HERO Shields Pack

Two add-on boards that press straight onto your HERO Board: a multi-function shield with a 4-digit display, buttons, LEDs and a beeper, and an LCD shield with a two-line text screen and five buttons. No wiring, so you go straight to the code.

Price: $14 (regularly $20) · In stock

Rated 4.7 out of 5 from 15 customer reviews.

• Presses onto the HERO Board's header pins: no breadboard, no wires
• Multi-Function Shield: 4-digit display, 3 buttons, 4 LEDs, a beeper and a potentiometer
• LCD Keypad Shield: a 16x2 character screen and 5 buttons
• 10 filmed lessons in the free HERO Shields Training course, about an hour in all
• Both shields come in a clear storage case

Skip the wiring, start with the code

A shield is a board that presses straight onto the HERO Board's header pins. Everything on it is already connected to the right pins, so you skip the breadboard and open a sketch.

This pack has two. The Multi-Function Shield puts a 4-digit display, three buttons, four LEDs, a beeper and a small potentiometer on one board. The LCD Keypad Shield adds a two-line text screen and five buttons, enough for a menu, a game score or a live sensor reading.

What you build in the course

HERO Shields Training is a free course of 10 filmed lessons, about an hour in all: two set-up lessons, then four builds on each shield.

1. Buttons that light the LEDs — Read the Multi-Function Shield's three buttons and mirror each one onto an LED.
2. Beeps and alarm patterns — Sound the beeper directly, then build timed beep patterns that run in the background while your code keeps going.
3. Read the potentiometer — Turn it and watch a number from 0 to 1023, then use a threshold to switch the LEDs on and off.
4. A countdown timer — Set minutes and seconds with the buttons, tap to start, hold to reset, and the beeper sounds at zero.
5. Your first words on the LCD — Print text on the 16x2 screen and place it anywhere with the cursor.
6. Read all five buttons — Select, Left, Up, Down and Right, all read from a single pin.
7. Custom characters — Draw your own icons pixel by pixel and build a health bar from hearts.
8. Scrolling text — Slide a message across the screen and back.

Watch the countdown timer come together

The Multi-Function Shield countdown timer lesson from HERO Shields Training.

Specs

In the box	Multi-Function Shield, LCD Keypad Shield, storage case
Fits	The HERO Board (presses onto its header pins)
Multi-Function Shield	4-digit 7-segment display; 3 buttons on A1, A2 and A3; 4 LEDs on pins 10, 11, 12 and 13; beeper on pin 3; potentiometer on A0; reset button
LCD Keypad Shield	16x2 character LCD on pins 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; Select, Left, Up, Down and Right buttons on A0; reset button; contrast screw
Libraries	Multi-Function Shield and TimerOne libraries, downloaded from the course; the LCD uses the built-in LiquidCrystal library
Language	C++
Course	HERO Shields Training: 10 filmed lessons, about an hour in all, free on craftingtable.com
Ages	12+ (printed on the case)

Questions

Does it include a HERO Board?

No. The shields need a HERO Board, which comes in 30 Days Lost in Space and Cogsworth City and is also sold on its own with its USB cable.

Can I use both shields at once?

Use one at a time. Both read pin A0 (the Multi-Function Shield's potentiometer and the LCD shield's buttons), so they're made to swap, not stack.

The LCD screen is blank. Is it broken?

Almost certainly not. The shield's small blue contrast screw usually needs several full turns clockwise before text appears. The first lesson of the course shows exactly where it is, and once it's set it stays set.

What software do I need?

A computer to write the code and upload it over the board's USB cable. The course uses the desktop IDE, and its Install the Libraries lesson walks you through adding the two Multi-Function Shield libraries, which you download from the course. The LCD shield's library is already built in.

Do I need experience?

It helps to have uploaded a sketch to the board before. Each lesson explains which pins the shield uses and what the code does.

Often bought together

• 37-in-1 Sensor Kit
• Cogsworth City: HERO Starter Kit
• ACEBOTT Quadruped Spider Robot Kit
• Electronics Master Crate

Shipping and returns

Ships to the US, Canada, the UK and Australia: $12.35 flat shipping in the US, $18 to Canada, the UK and Australia. Send any physical order back within 30 days of delivery and we refund it when it arrives. Opened and used is fine; it just needs all of its parts. The customer pays return shipping, and the original shipping charge isn't refunded. Questions: support@craftingtable.com.

Sold by CraftingTable (formerly Inventr.io). All kits