Course Summary
Part 1: Electronics Principles and Tools
1. Get Acquainted, soldering practice activities
2. Light-Me-Up Tile Project [ soldering skills, LED parallel circuits, visual design, tool skills]
3. Circuit Investigations 1(using alligator clips) [ identification of electronic components and hand tools, simple series and parallel circuits, electronic symbols, use of hand tools]
4. Multimeter Activity [ voltage, current, resistance, power]
5. Resistor Reading Game [ Resistor color code]
6. Bumpbot project [ simple circuits, soldering, schematics, hand tools, visual design]
7. Electronic Principles 2 [ Use of solderless breadboards, series and parallel circuits, schematics, multimeters]
8. Light Sensitive Circuits [ breadboards, photocells, voltage dividers, simple transistor circuits]
9. Optional: Light-avoiding cockroach bugbot [ photocells, FETs ]
2. Light-Me-Up Tile Project [ soldering skills, LED parallel circuits, visual design, tool skills]
3. Circuit Investigations 1(using alligator clips) [ identification of electronic components and hand tools, simple series and parallel circuits, electronic symbols, use of hand tools]
4. Multimeter Activity [ voltage, current, resistance, power]
5. Resistor Reading Game [ Resistor color code]
6. Bumpbot project [ simple circuits, soldering, schematics, hand tools, visual design]
7. Electronic Principles 2 [ Use of solderless breadboards, series and parallel circuits, schematics, multimeters]
8. Light Sensitive Circuits [ breadboards, photocells, voltage dividers, simple transistor circuits]
9. Optional: Light-avoiding cockroach bugbot [ photocells, FETs ]
Part 2: Field Trip to MIT
- Field Trip to MIT- Edgerton Center, Media Lab, N51, D-Lab, MIT Museum
Part 3: Introductory Arduino Robotics
Introduction to Arduino
1. Introduction to Arduino [ board, IDE, Inputs/outputs, parts of a sketch, syntax]
2. First Sketches/modifications- Blink, Analog Read, Fade [ Digitalwrite, input, analogRead, analogWrite, delay, etc]
3. Control Blink sketch from Serial Monitor [serial communications]
4. Arduino Tutorial 1 and 2 with a servo motor – ServoTeamName.ino
1. Introduction to Arduino [ board, IDE, Inputs/outputs, parts of a sketch, syntax]
2. First Sketches/modifications- Blink, Analog Read, Fade [ Digitalwrite, input, analogRead, analogWrite, delay, etc]
3. Control Blink sketch from Serial Monitor [serial communications]
4. Arduino Tutorial 1 and 2 with a servo motor – ServoTeamName.ino
Robot Chassis, Motor Controls, Functions and Debugging
5. Build robots on stock or custom bases, including motors, caster, battery pack, Arduino, L298N motor controller, half breadboard
6. Wire up Power wiring- battery pack, L298N, power bus
7. Introduction to H-bridges, Motor Controller signal wiring
8. Test/adjust Motor polarity with starter code
9. Write control functions [ writing functions; use of tabs]. Create demonstration pattern.
10. Debugging common syntax errors
11. Using Println to debug algorithm errors
5. Build robots on stock or custom bases, including motors, caster, battery pack, Arduino, L298N motor controller, half breadboard
6. Wire up Power wiring- battery pack, L298N, power bus
7. Introduction to H-bridges, Motor Controller signal wiring
8. Test/adjust Motor polarity with starter code
9. Write control functions [ writing functions; use of tabs]. Create demonstration pattern.
10. Debugging common syntax errors
11. Using Println to debug algorithm errors
Algorithms, Conditionals, Logic and Sensors
11. Conditionals, Logic, and Pseudocode [ if/else, for loops, while loops, logic]
12. Light Sensors – mount and wire up photocells, create code for robot to follow a flashlight
13. Wire up one reflectance line sensor and mount to robot.
14. Develop algorithm for 1 sensor line-following (edge following) and write code
11. Conditionals, Logic, and Pseudocode [ if/else, for loops, while loops, logic]
12. Light Sensors – mount and wire up photocells, create code for robot to follow a flashlight
13. Wire up one reflectance line sensor and mount to robot.
14. Develop algorithm for 1 sensor line-following (edge following) and write code
Adding functionality- Libraries and advanced sensors
14. Libraries- downloading, installing, using example code
15. Arduino tutorial with ultrasonic sensor
16. Arduino tutorials with Neopixels, speakers
14. Libraries- downloading, installing, using example code
15. Arduino tutorial with ultrasonic sensor
16. Arduino tutorials with Neopixels, speakers
Part 4: Final Project Work and Presentation
Final project/complex algorithms and challenges
16. Develop algorithm for 2 and/or3 sensor line-following and write code
17. Project that uses inputs (photocell, ultrasonic sensor) and outputs (neopixels, speaker, servos), conditionals
18. Robot obstacle course exercise – develop algorithms
19. Create obstacle course/competition field
20. Create challenges and scoring and perform
21. Create final project presentation
16. Develop algorithm for 2 and/or3 sensor line-following and write code
17. Project that uses inputs (photocell, ultrasonic sensor) and outputs (neopixels, speaker, servos), conditionals
18. Robot obstacle course exercise – develop algorithms
19. Create obstacle course/competition field
20. Create challenges and scoring and perform
21. Create final project presentation