2019 Workshops
Workshop 1: Introduction to Arduino and Huzzah
Objective: The objective of this very first workshop for the Fall 2019 semester was to introduce students to Huzzahs and how to use new boards with arduino IDE.
Description: In this workshop, students were given a walkthrough of how to find and install usb drivers for a new microcontroller and where to get the special libaries and board settings that work with a specific board. Then students make the built in LED blink and displayed the output of the pin onto an osciliscope(a basic digital signal). Followed by fading in and out and external LED and then displayed the PWM signal produced by the microcontroller on the osciliscope display.
Workshop 2: Introduction to Sensors and LCDs
Objective: The objective of this workshop for the Fall 2019 semester was to introduce students to working with ultrasonic sensors and LCD displays with I2C backpack.
Description: In this workshop, students were introduced to the ultrasonic sensor and were taught the basics of how it works and were able to output the distance between the sensor and a user onto the terminal. The learned about I2C modules and the basics of master and slave communications. Finally students got the LCD display to display the distance between the user and the sensor.
Workshop 1: Bot Construction
Objective: The objective of this certificate workshop for the Fall 2019 semester was to introduce students to working with bots and L293D motor drivers.
Description: In this workshop, students were introduced to H bridge circuits and there functioning. Then students applied what they learned and used the L293D to drive motors on a bot. Driving the bot in all directions and being able to run the bot with a tank like steering system. Students were taught how to wire and ensure proper functioning of the L293D IC using the Adafruit Hazzah Micro controller.
Workshop 2: Bot Maneuvering
Objective: The objective of this certificate workshop for the Fall 2019 semester was to introduce students to IOT and creating web servers on an ESP8266.
Description: In this workshop, students were introduced to ESP8266 web servers and turned thier bot from last week to a IOT device. Then students applied what they learned and used the ESP8266 to control thier bot from any browser on the same network. Controlling the bots movements from a web page hosted on the ESP8266's internal storage. Students were taught to connect micro controllers to wifi and enable its functions to be controlled from anywhere on the network.
Workshop 3: Rapid Prototyping
Objective: The objective of this certificate workshop for the Fall 2019 semester was to introduce students to rapid prototyping to create fast a quick demonstrations of there ideas.
Description: In this workshop, students were introduced to Blynk and improved there user interfaces from last week. Then students applied what they learned and used the ESP8266 to control thier bot from any internet connected device. Students first learned to control there bots using joysticks. Then, the students were instructed on how the accelerometers in there phones could be utilized to control there bots and thus giving students a variety of ways to control there bots and allowing them to use whatever methods they think are best.
