CLC Trendspotting - The Technologies of Makerspaces, presented by Edward Iglesias and Arianna Schlegel

1. Small
Electronics for
Your Makerspace
Arianna Schlegel
CLC Trendspotting: The Technologies of Makerspaces
26 March 2014
Fairfield University

2. 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. 3 Main Categories
1.actual computers
2.sensory processors
3.wearables

4. 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?

5. 1. Raspberry Pi
• is actually a very tiny
(single-board) computer
running Unix
• 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/

6. Some Raspberry Pi Project Ideas
1. Use OpenElec to make your home TV a mini media center
2. Use Chromium to web surf on your TV
3. ArcadePi or gaming (Minecraft)
4. Go vintage with Windows 3.0
5. Write some code! (use the included Python compiler, start with
Scratch, or choose from many others)
6. Robotics
7. Learn hacking skills
8. Make a server (BitTorrent, cloud)
9. Make yourself a weather station
10. Or your own touchscreen “tablet”
11. If you’re ambitious, your own quadcopter
12. Even a beer cans keyboard (with a little
help from Arduino)

7. 1. BeagleBone
• “designed for makers” - designed from the ground up to
work with hardware
(sensors, etc.)
• like Raspberry Pi, it’s also
an entire computer and
also runs Unix
• moved the operating system
from the SD card to the board
itself
• costs $45 (down from $89)

8. Not sure which to choose?
MAKE magazine to the rescue again!
How to Choose the Right Platform: Rasbperry
Pi or BeagleBone Black

9. 1. Gizmo Board
An 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: $200 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/amdgizmosphereboard.jpg

10. 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

11. 2. The many faces of Arduino
(And these are just the official & current ones!)
See here for a still incomplete but much longer list...
Yùn ~ Leonardo ~ Uno ~ Due
Mega2560 ~ Ethernet ~ Fio ~ Nano LilyPad ~ Pro
~ Mega ADK ~ Esplora Micro ~ Mini

12. Some Arduino Project Ideas
10 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
digital clock
a Twitterer

13. Some Bigger Arduino Project Ideas
10 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)
robots 1 1 6 1 1
a GPS
generator
1 1 1

14. 2. DigiSpark
• PROS:
o costs just $9!
o small and lightweight
o works like an Arduino
• CONS:
o less powerful (for more
power, see the TinyDuino)

15. 2. TinyDuino
• Costs $19.95 (or $39.95 for a basic kit)
• GPS Cat Tracker (the ideal “typical librarian” project)

16. 2. TI LaunchPad
• $5-$10
• less - 14 I/O pins (vs. 20 on Arduino) and
16K (vs. 32K on Arduino)
• used to be difficult to program on, but they
have released a new, open source platform
(Energia) which works on all OSes
• you can also use your Arduino code on it!

17. 2. Netduino
• very different from the
Arduino, despite its
name
• you have to know how
to program in C#, and
it’s mostly restricted to
Windows computers
• costs $35

18. 2. Parallax Propeller
• can control 8 things
at one time
• costs $50
• good for robotics

19. 2. AVR Butterfly
• 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

20. 2. MaKey MaKey
A fun beginner project
that anyone can do!
Takes no time at all to
learn & set up, and
appeals to all ages.

21. 3. Lilypad, FLORA, & GEMMA
Arduino board designed for wearable
computing.
(BONUS: They’re waterproof!)

22. For example...

23. 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.

24. FLORA ($25) or GEMMA ($8) projects
1. Amplitie
2. Firewalker Sneakers
3. Pac Man Suspenders

25. Just FLORA projects
1. PianoGlove
2. GPS Jacket
3. Citi Bike Helmet

26. Just GEMMA projects
1. Space Face
Galaxy Makeup
2. NeoPixel Ring
Bangle Bracelet
3. NeoPixel Tiara
(A NeoPixel costs
$25 at Adafruit.com)

27. 3. the TinyLily
From the makers of TinyDuino, “tiny washable
circuits for e-textiles”:

28. My first (misguided) project
www.youtube.com/embed/nFjQWA
FEo48

29. 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/)

30. 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

31. Evolution Continues
These 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”).

32. 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

33. 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?)

34. Dewey Decimal?
Put signs in the following sections:
• 000 Computer science, knowledge & systems
• 338 Production / Entrepreneurship
• 500 Sciences (Pure sciences)
• 600 Technology (Applied sciences)
o Patents
o 620 Engineering
o 670 & 680 Manufactures
o 690 Building and construction
• 700 The arts
o 730 Sculpture, ceramics & metalwork
o 740 Drawing & decorative arts
o 770 Photography and computer art
Use Your Categorization

35. Use Your Categorization
Library of Congress?
Put signs in the following sections:
• HB 615-715 Entrepreneurship
M - MUSIC
• N - FINE ARTS
• Q - SCIENCE
o QA - Mathematics, Computer Science
o QC - Physics
• T - TECHNOLOGY
o T - Patents
o TJ - Mechanical Engineering
o TK - Electrical Engineering
You know your patrons - what

36. References
This 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

37. Contact me!
Arianna Schlegel
Haas Library 409
Western Connecticut State University
203-837-8818
schlegela@wcsu.edu

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

39. List of 3s: patron/community allies
•

40. List of 3s: community groups to tap
•

41. List of 3s: spaces (where?)
•

42. List of 3s: funding sources
•

43. List of 3s: small beginner projects
•

44. List of 3s: places to purchase
•

45. Other Considerations
• charge a fee?
• materials to purchase