Workshop 5

Hi folks,

Tomorrow (Wednesday the 6th) is our last workshop.  It will be at 7pm in Clark A202.  Please bring everything in your kit, a breadboard, and snag a 15 Ohm resistor (if you borrow it from the ECE labs, be sure to return it).

We are focusing on the design process, ie - how to go from idea to finished project.  A lot of folks don't know what they are making yet, or don't know how to make what they've come up with.  We'll go over this as well as how to improve your designs to their highest potential.

We will be going over the rules of the competition again in more depth at the beginning.  I will write a document in the next few days with the rubric and hard-set rules and send it to you.  I will also work on getting this and other workshops up on youTube this weekend.

-Austin

Workshop 4

Hi folks,

Workshop 4 will be Wednesday, January 30th at 7pm in Clark A 202.  We will be focusing on hacking.  If you haven't already picked one up, please find a PS/2 mouse to tear apart.  These are the ones that use the green, round connectors and NOT USB.  Check your old electronics boxes, thrift shops, grandma's house, ect.  If you have trouble finding one, I picked up a few extras that you can purchase from me for $5 cash.  Please email me if you want to buy one - first come, first serve.

If you still haven't picked up your servo, you can pick it up during this workshop.  If you have time conflicts, feel free to email me to set up a time/place to pick it up.

I will try to get Workshop 3 online soon.

Best,

Austin

MiniDC and Workshop 3 Time/Place

Hey folks,

We will be starting the judging for the MiniDC at 6:30pm tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 23) in Clark C142.  If you need an extension cord to power your project, please bring one.  After we get through the judging, we will jump right into the third workshop on motors, solenoids, and motor control. Please bring a fully charged laptop, everything in your kit, and your servo. If you haven't picked up your servo yet, those will be available for pickup as well.

I plan on ordering pizza putting up a movie during judging, so if you don't have a project, you should still come in, get a slice, and check out other folks' mini projects.  There will also be door prizes for the folks that show up before the workshop.

See you there!

Austin

Workshop 3 and MiniDC

Hey folks!  

The MiniDC and next workshop will be this upcoming Wednesday (the 23rd) at 7pm.  I'll get the room to you when I have it (still waiting on room confirmation), but it will likely be in one of the Clark classrooms.

If your MiniDC project needs an external power source (ie needs to be plugged in), it would be smart to bring an extension cord if you have one. If you are unable to make it but have a project to submit, make a video of you explaining and demonstrating your project and send it to me.  We will be awarding a Raspberry Pi and 3D printed prizes for the best projects.

The workshop will focus on motors and motor control as well as how to work with solenoids.  I had planned on doing a servo workshop and posting it online over break, but I decided against it.  Servos are very simple things to work with and I thought it would be better to show you guys everything in person and be able to answer questions than to put an ambiguous video online.

As always, email me with any questions.

Best,

Austin

Workshop 2

Hi folks,

Workshop 2 will be in Clark A201 starting at 7pm tonight (Wednesday November, 28).  Make sure you bring a fully charged laptop and your kit.

We will have breadboards for sale and will be handing out the servos that are a part of your kit.  If you haven't picked up your kit yet, we will have that available for you.

The mini-project for this workshop is the Pirate Security System.  We will go over analog to digital voltage converters, voltage division, and serial connections as well as the serial monitor.

We will also talk about the first Mini Design Competition (MiniDC) that takes place over Winter Break.

First Workshop

The first workshop will be Wednesday, November 14th at 7pm in Engr 100.

Please bring a fully charged laptop if you have one.  You will need to install the software and drivers found here: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software

The agenda for the workshop:

• General business
• Get everyone their kits
• Talk about the Arduino and its capabilities
• Go over current limiting and diode circuits
• Go over noiseless button circuits
• Go over Arduino programming basics
• Make our first mini project!!!!

It will take approximately an hour and a half, so get there a few minutes early so we can start on time.  If you have a test, class, or other conflict, we will be recording the workshop and putting it online on our resources page under the "Workshops!" tab.  You can find the resources page by clicking on the link on the left hand banner.

The next workshop will be Wednesday, November 28th at 7pm.  The room is TBA.

See you there!

Austin

Kits and Registration Deadlines

The deadline to register AND order a kit is Friday, November 9th at 10pm Mountain Time.

You will need a kit for the competition. If you have not paid for a kit before the deadline, you will not get one and will have to buy all of the parts yourself (see the link in the update below).  As we are selling the kits at less than it costs to purchase them, it will be more expensive to buy everything yourself.  The kits through us are $35 and can be ordered via Etsy below.


Link to register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BDQCTG3

Link to order kit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/113105618/csu-open-design-competition-kit



UPDATE:  For people that will be registering late and want to take advantage of the workshops or want an extra kit, you will need to order the parts included in this link http://www.sparkfun.com/wish_lists/51061