Not Just Arduino Event 16

Not Just Arduino 20th May

Project demo

Paul talked to us about his Laser tag game project. A multiplayer game of laser tag, utilising infra red transmitters and receivers (think TV remote control), water pistols (gutted and internals replaced with electronics...and lasers.). This wiki page has all details and code.

Talks

Our members would like to hear about these topics. So far we have 2 speakers who volunteered on accelerometers and low-level ATMEGA overview. Please add your names whether you'd like to attend or give a talk so we can arrange a session. The page is here

Also do let us know if you want to briefly demo a project you're working on. Today is Paul's project on Laser tag game.

Events

Future Makers Day at RSA

Join The RSA & The Comino Foundation for a day-long interactive showcase and celebration of making.

• when: 19th June all day - where: The Old Post Room, Somerset House

NOT 3DPrinting - less hyped but exciting maker technologies

The event will show alternative fabrication technologies and processes and host discussions about their application, possibilities, social and economic ramifciations etc. Speakers: Gregory Epps of Robofold, Jamie Elliot of JAILmake (3d design studio)

• When: Wed 12th June 7pm
• Where: C4CC (near Kings Cross)

Restart Project

• 1st Birthday Bash June 15th at 3Space:

Come celebrate our first birthday with us, June 15th! We'll have music, food and drink, and some fun activities - but NO repairing, just this once.

• Restart Party @ Camden Town Shed 4th June 6pm]

Brighton Mini Maker Faire

Maker Faire showcases the amazing work of all kinds and ages of makers — anyone who is embracing the do-it-yourself (or do-it-together) spirit. Brighton Mini Maker Faire is the largest Maker Faire in the south-east.

• Call to makers: Deadline 7th June
• The Maker Faire will be on 7th September

>>> If you have an interesting event, add it in the Comments section

NJA GitHub

We have now a Github organisation: Not Just Arduino to centralise documentation about all NJA projects. For some reason on GitHub all users can't request to join a group but have to be added by a owner, so please send us your username! Then you'll be able to add your repos and code! Tell us if you need help.

NJA Wiki

• Lear how to use this wiki! If you need help ask Marc. Documentation is available here.
• It is time to simplify and update the NJA wiki page. Some work has been done since last session but we need every member's help to update their project details and add relevant info.
• Document your project! Here is a good example

NJA Outreach

We agreed at the last session it was time to start promoting the group outside the Hackspace crowd. We now use Twitter to promote our events, host our pictures on Flickr, and announce events on Lanyrd and eventbrite to bring more members and visitors:

• NJA twitter
• Join the Flickr group
• And dont forget our mailing list: Not Just Arduino

Members' projects

• mentar is working on getting the robot arm (see picture) working for the HSRDP project. It is a hackspace project and is everbody is welcome to contribute.

UMI robot arm feeling poorly

• Are you working on a new project? Do you have an update you want to share with us?

Interesting projects

Simple or inspiring projects, add yours in the comments section.

• Particle light box

Inside a wooden craft you’ll find an Arduino board, microphone, and an 8×8 RGB module. The front cover of the project box diffuses the light using a sheet of tracing paper on a frame of foam board. The maker wrote his own particle system library to generate interesting animations. Instructable here. Board is a Rainbowduino

• Aquaponics

A gardening system that combines hydroponics (water-based planting) and aquaculture (fish farming). Using sensors (to detect water level, pH and temperature), microprocessors (mostly the open-source Arduino microcontroller), relay cards, clouds and social media networks (Twitter and Facebook), Maundu has programmed his gardens to tweet when there’s a problem (e.g. not enough water) or when there’s news (e.g. an over-abundance of food to share).

• Global Sounds

Interactive installation using Processing and Arduino: a series of pyramids made of acrylic glass installed in a square in Edinburgh and each of them programmed to play different instrumental sections of a song when interacted with. Code available here

• Making Sense Of The Internet Of Things

Big fat chart of main Internet of Things platforms. Needs another chart to explain how to read it though!

• Mataerial Anti-gravity’ 3D printer

Not exactly microcontrollers or open source but still really amazing project. This robot arm deposits a mix of thermoset polymers that harden at the exact same time they're pushed out the tip of the extruder.

• Pressure sensitive floor

Using 55 Arduinos, this is a 13 by 8 meters labyrinth where you walk in the dark and get a sensory experience based on more than 300 sensors. A floor that reacted to the people walking on it. The basic idea was to play back sounds of walking on other surfaces than you really were. Code Available on the page.

• Control my Cap (LED fest)

In our recurring series of weird projects, here is a graduation cap design with 16 LEDs, internet connectivity, a RPi / linux computer, a custom PCB, and a 87 Watt-Hr Battery...

• High Speed Photography with lasers

Using a camera placed in a dark room and set for a long exposure. At just the right instant the flash is activating, capturing the image. An infrared laser diode pointed at a phototransistor triggers the flash. When the droplet breaks the laser beam the Arduino triggers the flash after a calculated delay. The inventor mentions that this can be modified to use sound as a trigger. Here’s another sound-activated flash controller if you need inspiration.

Next event

Hope to see you all on Monday 17th June 7PM