go off.
If anyone tries to take the IN block away the
Logiguard will tell them to “Give that back!”
❷SHADOW SURPRISES
Place the same blocks upright so that as people
pass by, their shadow first switches the
Playback off and then on.
Make up messages to surprise your friends
as they walk pass – but not too rude in
case the wrong person walks by!
How about setting up the blocks to say
“Good Morning” or “Good Night”
when the sun comes up, or your
bedroom light is turned off.

LET’S GET CONNECTED
As you have seen we can use light to trigger the Playback of messages
automatically. This section shows you how to make Alarm systems that
trigger your pre-recorded messages using the Jack Plug and IN bloc.
❶DOOR ALARM
You will need a small strip of aluminium foil and some sticky tape.
Step 1
Take the Jack Plug wires and
place them near the bottom of
the door surround with their
ends sticking out so that the
door will brush past them when
it is opened. Stick the wires
on with sticky tape.
Stick your “Alarmed” sticker on the door to tell people that you are alarmed!
Don’t forget to disconnect the BATTERY BOX when you are not using the
Logiblocs to make the batteries last as long as possible!
13
Step 2
Shape a strip of aluminium foil
around the edge of the door
itself, at the height of the two
wires. When the door opens,
the aluminium foil will touch
both wires which should trigger
the Logiblocs into action. This
is called completing the circuit.

Step 3
Fix the Logiblocs together
as shown.
Make a recording in the
usual way of what you want
to say to people when they
come into your room – maybe
“Go away!” or “You are now
entering a secure area!”
Hide the Logibloc system you have
made. Remember, if you want, you can
extend the Jack Plug wires just by
joining two other wires on to make
them longer. Make sure you cover the
joins with tape to avoid accidentally
setting the alarm off!
❷DRAWER GUARD
You can fix up your special
drawer using some aluminium
foil as shown. If the drawer is
opened the aluminium foil will
brush past the two metal
ends of the Jack Plug wires
so completing the circuit and
setting the message off. A
good message would be “Illegal access detected! Close the drawer
immediately!”
Hide the Logiblocs at the back or beside the drawer where there is usually a
bit of space.
14

❸SECURITY MAT
You will need some aluminium foil, scissors, paper glue, some cardboard
and some sticky tape. You can use the piece of card provided but you may
prefer to keep this for use as an attractive mouse mat!
Step 1
Cut out two pieces of card or cardboard 20cm x 15cm.
Stick two pieces of aluminium foil to one side of each
piece of card. Cut out four strips of cardboard
to go right around the edge of
one piece of card.
Step 3
Join the blocks together as shown for the Door Alarm and plug in the Jack
Plug. Tap the sandwich you have made. When the two pieces of foil touch,
the circuit is completed and the Logiblocs should be triggered. If the
aluminium foil sheets in the sandwich are touching too easily then add
another spacer or two. When you are happy with the sandwich, stick down
the top piece of cardboard to the spacers.
Hide the Logiblocs and place the mat under carpets and surprise your
friends when they step in the wrong place! Remember to disconnect
the BATTERY BOX when you are not using the Logiblocs to save the
batteries!
15
Step 2
Stick one of the wires to the corner of
the foil with sticky tape. Glue the strips
of cardboard around the edge to form a
spacer. Stick the other wire to the
corner of the foil on the other card.
Place (do not stick) the second card
on top of the spacer to make
a sandwich.

MOREUSEOFLIGHT
❶LIGHT BREAKER ALARM
You will need a flashlight to make the light
breaker alarm. Find a dark spot or wait
until the light is fading.
Step 1
Plug the Logiblocs together as
shown and stand them
up on the BATTERY
BOX.
Step 2
Place your flashlight so that it shines
across the doorway straight at the lens
of the LIGHT SWITCH.
You have now made a Light Breaker
Alarm. When the light beam is broken
by walking through the beam, your
message will play back.
Why not try using mirrors to bend the
light beam around corners. Make sure
that the beam still reaches the LIGHT
SWITCH.
Don’t forget to disconnect the BATTERY BOX when you are not using
the Logiblocs to make the batteries last as long as possible!
16

