Arduino tvbgone for Newbies Workshop

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This introductory workshop will show you everything you need to know to use an Arduino.  

This fun and easy workshop is intended for people who know nothing at all.


Arduino is an amazingly power tool that is very simple to learn to use. It was designed so that artists and non-geeks can start from nothing, and make something cool happen in less than 90 minutes. Yet, it is powerful enough so that uber-geeks can use it for their projects as well.


What: Arduino workshop for newbies, using TV-B-Gone remote controls as an intro
When: Thursday, 28-October, 6:30pm
Where: Noisebridge -- 2169 Mission St., 3rd floor
Who: Anyone and everyone can have fun learning Arduino. Ages 8 to 100
Cost: Instruction is free,
parts costs (if you want to make along with us and bring your Arduino TV-B-Gone home with you): $45

Bring your laptop if you want to go home with the free Arduino software installed on it. Arduino software runs on Windows, MacOS and Linux.


More Info

While on my most recent workshop tour (Eastern Europe and Belgium hackerspaces and hacker conferences) a group asked if I could do a workshop on TV-B-Gone for Arduino. I looked into it, and found that someone (Ken Shirriff) actually created a TV-B-Gone project for Arduino. There were a few bugs in their setup which we fixed together, and I bought all the parts so that a bunch of people could learn Arduino by making a TV-B-Gone from a Ladyada BoArduino kit.

TV-B-Gone remote controls are intended for turning off TVs in public places, making the world a better place for everyone, everywhere you go. The TV-B-Gone we will make in this workshop will be able to turn off TVs from up to 50 meters away!

Instruction is free for this workshop, and open to everyone, but if you pay the $45 materials cost, then you will get to make and keep your BoArduino, the solderless breadboard, and the parts supplied for making your TV-B-Gone.

Itinerary

  • We will start by learning to solder. Don't let this scare you! I've taught well over 10,000 people to solder, most of whom have never made anything before in their lives. It is actually a very easy skill to learn. It is also very useful.
  • Then we will each make our own Arduino clone from a kit made by Ladyada: BoArduino.
  • Now that we each have our own Arduino, we will set up the free and open-source software on our laptops (if you bring one).
  • And then its time to make something and learn how easy it is to use Aruino! You'll put together your own TV-B-Gone remote control using your BoArduino. We will use a solderless breadboard. These are really useful, and provide a fast, and very easy way to put circuits together without needing to solder.
  • We should have plenty of time for target practice afterward.