Tag Archives: techshop

Reminder: Microcontroller classes this week at TechShop

By Windell Oskay on March 2, 2008

Tomorrow (Monday 3/3/08) at TechShop in Menlo Park, CA, I’m giving another AVR intro class. These classes have been big, lively, engaging and interesting, with a lot of good questions– two sessions are scheduled this month:

Monday, 3/3/08, 6:30-8:30 PM, and

Saturday, 3/22/08, 1:00-3:00 PM

Seminar: Introduction to AVR Microcontrollers

AVR microcontrollers are powerful and versatile single-chip computers that cost only a few dollars each. You may have noticed that a number of our interesting projects are based around these, using them to make smart little toys and machines.

This class is aptly billed by TechShop as “How To Use AVR Microcontrollers in Your Projects.” Indeed. We’ll be bringing along a number of our cool AVR-based Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories projects from to show off some of the things that you can do with these little marvels, and how you might go about doing it.

Formal class description: “AVR microcontrollers are powerful, versatile and inexpensive single-chip computers that are remarkably easy to program in C, using entirely free and open-source tools that run on Macs, Windows, and Unix-like operating systems. In this practical introduction to AVR microcontrollers, we’ll take it from the beginning so that you can get started using them for your own cool projects. Some topics to be covered include: different types of AVRs and how to pick one for your application, getting a programmer, installing software tools, how to get started actually programming them, and how to download and run your code on the microcontroller. Class format is a one hour lecture followed by show-and-tell demonstrations and ample time for questions.”

Seats are still available in one other microcontroller project class:

Soldering Project: Build a Micro Readerboard

A fun little soldering class, where you can customize the phrases in and build your very own LED Micro-Readerboard. It’s a cute little toy that spells out a preprogrammed messages (e.g., your name– for an LED nametag!), one letter at a time, on its display. In the class, you get to choose what messages to put on your readerboard, solder it together and take it home. It’s a neat, self-contained project that’s a great example of what you can do with a little AVR microcontroller; a perfect “my first microcontroller” project for anyone who hasn’t played with one yet. This is an intermediate soldering class; some prior soldering experience is needed. Other than that, no prior knowledge is assumed, so this class is great for kids too.

Next Classes:

Saturday, 3/8/08, 1:00 PM
Saturday, 3/22/08, 4:00 PM

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Microcontrollers and tagged AVR, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Learn about microcontrollers at TechShop in 2008

By Windell Oskay on January 30, 2008

Starting next week and over the next few months, I’ll be teaching several different self-contained microcontroller-oriented classes at TechShop, at different levels of skill and with different emphases:

Soldering Project: Build a Micro Readerboard
Soldering Project: Build an AVR Programmer
Seminar: Introduction to AVR Microcontrollers

The classes are held at TechShop, a San Francisco Bay Area “open-access public workshop,” located just off of 101 in Menlo Park, where you can go use a wide range of tools to make things, and take all kinds of classes.

Soldering Project: Build a Micro Readerboard

This is a fun little soldering class, suitable for anyone with a bit of soldering experience (even youngsters), where you can customize the phrases in and build your very own LED Micro-Readerboard. It’s a cute little thing that spells out a preprogrammed messages (e.g., your name), one letter at a time, on a single-character alphanumeric display. In the class, you get to choose what messages to put on your readerboard, solder it together and take it home. It’s a neat, self-contained project that’s a great example of what you can do with a little AVR microcontroller. This is an intermediate soldering class; a little bit of prior soldering experience is assumed. The class typically runs about 90 minutes, but soldering experts will finish more quickly and we’ve reserved space for two hours just in case. Class size is limited to 5 students.

This class is scheduled to be given

Saturday, 2/9/08 1:00 PM
Saturday, 2/23/08 4:00 PM
Saturday, 3/8/08, 1:00 PM
Saturday, 3/22/08, 4:00 PM

And speaking of AVR Microcontrollers….
Seminar: Introduction to AVR Microcontrollers

This class is scheduled to be given

Tuesday, 2/5/08 6:30-8:30 PM
Saturday, 2/23/08 1:00-3:00 PM
Monday, 3/3/08, 6:30-8:30 PM
Saturday, 3/22/08, 1:00-3:00 PM

And speaking of programming….