LIEDETECTOR
We can use the Spy Kit to make a Lie
Detector. This uses the effect that when
people do not tell the truth they usually
sweat which increases the electrical
conductivity of their hands.
Step 1
Make two hand sized aluminium foil pads and
lay them side by side on a table, making sure
that they do not touch. Fix with tape the
metal ends of the Jack Plug wires with
some sticky tape, one to each piece of
foil.
Put the blocs together as shown and plug in
the Jack Plug into the IN block.
Pre-record “Liar!” or “That’s not true!” by touching
the pads together to trigger the blocs with the slider
in the Record position ●. Push the slider switch
back to Play ➤.
Now keeping the pads separate place one or two fingers
on one pad. Get someone to ask you some questions about
you or your friends. Each time you give either a true or false answer put one
or two fingers from your other hand onto the second pad. Depending on
how hard you press or if your hands are sweating (because of telling lies!) the
“True” or “False” message will be
played back.
You can do this with two people
using the Lie Detector. Put your
right hand on the right pad while
your friend puts his or her left hand
on the left pad. Ask each other
questions and then join your free
hands together. You should find
that the Logiblocs can be triggered
through you both! 17

18
CREATING CODED MESSAGES
You can save secret code words in the RECORDER and give it to someone
else to listen to later on to help unravel coded messages. We can use this
to send special Key Words to help your fellow Spies work out coded
messages. Keeping information safe from people who are not supposed to
see it is more important today than it ever was because we send so much
more information. Telephone calls and e-mails can be intercepted so we
need to be able to code the information to keep it safe.
❶A SIMPLE CODE
Step 1
Make up your secret message. Let’s say that your message is “Tonight at
ten in the house”
Step 2
To make a converter to code the message, first write out a normal alphabet
(in small letters). Underneath this, write out another alphabet (in CAPITALS)
but shifted along by 6 letters as below. Look for the letters of your message
in the top row, then below each letter find the code letter to use instead.
Step 3
Write down your message without any spaces between the words. Write
underneath the code letters for each letter reading them off your code
converter above.
Step 4
Write down the coded message only on a small piece of paper and speak
and record into the RECORDER block the special number “6” (the number
of letters you shifted the alphabet along) to allow your friend to decode the
message. Remember to put the slider switch to Play ➤to keep the code
number safe.
a
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Text
Code
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Step 5
Pass the coded message to your friend secretly – perhaps inside a book –
and pass over the RECORDER block at a different time and in a different
place – perhaps leaving it in a special place.
Step 6
Now is the time to see if you can unravel the code yourself, pretending that
you don’t know the answer.
Listen to the key word and, make the code converter again by shifting the
letters 6 places. Unravel the coded message by reading off each letter.
Remember that the code letters are on the bottom and the real letters are on
the top.
❷THE VIGENÈRE SQUARE
A much cleverer code method is based on the Vigenère square shown
opposite – named after the inventor who was born in 1523. This uses a Key
Word to tell you which row to use to code and decode each letter of your
message. You need to store your Key Word on the RECORDER block and
then pass it to a friend so they can use it to decode the message.
Step 1
Write down your message and then write the key word above it, repeating it
as many times as you need as shown below. To show how this works, we
have chosen the key word “LOGI”. The letters of the key word tell you which
of the rows to use for each letter of your message. We have highlighted the
correct rows to use in the Vigenère Square shown on the next page.
The first letter of the message is ”t” so the L above tells you to use the L row
(No 11). Find the “t” in the top row and move down the column to find the
“E” in the L row. Write this down underneath and move onto the next letter
“o” which is in the O row. Tracing from the “o” in the top row down to the O
row to find the “C”. Repeat this process to encode the rest of the message.
19
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Key/Row
Message
Code
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20
Step 2
Try to unravel the coded message you have just made, pretending that you
don’t know the answer. First write down the coded message, then write the
key word above it as many times as you need until you run out of letters.
The first letter of the code is “E” which is under the L of the key word. So
look in the L row (No 11) for the “E” and go up the column to find the text
letter “t” at the top. The second letter is under the O of the key word, so look
in the O row (No 14) for “C” then up the column to find “o” at the top. Now
try and fill in the missing letters of the message.
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