Workshop 4 Makeup LIVE Stream - TONIGHT at 8:00pm MST!

Come watch the makeup workshop for Workshop 4 TONIGHT at 8:00pm MST! Watch and chat LIVE on our Twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/csuieee

The video will be uploaded to our YouTube channel afterwards. Check it out!

Winter Design Competition!

Hello everyone! We all hope you are having a great finals week and wrapping up a successful semester! To celebrate the spirit of creativity, we are kicking off the annual IEEE Winter Design Competition RIGHT NOW!

Zombies are coming, and you're the only one that can stop them! Build something that will be useful in a zombie apocalypse and compete to win some really great prizes! The competition will be held right when we get back in February, so you can keep yourself occupied for all of Winter Break!

Full contest rules and more information can be found on the "Winter Design Competition" tab.

We look forward to seeing the amazing ideas you guys and gals come up with... but the zombies are coming faster than you think, so get building!

Workshop 5 TODAY!!

Workshop 5 is TODAY, Wednesday Dec. 3rd at 7:00pm in Scott 213! Come enjoy FREE PIZZA and the final workshop of this semester!

This workshop will quickly cover the remaining parts in the kit, a small project, and information about the Winter Design Competition. Specific parts needed include:

• Arduino and Computer
• 1 M Ohm Resistor
• Pencil (NOT a pen, we will use these to mark a notecard)

That's it! We will provide notecards. Mechanical pencils should be fine.

See you all tonight!

Workshop 4: Secret knock THIS WEDNESDAY

Hello everyone! We're getting toward the end of our workshops here, with the next one being this Wednesday! We will go over motors, servos, NPN transistors, and the piezo sensor in your kit, using all of these to make a door lock that opens with a secret knock!

Where: Scott 231
When: Wednesday, 11/19/2014, 7:00PM-9:00PM
What to bring: Your laptop and kit.

If you don't have a kit, as always we sell them for $35. But if you have your own set of supplies, we will be using the following:

(1) Arduino
(1) DC Motor
(1) Servo motor
(1) NPN Transistor - 2N3904
(1) 1 MOhm Resistor
(1) Piezo element
(1) 1N4001 Diode

FREE PIZZA will be provided! We hope to see you all there :)

Workshop 3 Information - THIS WEDNESDAY!

Workshop 3 is coming up! It will be held THIS WEDNESDAY (Oct. 29th) at 7:00pm in Scott 231 (same room as workshop 2).

To adequately participate in this workshop, you will need:

• Computer with the Arduino IDE installed
• Arduino Uno
• Breadboard
• 3x LEDs
• RGB LED
• 3x 330 Ohm Resistors
• 3x 470 Ohm Resistors
• 1x 10k Ohm Resistor
• TMP36 Temperature Sensor IC
• Photocell (light dependent resistor)

Of course, these can all be found in your kits if you have one. This workshop will cover analog I/O and RGB LEDs!

As always, FREE PIZZA is provided. If you don't have a kit but want one, WE ARE STILL SELLING KITS! It is not too late!

Feel free to email us with questions: csuieee@gmail.com

Workshop 2 Make-up Video

The video for Workshop 2 is being exported and will be available for viewing shortly! I tried to over everything from the actual workshop, but as always, send us an email for any questions.

Check back on the Workshops tab for the link! Twitch streaming can be a nasty beast, but I am finally getting the hang of it. Thank you all for being patient as we learn along side you!

Workshop #2 THIS WEDNESDAY

Workshop 2 is coming up THIS WEDNESDAY, October 22nd!

The workshop will be held at 7:00pm in Scott 231. As usual, FREE pizza is provided!

For this workshop, you will need your Arduino kit OR the following list of items:

• Computer
• Arduino
• 3 LEDs (preferably red, yellow, and green)
• 5 resistors, 3x 330 ohm and 2x 10k ohm
• 2 Pushbuttons
• Jumpers/wires (we will have some extra as well)
• Breadboard (or mini breadboard)

This workshop will cover digital I/O as well as some basic electronics principles. Join us in Scott 231 or watch LIVE on our twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/csuieee

If you missed the first workshop, YOU CAN STILL COME! These are meant to be well-rounded workshops for people of all skill levels.

