Description:

This three hour class is for beginners who are interested in taking the first step towards integrating Wireless communication into their projects. We will use XBee Series 1 radios to discovery just how easy that first step is. We will do a brief chat activity followed by a pin to pin button and LED activity. Time permitting we will also briefly cover how you can use the XBees to send and interpret Serial communication in conjunction with an Arduino. Students are encouraged to bring Arduinos if they have experience with the hardware, but we cannot guarantee that we will have time to truly cover this aspect of Zigbee based wireless communication.

Concepts Covered:

During this class we will talk about radio protocols, PAN IDs, AT mode, hexadecimals, I/O, pin to pin networking, ZigBee network topologies and data while having plenty of fun.

Prerequisites:

Prior experience with basic electronics and physical computing is helpful but adventurous beginners are welcome.

Materials Included:

The following materials will be provided, covered by the $100 materials fee component of your registration.

• 2 XBee Series 1 ZB radios
• 6 ft. USB Mini-B Cable
• 2 Clear, Self-Adhesive Breadboard
• 2 LEDs
• 2 1000 mAh Polymer Lithium Ion Battery
• 1 Push Button
• 2 XBee Module Breakout Board
• 1 XBee Explorer

What to Bring:

Students are asked to provide their own laptop. Please install CoolTerm (or a comparable terminal application) on your computer before the class. Click here for CoolTerm download. If you are a Windows user then you will also need to install X-CTU. Click here for X-CTU download.  If you are a Mac user then you will also need to install Iron. Click here for Iron download (Free version is fine).  Finally you will also need the FTDI chip driver for use with our XBee Explorer. Click here for FTDI chip driver download.

Event Time:

Wednesday, Oct 10^th. 7:00 pm – 10 pm

Instructors:

SparkFun Electronics is a cutting-edge technology distributor and education advocate. Their online retail store sells bits and pieces to make your electronics projects possible; whether it's a robot that can cook your breakfast or a GPS cat-tracking device, SparkFun products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible to the average person. In addition to products, SparkFun also offers classes and a number of online tutorials designed to help educate individuals in the wonderful world of embedded electronics. Artisan's Asylum is very excited to have SparkFun as a sponsor of the first Somerville Mini Maker Faire and teaching electronics workshops here this fall!

Jim Lindblom is an Electrical Engineer at SparkFun, where he does engineering things like schematic/PCB design and firmware authoring. He also generates content geared toward electronics education - writing example code, and tutorials, and starring in tutorial videos. Jim graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and started working at SparkFun in 2009. He's had a hand in designing products ranging from breakout boards for accelerometers and gyros, to development boards like the MaKey MaKey and the Pro Micro. Sharing SparkFun's interest in education, Jim has led or assisted classes in soldering, Arduino programming, and Eagle PCB design. He's excited to continue applying his electrical engineering background towards education.

 

Lindsay Craig is an Educational Outreach Coordinator for SparkFun. Lindsay has taught technology for eleven years to students ranging from age two to PhD. He has taught topics including rudimentary programming, animation (3D and 2D), game design, video and sound editing, soldering in many forms, sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, wireless networks as well as other overarching prototyping skills, at universities, festivals, and conferences across the continent. Lindsay was nominated for Colorado Top Tech Teacher in 2009 and co-founded SparkFun Electronics’ Department of Education in 2011. The National Center for OpenSource and Education presented his free educational material at the FOSSEd and OSCON conferences in 2011. At SparkFun Electronics Lindsay has taught eight-year-olds and PhDs side by side so no matter what your skill level you will take a lot away from this workshop.