Programming
Start programming for the first time! We’ll guide you through the basic concepts, and we’re here to help if you get stuck!
Here’s everything you can try on LiveWires.
We’ll teach you everything you need, and you’ll take home what you make to show off.
You’ll have time for two or three different activities. This page should help you choose!
Don’t just learn to use computers, learn how to make them do whatever you want! Whether that’s building an app, game or website, you can level up your skills!
Start programming for the first time! We’ll guide you through the basic concepts, and we’re here to help if you get stuck!
Once you’ve got the basics of programming, you can build a game using JavaScript and our games course. Create your own version of your favourite mobile game, or perhaps something entirely new.
Combine computers with your creative side! Learn how to use computers to create your own art, whether that’s music, stills or film.
Sculpt, texture and animate your own virtual models or scenery using Blender.
Pick up a soldering iron and build something physical! Choose between loads of exciting projects, all carefully designed to make the most of your time with us.
All the projects require some soldering. Some also involve the making circuit boards and cases from scratch. But don’t worry, we’ve got the equipment and know-how to show you what you need to do!
There’s a small extra cost for these activities, which we’ll tell you beforehand.
Each project has two difficulty ratings: the first for the electrical work (soldering and wiring) and the second for mechanical building (PCB, drilling, filing, nuts and bolts etc.).
~£25-£30 • electrical: medium • mechanical: easy
Make your own customisable, programmable 8-key mini keyboard, complete with volume control. It connects to your computer over USB and has 8 mechanical keyboard switches that you can program to do whatever you want, plus a screen, rotary encoder and LEDs!
~£15-£20 • electrical: medium • mechanical: easy
This circuit takes input from the built-in microphone, or from an external input, and allows you to add echo and feedback to your voice, or music. This circuit uses a ready make circuit board.
~£15-£20 • electrical: medium • mechanical: medium
Are you a budding guitarist and would like to build your own distortion pedal? With this project, you can!
~£25-30 • electrical: medium • mechanical: advanced
Create a 3D light cube to display a changing set of patterns. Software is provided to program lighting sequences. This circuit uses a ready made circuit board, but you will need to have experience and a steady hand to be able to solder the tricky cube joints.
~£35-£40 • electrical: advanced • mechanical: medium
Create a second display for your computer to show drive space information, incoming emails, or display your Twitter feed. Drivers and software provided for Windows XP or greater, and a DLL is provided if you want to program it for other purposes. This uses a ready made circuit board, but you will need to have good soldering skills due to the complexity of some of the joints.
~£25-£30 • electrical: medium • mechanical: advanced
Build a robot that will find its way out of a maze using sensors and its microprocessor.
~£35-£40 • electrical: medium • mechanical: medium
Build this little project and you can see what your musical instruments or recording are doing: with a graphic display you can see a real-time spectrum of your audio.
~£15-£20 • electrical: medium • mechanical: medium
This little creature repeats your words… but in it's own voice! Complete with microphone, loudspeaker and case.
~£15-£20 • electrical: medium • mechanical: medium
Contained in a small and easily concealed box, when an intruder passes by it emits a piercing whistle letting you know they’re there.
~£15-£20 • electrical: easy • mechanical: none
Build your own arcade machine! Using the built in buttons you can play the classic Pong computer game on your TV. This project uses a ready-made circuit board making it ideal if you're new to electronics.
~£15-£20 • electrical: easy • mechanical: easy
This little critter is looking for the light! Driven by two miniature motors it can direct itself to where it detects the most light. This project uses a ready-made circuit board making it ideal if you're new to electronics.
There are also some longer electronics projects:
~£35-£40 • electrical: advanced • mechanical: medium
Have you ever wondered what is happening in an electronic circuit? Now is your chance to find out. Build this little PC powered oscilloscope and you can look at signals to your heart's content. This uses a ready made circuit board and has a reasonable number of components. All the software you need is provided as well.
~£40-£45 • electrical: advanced • mechanical: advanced
Rock in the comfort of your own headphones with this battery powered box. It's a DI box too, so you can plug into a mixer if you want everyone to hear.
~£20-£25 • electrical: medium • mechanical: medium
The only instrument you can play without touching it! Create weird and wonderful music by waving your hands!