I’ve not been on here for about 8 years, I found 3x spark core v1 in a box of bits from when I used to tinker. I’ve attached photos.
Are these completely useless now? I’ve tried to follow a Photon (no option for Spark Core) setup wizard but as much as I can get 2 of these devices flashing blue LED they don’t broadcast a wifi network so I guess there is some other method to set them up or they are just junk now as no longer supported?
I was hoping to get my 8 year old tinkering but I don’t think I can do anything with these now and I’m best buying something else?
any advice welcome as I have absolutely no idea how to get this up and running again at the moment.
You can still set up a Spark Core, but you need to follow the directions to install an old version of the Particle CLI and then set it up over USB using particle serial wifi.
However, given the small RAM size, the slow speed of programming, no support for current versions of Device OS, it may be worthwhile to wait a few months for the Photon 2, which has a 200 MHz MCU and significantly more flash and RAM.
I agree with Rick about waiting for Photon 2 but in the meantime I highly recommend using Snap Circuits as a starting point for electronic tinkering with kids. I got my niece hooked on them when she was around 8 and it was great for basic concepts, especially since it's enough of a toy that she felt confident trying different circuits on her own. After that it's much easier to move to playing around with photons.
Also Sparkfun has a really cool Doctor Who themed inventors kit that seems like a blast if your kid has any interest in Doctor Who.
