Saturday, Jul 4th, Westercon will be holding an electronics workshop specially for costumers who want to add lights and other electrical devices to their outfits. THIS WILL REQUIRE OBTAINING MATERIALS IN ADVANCE (see below). To gauge attendance, PLEASE CONTACT westercon68programming@gmail.com an let us know you are coming.
This workshop, instructed by Jamie Hanrahan, will teach the basics of connecting power source (batteries), one or more LEDs or lamps, the resistor(s) needed by the LEDs, possibly a switch, possibly a fuse (more important than you might think!), and of course wires, to make a working lighting circuit. The basics of voltage, current, and resistance will be shown step-by-step via a series of simple experiments. Series vs. parallel circuits, what a “short circuit” is and how to avoid them, battery choices, LED and lamp choices, wiring choices, and so on will all be part of the learning. Finally we will show some examples of more complex electronics and show how to apply the principles of power sources, wiring, etc., to them.
Soldering will not be covered due to time and equipment requirements, but we’ll present links to some terrific online videos on the subject.
We’ll have a handout (or maybe a web site you can browse, print, etc., as you prefer) that will provide reference data for all the details, along with additional information and suggestions for further learning.
Bring six (6) fresh AA batteries. Attendees MUST purchase a $33 (plus shipping) parts kit to participate ($22 if you already own and can bring a multimeter; any other parts you already own can be substituted as well). Most of the parts can be used in later projects. To order, enter this URL in your web browser: http://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=7c6c5b601e Review the parts list, remove any items you already own and can bring, then click “order project” and “checkout”. The supplier (Mouser Electronics) can ship to you c/o the hotel, if necessary to get it to you on time. Just use your name, “Town & Country Hotel GUEST arvg 7/1” (or whatever your arrival date is) for the “Business” name, and the hotel address.
