Arduino Class Series

This page serves two purposes. First, it should serve to help us coordinate advertising for our Arduino Class Series in the 1st quarter of 2013. Second, it should serve as a place where we can preserve our presentations, flyers, and other materials related to these classes.

Places to Distribute

• Radio Shack
  • 5400 Clinton Hwy, Merchant's Corner 102 - Laz
  • 2039 N. Broadway, Broadway Shopping Center - [DONE/Issac]
  • 7600 Kingston Pike - ?
  • 7236 Norris Freeway, Crossroads Center - Laz
  • 902 N Charles G Seivers Blvd, Clinton, TN - Should we go to this one?
  • 9335 Kingston Pike, Market Place Shopping Center - [DONE/Winand]
  • 10968 Parkside Dr, Turkey Creek - [DONE/Winand]
  • 3001 Knoxville Center Dr, Knoxville Center - [DONE/Issac]
  • 322 S. Illinois Ave, Oak Ridge - ?

• Hobbytown - [DONE/Issac]

• Mojoe's Coffee - [DONE/Issac]
• Shield's - [DONE/Issac]

• Local Colleges
  • UT? Where? What's the approval process? - ?
  • UT electronics enthusiasts areas. My suggestions - Min Kao building, math building, engineering buildings, university center
  • Pellissippi? Same questions as above. - Some to be posted on MondayTuesday --Switchnand 11:13, 5 February 2013 (EST)

• Lab/Other employers
  • This is probably just get everyone interested to get a few flyers to post up in their offices.

Class Descriptions/Materials

Arduino: From the Ground Up

Tue 2/5 @ 6:30

Presenter: Issac Merkle

For the past five years, the Arduino platform has dominated hobby electronics. Cheap, easy to use, and readily available, Arduino has made microcontrollers accessible to neophytes while remaining powerful enough for seasoned hackers.

But what, exactly, is Arduino? What can it do, and how can it be made to do it? What are its strengths and limitations? Which hardware should one buy, and why?

This workshop will answer all of these questions and more, providing attendees with the familiarity and understanding needed to purchase and begin working with Arduino.

No prior knowledge of Arduino is required; if you're just getting started - or are interested in getting started - this class is for you.

ADC and Temperature Measurement

Tuesday: 2/5 @ 6:30PM

Class Description:

Although microcontrollers operate in a purely binary world of ones and zeros, the physical world that we live in much messier than that. When you want to measure some physical quantity, you will end up with some sort of analog signal that must be turned into a digital representation to be used. If you wanted to measure the temperature of your beer fermenter, sous vide cooker, pottery kiln, or even just the temperature outside, how would you go about getting that into the Arduino? This class will provide a brief introduction to analog to digital conversion (ADC) and will then dig in to the ADC system on the Arduino board itself and discuss some of its limitations. With the background in ADC covered, the class will then move on to covering the two main temperature sensors for Arduino applications: the thermocouple and the thermistor. We will discuss these two sensors, how they interact with the Arduino, their limitations, pros/cons, and provide you the information you need to decide which one is right for your project. We will end the class by taking some temperature measurements with the two sensors to show some real world examples of how to acquire temperature data using the Arduino.

This class will attempt to explain the topic in an approachable manner for all, but some familiarity with Arduino will be helpful.

Below are the links to the presentation material:

• Presentation Slides - It was dry and boring, but here it is for your later reference.
• Arduino-Thermistor Calculator - Maybe the only intersting part of the entire presentation. It is a calculator that lets you design your Arduino-Thermistor interface. You input your thermistor data, enter in the information about your voltage divider circuit, and it lets you graph out the resistance of the thermistor, the voltage to be read by your analog input pin, and the relative accuracy in the form of number of LSB per degree.

Arduino: Software

"Arduino: Software Learn how to acquire, modify, and create Arduino software for your hackery. This class will cover platforms in Windows and Linux, structure of basic 'sketches', an introduction to programming, and finding and using libraries to extend your functionality. Bring your Arduinos and laptops for some hands on practice!"

Interfacing with Motors

3/19 @ 6:30pm

Presenter: Issac Merkle

Motors offer your Arduino the ability to interact with the physical world. Attach wheels and your Arduino can trundle about. Connect a conveyer belt and it can move M&Ms from one side of your desk to the other. With a simple lever, your Arduino can press buttons to manipulate other machines.

This workshop will introduce you to various types of motors, including small hobby motors, stepper motors, and servos. You'll learn what it takes to control them and how to avoid potential pitfalls.

Arduino: Hardware

Tuesday: 4/2 @ 6:30PM

Class Description:

This class is designed to provide a quick refresher on the concepts in electronics, such as voltage and current, as well as to talk about basic components like the capacitor and resistor. Building from those basic topics, the class discusses how to apply these concepts to describe the physical limitations of the board, such as current sourcing/sinking. Finally, a large portion of the class focused on reviewing the Arduino Basic Connection Slides. Some sample components were brought to allow breadboard testing of the examples in the basic connection slides.

Wireless Communications

"Arduino: Wireless Communications Spooky action at a distance! Come and get your fields on. We'll cover some common wireless protocols like ZigBee, Bluetooth, and / or Wi-Fi, and make things flash, buzz, or move through the magic of radio."

per issac: You might mention JeeNode ( http://shop.moderndevice.com/products/jeenode-kit ) as an option. I've not tried them, but have been meaning to; it's an interesting, low-cost solution. I've been pleased with ModernDevice in the past, so I have no question it's quality stuff.

Lessons Learned

• We need to do a better job of coordinating our street team. Advertising is such a big part of making people aware of what we are doing. We need to take it seriously.