Description:

Welcome to the Electronic Thing-A-Week! In each class, you'll work on and finish a different electronics kit with some cool function. As you build the kit, instructors will be around to help you improve your technique and explain a little bit about what the circuit is doing. As the session progresses, the kits will get harder to understand and more difficult to solder, and you'll slowly build up your soldering skills as you progress. Students can choose to purchase every session of the series in a bundle, or can purchase each session individually. The individual sessions are explained below:

Session 1: Sound Effect Generator

Solder together a basic sound effect circuit that allows you to create sounds such as a grandfather clock ticking, water on a tin roof, crickets chirping, or the like. The board is large and the components are sparse, making for a great introduction to soldering.

Session 2: Audio-To-Light Modulator

Work on a modulator kit that transforms sounds into light pulses. The components on this board are still simple, but are packed more tightly together than before.

Session 3: Voice Changer

Assemble a voice modulator kit that changes the pitch of your voice, adds vibrato, or changes your voice into that of a robot. This kit includes more complicated and more delicate pieces than either of the kits that came before.

Session 4: Battery-Powered Phone Charger

Create a charger kit that will charge your cell phone or other USB-powered device from two AA-sized batteries, perfect for when you won't have access to a wall outlet for awhile. The components are fairly robust in this kit, but packed really tightly, and representative of more advanced circuit layout.

Session 5: Motion Detector

Put together a motion detector kit with a number of security functions that can activate larger loads like an alarm. This kit has a number of closesly packed, sensitive components that should provide a good challenge.

Session 6: Simon Says

Carefully assemble a Simon Says kit that involves surface mount soldering, an extremely challenging type of soldering that is used for very small components.

Class Goals:

By the end of the series, students will be extremely well-versed in soldering techniques, and will be able to assemble their own electronics kits with confidence. Students will also be introduced to some basic electrical theory, and will learn some standard circuit design techniques through experience with each type of kit.

Prerequisites:

None.

Materials:

Students will purchase the kit for each section and bring them to class. Artisan's Asylum will provide all the solder and tools needed to work with the kits.

Instructor Biography:

Drew Van Zandt is a hardware design engineer, signal integrity professional, and programmer who’s interested in robotics, dancing, sensors, woodworking, metalworking, cool math, proper grammar, and one or two other things (e.g. everything).  I don’t own a TV, I do have a cat, though the direction of ownership there is in question.  I’m a gamer, a drink mixer, and a mischief-maker, with all the patience of a lightning bolt.

Steve Grandpre, international man of mystery and random adventuneer extraordinaire. The magnetic implant in his right pinky finger, used to detect electromagnetic fields and lift small metal objects, is a true testament to his undying passion for creativity, exploration, and application of science. Steve's on a mission to make this world a more interesting place to live.

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