16 May
2013
16 May
'13
11:08 a.m.
Hey Tommy,
I remember writing something on the meeting pad about this. Components are pretty cheap
in bulk and lots of people want to get started with electronics. I think we could start
by having circuit boards made for us with sudo room branding, then eventually gain the
capability to make the boards ourselves either by etching or by milling (hint: there is
already a mill in sudo room and a few bags of concetrated etchant) but for now let's
just say we have them made offsite in bulk. Or we could just make layout stencils
ourselves and come up with an ingenious alternative to protoboards like pre-bent wires for
deadbugging https://www.google.com/search?q=dead+bug+circuit+construction&tbm=isch or
whatever. I propose spray-stenciling zip-loc bags for packaging. My early electronics
experiments involved 555 timers and speakers - could make an instrument somewhat easily
with a little experimentation on scratch-built keys.
A few kits that come to mind:
-basic 555-based tone generator
-basic microcontroller
-sensor modules with power out (DC or AC) for...anything you want, mix and match
I really think printing bike-mountable lights or sensors or whatever is a good racket...or
should i say bracket.
aaaand i'll show myself the door
May 16, 2013 10:11:45 AM, tommy.york(a)gmail.com wrote:
I can't remember exactly from last week, but maybe you brought this up, Marc?
I think this is a really great idea, which could bring
in revenue (from the kits), more revenue (from workshops focusing on building the kits,
and not necessarily for adults [sudo-kids?]), and members (from people who enjoy the
workshops thoroughly).
Though it is currently being done: If I remember
correctly, I think people in the community - Mitch Altman? - do workshops like this. And
though an internet "competitor" exists - Maker Shed's kits
(http://www.makershed.com/) - and I haven't yet done a significant amount of research
about the kind of kits that they offer and so forth, I think it'd be really neat to
purchase the parts, design really fun, age-appropriate packaging, sell the kits at some
kind of minimal markup online, then above and beyond that have donation-suggested
workshops where we guide people through the process of assembling whatever the kit is.
Even if other hackerspaces / non-hackerspace entities / for-profit corporations are doing
a similar concept, we'll have people interested who are geographically proximate to
Sudoroom.
Also, we have ideas: the lock picking class brought in
great PR (in my opinion), and I'm guessing that the listserv would have a bunch of
great ideas that are quirky, exciting, feasible, etc.
I've always wanted to build a bunch of modular
synthesizer modules, but that's kind of a fringe / eccentric interest.
It'd be great to use Sudo-fund for this discussion, if people are interested.
-----------------
Thomas Riley York (杨德民) 510.926.0510
http://www.linkedin.com/in/tommyyork
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