small electronics for your makerspace (clc trendspotting - february 2014)

Small Electronics for

Your MakerspaceArianna Schlegel

CLC Trendspotting: The Technologies of Makerspaces14 February 2014

So many options…!

The Connected Home: Which Board Is Right For Me? (2/7/14)

MAKE magazine,volume 36

Inside: an illustrated glossary and projects, plus more in-depth discussion of each board.

3 Main Categories

1.actual computers2.sensory processors3.wearables

First: What is I/O?

Stands for Input/Output - think of your five senses. Those are input. How you process and respond to those senses? That is your output.

What kind of I/O do the PCs sitting in front of you have?

1. Raspberry Pi

• is actually a very tiny (single-board) computer running Unix

• not a ton of processingpower for $35...but it’s only $35

• can be written & rewritten over ad infinitum

• need some project ideas? http://makezine.com/category/electronics/raspberry-pi/

1. BeagleBone• “designed for makers” - designed from the ground up to

work with hardware (sensors, etc.)

• like Raspberry Pi, it’s alsoan entire computer andalso runs Unix

• moved the operating system from the SD card to the board itself

• costs $45 (down from $89)

Not sure which to choose?

MAKE magazine to the rescue again!

How to Choose the Right Platform: Rasbperry Pi or BeagleBone Black

1. Gizmo Board

An x86 board which MAKE magazine calls “essentially a laptop on a single board” that is “blinding fast, extremely flexible, and hugely powerful by the standards of those of us coming from the microcontroller world.” Cost: $200 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/amdgizmosphereboard.jpg

2. Arduino• first of its kind (a single-board

microcontroller) - designed as a platform for makers

• began as a project to give artists the ability to embed microprocessors for use in interactive pieces (like my dad’s, below)

• many different flavors

• used primarily for sensory computing

• available in a lot of places (Radio Shack, Amazon, online)

• costs ~$35-$100,depending on features & power

• tutorials here

2. The many faces of Arduino

(And these are just the official & current ones!)

See here for a still incomplete but much longer list...

Yùn ~ Leonardo ~ Uno ~ Due Mega2560 ~ Ethernet ~ Fio ~ Nano LilyPad ~ Pro ~ Mega ADK ~ Esplora Micro ~ Mini

2. DigiSpark

• PROS: o costs just $9!o small and lightweighto works like an Arduino

• CONS: o less powerful (for more

power, see the TinyDuino)o codeless?

2. TI LaunchPad

• $5-$10

• less - 14 I/O pins (vs. 20 on Arduino) and 16K (vs. 32K on Arduino)

• used to be difficult to program on, but they have released a new, open source platform (Energia) which works on all OSes

• you can also use your Arduino code on it!

2. Netduino

• very different from the Arduino, despite its name

• you have to know how to program in C#, and it’s mostly restricted to Windows computers

• costs $35

2. Parallax Propeller

• can control 8 things at one time

• costs $50

• good for robotics

2. AVR Butterfly

• the size of a name tag, which is what it can be used for!

• includes an LCD screen, joystick, speaker

• costs $20

• NOT compatible with Arduino code

2. MaKey MaKey

A fun beginner project

that anyone can do!

Takes no time at all to

learn & set up, and

appeals to all ages.

3. Lilypad Arduino & Flora

Designed for wearable computing.

(BONUS: They’re waterproof!)

For example...

Some other great examples...

Becky Stern is the wearable tech goddess! Watch her Adafruit tutorial videos here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2B8A7560BC19F361

My first (misguided) project

www.youtube.com/embed/nFjQWAFEo48

For your advanced users:

FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) that start you with a blank slate - you must design the chip at the hardware level, so you can dictate precisely how things work. (This is good to know for those who want to work for electronics companies like Intel.) The Papilio (http://papilio.cc/)

And many more!

There are dozens of options out there now. You will have to decide which is right for your library’s needs and community.

To consider: price, learning curve, available tutorials quality, features, intended use

Evolution Continues

These boards are constantly being worked on - new types are regularly introduced. The latest? Wireless capabilities (Yún) and hybrid boards. But things won’t stop there. Keep up to date with the latest boards on places like http://makezine.com/category/electronics/ or http://www.adafruit.com (they call them “Dev Boards”) or Kickstarter (seach on “arduino”).

Need To Know

UNIX

(learn here: http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/)

...or...

Arduino code (C or C++)(learn here: http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage)

(But PLEASE don’t let this scare you away!)

#1

#2 and #3

Where To Learn

• Adafruit (highly recommended)

• MakeZine.com (Weekend Projects)

• YouTube

• books (like Make: Electronics or Encyclopedia of Electronic Components, Volume 1)

• fellow enthusiasts! (at other makerspaces?)

Dewey Decimal?Put signs in the following sections:• 000 Computer science, knowledge & systems

• 338 Production / Entrepreneurship

• 500 Sciences (Pure sciences)

• 600 Technology (Applied sciences)

o Patents

o 620 Engineering

o 670 & 680 Manufactures

o 690 Building and construction

• 700 The arts

o 730 Sculpture, ceramics & metalwork

o 740 Drawing & decorative arts

o 770 Photography and computer art

o 780 Music

You know your patrons - what sections would you find them in?

Use Your Categorization

Use Your Categorization

Library of Congress?Put signs in the following sections:• HB 615-715 Entrepreneurship

M - MUSIC

• N - FINE ARTS

• Q - SCIENCE

o QA - Mathematics, Computer Science

o QC - Physics

• T - TECHNOLOGY

o T - Patents

o TJ - Mechanical Engineering

o TK - Electrical Engineering

You know your patrons - what sections would you find them in?

References

This presentation pulled heavily from http://makezine.com/magazine/make-36-boards/which-board-is-right-for-me/ while attempting to synthesize and reinterpret for newer techies. Thank you to Alasdair Allan for a thorough and accessible presentation.

Contact me!

Arianna Schlegel

Haas Library 409

Western Connecticut State University

203-837-8818

schlegela@wcsu.edu

List of 3s: professional allies (coworkers, library staff)

•

List of 3s: patron/community allies

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List of 3s: community groups to tap

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List of 3s: spaces (where?)

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List of 3s: funding sources

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List of 3s: small beginner projects

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List of 3s: places to purchase

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Other Considerations

• charge a fee?

• materials to purchase