ron.zacharski@gmail.com

Ron Zacharski

Schedule

Week 1

Monday  25 Aug
Wednesday  27 Aug
  • logistics continued (divide into teams)
  • introduction to circuits & the Arduino
  • Team Project 1
Friday  29 Aug
  • Intro to writing Arduino programs
  • Team Task:
    • Part 1: one person demo led that blinks twice as fast, another demo twice as slow, etc.
    • Part 2: all people on team demo led blinking SOS
  • Homework 1 Handout

Week 2

Monday 1 September
  • Review of the basics
  • Morse Code Review
  • Partner Task 1:
    • Alternatingly Blinky (at  all times one or the other light will be on)
    • waltz
    • left left right right
    • Slow n Fast   (pattern starts with both lights on)
    • The Beats  (pattern starts with both lights on. The rhythm must be identical)
Wednesday 3 September
  • Homework 1 demo
  • variables
  • conditionals (if-statements)
  • comparison operators ( ==, <, >, <=, >=)
  • Partner Task 2  (circuit #2 of book)
Friday 5 September

Week 3

Monday 8 September
Wednesay 10 September
Friday 12 September
  • Introduction to Functions
  • Remix Challenge  (will discuss this more next week – don’t panic!)
  • Homework 3 (due Sunday evening)
  • Discussion of Circuit 3.
  • Circuit 3 remix: Simon: Download the simon code. You are to write the functions off, red, green, blue, and cyan. The off function turns the multicolor led off and waits the DISPLAY_TIME. The red function displays red on the multicolor led and waits the DISPLAY_TIME. The other functions work similarly. 25xp. partner task (hint: look at the mainColors procedure)

Week 4

Monday 15 September
  • circuit 3 remix continued
  • loops (while and if)
    • while loop challenge: 10, 9, 8…. blastoff (1 second between counts): 20xp
    • while loop extra (same as above but with an led flashing a bunch of times when its time for blastoff.
  • circuit 3 with while loop

 

Wednesday 17 September
  • Lab Day
  • For those looking for something to do: a potentiometer bike light (demoed in class)
    • modes: off, all on, all blink, alternating blink – 20xp
    • add mode chaser: 10xp
    • add a mode of your own: 10xp

 

Friday 19 September

Week 5

Monday 22 September
  •  QUIZ: while statements, procedures, binary numbers, hexadecimal numbers, reading a potentiometer,
  • Lady Ada Lesson 5 tutorial
    • random code check
Wednesday 24 September
Friday 26 September
  • video of industrial robots
  • Lab Day

Week 6

Monday 29 September
  • circuit 4 – buttonfied
    • is there a problem with buttonfied circuit 4?
    • know why the problem occurs? submit a sheet of paper explaining the problem (and your name) to me before the end of class for xp.
  • circuit 6 light sensor
  • bike light continued
  • intro to arrays
Wednesay 1 October
Friday 3 October

Week 7

Monday 6 October
  • Circuit 7 – thermometer
  • soldering
Wednesday 8 October
  • Binary Thermometer
  • done with everything? try circuit 11 – the buzzer
  • this might be a better version of circuit 11 for revising: music2.ino
  • 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
Friday 10 October
  • NO CLASS

Week 8

Monday 13 October
  • Fall Break
Wednesday 15 October
  • Night Light Demo Day
  • Digital Thermometer Demo Day
  • Circuit 11 – the buzzer
  • this might be a better version of circuit 11 for revising: music2
  • HW6: 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
Friday 17 October
  • Circuit 7 remix

Week 9

Monday 20 October
Wednesday 22 October
Friday 24 October

Week 10

Monday 27 October
  • quiz
Wednesday 29 October
Friday 31 October

Week 11

Monday 3 November
  • reminder to email me about Friday demos.
  • a puzzler BEATS (this class only) – (30xp if your loop is less that 17 lines – 20xp otherwise)
  • lab day
    • finish servo remix -> servo controlled by pot; servo Magic 8 ball
    • circuit 12 – spinning a motor & speed controlled by pot
    • consider the motor spinning a small fan – can you make the fan turn on when the temperature is hot and off when it cools down?
    • circuit 9 – flex sensor & flex sensor music
    • work on optional Friday project
  • Circuit 9
Wednesday 5 November
  • design challenge
  • up next week – circuit 14 – the shift register
Friday 7 November
  • homework for Monday – user input and an LED
  • demo day
    • Morse Coder – Rachelle Dambrose
    • Karaoke Machine – Abigail Odell
    • When there is a noise is the forest when no one is around … – Chandler Hamilton
    • Nacho Cheese – Ashley Pontiveros 
    • Countdown Timer – Geoffry Berryman

Week 12

Monday 10 November

 

Wednesday 12 November
  • FIELD TRIP! – visit to the ThinkLab – Simpson 225
Friday 14 November
  • Feedback re. ThinkLab – what did you like; what would you like to be there?
  • AI – Amazon Echo, jibo
  • Homeword (due Sunday Night) grader
  • RedBot
  • Circuit 14 – 15xp
  • Cool videos:
  • 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)
    • your own remix 25xp (or more)

Week 13

Monday 17 November
  • CATCH UP DAY
  • Circuit 14  25xp if you do it today – 15xp otherwise
  • Circuit 14 remix: user inputs number via laptop – the number is displayed in binary with led lights. – 35xp if demo’d today; 20xp otherwise. hint: look at binaryCount in the original circuit 14 code.
  • 16 leds – work with a partner See example 2   35xp  (+15xp for long patterns)
  • Can you add a reset button to Pong? 20xp
  • Circuit 13: Relays
Wednesday 19 November
  • peer review
  • circuit 13
  • circuit13-o-bot remix
    • basic
    • 1337
  • Redbot
  • Think about a final project
  • Your choice
    • a project you may have forgotten about (for ex., distance sensor theremin)
    • a binary clock – remix of circuit 14 – a 12 hour clock would have 3 leds for hours and 5 for minutes) Can you add one or more buttons to set the time?
    • Your choice
  • HACKATHON evening 6-8pm
Friday 21 November

Week 14

 Monday 24 November
  • Work on final project
  • Final Tasks
Wednesday 26 November
  • Thanksgiving break
Friday  28 November
  • Thanksgiving

Week 15

Monday 1 December
  • Final Project Lab Day
Wednesday 3 December
  • Final Project Lab Day
Friday 5 December
  • Final Project Demo Day