If you don't have a kit or some of the hardware, come and buddy up with a partner!

Arduino Workshop 1!

Thank you to everyone who came to the first Arduno workshop tonight. Everyone was enthusiastic and eager to learn and that makes us excited for the future workshops and the competition!

The materials for the workshop are now posted on the Workshops page, under Arduino Workshop 1. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have!

Workshop #1 TODAY!

We could not be more excited to kick off the Open Design Competition workshops! Just a few reminders about the workshop:

• Bring a laptop
• Bring $35 CASH or CHECK if you ARE purchasing a kit
• Bring an Arduino Uno and USB cable if you are NOT purchasing a kit
• Bring your friends!
• FREE PIZZA!

The workshop will be held TODAY (Wednesday) in Scott 101 at 7:00pm. It's the big lecture hall on the right as soon as you walk in through the main entrance.

Oh yeah, the CSU IEEE chapter has an email account! We encourage you to send any and all questions pertaining to the competitions or IEEE in general to this account: csuieee@gmail.com

Some more updates we have been cooking up: we now have both a Twitch and YouTube account! This will allow us to stream the workshops LIVE for anyone to watch anywhere! Afterwards, the recording will be posted on YouTube for reference anytime! Rest assured we most certainly WILL be monitoring the chat during the workshop if anyone watching off-site has questions or comments. Of course, mind the 30ish second delay.

The link to our Twitch channel is: www.twitch.tv/csuieee

The link to our YouTube channel is: www.youtube.com/user/csuieeedesign

First Open Design Competition workshop!

The first workshop of the Fall is upon us! Here are the details: 

When: Wednesday, October 15, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Where: Scott Bioengineering, Room 101

This first workshop will be an introduction to Arduino and to some basic electronics concepts. It is considered a beginner level workshop. 

If you are interested in learning about electronics and Arduino, please attend! Please also encourage anyone who might have such interests to come as well - the more the merrier, of course, and we would love to teach everyone we can! 

Additionally, if you purchased a kit, and have not yet picked it up, please bring $35 (cash or check) to the workshop so we can get you squared away. 

We hope to see you all soon! 

ODC Informational PowerPoint

The PowerPoint presentation with the Open Design Competition information can be found here.

Also, we encourage you to fill out the registration survey. The link is posted below and also on the whiteboard by the BC Infill.

Open Design Competition Preliminary Registration link

If you are at all interested in participating in the Open Design Competition this year, please fill out this quick survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QF7C5YL

Your phone number is optional. The survey will help us gain interest and plan the rest of the fall to your best interests!

Thank you for your time.

2015 Open Design Competition Information Nights

We are happy to announce the 2015 Open Design Competition is kicking off next week with two information nights! We will be talking about rules, kits, dates, workshops, and more!

The information nights are Monday, Sept. 22 and Tues. Sept. 23 at 7:00 PM in room E103 of the Engineering building.

Come for the free pizza, stay for the competition!

2014 ODC Pictures

Become an IEEE Officer Next Year! Learn all about it March 26th! Free Pizza!

Have you ever wanted an opportunity that:

Gave you exclusive face time with dozens of industry members?
Improved your resume to include something nobody else has?
Gave you access to an exclusive lounge to hang out and store your books?
Paid you to do it?
Only took 2-4 hours at the most a week?

If so, becoming an IEEE officer would be perfect for you! We will have an informational meeting about the roles and responsibilities of an IEEE officer Wednesday, March 26th at 5pm in Engineering E103. We will have free pizza too!

See you there!

Cameron Bloom
IEEE President

The IEEE Open Design Competition: Everything You Need to Know

What is it?

The Open Design Competition is a free form competition where anyone can compete with a completely unique project of their choosing. These can be anything - games, tools, fun projects, serious projects - the options are endless. Projects are demonstrated to a team of judges that include industry, faculty, and graduate students.

When and where:

April 5th (Saturday), 10am

Cherokee Park Ballroom, Lory Student Center

Project Requirements:

1) Something interesting to you.

2) Costs less than $200.

That's it! The competition is completely free form - make what you want. It doesn't even have to be working - if your project isn't functional but you can explain what's wrong with it you'll get nearly as many points as someone's project that is working.

How can I learn more?

