Workshop: LilyPad Sensors

Protosnap LilyPad Arduino Board
Protosnap LilyPad Arduino Board

E-textiles, electro-craft, wearable electronics; it’s about taking technology and transforming it around your body, creating symbiosis. Helping technology meld seemlessly into the very fabric of our lives.

Whether you’re looking to augment the human condition or you’re more interested in the romantic ethereal glow of twinkly lights, you have to start somewhere.

Content;
This second workshop is for people who have used the LilyPad or Arduino before. Focusing on input we’ll look at using light and temperature sensors, and accelerometers. We’ll also look at multiplexing, both input and output, and making your own interfaces to connect regular electrical components to your LilyPad circuit.
The only thing you’ll need to bring with you is a laptop with USB port, everything else is provided. (If you want to bring your own LilyPad components that’s great, just let us know when you’re booking and we’ll make sure you have everything you’ll need.)

Important: please bring your own laptop with USB port. Closer to the event you will receive instructions on how to install the programming environment.

Optional materials; Any LilyPad board (preferably the Protosnap), with any sensor you’d like to use.
If you want to play with the LilyPad before buying, Protosnap boards can be provided for the duration of the workshop, but you’ll probably have to work in groups of at least two people.

When: Thursday, October 24th. From 7pm until 10pm. Cancelled

Where: TOG.

Cost: €10 for non-members, €5 for members. (All proceeds go to support TOG.)

Please register through the contact form below the cut.

This workshop has been cancelled. Check back for the rescheduled date.

3D Printer Reprep Code Improvement

220px-RepRap_'Mendel' SmartController

On Saturday 5th of October from 2pm-6pm TOG is holding a 3D Printer Arduino code improvement day.

3D printers are all the rage at the moment. However they are not without their faults and some of the budget, hobbiest models could do with an improvement or two.

The aim of the afternoon will be to improve the Reprap code to add extra features.
The stand alone reprap uses an Arduino based stand controller to print without needing a computer connected.

A second project would be to add bluetooth wireless operation.

The controller being used is:
http://reprap.org/wiki/RUMBA

The display is:

http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller

and the code is:
https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin/tags

http://reprap.org/

Whoever works on the project will be given access to a working Reprap with all the hardware for testing the setup. There may be a budget for the time involved if working on the code after the first day. The main plan for the day is to specify what changes need to be made.

No need to book, just show up. Anyone with an interest in 3D printing is welcome. While the event is free we will be asking for donations to cover the hosting costs.

Workshop: Intro to LilyPad

Protosnap LilyPad Arduino Board
Protosnap LilyPad Arduino Board

E-textiles, electro-craft, wearable electronics; it’s about taking technology and transforming it around your body, creating symbiosis. Helping technology meld seemlessly into the very fabric of our lives.

Whether you’re looking to augment the human condition or you’re more interested in the romantic ethereal glow of twinkly lights, you have to start somewhere.

LilyPad is a microcontroller system, a wearable version of the Arduino microcontroller (and equally as Open Source), with many accessory boards of sensors and actuators. It is designed to facilitate the development of wearables and e-textiles.

Using it is equal parts hardware, software, and craft. All the information you need to get started with it is available online. But sometimes you’d like a kick in the right direction, so we’re holding a series of LilyPad workshops, every two weeks, to do just that. You can sign up for just one, or all of the workshops. Whatever interests you.

Content;
The first workshop is for complete beginners; an introduction to the LilyPad system, from what the different parts of the board do, to some basic coding, getting data in, and turning on/off some lights. The only thing you’ll need to bring with you is a laptop with USB port, everything else is provided. (If you want to bring your own LilyPad components that’s great, just let us know when you’re booking and we’ll make sure you have everything you’ll need.)

Important: please bring your own laptop with USB port. Closer to the event you will receive instructions on how to install the programming environment.

Optional materials; Any LilyPad board (preferably the Protosnap), with light sensor, switches, and LEDs.
If you want to play with the LilyPad before buying, Protosnap boards can be provided for the duration of the workshop, but you’ll probably have to work in groups of at least two people.

When: Thursday, October 10th. From 7pm until 10pm.

Where: TOG.

Cost: €10 for non-members, €5 for members. (All proceeds go to support TOG.)

Please register through the contact form below the cut.

Bubble Birdhouse

We have been working on projects that all went down really well at Maker Faire this year and will be working on over the coming months to improve as we go along.

One project that I worked on with another member is the Bubble Birdhouse.

2013-07-21 14.04.20

It all started with some messing/science trying to make bubbles from washing up liquid and seeing what components are needed for a good bubble. Then trying to replicate what the commercial machines can do but build your own. Once we had this almost cracked we worked to scale up the project as we did for street performers event. We learned that children like to stick fingers into every bubble that comes out of the machine, so we came up with solutions for this.

We put it 6 foot off the ground, this was a really amazing experience to see how children and adults are drawn to bubbles.

img_2349

Next stage is to take it all apart and redesign it from scratch like every project; rebuild and improve as we go along.

If you want to see the Bubble Birdhouse in action check out the end of this news piece.

The TwitterKnitter

One of TOG’s projects for the Dublin Mini Maker Faire 2013. This 40 year old, entirely mechanical knitting machine was upgraded with servos, electronics and laser cut parts, and spent the day knitting tweets sent by attendees.

Empisal Knitmaster 321
Originally designed to take knitting patterns from punchcards…
Oh yes.
… so we upgraded it.
DMMFknitter
At the TOG stand at Dublin Mini Maker Faire
Fixed that stuck line :)
@TOG_Dublin

Review of The Arduino Starter Kit

During Maker Faire New York, Jeffrey and Robert were offered the opportunity to review the new official Arduino Starter Kit. We’ve had the kit now for over a month now and finally got a chance to properly review it.

The first thing you notice is that the retail packaging is beautiful. A simple cardboard box with elegant pictures of an Arduino and the kit’s components on the outside. Then on the inside the components are grouped into their own smaller gold coloured cardboard boxes.

Continue reading “Review of The Arduino Starter Kit”