[OLPC-SF] Fwd: [IAEP] Sensors at SF Summit & Sugar Camp...Wanna' play with us?

Mon Oct 8 18:47:55 EDT 2012

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho at hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 1:16 PM
Subject: [IAEP] Sensors at SF Summit & Sugar Camp...Wanna' play with us?
To: "support-gang at laptop.org" <support-gang at laptop.org>, IAEP
SugarLabs <iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org>

Hi Folks,

Some of us have been discussing how we can incorporate work with
sensors into the SF Summit and Sugar Camp.  The thread of our
discussion is below for your perusal. There are lots of good links
there.

Now, we need to expand our discussion to try to include all who might
be interested in making and learning to use sensors with their XOs for
Science Education (STEM, SET, SCIB, etc). Here is a summary of what we
have talked about.

Tony Anderson and I both feel a need to be able to use sensors for
science experiments/lessons with projects we are working with. We
envision some time in SF devoted to our own maker/hacker space type
activity where everyone interested could make and test sensors and
come up with ideas for using them with students. Lesson ideas could be
published on one of the wikis. We might also be able to make video
tutorials on how to make them.

Nick Doiron will only be there for the weekend, but could get us
started on them, perhaps on Friday evening. We would like to find
others who will be staying into the Sugar Camp time who could help us.
Volunteers anyone??? Or maybe we could build them all Friday evening
after the reception and then play with them during Sugar Camp??? Ideas
anyone?

We would need to get all the parts ahead of time. I can pick them up
at a large electronics store (http://www.allelectronics.com)  here in
SoCal sometime this week. To do this I would need a "shopping list." I
notice that the requirements for some of the sensors vary with the
model of XO they will be used with. I will need someone to work with
me on this list to make sure I get everything we will need. Volunteers
anyone???

I would also need to know who will be interested in doing this so I
can get the supplies for everyone who will need them. It could be that
some folks would only be able to participate on the weekend but would
like to take "kits" home with them to finish later. I will fund the
purchase and you all can reimburse me.

Would you like to come and "play" with us? Please send your name and
what sensors you might be interested in building and testing. The
obvious ones seem to be temperature and light, but it should
reasonable to add one or 2 more.  Here are a few ideas of the
possibilities. If you know of others, please share!

References: http://www.youtube.com/user/guzmantrinidad?feature=watch
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Peripherals/Sensors

Hi Caryl,

P.S. Does someone in SF have a soldering iron, solder, and flux or
whatever we would need???

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Previous thread follows:
I would also suggest moving this discussion to the OLPC-SF list and/or
IAEP so we can get more traction and feedback for it.

Cheers,
Christoph

On Sun, Oct 7, 2012 at 8:41 PM, Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho at hotmail.com> wrote:

Hi Again....

Robots are great and I certainly am looking forward to that workshop!
But sensors are another area of interest that, in the long run, is
probably more feasible as the costs of making sensors is probably a
lot less than the cost of the parts to make a robot. Also, the subject
areas they would be used for, Science vs Computer Science, are
distinct and both important. In other words, wouldn't it be wonderful
to do both?

So, maybe we could get Nick to start us on Friday evening and then
someone else to "mentor" us during Sugar Camp? Wouldn't it be great to
choose 3-4 critical sensors (e.g. light, temp, & ???) to work on. Make
them. Make tutorial videos as we work. Learn to use them with an XO
(more videos) and compile a list of simple hands-on experiments
relating to basic science curriculum that teachers/students can use?
Sound is already there... I can think of a number of great experiments
with sound using Measure. We can do the same with other sensors.

We really need someone to help us with the software to make these
things work, whether it is Measure or Turtle Blocks. I wonder which
one Trinidad Guzman uses?

Who could oversee our work M-W? I wish Alex K would be available as he
has a lot of hacker/maker space experience but he probably has to
work. Maybe we should put this discussion on the list and see who else
might be interested.

Hopefully we can get this rolling soon so I can hunt up the parts we
will need to make the sensors. There must be a huge electronics store
somewhere around SoCal where I can get them.