Head over the the Open Design Competition Blog for additional details.

Where do I sign up?

When you're ready, register here! Registration closes at midnight Friday, March 28th.

Thanks to our sponsors Wolf Robotics and the IEEE High Plains Section for making this all possible!

Competition Registration - MANDATORY ACTION, PLEASE READ

If you are planning on presenting a project for the Open Design Competition on April 5th, it is mandatory that you/your team fill out a registration form by 11:59pm, March 28th. The link can be found below.

If your team does not fill out a registration form by this time your project will be disqualified from entering the competition. All projects must also be present to compete. Again, it is mandatory to fill out the registration form linked below to compete. Please let us know if you have any questions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EDwI3Suxjc_ZUqvrex805Ys3g1ItvMigJrZ80d8mHwA/viewform

Open Design Competition Help Sessions

To help get everyone's projects ready from the competition, IEEE will be offering three help sessions before the competition on April 5th. These will be held in the BC Infil and are casual opportunities to discuss and troubleshoot issues, get design feedback, and ask questions about the competition. The schedule for these is listed below. If you need any help or guidance feel free to stop in at any time during these sessions and one of our officers will assist you.

Wednesday, March 12th, 4p-7p

Thursday, March 27th, 4p-7p

Wednesday April 2nd, 4p-7p

Hope to see you there!

Final Date and Information

The final date for the Open Design Competition has been set! We will be holding the competition Saturday, April 5th, 2014, at 10am in the Cherokee Park Ballroom of the Lory Student Center.

The competition will work like this: teams will bring their projects in and set them up at their assigned tables and our team of judges (industry members, professors, and graduate students) will walk around and judge each project. Each project will be judged three times and the scores will be tallied up at the end to determine the winners.

We are still working out the prizes for the competition but we gave out nearly $1000 in cash in prizes last year so if you have a project you'll definitely want to come compete! 

Workshop 5: Project Design

Workshop Contents

I. Finding Ideas
II. Choosing an Idea
III. Changes and Flexibility
IV. Implementation
V. Finishing the Project
VI. Demo - The Idea/Development Process
VII. Demo - Code
VIII. Demo - The Circuit

I. Finding Ideas

Ideas are the easiest part of the project design process- it's just a matter of having an open mind and looking in the right places. Ideas can be plentiful if they are allowed to be formed without restriction or caution. They can be big or small - an idea doesn't have to change the world, and little ideas are far easier and more realistic. Ideas don't have to be perfect either - there is no such thing as a perfect idea, but it is very possible to find several great ideas. Ideas also don't have to be good - in the brainstorming process there can be a lot of garbage ideas that come up, but for every handful of these ideas there is always a few strong ideas hidden in the mix. When brainstorming ideas, keep and open mind and record as many random ideas that pop into your head.

Ideas can come from virtually anywhere, but here are some good places to look:

        - Problems that need fixing
        - Things that could be better
        - Cool Stuff
        - Anything around the house
        - School, work, etc.
        - Activities 
        - Routine Tasks
        - Hobbies
        - What you and other people complain about
        - "It would be really helpful/cool/fun/interesting if...."
        - Combining things, speeding things up, improving, automating, etc.



II. Choosing an Idea

Once a list of ideas has been formed, it is time to narrow those ideas down into a handful of the best ideas. Ask yourself - "what ideas are applicable to what I want to do?" In the case of the Open Design Competition, the key questions to ask have to do with how a micro controller/electrical/programmable solution can be applied to the idea. There will be ideas on the list where this route makes no sense at all, but there will be others where this route would provide the perfect solution to the task at hand. These are the ideas that should be moved on with.

Besides the applications of the idea, consider the constraints of the idea - how easy will it be to implement? Will it be expensive? Am I capable of doing this? Is it interesting and do I want to do this?

At this point, there are probably a couple of ideas on your list that are easy favorites - ones that are intuitively great options that would be fun, exciting, and fulfilling to pursue. Choose a favorite and move on to the next step....

