Arduino Workshop?

[[Syntax]]

This would be for people who don't own an Arduino or own one but have never made it do anything besides blink..

I am considering a workspace adjacent to the GeoChallenge where people could work on Arduino projects. I would be willing to teach those who have never used an Arduino the basics, demo a few small projects and have a few Arduinos, sensors, breadboards, wires, ect.. available for people to tinker and learn the basics.

My only concern is people walking off with small parts.
Any comments, ideas suggestions?

Since Im in the contest area, I can't really sell development kits, although hardware hacking village has done it before in the skyboxes. Im already out a few hundred bucks on the GeoChallenge so.. money is a little bit of a concern. If I could sell some GeoCaching stuff at the booth I would to recoop costs.

[WiK]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

I would be interested in this...perhaps more then just simple stuff.... I have a ton of teenys and teensy++'s.

My thoughts on this would be to buy a few teensy's since they are CHEAP... OR ask someone in the vendor area to sell them for you. then do what the lock pick village does....provide demos, allow people to bring their own to practice with and you sell some for them to buy and use themselves....

just my two cents...

[hexjunkie]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

Sounds fun, but why not ask the Hardware hacking village if you can sell some stuff there, or perhaps purchasing a vendor slot? Then you could sell, demo stuff, and pretty much do whatever you wanted to.

[darkcreature]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

i'm interested as well, let me know if it looks like it will materialize

[[Syntax]]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

Arduino 101 Workshop Is A Go

As of now the "Arduino 101 Workshop" as it was dubbed at the last minute will be at a booth adjacent to my Geo Challenge Booth in the contest area. I am contacting the powers that be, to see if I can pay vending fees, but vend from a corner of my contest table. Since I would be offering a limited number of items.

But as of now, the Arduino table is a go. No idea what I will be offering yet. I plan to have a few tethered Arduinos, some LCD's, some sensors, ect. CD's with copies of the compiler available, basic sketches loaded onto the discs.

I've just begun learning Arduino myself. The Geo Challenge this year will be using some Arduino Hardware, so the Arduino table is really a way to explain how some of it works, and maybe get some people started. Im not really planning anything overly complex. Just trying to make use of the space
I've been allotted for the Geo Challenge.

[DiscipleOfJude]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

This is definitely something I am interested in checking out. Out of curiosity, what is the rough price range of the hw you will be selling?

[[Syntax]]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

I won't be able to sell any hardware. I'm hosting the workspace and materials for free, and will have hardware available for demonstration and learning. But nothing that can leave the booth or be purchased. Problem is my table is in the contest area and there's no vending allowed there.

I needed to sell items for the GeoChallenge as well to cover some costs of the contest, but without manpower to run a 3rd booth in the vendors area I'm pretty much out of luck.

[Bbox]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

Syntax,

Your Arduino Workshop looks like a great opportunity for people to get some hands on experience with Arduino boards, Just thinking for those who know they are planning on playing with Arduinos they may want to come prepared and have the Software and code library already downloaded. Here is a safe place to get it from

http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software

Are you planning on having any particular shields with you or stuff like servos and potentiometers?

I noticed you're not from the west coast so you may not be aware that Pololu Electronics and Robotics is in Las Vegas and they have lots of stuff for Arduinos! If you get a chance swing by their place and check them out.

[TheCotMan]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

I won't be able to sell any hardware. I'm hosting the workspace and materials for free, and will have hardware available for demonstration and learning. But nothing that can leave the booth or be purchased. Problem is my table is in the contest area and there's no vending allowed there.

I needed to sell items for the GeoChallenge as well to cover some costs of the contest, but without manpower to run a 3rd booth in the vendors area I'm pretty much out of luck.

Have you considered a "hackish" solution?

You know those old movies with that gag showing a guy visiting some out-of-the-way place with government offices, an empty room with little windows that have different signs over them for different services, but all of them are closed except for one, we'll call, "information." The guy goes up to that window and says he needs to renew his license. The old granny behind that desk say, "line 2: license applications" then slams shut her window to read "closed." Then she walks to the line 2 window, where the guy waits, and she says, "what do you want?" and he says, "license application," and then she hands it to him and says, "fill this out, then go to window 3." This proceed through the gag, with the same woman, pretending she has no idea why he is there, until be gives up or gets his license, or the building closes.

If you can find someone running a table in the vendor space, and they are willing to get you space, perhaps you can setup a sign at that table, "Arduno parts and hardware. Shop hours: 10:04am to 10:22am or something crazy like that. Then when people visit your presentation, or before, you can direct them to the next window, that opens at 10:04 am to pick up their parts. You can tell them that you know the guy.

More of a kludge than a hack, but it is really hard to hack time.

Oh yeah... if Chris says, "no. that won't work," you should take his direction over my suggestion. :-)

[KillerSpud]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

I'm a pretty avid Atmel guy, and I do enjoy prototyping on my arduino all the time, so I'd be more than happy to stop by, maybe help folks out a bit when I'm not hanging out in the HHV.

[LosT]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

You do know we will have arduinos in the HHV as well?

Just saying.

[TheCotMan]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

You do know we will have arduinos in the HHV as well?

Just saying.

This Arduno Workshop was created (a month or two?) before I got word the HHV was returning. Is there any information on what will happen in the HHV this year? Some people on twitter, since January were discussing offering other hardware events using the #defcon hashtag, but due to lack of HHV being mentioned anywhere, decided against it. It was not until the maps for Defcon were put online that any hint of the HHV was even going to be at Defcon 19, but because text in images are not (yet) indexed by google, google searches for hhv and defcon 19 turned up no results.

The return of the HHV was well received by people on twitter with favorable comments. For people considering hardware-related contests, subsections to contests, or content related to hardware, having early knowledge of the HHV return might have helped them expand their contests and events to include more hardware content and more integration.

I'm not blaming you or assigning fault to you for many reasons, one of these being how busy you must have been working on badges as well as your job, and life outside of Defcon, another because there ?are? were other people involved in making the first HHV who (if they are still contributing to it) could have stepped forward to let people know about it, sooner.

This is more constructive criticism for next year if the HHV will return to Defcon 20. An earlier notice of this would help people interested in adding more hardware-related content to Defcon, and if material and content were known, avoid duplication of effort.

[Bbox]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

You do know we will have arduinos in the HHV as well?

Just saying.

That's great to hear.

I know many around the Defcon community will not like this but, Arduinos are very popular with the "younger crowd" (think Defcon kids) and this news will hopefully get them to stop by the HHV to see what's going on and the HHV might introduce them to other hardware and assembly techniques that they may not have access to seeing in their daily lives.

[geekp0wer]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

I have been to Defcon many times. The main reason is work related stuff such as pen testing/data security. Playing w/ an arduino makes the con a lot of fun. I am looking forward to checking out your area and the HHV. Thanks for putting it together.

[LosT]

Re: Arduino Workshop?

We will have a schedule for HHV up shortly, which will include classes on Arduino, as well as other environments, like the Propeller.