Workshops/Arduino for beginners/Planning

When?

I propose we hold the workshop on the 21st/22nd of August, would this suit those willing to help? Solexious 00:57, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

Who is willing to help run the event?

Solexious
b3cft
Harry
Ciarán
artag not much good at lecturing but can help debug. also have equipment if necessary - soldering, PSus, socket strips, etc.

A description of tasks that need to be done, and who will do them.

Task	Volunteer
Lead workshop
Helping install the Arduino IDE, for Windows
Helping install the Arduino IDE, for Mac
Helping install the Arduino IDE, for Linux
Drawing up equipment purchase list	Solexious
Planning Workshop tasks
Publicity

Start with a general overview of hacking with respect to art, home automation, circuit bending, etc, presented as a short lecture to introduce the arduino and similar
- I did something similar for SkillsMatter/YDN a while ago: http://www.slideshare.net/b3cft/hardware-hacking
- culminated in this at the end of the talk: http://www.flickr.com/photos/b3cft/4798503275/
go into a setup for people with helpers wandering around making sure the software is installed correctly (java and all that)
Pull up some more slides with setup for the basic programs; maybe go with the simple blinking light example
coffee break
Move into a more complicated example using output only
lunch
Lecture on basic electronic theory such as V=IR and similar. introduce buttons and other inputs
go through an input example - e.g press a button to turn on or off a set of LEDS
modify this example with perhaps a buzzer instead.
Mention briefly, processing and how to use a POT to create a nice interactive graph (this was the demo Tinker used)
Indication of how to extend arduino - optional shields, connecting relays, rs232 etc.
Once that demo is complete, depending on time, finish with a short lecture on where to get equipment, suppliers, advanced topics and cool things that have been made with Arduino.
sell hackspace branded kits

What is the maximum people we can cater for, ie How big is the hackspace?? This will dictate how many kits we buy, and how much space we have to clear to make it comfortable to teach. It also sets a limit on how much money we can make.
- With more seating we can fit 10 people onto desks in my view, and its a nice number :) --Solexious 12:31, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

How much will it cost per attendee for equipment, plus how much profit we would like?
thus, how much shall we charge?

I feel a kit that is given to attendees with the workshop would be fab. I tried to beat the cost of EarthshineElectronics starter kit, but have been unable to, this is even at the regular price, rather than contacting for "Special rates for colleges, schools, universities and training centres." Can anyone do better?
- http://www.earthshineelectronics.com/10-arduino-duemilanove-compatible-starter-kit.html
- That's a good price, but it's a VERY good kit. We could perhaps spend less and still provide a reasonable selection. Alternatively, bulk-buy from Earthshine. Note that to get a good selection of cheap parts we'll need to buy from ebay/china - so allow a couple of weeks for delivery, which is too long for the suggested date.
Is it worth buying equipment for more than one workshop, and have another similar workshop planned for 3 months time?
- With courses with 20 places selling out I think we could run this monthly with 10 places each time (initially), bulk buying would depend on if we have the cash to do this, and if that would reduce the cost for kits significantly to justify the risk of over stock... --Solexious 12:33, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

--128.40.76.3 13:32, 26 July 2010 (UTC)