> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.primastem.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quick Start
> How PrimaSTEM works — robot, board, tokens. A quick start.
PrimaSTEM is a screen-free educational kit for programming, logic, and mathematics, for children ages 4–10+. This page briefly explains **how the device works**.
**No device yet? Try it in your browser.** Open the **[Web simulator](https://simulator.primastem.com)** — a working copy of the board and robot. Place tokens, press **▶ Start**, and watch the robot run while you read this guide.
## 1. What's in the box
Wooden ladybug-robot on two wheels. Marker slot on top. Speaker, USB-C, Bluetooth.
Panel with paired slots for the program. Multi-colour indicators, ▶ Start/Stop button, speaker, USB-C, Bluetooth.
Cardboard tiles with NFC stickers — each one is a single command for the robot's program.
## 2. Power on
Each plays a short sound; the green power indicator on each device means it's on.
Available slots on the board glow **white**, the robot's eyes blink **white**. You're ready.
Hold **▶ Start** on the board for **more than 10 seconds** — the devices will pair and the robot will restart.
**Try this first:** place a **Forward** token in slot 1 (any cell of the pair). Press **▶ Start**. The robot moves 15 cm forward and stops. *That's a program — one command.*
## 3. How a program works
The board has **two rows of paired slots**. Place tokens in the cells that glow white — that's your program. Press **▶ Start** — the robot runs it.
| Label | What it is |
| :---: | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **A** | **Main program** — 6 pair slots, executed left → right |
| **B** | **▶ Start / Stop** — press to run; press again mid-program to stop |
| **C** | **Function** — 5 pair slots, called by the Function token |
| **D** | One **cell** of a pair |
| **E** | **Execution line** connecting paired cells |
| **F** | **Multi-colour LED indicator** on each cell |
**A pair = two logically linked cells.** Order top/bottom doesn't matter — put the command in either cell of the pair, and the repeat, number, or arithmetic tile in the other. If the second cell is empty, default values are used: 15 cm step and 90° turn — enough for young children.
LED colours during execution:
| ⚪ White | 🟢 Green | 🔵 Blue | 🔴 Red |
| :-------------------: | :---------: | :------------------------------------: | :-------------: |
| Idle (slot available) | Command set | Command + number / repeat / arithmetic | Error — skipped |
Empty slots and red pairs are skipped. LEDs flash on the cell being executed right now.
## 4. Tokens — by group
| Group | What the tokens do |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Movement** | Forward · Back · Left · Right |
| **Repeat** | Two arrows in a loop + inside dots 2–6 (like a die, for young children) or numerals. In a pair with a command, repeats it. |
| **Numbers** | `1`–`999`. Set movement distance in mm or turn angle in degrees. |
| **Arithmetic** | `+N` `−N` `×N` `÷N` `√` `^N` — one tile per operation+number. Modifies the saved value of movement or turn. A negative result reverses the direction! |
| **Function** | Calls the bottom row as a subroutine. With a repeat tile, runs that number of times. |
| **Step** | Service tile + Number = changes the default step (e.g. number 100, in millimetres, for a 10-cm grid). Saved after power-off. |
## 5. Defaults & saved value
**Forward = 150 mm (15 cm), turn = 90°.** The **Step** token changes the "default" distance and persists after power-off. Use it for grid maps from any robot.
During one session, each movement command keeps its **own** saved value:
* **a number** in the pair with the command → replaces the last saved value or default
* **an arithmetic** tile → modifies it (`+`, `−`, `×`, `÷`, `√`, `^`)
* **empty** in the pair with the command → uses the last saved value or default
Saved values reset when the board powers off; the default (Step) remains.
**Quick reference:**
* `Forward` alone → 150 mm (15 cm) — default
* `Forward` + `100` → 100 mm — replaces previous
* `Forward` + `+50` → 150 mm (previous 100 + 50) — modifies
* `Left` alone → 90° — default
* `Left` + `45` → 45° — replaces previous
* `Left` + `−10` → 35° (previous 45° − 10°) — modifies
## 6. The robot draws what you program
Try these examples — you'll see what the device is capable of. Insert a marker in the centre of the robot — it **draws** while moving.
More examples in [Drawing examples](mathdrawings).
## 7. How to teach with PrimaSTEM
**Introduce command tokens one at a time, in this order:**
**Forward → Turns → Repeat → Function → Numbers → Arithmetic.**
Add each one only after the previous is confidently mastered. The full 12-lesson plan with age, duration, and materials for young children is in [Book 1](book-1/book-1).
**Group work:** we recommend one kit per **2–3 children**.
**Maps:** any grid map made for any educational robot will work. Set the cell size with the **Step** token plus a number (e.g. 100, 120, 150, 200 mm).
**A trick for 10 steps instead of 6.** Place the **Function \[ ]** token in the last (6th) slot of the top row and secure it with masking tape. The program now runs as one long chain: 5 top steps + 5 bottom = **10 steps in a row**. Useful for young children who need a longer program before they're ready to grasp the function concept.
## 8. More features
Insert a marker in the robot — it **draws** its path on paper: from a simple trajectory to polygons, stars, spirals, and fractals.
The board reads each token aloud — voice in **any local language**, currently **17 supported**, we'll add any on request. Helps young and pre-reading children. Includes alphabet letters and places (Home, School, Shop, Forest, etc.)
Stick NFC tags on your map, program any available sound from your phone. The robot has an antenna underneath — when it stops on a tag, it plays the recorded sound.
Write your own tokens — any 13.56 MHz NFC tag (cheap, sold on every marketplace) + a text code from our documentation — the whole thing takes 10 seconds. Free phone app (NFC Tools).
## What to read next
Full technical specifications, pairing, calibration, safety.
Pedagogy, classroom use, programming concepts through play.
12 ready-made lessons for young children — with age, duration, and printable materials.
All NFC codes — for writing your own tokens with a phone.
Geometric figures, fractals, spirals — programs and results.
Words — places and concepts, alphabet, musical notes, system sounds. For recording your own tokens and playback.