Arduino Workshop for the Curious
This is a workshop for people who have never used an Arduino before, but are curious and would like to spend a couple of hours exploring this fascinating tool.
It helps if you have some programming experience, in any programming language, so that you are familiar with the idea of variables, functions, if-statements, etc. You can learn about them before the lesson by working through at least lessons 1-4 of this online Javascript course before coming on this workshop.
I hope to have around 10 people in this workshop, and want it to be fairly self-paced so that students can progress at their own rate. I'll guide the class's direction but also try to pair more advanced students up with the less able students in order to spread teaching ability around.
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How to Book a Place
If you're interested in coming, please email me at harry.eakABCins@googlemail.com (without the ABC) . Try to include:
- Your name
- Whether you want to buy/borrow equipment or can bring your own.
- A sentence about your experience with programming/Arduinos
- Whether you're interested in a Sunday night workshop or not
There's a limited number of places, so if it's oversubscribed you might not get an Arduino, or have to share.
Cheers!
What You'll Make
We are going to incrementally build our own morse code communication devices. They will translate text into morse code, which will then be emitted using a speaker or an LED. Another Arduino will then listen to/detect your morse code and decode it back into text. After this lots of weird and wonderful things can be done with communicating Arduinos - your imagination is the only limit!
In order to make this easier, the workshop will be incremental in nature. Our morse code gadgets will be designed and built in the following stages:
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What You'll Need
- Laptop with Arduino software installed - see the Arduino Getting Started Guide
- Arduino Starter Kit (or equivalent)
- A beginner's knowledge of programming - try to work through at least lessons 1-4 of this Javascript Fundamentals course
Component For Sale
You're welcome to bring your own components, but if you don't have any then I'll bring some that you can buy from me. The course assumes all students have at least the components of the Arduino Starter Kit.
| Component | Link | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Arduino Starter Kit | http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120948948917#ht_4898wt_1071 | £26.70 |
| Servo | http://www.oomlout.co.uk/servo-micro-p-195.html | £5.00 |
| Sharp IR Sensor | http://www.oomlout.co.uk/infra-red-distance-sensor-w-cable-p-229.html | £10.50 |
| Potentiometer x1 | http://www.oomlout.co.uk/potentiometers-10k-ohm-x3-p-216.html | £1.00 |
| Lots of LEDs Arduino Shield | http://www.oomlout.co.uk/lol-lots-of-leds-red-shield-for-arduino-kit-p-248.html | £20.00 |
| Light Dependent Resistor x1 | http://www.oomlout.co.uk/photo-resistors-x5-p-194.html | £0.80 |
| Programming Arduino - Book | http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0071784225 | £7.70 |
Arduino Starter Kit
This starter kit, or a set of equivalent components, is recommended for the course (especially the red components). You can buy it from me at the workshop, but arrive early because I only have 10 of them!
- Arduino Uno board and USB-B Cable
- 700 Point Breadboard
- Jumper Wires
- Light Dependent Resistor
- Assorted resistors
- 15 LEDs
- 5 Switches
- Potentiometer
- Speaker
- 9V Battery lead
- Diode
Lesson Resources
Other Resources
- Morse Code Encoder Decoder - http://raronoff.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/morse-endecoder/
Interested?
If you have any questions about the course, please email me at "harry.eakABCins@googlemail.com" without the ABC.
