Time and Place of Workshop #1

Our first workshop is in Engineering 100 at 7pm on Tuesday, November 15th.

First Workshop This Tuesday

Hello folks!

We will be kicking off the design competition this upcoming Tuesday with the first workshop in one of the Clark A rooms at 7pm (I will post the room Monday). If 7pm doesn't work for you, please send me an email and let me know. If more than two or three teams need to start at 8pm instead, we'll shift the time. The workshop should be 1.5 to 2 hours long.

For the first workshop you need to bring:

A charged laptop (any OS) with the software (found here) already installed. While your computer should not have any problems with the drivers for the software, I would recommend installing them anyways (found here). If you do not have a laptop, you can check one out from the library.

Money for your kit. Everyone asked for the full kit which is $35. You can either bring cash or a check written to Darrell Taylor who fronted the money to buy the kits.

Agenda for the first workshop:

- Design competition information (rules, structure, workshops, ect)

- Voting on budget and rules

- Get the kits handed out and put together

- An introduction to the the Arduino programming environment

- How to access and use libraries

- A basic calculator programming example using the LED "tube"

- A basic game (if we have time) using the LED "tube"

IMPORTANT: You, and your teammates, need to check this site frequently for event information and such as we won't be sending out emails for everything. There is an email subscription feature that you can use, but it doesn't always work, so don't rely on it.

Deadlines

There is no real registration deadline.  We will accept registrations up until April when the actual judging event takes place.  Note, though, that you can't do the workshops until you've registered, and workshops start the 15th.

If you find something about a registration deadline on this site, it was from last year and should be ignored.

The registration information can be found here: http://csuieeedesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/registration-for-2nd-annual-csu-ieee.html

First Workshop and Some General Information:

Hello folks!  The first workshop will be Tuesday the 15th around 7pm (this might change as folks see fit). This will also be the day that you need to pick up your kit.  Currently, we can accept cash or a check for $35 written to All Things Geek.  You will also need to bring a laptop or borrow one from the library. We will announce a time and a room sometime in the next week or so, so please check back often.  If you aren't able to come due to a test or other obligation, please send me an email, it is listed at the end of this post.

YOU NEED TO INSTALL THE ARDUINO SOFTWARE BEFORE YOU COME TO THE WORKSHOP. You can find the software here: arduino.cc.  This will make everything run much more smoothly if you do.

The first workshop will focus on getting you up and running with your Arduino and get you guys an introduction to programming.  The plan at the moment is to get you guys programming a basic calculator, and if we have time, we might make a quick electronic game (think Chuck-E-Cheese-esk arcade game).  You will learn the fundamentals of programming, using libraries, and several of the important programming features and nuances of the Arduino microcontroller platform.  All of the information that we talk about in the workshop will also be put on Instructables.com along with any code we use and some cheat sheets.

Let's make a calculator!

Here is the agenda for the first workshop:

• Get Arduino software installed on any laptops.
• Inventory the kits and glue them down to the plexiglass sheets.
• Connect the display module wires.
• We go over how the calculator program works. It already includes add and subtract.
• You will then figure out how to add multiply and divide to complete your calculator.
• If we have time, make a quick game.

Registration for the 2nd Annual CSU IEEE Open Design Competition

Alright folks, we go into another exciting year.  We are opening up registration for the design competition today and will run until November 6th.  You will need to do two main things to sign up.

1) Register here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MRLX8RQ

2) Purchase your kit at the first workshop (to be announced). This year, we can accept both cash and checks. Money from our sponsors is helping to pay for a great deal of the cost of components and is saving you roughly $45 over the retail cost.  What we do ask you to pay goes directly into the cost of components.

The workshop lineup this year is changing significantly from what we did last year and there might be some minor changes to the rules from last year.  Much of this site is left over from last year's competition, so a few bits and pieces might change from time to time. Check back frequently for up-to-date information and events.

Also, make sure to "like" the design competition page on Facebook for up-to-date info in a convenient place: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Design-Competition-at-CSU/147296381983049

Kits!

The kits for the the IEEE design competition are coming together nicely. The BOM is not finialized yet, as we are still working to get you as much as possible for your money. So far, the contents include:

• Arduino Nano 3.0
• 840-tiepoint solderless breadboard
• 8 digit LED display board with 8 buttons and 8 bi-color LEDs
• Microphone
• JST power supply connecters
• Nice flexable molded jumper wires
• Some resistors and passives
  
• A cute little micro servo
• A 40mm linear potentiometer
• A few dip switches and microswitches
• Some two-row header pins

This list is not final, I just wanted to give you an idea of what you are getting your entry fee.