Tag Archives: blinkies

Resources + Pics: Blinkies, the Quadrotor, the Thing-O-Matic and more

Thanks for coming out to our first public gathering at the Miller Center and thanks, Ken Howell and the Emergent Media MFA Program at Champlain College for sponsoring this Vermont Makers event. It was a great turnout!

Below find photos of the event and links to resources, as promised.

Photo Gallery from Blinkies, the Quadrotor, and the Thing-o-Matic – April 3 2012:

Get Smart with These Presentation Resources:
(new resources added 4/14/12)
Presentation Resources

Click here for information about the event. Missed it? That’s OK, there will be plenty more! Stay tuned and sign up for our email list (form right) or follow us on facebook + google+ (links right).

Illuminate Your Life Resources

There are an almost infinite amount of resources on the web for LEDs.  I’ve picked a couple that should whet your appetite.  Also, feel free to ask questions here and on facebook if you need guidance on anything specific.

A good starting place for the science behind LEDs is Wikipedia. There are a lot of linked resources here, some of which you’ll recognize from my presentation slides. I still have not been able to click through all that I wanted to!

If you’e interested in making some LEDs blink, a good place to start is with Adafruit’s Arduino tutorial series. Number three is specifically about LEDs.

If you liked the simple lights I handed out, you can find the LEDs in packs of ten here. Adafruit also has a ton of other LED related stuff.

If you have questions about anything else I discussed, or just want to pass along a link to a cool blinky project, you can find me on Google+ as ransomhall.  I also have a website where I post my electronic exploits at ransomhall.com, and finally my email is eric at that domain name (not linked here for spambot reasons).

On a final note, I noticed that Ken, who runs the MFA program at Champlain, referred to me in one of his pictures as “Lord of the Blinkies”. I kinda like that.  I generally like to stick to a science theme (the labcoat is a dead giveaway). I overheard one attendee say to another “that guy is blinkin’ mad”, which made me think my alter ego alias should be “Blinkin’ Mad Scientist”. What do you guys think? Got anything better? Free blinkies at the next meeting to the comment author with the best one. Mwahahahaha!

 Submitted by Eric Hall

Blinkies, the Quadcopter, Thing-O-Matic and more! Vermont Makers Public Presentation


You are cordially invited to attend the first public meeting of Vermont Makers!

We are a small band of arduino and electronics enthusiasts. If you like to tinker, sculpt, experiment, make tools, make toys, make art, make music, make anything – please join us!

We’re planning a  fun evening of presentations with Vermont Makers and students from Champlain College. Subjects of our first presentation include blinkies, the Quadcopter, the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic and more!

Vermont Makers Public Presentation
Tuesday, April 3, 2012

6:30 PM
Emergent Media Center, Miller Center
Champlain College; Burlington, Vermont
This event is sponsored by the MFA in Emergent Media Program at Champlain College

  • Example: 175 Lakeside Avenue, Burlington, Vermont
  • Miller Center, Champlain College

For more information contact Jenn Karson or Ken Howell.

Presentation Details:

Illuminate Your Life: Experimenting with LED Electronics
Eric Hall

The mesmorizing light of LEDs

Let’s face it, LEDs are super cool. What is it about this clever way of producing light that is so mesmerizing? How did someone figure out how to make a mineral glow with just a tiny amount of electricity? When did it become so easy to control a house full of colorful and luminous lighting? We will explore these questions and more by discussing several aspects of this cool technology:

  • An introduction to the science and history behind light emitting diodes.
  • A review of the availability, cost, and quality of DIY LED lighting for the home.
  • Demonstrate a super cool project by (of course) making some lights blink!

Prepare to get your blinky fix!

Home Drone in Vermont
Steve Seremeth, Ed Haase

The adventures of building an arduino-based quadcopter: what inspired us to build one, what the project entails, and how you can make one, too.

Aeroquad the Open Source Quadcopter
Home Drone in Vermont

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presentations by Champlain College Students
Recent projects and a demo of the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic

The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D Printer
The MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D Printer

“The MakerBot 3-D printer offers the possibility of manufacturing products in the home almost as easily as printing a document with an inkjet printer. The company’s Thing-O-Matic machine moves in three dimensions to spray layers of colored plastic to form objects, some quite intricate. ”
-NY Times
Click here for the complete article