ClubArduino: an informal gathering to discuss and learn about Arduino projects

ClubArduino was founded by North Pitney and Erin Elliot as an opportunity learn, share, solve problems, and in general talk about Arduino related projects.

Anyone interested in Arduino is welcome. No Arduino experience or project is necessary, but if you have a project either in an idea form or in progress, you are especially invited to share it.

Sunday  November 22, 2009
4pm-7pm
The Shipyard, Berkeley

Q: What is Club Arduino?
A: Club Arduino is an excuse for people to gather and exchange ideas about building, teaching and learning with the Arduino

Q: What should participants bring?
A: Bring any Arduino related projects, documentation, ideas or questions. You may also bring other projects that are related to micro-controllers, programming or sensors and actuators.

Q: Who will be there?
A: Mostly people from our loose network of tinkerers, inventors, teachers and artists.

Q: Will there be any snacks?
Everyone is invited to bring snacks and/or drinks to share.

Q: I want to participate! How do I find out more information?
A: Please RSVP michael AT michaelshiloh DOT com, or just show up.

Robot art show!

We’re going to have some robots in a robot art show. We have created these robots with no identity. Please come and help them find themselves.

November 19, 20, 21, 2009
Exhibit: 5pm-8pm / Beer and wine reception 7pm-12pm on Fri & Sat
@ The lowerDeck Gallery – 2295 3rd Street
(below Sundance Coffee in San Francisco)

This art show is a benefit for RoboGames 2010

Jameco managers take a pay cut to avoid staff reductions

The latest Jameco catalog has a picture of a breadline during the Great Depression on the cover. Curious, I opened the front cover and read:

“…We at Jameco understand these times of economic uncertainty. When you struggle, we struggle. At a time of high unemployment, the Jameco management team has taken salary cuts to ensure the continued full employment of the trained professionals you have come to depend on for the past 35 years”…

If, like me, you are impressed by this, you might consider giving them as much business as possible.

Jameco

Motors

Where to get motors?

Based on an excellent email from my friend Max:
American Science and Surplus
Herbach & Rademan
Surplus Center – Quality stuff, prices ok. Also great source for hydraulics and pneumatics
Allelectronics – Quality varies, prices good
Industrial Supply – Expensive, but they will have most anything you would want
McMaster-Carr – Excellent stock, ships fast, web site rules. Paper catalog is the holy grail of gearheads.
Grainger – Not as good as McMaster IMHO, but they have local stores which can get whatever you want in a couple of days.
MSC Industrial Supply – They’re a good vendor, paper catalog is a great resource to have on your shelf.

Alternatively, auto junk yards ( Pick-A-Part ) are really good sources for cheap gear motors: electric seat, electric window, and windshield wiper, etc. Bring tools, rip ‘em out yourself, get covered in grease. Fun!

Resources for Fire Arts presentation at JCHS

Some of the artists mentioned in our presentation:

Fishbug
Flaming Lotus Girls
Gee-Gnome
False Profit Labs
Pendulum by Pyrokinetics
Survival Research Labs
Ryon Gesink
Justin Gray
Nate Smith – Fire Vortex

Where to see these groups:

Many of these artists participate in The Crucible’s annual summer Fire Arts Festival.
Smaller events abound but are harder to find. A great list for underground and counterculture events is the Squidlist.

How to get involved:

Volunteer to work with these art groups. Some have very strong mission to welcome and educate newcomers. Most welcome willing workers with any skills. Join their Facebook, Twitter, Flickr groups and learn more about how they work and how to get involved.
False Profit, LLC
Fire Blooms
Flaming Lotus Girls
Interpretive Arson
Kinetic Steam Works
Neverwas Haul

Learn a related skill such as welding, wood working, or electronics. Don’t ignore softer skills like web and graphic design, CAD (Computer Aided Design), and sewing:

The Crucible
Noisebridge
Teach Me To Make

New class: Project Lab with Expert Included

This is a new class at our workshop.

Work on your project at our workshop, with access to tools and supplies. Most importantly, I’ll be there to answer questions and to help you design, solve problems, and realize your project.

Beginners are always welcome.

Bring your project, and whatever tools and materials you expect to need.

Teach me to make can provide a variety of hand and power tools, standard supplies like glue, wire, and  screws; electronic components, and whatever random supplies we have that you can make use of.

The next class in this series is on Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tuesday afternoon, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Class size: Limited to 4 students
Cost: $50 per weekly class. No pre-enrollment is necessary, but please email teachers@teachmetomake.com to reserve your seat.
Location: Berkeley, CA. Address sent with confirmation.

No Arduino class on 9/24, and starting 9/29, Arduino class is on Tuesday

Teach me to make available for Arduino related consulting

Teach me to make is an expert at Arduino based projects, and is happy to help you learn what you need, design and/or debug your projects. We are available for both short and long term projects.

Contact us at teachers *AT* teachmetomake *DOT* com

Workshop classes at The Crucible Aug 24-Aug 28

I’m teaching two workshops at The Crucible in Oakland August 24 through August 28. They are the regular “Introduction to Mechanical Sculpture” and “Electromechanics for Everything” but taught all at once, meeting every day for a week:

Introduction to Mechanical Sculpture
Dive into mechanical movement and kinetic gesture. This course is an introduction to the physics of such mechanisms as gears, CAM, cranks, rack and pinion, pulleys, reciprocates, ratchets, linkages, and returns. Each week you’ll build new mechanisms and by the last class you’ll learn how these basic mechanical units can be fitted together to create compound mechanisms. This course is designed for students who have little or no experience with kinetics ad the techniques taught can be used in all sorts of projects.

Cost: $280.00
Monday – Friday 2-5pm Aug 24-Aug 28

Electromechanics for Everything
Using the simplest of electronic and mechanical components, you’ll learn to make things spin, twitch, jump, bend, and wiggle. This class will cover switches, buttons, relays, motors, servos, and solenoids, along with some basic analog and digital control circuits, AC/DC current, and safety. The techniques taught in this class are very flexible and can be applied to almost any kind of project, large and small.

Cost: $290.00
Monday to Friday 10-1pm Aug 24-Aug 28

Visit The Crucible in order to register.

If you have any questions about these or any of my other classes please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Why this Blog?

Teach Me To Make uses tinkering as a hands-on method for teaching art and technology to children and adults. After many of our workshops, participants ask where they can find learn more, where they can buy the materials, etc.

This blog was set created in an attempt to fill this need.

There are many similar lists available on the Internet, however, many of them are all-encompassing, and might be a little daunting for the newcomer. The goal of this list will be to remain useful to the beginner, and not to get too advanced or esoteric. For beginners who are moving on, we will provide links to some of those advanced lists.

We are very new to blogging and are looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

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