Class Schedule
Week 1
Tuesday 27 Aug
- Introduction to Computer Science (bits, bytes, programming)
- Laser Organ
- Ball Bearing Beat Box
- Makezine
- Rally to Restore Sanity
- Please Don’t Learn to Code
- Learn to do this in a year.
- Introduction to Course Logistics
Thursday 29 Aug
- logistics continued (divide into teams)
- introduction to circuits & the Arduino
- Team Project 1
- Homework 1 Handout
Week 2
Tuesday 3 September
- New Team photos.
- Team Task: Blinking Light and SOS
- Review of the basics
- Partner Task 1: Alternatingly Blinky
- if there is time: Partner Task 2 (circuit #2 of book)
Thursday 5 September
- Make Presents: Resistors
- Homework 1 demo
- if statements!
- Partner Task 2 (circuit #2 of book)
- Homework 2
Week 3
Tuesday 10 September
- binary numbers
- team worksheet
- Homework 2: lab
- Circuit #3
Thursday 12 September
- Introduction to Functions
- Remix Challenge
- Homework 3 (due Monday evening)
- Discussion of Circuit 3.
Week 4
Tuesday 17 September
- circuit 3 remix continued
- if statements review
- loops
- Discussion of Circuit 5
- Circuit 5 remix (yes we are skipping circuit 4)
Thursday 19 September
- Quiz – if statements, procedures, binary numbers, hexadecimal numbers, reading a potentiometer
- functions that take arguments!
- Homework 4: Loops
- Outside of class – Work through the Lady Ada Lesson 5 tutorial
Week 5
Tuesday 24 September
- Lady Ada Lesson 5 tutorial
- random code check
- Lady Ada Worksheet
- HW 5: Bike light 10XP for each mode – 70 XP maximum.
Thursday 26 September
- video of industrial robots
- Lady Ada tutorial
- HW 5: bike light
Week 6
Tuesday 1 October
- bike light continued
- intro to arrays
- circuit 4 – buttonfied
- circuit 6 light sensor
Thursday 3 October
- HW 6: Nightlight (due at the start of the next class)
Week 7
Tuesday 8 October
- quiz – procedures with arguments, if statements, the logical operators && and ||. You should know the difference between
- if ((a==1) && b==1) || (c ==1)) and
- if ((a==1) || b==1) && (c ==1)) for example, what happens if
- a = 1, b = 1, c = 0
- a = 1, b = 0, c = 1
- 7 segment display
Thursday 10 October
- catch up on projects lab (optional)
- soldering – (if parts come)
Week 8
Tuesday 15 October
- Circuit 7 – thermometer
- HW7: Digital Thermometer walkthrough
- Soldering
Thursday 17 October
Week 9
Tuesday 22 October
- National Arduino Happiness day
- Pinokio
- Four letter words
- Toa Mata Robot Band
- Circuit #11 15xp
- Buzzer challenge
- Can you revise the buzzer code to play a recognizable tune that spans over an octave and a half? (see Frequencies for Equal Tempered Scale)
- Can you revise the buzzer code to play a random tune each time you press the reset button? Each tune should be in a separate function. 10XP per tune
- tuneTemplate.ino code may help
- In Class Theremin Challenge – can you make a theremin-like device using a photosensor and buzzer?
- a real theremin in action
- yet more theremin action!
- can’t get enough theremin
Thursday 24 October
- buzzer day
- Kim Possible music
Week 10
Tuesday 29 October
- team quiz
- optional project – 100-200xp
- Circuit #12 – motors, transistors, and diodes
Thursday 31 October
- servo day!
- Circuit 8: A single servo 15XP
- Remix: Can you make a servo controlled by a potentiometer?: 45xp
- Remix Magic 8 ball 30XP
- Servo related videos (we’ve seen some of these before):
Week 11
Tuesday 5 November
- lab day
- Circuit 9
- Circuit 10
- Circuit 10 w/ Servo
- Binary Thermometer Pics
Thursday 7 November
- demo day
Week 12
Tuesday 12 November
- Circuit 14 – 15xp
- Cool videos:
- 16 RGB LEDs. (cool idea for final project)
- LED Stairs
- 3D cube
- Circuit 14 remixes:
- code remix – keep hardware the same and make a longer sequence. (see video above) 15xp
- 16 leds!! (work with a partner). See example 2 35xp (+15xp for long patterns)
- 7 segment display 25xp
- your own remix 25xp (or more)
- Clock Project
- writeup (contrary to writeup the minimum is 50xp)
- code for minimal clock
Bouncy Ball project. For some reason this doesn’t work for me (although it did in the spring) It may be my computer so it would help if a few people tried to do at least parts 1 and 2. If you demo, even if it doesn’t work I will give you 35 points. (If it doesn’t work, I may end this offer)- 2 direction motor control (ask me for the chip) 30xp
Thursday 14 November
Week 13
Tuesday 19 November
- peer review
- circuit 13
- LCDs (instructions for green LCD)
- If you have a red LCD see project 15 of the new SIK guide
- If you have a red LCD see project 15 of the new SIK guide
- and robots
- Walkthrough – Yet Another Remix of Circuit 4
Thursday 21 November
- visit to the Thinklab Simpson 225
Week 14
Tuesday 26 November
- Any comments re. the ThinkLab?
- Final Tasks
- LCDs (I have 2 — see instruction link above)
- a simple 2 LED Puzzler. In my youth I was a drummer and we drummers would entertain ourselves by beating 3 equal beats per second with our right hand and 2 with our left. Can you do the same with 2 LEDs? (hint: Blink Without Delay writeup)
- don’t forget the clock challenge above!
- Can your mouse dim an LED? see Dimmer and ask me how to get started!
- Or explore something on your own from here, or a place you discover.
- Robot Car Team
- Katherine Stosch – RedBot
- Chris McClafferty – BlueBot
- James Roepe – FlatTop
Thursday 28 November
- Thanksgiving
Week 15
Tuesday 3 December
- Final Project Lab Day
Thursday 5 December
- Final Project Demo Day