III. Changes and Flexibility

...but don't be afraid to let go of that idea. One of the biggest difficulties in project development is adjusting to changes and complications during the project process. Ideas can become unexpectedly difficult, complicated, impossible or uninteresting very quickly at any moment, so it's important to have a backup plan or two. This isn't guaranteed to happen, but it's a risk that is always taken in the project design process - sometimes things just don't work. 
IV. Implementation

Start moving into the idea by organizing what it will take to realize the idea - lay out basic block diagrams of how a project should come together - what parts of the project are necessary, what sort of sequence happens, what is important for the project, etc. Start large, with block diagrams, and slowly work smaller and smaller until you have the full technical details mapped out. Move into pseudo-code explaining functionality and mechanical drawing illustrating actions and go from there, developing the technical aspects of the project.

Before getting too far into everything, make sure everything is going to work. List the requirements and restrictions of the project from as many angles as possible and map out the full technical picture of the project - will everything work as intended? Will it all work together correctly? Are there any risky portions that need to be focused on?

As mentioned before, at this point it's likely that there will be some design changes that need to be made. These can be managed (usually) but they must be properly considered and once a change is made make sure to check that the rest of the system will integrate with that new part correctly and as intended. Changes can have major ripple effects that change a project overnight.

Implementing Code

To implement the code, start by writing it in pseudo-code - a purely logical representation of how the code works - detailing the values needed, the variables, and the loops without actually typing code. Once these are organized and understood it will be much easier to write the code. As code is written, when and if errors or difficulties come up make sure to use the internet to find these solutions - there are a ton of resources for programming difficulties, especially in Arduino, so it's valuable to pull from these as much as possible. Google errors and use the internet to diagnose problems and find solutions. Test your code in small chunks to find errors in controlled sections of code, not in the whole program itself for easier debugging.

Implementing Circuits

When implementing circuits, make sure to sketch everything out carefully and do your math before buying components - ensure that everything should work correctly first. As you get components and implement them, carefully test each section as best you can to ensure that component damage is limited or even eliminated - it's better to fry an LED than your entire microcontroller. Slowly integrate sections together and be mindful of potential risks in the circuit, like high current that might adversely affect your project.

Implementing Mechanical Designs
Finally, make sure to check the forces and mechanical limits involved with the mechanical design. Consider part durability and materials to make sure everything should work as intended without damage and that the system will not have issues in the future.


V. Finishing the Project

Once these three main areas are put together, it will be time to integrate them. Like as mentioned before, slowly integrate each section and test as often as possible to eliminate risk and catch as many issues as possible early on. 

When debugging/finding issues, be smart about it - go slow, confirm assumptions, limits, and constraints, and carefully dissect the problem, isolating the problem, it's cause, it's fix, and the ultimate solution. Take your time, be careful with debugging, and make sure not to randomly try things you do not understand - make a conscious effort to understand the problems and the solutions necessary.

As the project reaches completion, there will probably be more work to be done. Design's don't come out exactly as intended, and there might be additional work needed to improve the project further once you've finally seen it in action.

VI. Demo - The Idea and Project Development Process


To implement this project design theory, I went through these steps to design a manual car transmission. The first thing I did was sketch out what the system needed to look like from the car's perspective - the engine, the gear box, the clutch, and the dashboard dials. I then likened these components to electrical components I could used in my kit to develop a rough technical layout of the project. Finally, I asked myself how feasible this would all be, and developed a game plan for it all. 

VII. Demo - The Circuit

To implement the circuit, I first chose the components - a DC motor (engine), a Servo motor (gear box), LEDs (dashboard content), and a button (clutch/shift action). I made short test programs for each component and slowly integrated them into a complete system. Along the way I found that my DC motor wouldn't work as I intended to, so I had to scrap it and find a different solution, updating the rest of my project as a result. 

The final circuit is shown here:

VIII. Demo - The Code

As the hardware came together I wrote pseudo-code to organize the functionality of the program and then began writing the actual code and testing it incrementally. As the code came together, I organized it with the code used to test the hardware and formed the final program:

