Presenting at Maker Faire 2018

Summary

My team and I led a 1-1/2 hour hands-on workshop at World Maker Faire-New York 2018 on September 22.

Title: "Hands-On Intro to Electronics + Kit"

We taught 35 people how to assemble a Multi-LED Flashing Badge, using a solderless breadboard. And then we did some mods for added learning.

This was our fifth year of doing a workshop. This year, the workshop took place inside the New York Hall of Science, in one of their classrooms (which Maker Faire renamed Workshop B).

The 2-day-long World Maker Faire took place at its regular home: the New York Hall of Science.

Background

My associates and I had a great experience leading a similar workshop at previous Maker Faire events. I chose this circuit for these workshops because it gives absolute beginners a short but productive journey, with several points along the way to learn. The end result is flashy - both figuratively and literally.

The 2018 Version

For the 2018 workshop, I expanded on last year's kit. We were given a generous 90 minutes of time, and I wanted to have plenty of concepts to talk about. Maker Faire was charging participants an extra $15 for this workshop, so I wanted it to be impressive. (I wasn't paid by Maker Faire or anyone else to do this workshop. The kit costs were paid by my employer.)

I included extra parts so we could also do "mods" (modifications). Like last year's kit, this kit had seven LEDs, and a photocell which allowed it to be easily "shut off".

After the main circuit was built, we did these mods:

• Move the LEDs. We connected the LED to different pins on the IC, pins that we didn't use before. This demonstrated that the IC has more pins that could be used and give more flashing patterns.
• Change it from light-activated to dark-activated. We moved the photocell and one resistor, swapping their places.
• Flash rate light-sensitive. We moved the photocell again, placing it in the oscillator section. So the circuit's overall flash rate would slow down in the dark, and speed up in the light.
• New power source. We replaced the small lithium coin cell with a 2 AA-cell battery pack. This showed how you can replace a smaller battery with a larger battery, as long as they have the same voltage (3 volts in this case), and get a longer run time. The small coin cell would only last about a week, while the 2xAA pack can last many weeks or months.
• Sound and Amplification. We learned about the transistor and the speaker. The transistor amplified the weak signal generated by the IC oscillator. The transistor made the signal strong enough to drive the speaker. So we were able to "listen" to the IC oscillator. I also demonstrated how to make the emitted sound even louder, using a paper tube.

Printed Instructions

While I led people step by step, we also provided printed instructions, which you can download, both in English and in Spanish. This turned out to be useful for some participants.

Conclusions

I consider it a great success. All the kit-builders had working flashing badge circuits with little or no trouble. I went at a slow pace, slow enough for absolute beginners. But there were several "fast learners" who moved through the steps quite easily -- they didn't need much help from me. The printed instructions helped serve a diverse audience.

We had small forceps (large tweezers) available for kit-builders to use -- and a lot of them did. This was very helpful. Some of the parts are a little small and tricky to handle with adult-size hands.

On the other hand... next time, I would bring a few more things.

• Audio support: a microphone and loudspeaker. While the room was small, I did have to project my voice. For an hour and a half. It got a little tiring. I want to ensure my instructions are clearly heard.
• Video support: a small camcorder, tripod and video cable. Maker Faire did provide a projector but no camera. We figured out a way to use a laptop's webcam as a workshop camera, but it was bulky setup. I would also include two small desklamps for lighting up my work area. The room was well lit, but once you add a camera, a shadow falls over the presenter's work area.

The kit itself, could stand a few more tweaks to improve its ease of assembly.

• The Photocell. Its leads should be longer. In one of the mods, the leads have to bridge a large distance. The photocell leads were trimmed a little too short this time, and made this step difficult.
• The Clear plastic box. I'd leave it out. We weren't really able to make use of it in this kit version. The box is not very deep, and the LEDs stand too tall to allow the cover to fit on top. While I could use smaller LEDs, they would be more difficult for beginners to work with. And since we were indoors, the box wasn't needed as rain protection.
• Feedback opportunity. Next time, I'll include a brief questionnaire, either printed out or online. Afterwards many participants came up to me with positive reactions and good questions. But I still would like to know what were the other problems that I didn't hear about.

If you were there, please tell me what you think! Comment below, or email me at richs at engineer dot com.

Thanks

Many people provided major assistance to ensure the success of this workshop:

Maria R. (paying for stuff); Mike V. (staffing); Rich H., Rocio G. (general advisers); Phillip A., Ned S., Bob H. (kit preparers); Elias A. (instructions); Steve S. (magazines).

Victoria L. and Bob L., the great workshop team.

And Matthew D. and the whole Maker Faire organization.

Thank you!