FIRST Robotics is part of two upcoming Arduino events.
Workshop, (2/20/2015):
First, on February 20th, 2015, in the Steinman Hall Lobby, there will be an Arduino training workshop from 10 AM – 6 PM. Will food be provided, you ask? I knew that would be your first question. I believe the answer is a resounding, YES.
And most importantly, what can you learn at this workshop? This workshop is suitable for anyone who has no experience with programming or Arduino hardware, up to people who have used Arduino on several projects, but want some more information about Arduino. Of course, if you are an Arduino guru, you should come also and let us absorb your microcontroller greatness.
And what specific skills will you learn? Learn how to program an Arduino to control motors of different types, LEDs, servos, and other types of sensors. You can also learn the basics of discrete circuit components. Other skills may also be taught, e.g., soldering.
Competition, (2/27/2015):
The above workshop will prepare CCNY students to participate in a general Arduino, build-something-or-fail hackathon that will be held on Friday, February 27th in the Steinman Hall Lobby.
What is a hackathon? A hackathon is a fun and competitive event in which people are split into small teams, each with the task of building something in response to a theme or assignment. For instance, at a hackathon last semester, the theme was “productivity” and teams had an Arduino microcontroller and they needed to build something that responded to this theme.
Well, since I am biased to support my own team, let me tell you about what we built. Ingeniously, we constructed a clock that displayed world time in binary coded format. Our clock was also constructed out of the finest museum grade soapbox cardboard that money can’t buy. Our LEDs shone through the darkness of the Engineering Building and with each tick of the clock children wept because the display was so beautiful. We constructed this priceless piece of artwork, not a minute before 7 PM and then proceeded to come in second place, because someone else built a knife that spun around on a servo, which I suppose was productive because it could have turned a coffee maker on 😉
Our binary clock.
Hackathons are also fun if legend is built around them, and a polite amount of bragging occurs. 🙂
In all seriousness, come to the training workshop on February 20th and the real deal on February 27th!
CCNY FIRST Robotics Club 