Electronics

Learn how brighten up your maker projects with lighting! This workshop will provide you ample opportunity to experiment with a wide range of low-tech and high-tech lighting options for everything from lamps to wearables. We will cover LEDs and other lighting options. Other topics will include light quality and coloring, power concepts, heat dissipation, diffusion and lensing. This class is suitable for complete beginners as well as more experienced makers who want to check out new options to light up their projects.

The first step to any electronics project is to prototype your idea. The easiest and fastest way to do this is with a breadboard! Come take this class to learn how to create an electrical schematic, and then how to take electrical schematics and build them on a breadboard. The class will also go over some common electrical components and how they work, as well as some potential next steps after prototyping your designs on a breadboard.

Robotics is a field of engineering that involves the development of automated machines. This class will go over the typical parts of a mobile robot, assemble a robot from a kit, and then write software to make the robot run all by itself! The class is broken down into four major parts: Typical Robot Parts and Assembly, Outputs and Motors, Inputs and Sensors, and Automatic Feedback-Based Control.

Want to control blinky lights? Make things move? Entertain the cat? Wow the paparazzi at Comic-Con? This class is where you start. The Pi Pico is a microcontroller platform that supersedes the Arduino as an easy-to-learn, inexpensive, and powerful base for interacting with the physical world. The class will introduce you to working with the Pico via a series of hands-on examples and start you building your own electronic gadgets and gizmos.

Arduino is a low-cost, open-source, circuit board which can be programmed to sense and control objects in the physical world. By responding to sensors and inputs, the Arduino can interact with a wide variety of devices such as LEDs, motors, and displays. An Arduino is ideal for simple repetitive tasks, such as turning on or off lights, opening doors, or reading a sensor. Because of its flexibility and low cost, Arduino has become a popular choice for makers creating interactive hardware projects. It is easy and fun! This introductory class will teach you how to get started with Arduino to experiment with interactive electronics or create your dream project! Prerequisites: Basic computer skills.

Raspberry Pi is a low-cost computer with built-in support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, HDMI, and a camera as well as general purpose I/O to sense and control objects in the physical world. A Raspberry Pi is ideal for more complex tasks such as controlling a robot or other device, or a project that requires an internet connection. This introductory class will teach you how to get started with Raspberry Pi to experiment with interactive electronics or create your dream project! Prerequisites: Basic computer skills.

Our learn-to-solder class includes everything you need for a head-start into the wondrous world of electronics and is appropriate for kids. The fun-to-assemble flashing European siren kit includes beginning electronic theory, parts identification including color code, soldering practice, and a soldering iron, solder, wire cutters, an industrial-grade circuit board, and all components. This 4-hour class includes a lot of activities that will help you start to learn about the world of electronics.

Note: After enrolling, all students must order this kit and a soldering iron and bring them to class. It’s about $22 total. The required 9V battery will be supplied by Rochester Makerspace.