Soldering Project: Build an AVR Programmer

In this class you will solder together, test out and get to take home a USB programmer for AVR microcontrollers. With this hardware tool and free cross-platform software, you can use your computer to write code for and program these little one-chip wonders.

This is an Intermediate Soldering Project; you must have prior soldering experience. You are encouraged, but not required, to bring a laptop along. (If you do bring your computer, you should have a chance to install the necessary software and test it out with your new programmer.)

Class size is limited to 5 students.

This class is scheduled to be given

Saturday, 2/9/08 4:00-6:00 PM [Full!]
Sunday, 2/24/08 2:00-4:00 PM — Just added!
Saturday, 3/8/08, 4:00-6:00 PM [Full!]

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Microcontrollers and tagged AVR, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

CandyFab @ Dorkbot: 8/15/07 @ TechShop

By Windell Oskay on August 7, 2007

On Wednesday, August 15 we’ll be giving a presentation about CandyFab at a meeting of Dorkbot SF, our local spinoff of
Dorkbot NYC.

Dorkbot chapters organize monthly talks and events for artists, scientists, and engineers centered around the theme of “the creative use of electricity.”

The meeting will be held at 7:30 PM at TechShop, a San Francisco Bay Area “open-access public workshop,” located just off of 101 in Menlo Park, where you can go use a wide range of tools and machines to make things. We’ll be bringing the CandyFab machine along, and– if everything goes right– demonstrating its use. So if you’re in the SF bay area, this is a great chance to come and take a close look at the CandyFab 4000, smell the caramel, and ask questions. Besides our talk and demo, there will be a couple of shorter presentations on other dorkbot-ish topics, and an introduction to TechShop. (Tours of Techshop will be available at the end of the meeting as well.)

Everyone is welcome to come to the meeting; there is a $5 suggested donation for the venue at the door.

[Link] See you there!

UPDATE: The event was great! (Read more here.)

This entry was posted in Education, Engineering, Field Trips, Play with your food and tagged candyfab, cnc, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Class Reminder: Choosing a Microcontroller (Sat 7/7 @ TechShop)

By Windell Oskay on July 6, 2007

Tomorrow I’ll be again giving my seminar called “Choosing a Microcontroller” at TechShop. This class is a broad introduction to the capabilities and variety of single-chip computers, as well how to actually pick one for a given application. It’s easy to get overwhelmed looking at the variety of range of micros, from four-bit micros that have a 4-bit wide data path — and actually cost four bits— to AVRs and PICs, basic stamps and Arduinos, to 32-bit gorillas with names like ARM, Blackfin, and Coldfire. So, we’ll try and cut through the fog and help you figure out where to get started.

If you’ve heard people getting excited about or doing cool things with microcontrollers and want to learn more, this might be a great introduction to the field.

If you are interested in the topic but can’t make it, you might want to take a look at our
list of resources for choosing microcontrollers.

This is the last time that this particular class will be offered in the near future. Another intro AVR class will be forthcoming, probably in August. As always, if you have other ideas for classes that are within our expertise, please let us know.

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Microcontrollers and tagged AVR, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Casting class at TechShop

By Lenore Edman on June 29, 2007

We attended an aluminum casting class at the TechShop last week and had a great time! It was totally hands-on and absolutely unintimidating. The instructor did an excellent job of getting all the students (all five of us! – perfectly sized class) involved and getting our hands dirty. When I wasn’t busy with tamping sand or other fun tasks, I took some pictures, which are in this flickr set.

The TechShop offers a wide range of classes, and based on our experience as students, they are great. They are having an open house this weekend, so if you’re in the area (Menlo Park, CA), you can check it out for yourself. Open house details can be found on the event schedule.

