Designing Interactive Electronic Devices: A Practical Introduction

About

This course will give students an overview of how to create projects in electronics. Starting with the assumption of no prior knowledge or experience, the course will cover:

-A simple overview of electronics – enough to be able to think about electronics for projects
-How to solder like an expert (yes, everyone can learn this!)
-How to use computer chips (“microcontrollers”) to make sound, control lights, and move things
-How to use Arduino and other easy/fun microcontroller development boards
-How to modify (“hack”) existing programs for controlling electronics with microcontrollers
-Basics of how to make sound with microcontrollers (“Digital Signal Processing”)
-How to read a schematic diagram
-How to use solderless breadboards (to quickly make electronic projects)
-How to use some tools for debugging projects
-How to design solder boards (“Printed Circuit Boards”) using software (using KiCad)
-Principals of Open Source, patents, project names, and Intellectual Property
-How to manufacture projects, both small-scale and mass-production
-Basics of starting one’s own small business
-Principals of entrepreneurial thinking and hacker’s mindset

The course will use, as an example, a project called “TV-B-Gone universal remote control”, which was invented by the course instructor. This project is an excellent example of how a single person can come up with an idea, and go from there to creating a project through research and development, to creating a product from the resulting project, to forming a small business around the product, to mass-producing the product that can earn people a living.

With the ideas learned through the TV-B-Gone project, students are then in an excellent position to apply the lessons learned to come up with their own project ideas, and implement them.

Students will form small groups and make their own projects, and present them at the end of the class.

The first three weeks of the course bring students through all of the required background – with plenty of hands-on experience. At the end of third week, students form small groups, with each group choosing a project of their own. In the final week each group will bring their project into reality by actually making it. The last day of class is devoted to each group presenting their project to the entire class.

Course leader

Mitch Altman

Target group

This course is open to anyone with interest in making electronic projects. No experience is required. The course is suitable for people with any of the following desires:

-to tinker for fun
-to gain practical skills for a job, for personal projects, or for their art
-to start a new hobby, or to become better at their ongoing hobby
-to start their own small business
-to manufacture electronics
-to learn about electronics and computers through hands-on and play

Course aim

-Gained confidence for making electronic projects
-Be able to think about electronics
-Basics of making light, sound, and movement with electronics
-Be able to read electronic schematics
-Be able to solder very well
-Familiarity with tools for making and debugging electronics projects
-Be able to use software tools for making electronic projects
-Basics of manufacturing electronics
-Solid understanding of entrepreneurial outlook and hacker’s mindset
-Basics of how to start one’s own small business
-Basic notions of Intellectual Property

Fee info