Caryl

> Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2012 10:43:39 -0400
> From: tony_anderson at usa.net
> To: holt at laptop.org
> CC: cbigenho at hotmail.com; sverma at sfsu.edu; christoph.derndorfer at gmail.com; nickd at CodeForAmerica.org

> Subject: Re: Sensors at Sugar Camp
>
> Hi,
>
> By all means. I am receiving emails regularly from POTUS. I am sure he
> believes OLPC is code for America.
>
> Tony
>
>
> On 10/07/2012 10:37 AM, Adam Holt wrote:
> > Sadly Nick (cc'd) just discovered he has to leave Monday morning back to
> > his Code for America internship outside Atlanta.
> >
> > But starting sensor work with Nick Friday Oct 19 might make sense ??
> >
> >
> > On 10/7/2012 9:56 AM, Tony Anderson wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> According to the SF Summit schedule, the session in the technology
> >> track on Sunday at 3:15
> >> (http://www.olpcsf.org/CommunitySummit2012/sessions/robots-and-the-xo)
> >> will demonstrate building a Butia robot!
> >>
> >> I am not sure how the Sugar Camp will be organized, but it would
> >> certainly be nice to have a follow-up on this plus the sensors. One of
> >> the goals of the Butia project is to provide a simple way to use
> >> sensors to help the 'driver' control the robot.
> >>
> >> yours,
> >>
> >> Tony
> >
> > Subject: Re: Sensors at Sugar Camp
> > Date: Sun, 07 Oct 2012 02:41:30 -0400
> > From: Tony Anderson <tony_anderson at usa.net>
> > To: Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho at hotmail.com>
> > CC: sameer verma <sverma at sfsu.edu>, Adam Holt <holt at laptop.org>,
> > Christoph Derndorfer <christoph.derndorfer at gmail.com>
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am very interested in the sensors because I believe science is the
> > weakest subject on the XOs at Saint Jacob. Perhaps even more important
> > is the science in Rwanda is very test oriented. The students do not
> > experience real scientific investigation.
> >
> > However, I am a little frustrated that the exceptional work done in
> > Uruguay by the Butia project is effectively being ignored by the community.
> >
> > aaguirre at fing.edu.uy reported this in an email I forwarded to you on
> > Sept 29:
> >
> > You could find some tutorials in
> > http://www.fing.edu.uy/inco/proyectos/butia/mediawiki/index.php/Construcci%C3%B3n_Buti%C3%A1_V1.8
> >
> > in particular the PCB file for kicad (an open source eda software is
> > in our git :
> > git clone git://git.code.sf.net/p/usb4all/code usb4all-code
> >
> > Some days ago, we received a news that make us very happy, a school
> > have managed to build they own butia based robot from the scratch and
> > they documented all the process and shared it. Please see:
> > http://www.liceocarmendurazno.blogspot.com/
> > In particular this tutorial is very good!:
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzz_fLM2Rpk&feature=player_embedded and
> > is part of our objective as project. And I think is the difference of
> > a hardware libre project and a open hardware project.
> >
> > Tony
> >
> >> On 10/07/2012 02:10 AM, Caryl Bigenho wrote:
> >>> Hi Guys,
> >>>
> >>> Ed and I are signed up to stay through Wednesday so we can participate
> >>> in Sugar Camp. We were hoping that there would be someone doing some
> >>> hands-on stuff with sensors... making, testing, figuring out lessons
> >>> they would be suitable for etc. So far I don't see anyone doing anything
> >>> with this. Will Nick D be there? He is very good with this stuff. If
> >>> there will be someone there and they send me a list of stuff to get to
> >>> put together some kits for some of the sensors, I'll see if I can buy
> >>> the parts here in SoCal. Of course, the TSA may give me a hassle when
> >>> they see it in my luggage, but.... I could put together about 10-12
> >>> kits for each and folks can re-emburse me there.
> >>>
> >>> I really want this to happen! I have a young science teacher in Montana
> >>> waiting to try some of these. I have a possible new volunteer (another
> >>> retired teacher) who may be interested in testing and helping find ways
> >>> to use them. And, this is one area where Ed (a ham radio aficionado)
> >>> would like to get involved (he is also good with a soldering iron).
> >>>
> >>> So what we need to make this happen is:
> >>>
> >>> 1) Someone who knows how to make the sensors to help with
> >>> a) Making a list of supplies for 3 or 4 different sensors for me
> >>> to get
> >>> b) Lead us in hands-on workshops to make and learn to use the
> >>> sensors
> >>>
> >>> 2) Someone (could be the same person, or maybe Walter) to show us how to
> >>> use Turtle Blocks or Measure to gather data with the sensors.
> >>>
> >>> Is there any hope of this happening? If the expert in items 1 and 2
> >>> doesn't want to be in charge, I'll take the responsibility for it...
> >>> they can just supply the expertise. I can get the supplies and help
> >>> compile the lesson ideas we come up with for using what we make.
> >>>
> >>> Caryl
> >>>
> >>> P.S. I think Tony A said he was interested in sensors too.
> >>
> >
>

--
Christoph Derndorfer

volunteer, OLPC (Austria) [www.olpc.at]
editor, OLPC News [www.olpcnews.com]
contributor, TechnikBasteln [www.technikbasteln.net]

e-mail: christoph at derndorfer.eu

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