[IAEP] SugarCamp Sensor Summary

[Walter Bender]

What would be really nice is a compact document that I could include
in the Measure activity itself...

-walter

On Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 4:20 PM, Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
>
> I thought it would be a good idea to take a few minutes out to recap what we
> did in the Sensor Workshop on the first day of Sugar Camp in San Francisco.
> It was a good way for the non-programmers at the SF Community Summit to have
> a reason to stay over for Sugar Camp and have a chance to relax, visit, and
> get to know each other a little better while learning more about things that
> you can do with XOs.
>
>
> We had about a dozen folks interested in making sensors so we pushed tables
> together so we could work collaboratively. Everyone had a bag of parts and
> materials to make 3 types of sensors: a light sensor, a temperature sensor,
> that needs to draw power from the XO via a usb cable, and a generic sensor
> cable with alligator clips that can be used for a variety of things.
>
>
> We began with the light sensor, and by lunch time almost everyone had a
> working model and was testing it with the Measure Activity on their XOs. We
> tried a variety of solutions for putting them together, and, in a few days,
> I'll put some of them on one of the wikis along with parts lists, sources
> for parts, and basic instructions. If you have more photos of our project...
> send them to me in an email and I'll add them to the wiki.
>
>
> To solder or not to solder was the big question of the day. Ed Bigenho was
> able to help some of the folks learn to solder their parts together. Others
> decided to just rely on electrical tape. We covered the connections with
> heat-shrink tubing that we "shrank" with a small travel hair dryer.
>
>
> It was a noisy fun group… and we all accomplished something… a perfect
> example of project based, collaborative learning in action!
>
>
> After lunch we tackled the temperature sensor, which is a much more complex
> project. We had two different, conflicting, sets of instructions… one from
> the wiki and one from the XO Explosion kit Mike Lee brought. Finally, we
> found a third one, in Spanish, by Plan Ceibal, also on the wiki. It was a
> lot easier to understand and the photos were very clear. Someone needs to
> translate this one. We did get some reaction from the sensor, but it
> obviously wasn't working right. This one needs more exploration!
>
>
> We didn't get to the generic sensor (out of time), but it is pretty easy and
> straightforward so anyone who made a light sensor should be able to make the
> generic as well.
>
>
> In the next week or two I will put a list of parts and instructions for all
> three sensors on either the OLPC wiki or the Sugar Labs wiki with links from
> one to the other. I'll send a link when it is done, and I invite everyone
> who joined in the activity (or didn't but has worked with sensors before) to
> contribute to the discussion there.
>
>
> If you were part of this fun group and have a little time to spare, you
> might play around with the temperature sensor and see if you can make it
> work. Also, try the generic with some of the copper wire in your kit and an
> ungalvanized nail to make a lemon battery. We will have a discussion place
> on the wiki where you can report your activities and how they worked… or
> didn't (failures are important too if they are documented so we can learn
> from them).
>
>
> What's up for next year's Sugar Camp? Several ideas were tossed around. If
> you have any suggestions for fun, preferably hands-on, things we can try
> with the XOs, speak up!
>
>
> Caryl
>
> Links to Photos:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/8114170193/in/set-72157631841452526/
>
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/8114329641/in/set-72157631841452526/
>
>
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-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org