[Imc-makerspace] Workshops at the MakerSpace-Urbana

[Stewart Dickson]

Hi, Mitch,

Here's a short history of the workshops we have had at the MakerSpace in 
the past, and the tools
we have accumulated for future workshops.

Our very first series of workshops was to convert PC-AT/ATX power 
supplies to bench power
supplies.  So, we have a bunch of +-5/12-V DC power supplies and circuit 
breadboards around
for experimenting and prototyping.  They have served well for augmenting 
Arduino USB power to
peripherals.

We participated in the Grand Global Hackerspace Challenge at the 
beginning of 2011 and we
were awarded a whole bunch of soldering stations.   So, we have probably 
more soldering irons
at the moment than we have space for people to use all of them all at 
once, unless we moved
upstairs to the Main Space for a workshop -- which is also doable.

We did several Arduino Robotics workshops, for which our parts-sourcing 
wizard secured
us about 20 Uno kits at a ridiculously low price.   Thence followed 
another intense series of
sessions soldering up the Arduino boards.   So, correct me if I'm wrong, 
but we should still have
upwards of ten or so working Arduino Unos.   And we have at least five 
Linux PCs to use for
programming Arduinos.

We have a weekly Mesh Wifi Reading Group, where we discuss the book 
"Wireless in the Developing World."  We have several *CASES* of Fonera 
nodes.  To get them working, all we need
is to supply them with US power cords (I think that they currently have 
European power cords on
them) and to flash them with open-source software, which I believe we 
still have people around
who  know how to do it.   We have a Pirate box!  (A MeshWifi node in a 
lunchbox, which can serve
Web content from a USB thumb-drive -- With a spiffy skull-and-crossbones 
painted on the lunchbox.)

Food for thought for fun things to do at the MakerSpace?

Cheers,

-Stewart