Microcontrollers and Soldering
Electronics for Inventors: Arduino, Micropython, and Soldering
Learn to tinker and bring your inventions to life! Using Arduino platform, you’ll get an intro into prototyping, designing circuits and programming electronics to shine lights, read sensors, make sounds, move motors and respond to switches.
February 2019 – Another Arduino/Micropython class….. outline is coming….
- we’ll be programming Adafruit’s 32-bit Cortex M0 in Micropython https://www.adafruit.com/product/3727
- The First class we’ll solder, and the second class we’ll program
- First Day of Class: 2/23/2019
- Last Day of Class: 3/2/2018
Required Supplies:
- PC or Mac laptop with USB port
- A text editor for programming…
We’re going to be using an interface called MU. See the link below to install MU. I’ll have USB thumb drives though if you don’t get it installed by then.https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-circuitpython/installing-mu-editor
This class puts you on the path to start inventing creations through affordable electronic microcontrollers, hackable off-the-shelf products, and “stuff” from China. It provides hands-on entry into programming and piecing together “stuff” for physical computing useful to artists, electronic hobbyists, entry engineering students, technical engineering professionals, and energy engineering technicians and hobbyists.
This is an intro to microcontroller programming, Arduino, Micropython, accelerometers, shields, soldering, breadboards and simple programming. Arduino and Micropython is an easy, open-source combination of hardware and software that’s free and programmable from any type of computer.
You’ll leave with a large soldered printed circuit board with a microcontroller reading sensors
Please feel free to email me with questions:
Recommended Supplies:
- Multimeter
- Wire strippers
- Extension cord
- Soldering Iron… I’ll have some soldering irons for you to borrow
- If you want to buy a cheap soldering iron.. $12 this is the only one I recommend..
- $30 one sold by Adafruit is only a tiny bit better
- If you want to buy a decent soldering iron for around $50, I’d do your homework and buy it off of ebay
Provided
- Adafruit’s 32-bit Cortex M0 https://www.adafruit.com/product/3727
- with USB cable
- LEDs, mosfet, solderless jumper wires, button, resistors, breadboard,
- Accelerometer
- Breakout Circuit Board
Class Outline:
- See Links above
Other Resources
Here are some other resources for Microcontrollers, Embedded Hardware design, tinkering and the like:
Dorkbot has meetings every other week where people bring and discuss their projects without a structured format. An amazing array of people available to help you get your projects done.
Digital Classes
- Adafruit has some classes and tutorials online
- Instructables. Learn and share from other peoples blunders here!
- Sparkfun has self taught classes and tutorials here developed in part by our Portlander Derek Runberg
Brick and Mortar Classes in Portland mostly
- PNCA offers an Electronics for Artists class by famous Portlander Mark Keppinger
- PNCA offers an advanced Arduino Class by famous Portlander Donald Delmar Davis
- ADX sometimes offers classes at their maker space in SE Portland
- Dorkbot sometimes offers free from time to time
- Seattle’s Metrix (maker space) has circuit church every sunday from 6pm-midnight. I highly recommend going to this if you are in Seattle. They also offer other intro to electronics courses that are probably pretty good too.
Electronic Parts and Tools Resources
- Sparkfun. Get your proven prototyping supplies here
- Instructables. Learn and share your inventions here
- OSHPark. Get your locally manufactured Printed Circuit Boards here.
- Adafruit. This is like Sparkfun but a bit more raw and generously priced gadgets
- Dorkbot has its own list here.
Previous Classes
Starting 2017 we’ll be working with the ESP8266/nodeMcu: example project
January 2018 class we’ll be programming the NodeMcu in MicroPython.
October 2018 class we’ll be programming Adafruit’s 32-bit Cortex M0 in Micropython https://www.adafruit.com/product/3727
– Class Outline and files: https://goo.gl/VivQb8