You can control STEMpedia’s beginner Space Battle game with a smartphone, but the phone does not run the game. PictoBlox runs the game on a computer; the phone sends gamepad input through Dabble over Bluetooth, using evive and a compatible Bluetooth module. The project tutorial specifies an HC-05 module and Dabble’s Gamepad in Digital mode. STEMpedia’s Space Battle tutorial
What the Space Battle project makes
The tutorial builds a simple space shooter in PictoBlox, STEMpedia’s Scratch-based graphical programming environment. Its game elements are a rocketship, enemy space monsters and bullets. You choose a Stars backdrop, add the sprites, and program the rocket’s movement and shooting behavior. The project page frames it as a beginner project and asks, “How to make a Space Battle (Space Shooter) game on scratch?” See the project instructions.
The phone-control portion is an input method for the computer-based game: PictoBlox handles the project, while Dabble turns the smartphone into a virtual controller and relays input to the hardware over Bluetooth. Dabble’s getting-started guide describes its app as a smartphone virtual I/O device for controlling hardware over Bluetooth.
What you need for the documented phone-control setup
- A computer running PictoBlox, with the Space Battle project.
- An evive board connected to the computer, configured by selecting the board and port in PictoBlox and uploading its firmware, as directed by the project tutorial.
- A Bluetooth module compatible with your phone’s operating system. The Space Battle instructions name an HC-05.
- The Dabble app on the smartphone. Its GamePad module offers analog, digital and accelerometer modes; this project specifies Digital mode.
The project page lists the evive Starter Kit among the products used. Kit contents and current availability are not specified here, so check the product listing before relying on it to include particular parts.
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Check Bluetooth compatibility before connecting
The module recommendation depends on whether the phone is Android or iOS. STEMpedia’s evive and Dabble guidance lists HC-05, HC-06, HM-10 and AT09 for Android, but says iOS works only with HM-10. That means an iPhone user following this workflow should plan on an HM-10-compatible module rather than assume the tutorial’s HC-05 will pair. STEMpedia’s evive and Dabble compatibility guidance
| Phone platform | Bluetooth modules listed by STEMpedia | Implication for this project |
|---|---|---|
| Android | HC-05, HC-06, HM-10 and AT09 | The tutorial’s named HC-05 is among the listed options. |
| iOS | HM-10 only | Use an HM-10-compatible module for the documented phone-control approach; the HC-05 setup may not work. |
These are the compatibility options stated in STEMpedia’s guidance; check the current Dabble and hardware documentation if you have a different board, module, or app version.
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Set up and use the phone as the controller
- Build the game in PictoBlox. Follow the Space Battle project instructions to select the Stars backdrop, add the rocket and enemy sprites, and program movement and shooting.
- Connect evive to the computer. In PictoBlox, select the appropriate board and port, then upload evive firmware as the tutorial directs.
- Connect the Bluetooth module to evive. For Android, the tutorial’s documented module is HC-05. For iOS, use HM-10 in line with STEMpedia’s compatibility guidance.
- Pair the smartphone and module in Dabble. Open Dabble and connect to the Bluetooth module. If pairing through the app does not succeed, the Space Battle page suggests trying the phone’s Bluetooth settings.
- Choose Gamepad and Digital mode. Use the Gamepad module in Dabble and set it to Digital mode, as specified by the Space Battle tutorial.
- Run the game on the computer and control it from the phone. The computer runs the PictoBlox project; the connected smartphone provides gamepad input through Dabble and evive.
Do not confuse Dabble with PictoBlox Mobile
PictoBlox and Dabble are separate apps in this setup. PictoBlox is the Scratch-based programming environment where you create and run the game. Dabble is the smartphone controller app used to send input through the evive/Bluetooth connection. STEMpedia also offers a PictoBlox mobile app, described as based on Scratch 3.0 and able to make games and animations and program supported boards. That is a separate product and is not the phone-as-controller workflow described by the Space Battle tutorial. STEMpedia’s PictoBlox overview
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this setup does—and what it does not establish
The documented method is specifically an evive-and-Bluetooth hardware setup. The cited tutorial does not establish that this game can be controlled from a phone without evive or equivalent hardware, so do not assume a direct phone-to-computer connection will work with the same instructions. STEMpedia’s project description puts the aim plainly: “We’re going to play the game with a Smartphone using the ingenious project interaction and controlled app, Dabble.”
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