Workshops

This page is a free resource for all learning materials used in LVL1 workshops. Check our Calendar to see what LVL1 workshops are on the horizon! Enjoy!

Arduino 101 (2015)

• Arduino 101

Audio-Driven Flashing LEDs (2015)

Illuminate an LED with varying brightness with respect to the amplitude of an audio signal: louder is brighter, quieter is softer. Audio-Driven_Flashing_LEDs

FPGA (2013)

• FPGA

OpenSCAD (2013)

• Workshops/OpenSCAD

Sketchup Workshop (2013)

• Presentation File:3dPrintingAndSketchUp.pdf
  • Links to plugins for SketchUp

Digital Electronics for Arduino (2012)

• Digital for Arduino - Digital Electronics for Arduino Workshop

Arduino: Beyond the Blink (2012)

• Presentation File:BeyondBlinkPresent.pdf
  • Notes are on pages 71-140

Atari Punk Console (2012)

• Follow the build instructions at Jimmie P. Rodgers Make APC
• Check out APC hacks here. A CdS cell is included for experimentation.
• More info here.

KiCad Workshop (2012)

1/21/12 Kicad Presentation [meatandnetworking.com/w/Kicad_Resources More KiCad links and resources]

Freeduino Games (Gadget Lab at U of Louisville) (2012)

Add some games to the Freeduino Frenzy/Spring Training workshops!

• Freeduino Games

Trilife Workshop (Gadget Lab at U of Louisville + LVL1) (2012)

Learn to solder by building a small board that interacts with others in a giant array.

• Trilife Workshop

Griswold Christmas Light Controller (2011)

• Griswold

Pimping your Home Network with DDWRT (2011)

• DDWRT Database Search
• Creating a wireless bridge
• Guest Wifi
• DDWRT Power Point

Parts for a custom home router

• Motherboard
• RAM
• Hard Drive
• Case

LVL1 Summer Camp (2011)

LVL1 Summer Camp was a workshop that is occurring during the month of June, 2011, taking up every Saturday in June, from 1pm to 5pm.

Eagle Workshop

Links

Eagle itself: Eagle Download

Sparkfun parts library used for this workshop: Sparkfun Library

Dangerous Prototypes Parts Library: DP Parts Library

Sparkfun Keyboard Shortcuts, Appropriate for most layouts: Keyboard Shortcuts

CAM file: Sparkfun CAM, appropriate for GoldPhoenix

Board files we created

Caps Locker Board File

Caps Locker Schematic File

V-USB Tiny Board File

V-USB Tiny Schematic File

GadgetLab TriLife blinker files

OK, this wasn't part of summer camp but it's here if you want more Eagle practice. GadgetLab_Trilife_Blinker is an Eagle layout project to route a board that contains about 10 parts and fits in a small footprint. The board controls the brightness of a LED depending on what neighboring boards' LEDs are doing. From the University of Louisville GadgetLab class.

Etching Workshop

Please See: Toner Transfer and Muriatic Acid Etchant: Making PCBs at LVL1

Soldering Workshop

Summer Camp Soldering Presentation

If you'd like to create your own, you'll need these parts:

V-USB Programmer

• 1x AtTiny45, .3" SOIC package
• 1x Mini-USB B Port (surface mount)
• 1x Surface Mount Slide Switch (See Sparkfun)
• 2x 1.5k Ohm, 0805 Resistors
• 2x 68 Ohm, 0805 Resistors
• 1x Decoupling Cap
• 2x 3.3v Zener Diodes, SMB Package (Note: MUST Clamp Voltage to 3.3v)
• 1x Surface Mount, 6 pin, 2 row terminal block

Caps Locker

• 1x AtTiny45, .3" SOIC package
• 2x 68 Ohm 0805 Resistors
• 1x 1.5k Ohm 0805 Resistors
• 1x Surface Mount, 6 pin, 2 row terminal block

Programming Workshop

Presentation with Notes

For Code, see Resources and Code

Tinkering to Commercialization Workshop (2011)

Tinkering to Commercialization Presentation

February Freeduino Frenzy (2011)

February Freeduino Frenzy

Learn To Solder with Mitch Altman and Jimmie Rodgers (2010)

• Flyer for the workshop in OOO Writer format.
• Flyer for the workshop in PDF format.

Freeduino Spring Training (2010)

Freeduino Spring Training

Below are the lessons for the Freeduino Spring Training. They are Creative Commons licensed, so share and use. Pass them along. If there are issues (bugs) with the instruction, code or circuits, then email me brian_at_lvl1.org. The breadboard and schematic pictures are drawn using the Fritzing Program. Try Fritzing out - it is really cool!

• 1st Inning - Arduino and Breadboard setup, Power
• 2nd Inning - Blinking LED
• 3rd Inning - Tri-Color LED fading
• 4th Inning - LCD display
• 5th Inning - Pushbutton switches
• 6th Inning - Potentiometers and voltage dividers
• 7th Inning - Photocell, Thermistor
• 8th Inning - Spin a motor, transistors and diodes
• 9th Inning - Sounds and speakers

Intermediate Microcontroller Workshop, "Beyond Arduino" (2010)

• Presentation - The Powerpoint Presentation used in the workshop, with notes.
• Resources and Code - The files used during the course of this workshop.
• Parts - Parts used in this workshop
• Flyer for the workshop in SVG Format.
• Flyer for the workshop in PDF Format.

TV-B-Gone Workshop (2010)

• TV-B-Gone instructions Open Office Presentation
• TV-B-Gone instructions PDF

Minti Boost Workshop (2010)

MintiBoost Workshop Information for 12/6/10 and 12/18/10

Android Game Workshop (2011)

• [1] Android Slides PDF
• [2] Android Sample App

Solder Your Own Freeduino

• Download Arduino Software the Arduino software and install.
• Arduino Tutorials Arduino Tutorials
• Solder Your Own Freeduino Instructions PDF
• Solder Your Own Freeduino Instructions Open Office Presentation
• Resistor Color Code PDF
• Arduino Cheatsheet PDF

Ruby on Rails Workshop

Source Code & Notes

• [3] blog.zip

References

• Patterns in Ruby, by Russ Olsen

This book is both very readable (a rarity in tech books) and a fantastic introduction to Ruby for someone familiar with the GoF design pattern implementations in other languages. It has a quick Ruby syntax primer in the beginning, then jumps straight into the patterns.

• Ruby 1.9, by Dave Thomas, Chad Fowler, and Andy Hunt

This is the latest edition of the book commonly known as "The Pickaxe" in the Ruby community -- in its first edition, it was the first comprehensive English-language reference for Ruby, and was therefore indispensable to someone just getting started with the language. The latest edition is still a great reference book to have around.

• Web Development with Rails, 4th Edition, by Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, and David Heinemeier Hansson

Agile Web Development was co-authored by David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Rails, and was the closest thing that the Rails community had to "The Pickaxe" for Ruby, in its first edition. The authors have done a great job of cleaning it up and keeping it relevant, and the latest version covers Rails 3.

• Rails 3 Way, 2nd Edition, by Obie Fernandez

Obie heads up the Florida-based Rails consultancy, Hashrocket, and was an early adopter of Rails, coming over from the Java camp. He's been a vocal advocate of best practices in Rails for just about as long as Rails has existed, and his book helps to explain not just how to do things in Rails, but why.

Raspberry Pi Bootcamp

• Presentation in PDF Format
• Presentation in Powerpoint Format

Resources

• How to Solder
  • Soldering is Easy Comic