Small Electronics for Your Makerspace

Arianna SchlegelCLC Trendspotting: The Technologies of Makerspaces

9 September 2014Wesleyan University

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

● currently on Model B+● not a ton of processing

power 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. Raspberry Pi intro video

Some RPi Project Ideas1. Use OpenElec to make your home TV a mini media center2. Use Chromium to web surf on your TV3. ArcadePi or gaming (Minecraft)4. Go vintage with Windows 3.05. Write some code! (use the included Python compiler, start with

Scratch, or choose from many others)6. Robotics7. Learn hacking skills8. Make a server (BitTorrent, cloud)9. Make yourself a weather station

10. Or your own touchscreen “tablet” ($350!)11. If you’re ambitious, your own quadcopter12. Even a beer cans keyboard (with a little

help from Arduino)

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 (makes things faster)

● now costs $55 (down from $89)● featured in the Kickstarted Ninja Blocks project

Not sure which to choose?

MAKE magazine to the rescue again!How to Choose the Right Platform: Rasbperry Pi or BeagleBone Black

1. Gizmo BoardAn 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: $189

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

and a similar coffee table -->

2. The many faces of Arduino

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

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

Zero ~ Yùn ~ Leonardo ~ Uno ~ Due

Mega2560 ~ Ethernet ~ Fio ~ Nano

LilyPad ~ Pro ~ Mega ADK ~ Esplora

Micro ~ Mini

Some Arduino Project Ideas10 Simple-But-Fun Projects to Make with Arduino (all call for an Arduino and a USB cable)

LEDs resistors breadboard & connecting wires

capacitors push buttons

network cable

battery tester

electronic dice

“traffic light”

stopwatch

a Twitterer

Some Bigger Arduino Project Ideas10 Simple-But-Fun Projects to Make with Arduino (all call for an Arduino and a USB cable)

DFRobot 2A Arduino Shield ($16)

9V battery to DC socket cable(2 for $3.53)

Alkaline AA batteries(48 for $12.50)

Pololu RP5 Chassis plate (10 for $6.25 each)

Pololu RP5 Tank Chassis package(10 for$44.96 each)

SparkFun GPS shield kit ($59.95)

LCD module or Freetronics LCD shield ($29.95)

digital clock

1

robots 1 1 6 1 1

a GPS generator

1 1 1

2. DigiSpark

● PROS: ○ costs just $8.95!○ small and lightweight○ works like an Arduino

● CONS: ○ less powerful (for more

power, see the TinyDuino)

2. TinyDuino

● Costs $39.95 for a basic starter kit (is not sold alone)● GPS Cat Tracker (the ideal “typical librarian” project)

2. TI LaunchPad● $9.99 - $19.99● a comparison of

the 4 available boardsis available here

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

● you can also use your Arduino code on it!

2. Netduino● very different from the Arduino,

despite its name● an open-source electronics

platform using the .NET Micro Framework

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

● extremely powerful & flexible● costs $29.95

2. Intel Galileo Gen 2“Introducing Intel® Galileo Gen 2 development board, the first in a family of Arduino*-certified development boards based on

Intel® architecture and specifically designed for makers, students, educators, and DIY electronics enthusiasts.”Old board cost $79.95

New board should be about$60 (supposed to be released in August)

2. Parallax Propeller QuickStart● the Propeller itself is a microcontroller● not 1, but 8 microprocessors

- so it can control 8 things at one time! “That means eight separate processes can be running simultaneously, monitoring and responding to sensor and other inputs. Think about it as eight simultaneously-running Arduino loop() functions.” -- Alasdair Allan

● this board costs $34.99 ($7.99 for just the chip)

● good for robotics● Instructables intro

2. AVR Butterfly

● self-contained, and 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 MaKeyA fun beginner projectthat anyone can do!

Takes no time at all to learn & set up, and appeals to all ages.

Costs $49.95

3. Lilypad, FLORA, & GEMMA

Arduino board designed for wearable computing.

(BONUS: They’re waterproof!)

3. For example...

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

Which to use? FLORA vs GEMMA according to Becky.

FLORA ($25) or GEMMA ($8) projects

1. Amplitie 2. Firewalker Sneakers3. Pac Man Suspenders

Just FLORA projects

1. PianoGlove2. GPS Jacket3. Citi Bike Helmet

Just GEMMA projects1. Space Face

Galaxy Makeup2. NeoPixel Ring

Bangle Bracelet3. NeoPixel Tiara4. Hoop Earrings5. “A Bracelet Even the

X-Men Could Like”6. Customized 3D

Printed LED Belt Buckle (A NeoPixel costs $25 at Adafruit.com)

3. the TinyLily

From the makers of TinyDuino, “tiny washable circuits for e-textiles” (cost: $9.95) :

3. 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/)

A great resource!ALA’s

makeitatyourlibrary.orgwebsite:

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 ContinuesThese 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)

○ Patents○ 620 Engineering○ 670 & 680 Manufactures○ 690 Building and construction

● 700 The arts○ 730 Sculpture, ceramics & metalwork○ 740 Drawing & decorative arts○ 770 Photography and computer art○ 780 Music

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

Use Your Categorization

Use Your CategorizationLibrary of Congress?Put signs in the following sections:

● HB 615-715 EntrepreneurshipM - MUSIC

● N - FINE ARTS● Q - SCIENCE

○ QA - Mathematics, Computer Science○ QC - Physics

● T - TECHNOLOGY○ T - Patents○ TJ - Mechanical Engineering○ TK - Electrical Engineering

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

ReferencesThis 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.

OTHER RESOURCES USED● http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/desktops/25-fun-things-to-do-with-a-raspberry-pi-50009851/● http://www.adafruit.com

Contact me!

Arianna SchlegelHaas Library 409Western Connecticut State University203-837-8818schlegela@wcsu.edu

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

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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