This entry was posted in Engineering, Field Trips and tagged classes, sand casting, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Reminder: Upcoming classes at TechShop

By Windell Oskay on June 28, 2007

Build your own LED Micro-Readerboard this Satuday (6/30, 1:00 PM) at TechShop. It’s a single class where you choose phrases for and solder together your own LED Micro-Readerboard. As a new option: you can choose to make yours an AlphaPOV display! This class is a fun first introduction to what you can do with a microcontroller– where you make a neat toy that you get to take home. (Kids can take this class too, assuming that you’ve already taught them to solder.) Sign up here.

A week later, “Choosing a Microcontroller” (7/7 @ 1:00 PM) is a detailed seminar on the capabilities of microcontrollers and walks you through the process of finding one for your application. Sign up here.

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Engineering, Microcontrollers and tagged classes, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Learn about microcontrollers at TechShop

By Windell Oskay on June 2, 2007

Coming up real soon now: Three microcontroller-oriented classes, on Saturday afternoons at TechShop, at different levels of skill and with different emphases:

Sat. June 9, 1:00 PM: Make a Micro Readerboard
Sat. June 16, 1:00 PM: Introduction to AVR Microcontrollers
Sat. July 7, 1:00 PM: Choosing a Microcontroller

Next Saturday, June 9, I’ll be giving a fun little class, suitable for anyone with a bit of soldering experience (even youngsters), where you can customize the phrases in and assemble an LED Micro-Readerboard. It’s a cute little thing that spells out a preprogrammed messages (e.g., your name), one letter at a time, on a single-character alphanumeric display. These are much like the ones that we programmed to be holiday ornaments a few months ago, but these are actually extra-spiffy version 2.0 micro-readerboards with higher brightness and better battery life. And, if you take the class, you get to choose what messages to put on your readerboard and take it home. It’s a neat, self-contained project that’s a great example of what you can do with a little AVR microcontroller.

(UPDATE: Second class added on June 30, also at 1:00 PM.)

And speaking of AVR Microcontrollers….

Introduction to AVR Microcontrollers

Saturday, June 16, 1:00 PM

You may have noticed that a number of our interesting projects are based around AVR microcontrollers. AVR microcontrollers are powerful and inexpensive single-chip computers that are available in a wide range of sizes. They also happen to be remarkably easy to program in C, using entirely free and open-source tools that run on Macs, Windows, and Unix-like operating systems. In this practical introduction to AVR microcontrollers, we’ll take it from the beginning so that you can go home and use AVRs for your own cool projects. Some topics to be covered include: different types of AVRs and how to pick one, what kinds of programmer you should get, how to install the software tools, how to get started actually programming them, and how to download and run your code on the microcontroller.

Choosing a microcontroller

Finally, on July 7, I’ll be giving a repeat of this introductory microcontroller class, called Choosing a Microcontroller. This large-format seminar is designed to be a broad introduction to the capabilities and variety of single-chip computers, as well how to actually pick one for a given application. It’s easy to get overwhelmed looking at the variety of range of micros, from four-bit micros that have a 4-bit wide data path — and actually cost four bits— to AVRs and PICs, basic stamps and Arduinos, to 32-bit gorillas with names like ARM, Blackfin, and Coldfire. So, we’ll try and cut through the fog and help you figure out where to get started.

If you’ve heard people getting excited about or doing cool things with microcontrollers and want to learn more, this might be a great introduction to the field.

(By the way, it’s hard to tell what types of things people want to learn about. So, if you have suggestions for other classes that you’d like to see taught by the Evil Mad Scientists, you can E-mail us or leave comments here or in the forums.)

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Microcontrollers and tagged AVR, micro-readerboards, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Reminder: Intro microcontroller class tomorrow (Saturday)

By Windell Oskay on April 20, 2007

Reminder: This Saturday, April 21, I’ll be giving a seminar at TechShop that’s an introduction to microcontrollers, called Choosing a Microcontroller. This is designed to be an introduction to the capabilities and variety of single-chip computers, as well how to actually pick one for a given application. It’s easy to get overwhelmed looking at the variety of range of micros, from four-bit micros that have a 4-bit wide data path — and actually cost four bits— to AVRs and PICs, basic stamps and Arduinos, to 32-bit gorillas with names like ARM, Blackfin, and Coldfire. So, we’ll try and cut through the fog and help you figure out where to get started.

