If you’re interested in learning to program Arduino micro-controllers then Bristol Hackspace are running a beginners course on 30th/31st July 2011 at the Pervasive Media Studio.
By the end of the weekend you should be able to:
- Make LEDs light up in different colours and patterns
- Detect switches, light/dark, touch
- Make sounds Drive motors and other mechanical devices
- Communicate between a computer and the Arduino
- Control lots of lights and make complex sounds
Cost is £50 or £95 if you want an Arduino kit to keep after the course is over. Concessions are available on a case by case basis – make an offer and say what great projects you’re going to get up to when you know how to program Arduinos 
Signup: https://bristol-hackspace.eventwax.com/arduino-workshop
Contact: matt[at]mattvenn.net
Bristol Hackspace http://bristol.hackspace.org.uk/ is a non-profit organisation – money goes towards supporting Bristol Hackspace activities which mostly involve helping people re-purposing old electronic gear in weird and wonderful ways.
Another free workshop on tonight, from 7pm, in 100 Stokes Croft. We are making drawdios and bristlebots.
We are holding Hackspace sessions every Thursday evening at 7pm at 100 Stokes Croft. This Thursday it is bristlebots for the Drawbot project.
The Drawbot project is a Dorkbot Bristol project enabled by the empty shops scheme. We have rented 100 Stokes Croft from 1st of November till the 17th of December. We open the shop on Saturdays from noon till about 6pm to the general public. Currently we have drawing robots, restored pen plotters, sub-woofer drawing, lasers! and much more. Have a browse through the flickr pool and Richard’s pics to get an idea.
Mitch Altman, creator of TV-B-Gone and co-founder of Noisebridge the San Francisco hackerspace will be giving his workshop ‘How To Make Cool Things With Microcontrollers’ at the Bristol Hackspace. Mitch says: “At the workshop I have lots of projects that anyone can make and take home, even if they’ve never made anything before.” You can see a list of the projects below.
The workshop will run from 1pm to 5pm on Sat 27 Mar 2010 in the Hackspace in Hamilton House on Stokes Croft. There will be some time spare to finish up at the end if we run over. Also feel free to join us for lunch in the Canteen cafe/bar on the ground floor from 12pm.
The half day workshop costs £20, or £10 if you join the Bristol Hackspace as a member (which also gets you hefty discounts on future workshops). Parts are extra, costs vary depending on what you make but start from just £5. See the list below for details.
There are limited spaces available so book now to avoid disappointment.
Here’s a list of the projects you will be able to build
And here are some pictures of them.
- Mignonette Game kit @ £30 each
- A way fun, way low-resolution hand-held computer console that you can use to create your own games.
- Trippy RGB Waves kit @ £5 each
- Waves of colours follow your hand as you wave it over these.
- TV-B-Gone kit @ £15 each
- Turn off TVs in public places from up to 50 meter away!
- USBtinyISP kit @ £15 each
- A programmer for AVR microcontrollers.
- MiniPOV3 kit @ £15 each
- Display messages of your choice through the air you wave this through.
- Brain Machine @ £15 each
- Hallucinate beautiful colors and patterns while you drift off into fabulous meditation.
- MintyBoost kit @ £15 each
- With 2 AA batteries you can charge anything with a USB charging input (such as an iPhone).
- Drawdio @£15 each
- Fun and annoying noiseamaker that changes noise as you draw on paper.
- LEDcube @ £15 each
- 3 x 3 x 3 cube of LEDs with animated sequence.
- DC BoArduino kit @ £15 each
- Arduino clone kit
- FTDI cable @ £15 each
- This is not a kit — it is required to communicate with the BoArduino (and many other open-source projects).
- TripGlasses @ £25 each
- This is not a kit — it is a ready-made version of the Brain Machine. Hallucinate beautiful colors and patterns while meditating!
- EU TV-B-Gone @ £15 each
- This is not a kit — it is the ready-made keychain to turn off TVs in public places (with a stealthy batman-like look).
- NA TV-B-Gone Pro SHP @ £30 each
- This is not a kit — it is a ready-made version, the size of an mp3 player, that turns off TVs in public from up to 150 meter away! One model for the entire world! Comes with built-in rechargeable batteries and a charger.
- Open Heart kits @ £15 each
- I’ll probably also have some of Jimmie Rodger’s Open Heart kits, too. These kits are super easy — they have 27 LEDs in the shape of a heart that you connect to an Arduino (or BoArduino) to animate blinky-light sequences.
Mitch Altman, creator of TV-B-Gone and co-founder of Noisebridge the San Francisco hackerspace will be in the UK for the Maker Faire March 13 & 14. While he is in the UK he will be giving his workshop How To Make Cool Things With Microcontrollers at hackspaces around the country, including Bristol! Mitch descibes the workshop thus:
At the workshop I have lots of projects that anyone can make and take home, even if they’ve never made anything before. Anyone can learn this stuff, including how to solder — I’ve taught thousands! My time is free. I only ask that people pay for the cost of the parts. (If I break even on my workshops, I’m happy — I only do it because I love it.)
We will be hosting Mitch in the Bristol Hackspace in Hamilton House. Exact details of the time and date and how to sign up will be posted soon.
Update — the workshop will be the afternoon of Sat 27 Mar 2010. Book your tickets now!