#include <Servo.h>

Servo servo1;
int pos = 0;

void setup()
{
     Serial.begin(9600);     //  setup serial
     pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
     pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
     servo1.attach(10);
     servo1.write(0);
}

void loop()
{
  digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
  digitalWrite(3,LOW);
  for (int i = 0; i < 7000; i++)
  {
    delay(1);
    if (digitalRead(9) == 1)
    {
      delay(300);
      pos = pos - 36;
      if (pos < 0) {pos = 0;}
      servo1.write(pos);
      i = 7001;
    }
  }
  digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
  digitalWrite(3,HIGH);
  for (int i = 0; i < 7000; i++)
  {
    delay(1);
    if (digitalRead(9) == 1)
    {
      delay(300);
      pos = pos + 36;
      if (pos > 180) {pos = 180;}
      servo1.write(pos);
      i = 7001;
    }
  }
}


The final project works like this: The servo indicates what gear the car is in and the LEDs indicate what the status of that gear in regards to shifting. If only the green light is on, then pressing the shift button will down-shift the car. If the green and red lights are on, then pressing the button will up-shift the car. 

Sparkfun Promotion!

For the rest of the semester, Sparkfun orders over $40 that use the promotional code EDECSU2014 will automatically received a 10% discount. Check them out - there isn't a better resource available for hobby electronics!

https://www.sparkfun.com/

Code For Workshop 5 Demo - Manual Transmission

#include <Servo.h>

Servo servo1;
int pos = 0;

void setup()
{
     Serial.begin(9600);     //  setup serial
     pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
     pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
     servo1.attach(10);
     servo1.write(0);
}

void loop()
{
  digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
  digitalWrite(3,LOW);
  for (int i = 0; i < 7000; i++)
  {
    delay(1);
    if (digitalRead(9) == 1)
    {
      delay(300);
      pos = pos - 36;
      if (pos < 0) {pos = 0;}
      servo1.write(pos);
      i = 7001;
    }
  }
  digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
  digitalWrite(3,HIGH);
  for (int i = 0; i < 7000; i++)
  {
    delay(1);
    if (digitalRead(9) == 1)
    {
      delay(300);
      pos = pos + 36;
      if (pos > 180) {pos = 180;}
      servo1.write(pos);
      i = 7001;
    }
  }
}

Winter Design Competition and Arduino Workshop 5 February 4th! Free Pizza!

The fifth and final ODC Arduino Workshop and the Winter Design Competition will be held Tuesday, February 4th at 6p-9p in Engineering 120.

First, participants of the Winter Design Competition will demo their projects! It's easy to participate if you weren't planning to already (more information here: http://csuieeedesign.blogspot.com/2013/12/ieee-winter-design-competition.html). Participants will show off their projects and be judged by IEEE student officers using the official ODC rubric that will be used in the final competition in March. First prize is a Raspberry Pi and second prize is a $20 gift credit to Sparkfun!

Following the competition, the workshop will be all about project design - how to come up with ideas, planning, prototyping, and completing effective, functional working projects for fun and for the competition in March! The presentation will be followed with a final demo project that will move through the entire process of project development. Even if you don't have an Open Design Arduino Kit this is a highly valuable workshop for anyone involved in the competition or interested in making projects in your free time.

We will have free pizza so come see some great small projects, learn all about project design, and start getting ready for the Open Design Competition in March!

Introduction to Analog Design (Workshop 3) - Detailed Guide

Guide Contents

I. Temperature Sensors

II. Transistors

III. DC Motor

IV. Demo Part 1: Assembling the Circuit

V. Demo Part 2: The Code

I. Temperature Sensors

A temperature sensor is made of a small, special resistor that changes its voltage drop based on the temperature of the sensor. It has three pins - HIGH, GND, and signal. A voltage is applied to the sensor to make it operational, and based on the temperature an analog value will be displayed at the signal pin. The Arduino's temperature library will convert that value to a digital value in Celsius that can be converted to Fahrenheit. 

II. Transistors

Arduino can only supply enough current to run sensors and small servo motors from its digital and analog pins. This isn't enough current to drive DC motors and other larger loads, so a DC amplifier is needed. A transistor acts as this DC amplifier in our workshop (transistors can be used in many other applications. This is just one use.) 

For this workshop we will be using an NPN BJT. The BJT has three terminals - a collector (positive voltage), an emitter (negative voltage or ground), and a base. The base is like a switch - put a voltage into this terminal from the Arduino and current will flow from the collector to the emitter.

Every BJT transistor has a Beta value, usually between 5 and 100. It equals the current amplification of the transistor.