If you’ve heard people getting excited about or doing cool things with microcontrollers and want to learn more, this might be a great introduction to the field.
Sign up for this and other TechShop classes here!

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Microcontrollers and tagged AVR, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Reminder: POV-Ray class this Saturday

By Windell Oskay on March 29, 2007

We posted earlier about (Evil, Mad) classes that we’re teaching at TechShop, the SF Bay Area’s public-access workshop. The first of these, Technical Graphics with POV-Ray is this Saturday afternoon, 3/31.

POV-Ray is free software that can make genuinely impressive 2D and 3D graphics and animations (examples), but the learning curve is such that it can be difficult to get started on your own. So, drop in and learn how to make it look easy!

This entry was posted in Education, EMSL Projects, Engineering, Software and tagged POV-ray, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.

Learn how to make cool things at TechShop

By Windell Oskay on March 17, 2007

This spring, I’ll be teaching several classes on Saturday afternoons at TechShop. TechShop is a San Francisco Bay Area “open-access public workshop,” located just off of 101 in Menlo Park, where you can go use a wide range of tools to make things. They have full-size milling machines and lathes, welding and rapid-prototyping equipment, Lego, sewing machines, computers, and well… just look at this list of equipment. (Seriously.)

One of the things that TechShop does is hold classes on a variety of topics. These are inexpensive (typically ~$30) drop-in classes that anyone can take without a long-term commitment. Many of them are short “safety and basic usage” classes that teach you what a given machine can do– and how to do it without killing yourself. Other classes teach simple and specialized skills like soldering for kids, blacksmithing, or silk screen printing. I’ll be teaching three (or four, depending how you count) classes, each of which will be held on a Saturday afternoon at Techshop.

Technical Graphics with POV-Ray

The first class is called “Technical Graphics with POV-Ray,” and is a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to use POV-Ray, a free cross-platform raytracing program that lets you make killer 3D graphics and animations. You can see some example images that I’ve made in POV-Ray (including the TechShop logo above) here, and master works in the POV-Ray hall of fame here. This is a two-part workshop with part 1 on 3/31/07, 1-3 PM, and part II on 4/7/07, also 1-3 PM.

Make a custom LED Micro-Readerboard

On April 14, I’ll be teaching a little soldering class, suitable for anyone with a little bit of soldering experience (well, anyone whose age takes at least two digits to express in base-10 integers), where you can customize the phrases in and assemble an LED Micro-Readerboard, like the ones that we programmed to be ornaments a few months ago. But, since it’s not the holiday season, perhaps you want to make yours into an LED Micro-Readerboard Nametag instead!

Choosing a microcontroller

Finally, on April 21, I’ll be giving a large-format seminar that’s an introduction to microcontrollers, called Choosing a Microcontroller. This is designed to be an introduction to the capabilities and variety of single-chip computers, as well how to actually pick one for a given application. It’s easy to get overwhelmed looking at the variety of range of micros, from four-bit micros that have a 4-bit wide data path — and actually cost four bits— to AVRs and PICs, basic stamps and Arduinos, to 32-bit gorillas with names like ARM, Blackfin, and Coldfire. So, we’ll try and cut through the fog and help you figure out where to get started.

If you’ve heard people getting excited about or doing cool things with microcontrollers and want to learn more, this might be a great introduction to the field.

Also, if you have suggestions for other classes that you’d like to see taught by the Evil Mad Scientists, you can E-mail us or leave comments here.

This entry was posted in Education, Electronics, EMSL Projects, Engineering, Microcontrollers and tagged electronics, micro-readerboards, POV-ray, techshop. Bookmark the Permalink.