Arduino Workshop

Arduino Workshop rev2

The Arduino is a small and inexpensive embedded platform for interfacing with the real world.

If you've been reading about cool projects that other people have built and always wanted to get in on the action, this workshop is for you!

The first class will be Saturday, October 6. Sign up at Eventbrite.

About the Class

I'll introduce the Arduino itself, and bring you from the basic concepts of simple electronics and programming the Arduino, through intermediate techniques like reading buttons and other sensors, then to more advanced control of motors.

Each concept will be reinforced with a demo and a lab, and we will walk around during the labs to make sure everyone's lab works before proceeding.

At the end of the day there will be a freeform hackathon where each table will collaborate to create a project!

You will get a parts kit (see Parts Kit) for the labs and hackathon, or you can bring your own parts and save a few bucks. Each table of four will share common tools, and there will be some floating parts that can be brought into your projects.

Syllabus

1. Introduction to physical computing: sensors and actuators
2. Basic Arduino: setup and loop
   1. Blinking an LED
   2. Pushbutton
   3. State variables
   4. Fading: analogWrite
3. More inputs and outputs
   1. Internal pullups
   2. Analog inputs: analogRead
   3. Serial communication
   4. Switching large loads
   5. Talking to the cloud
   6. Arduino infrared remote control library
4. Motor control and robot hackathon
   1. H-bridges
5. Advanced topics (mostly handwaving, will only cover one or two in depth)
   1. SPI and I2C communication
   2. Bit banging
   3. LCD displays
   4. Wi-Fi
   5. Integrating with a computer: Processing
   6. Raspberry Pi
   7. "Graduating" from Arduino
   8. Feedback, PID
   9. Stepper motors, how a 3D printer works

Parts Kit

Mouser

• Arduino Uno
• 3 10k resistors, 2 100Ω, 2 1kΩ, 2 10MΩ
• 2 2N3904
• 1 potentiometer
• 2 red (visible light) LEDs
• 2 PTC334 phototransistors
• 1 infrared LED
• 1 tactile pushbutton
• 1 mini breadboard
• 1 piezo buzzer
• small wire kit for breadboard
• 1 SN754410 motor controller
• 2 Pololu gearboxes (2x http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/182)
• 2 Pololu wheels (1x http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/184, http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/185, or http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/186)
• custom circuit board for motor controller + motors

Tools

Each table will share

• 1 multimeter
• soldering iron
• solder
• solder wick
• wire cutters
• screwdrivers
• pliers
• tweezers