Highly Learnable Open Hardware, Open Hardware Summit 2010
1. Highly Learnable Open Hardware
Michael Shiloh
Teach Me To Make
michael@teachmetomake.com
My name is Michael Shiloh. I'm a tinkerer and
teacher, interested in teaching by building. Together
with my partner we run a teaching organization
called "teach me to make"
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I'm a co-founder of makingthings
just one of many computer interface things
all trying to do what arduino finally did right
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my main interest is in teachingelectronics using
tinkering and contraption building. I've worked with
adults
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We like using common household objects
* everything exposed
* extremely low cost
* can be duplicated with salvaged components
Important because
1. seem to demystify science when objects are
familiar
2. allow duplication
We are extremely committed to allowing others to
reproduce what they learn with us without having to
buy any special parts
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For instance, here is a left and right controls for an
RC vehicle using clothespins
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And here is a vehicle constructed with Popsickle
sticks
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We use the same philosophy when we developed
our Arduino robotic project
we've had really good results with almost everything
we've done,
but there is one thing that consistently seems to be a
stumbling block
for many newcomers.
9. Highly Learnable Open Hardware
since our goal is to inspire in newbies some of the
excitement and passion we havefor tinkering and
electronics, it really bothers us
that this turns so many people away
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for simple circuits i don't use any form of
breadboarding
i want students to understand the importance and
feel of a good solid
mechanical and electrical connection
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even further, when possible i make them cut ans strip
their own
jumpers. again, it demystifies the process (there is
nothing
magical about a connector on the end) and gives
them the skill and
understanding to use any scrap cable for their own
projects
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this is a great first project, hard to get wrong, great
lesson in
series circuits and good connections
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how much more obvious is this parallel circuit?
you can go quite far twisting wires together,
but newbies are usually less aware
than we are of short circuit potentials
but what to do about more complex circuits?
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easy to see what's going on, easy to follow circuit
inspires the sense of "I could do that"
How many of you know that this is where the word
breadboard comes from?
It's in this picture