June 2013 Update
What do you plan to make this summer? Need some ideas? Need a place to build stuff? Need help? MakeICT exists to help with those needs. In the month of June we have multiple opportunities for you to come and see what we’re all about. We have new equipment available to members, like a small lathe and drill press. The CNC router is going to be operational soon and we will host a workshop to train interested people how to use it. And, if that’s not enough, we are acquiring the parts to build our very own 3D printer! Come make with us!
June 3: Public hours from 7 to 9 pm at Bluebird
June 15: Annual Cookout and Maker Gathering from 6 to 10 pm at Bluebird (invite your friends!)
June 17: Public hours from 7 to 9 pm at Bluebird
MakeICT members will also begin hosting Teen Tinker Tuesdays in partnership with the Wichita library on June 4. If you are interested in volunteering at one of these mid-afternoon workshops for teens, post here, and please spread the word to any teens you know who may be interested!
Do you have any completed projects that you made and would like to share? It would be awesome to highlight local makers here on our website, so send us a note if you would like to submit something or know someone who should.
Don’t forget to participate in our forum where we are planning our trip to this year’s Kansas City Maker Faire and discussing things like electronic ignition of fireworks!
May 2013 Update
MakeICT has the following events planned for May. We hope you can come out and make with us! If you have workshop ideas, send us a note!
May 4: 3D Printer meeting at 1 pm to begin the process of building a 3D printer for our makerspace
May 6: Public hours from 7 to 9 pm at Bluebird
May 20: Public hours from 7 to 9 pm at Bluebird
May 24: Toner Transfer workshop at 1 pm
If you are interested in becoming a member of MakeICT, join us on one of these dates and ask how you can get involved.
RC Car Hack Wrapup
There she is. A beautifully hacked, piece of junk, remote control car. Earlier this month, 20 Wichita makers got together for a MakeICT workshop to learn how to do something cool with the Arduino microcontroller. The workshop, led by MakeICT member Ivan, taught us how to replace the cars on-board IC with an Arduino Nano to take control of the differential motors and then add a sonar device to provide information about the car’s surroundings as it moved. Ivan did an excellent job of explaining pulse width modulation, frequency, duty cycle, H-bridges, and basic sonar theory. By the end of the 4 hour workshop, the 10 cars were being controlled by the Arduino, negating the need for a remote, and when the sonar sensor told the car it was approaching an object, it would stop, back up, turn right, and continue forward.
Some of the challenges we experienced during the workshop were the inconsistency of the manufacturing of these cars. The boards inside the cars were different, some with surface mount components, some with through-hole components, and that required some attention on an individual basis to make sure each car would work. We also used extremely cheap AA batteries for the workshop which drained quickly. Next time we will invest in higher quality power sources!
Thanks to everyone who participated and a big thank you to Ivan who organized and led this workshop. He has put the details of the hack on his blog, including the Arduino code. Be sure to check it out!
The kit for the MakeICT RC Arduino workshop.
Ivan educating us
Hacking the cars
April 2013 Update
MakeICT has the following events planned for April. We hope you can come out and make with us! If you have workshop ideas for us, send us a note!
April 8: Public hours from 7 to 9 pm at Bluebird
April 13: RC Arduino Workshop at 1 pm (all RC kits have been reserved, but you can still join us to watch and learn)
April 23: Public hours from 7 to 9 pm at Bluebird
TBD in late April: 3D Printer Special Interest Group Meeting
We are also excited about the CNC Router that was generously donated to us. If you are interested in learning how to use it or can help teach others, let us know in the forum. We plan to host a CNC Router workshop in May.
In March, MakeICT signed up their first paying members. We now have approximately 20 official members of MakeICT. Membership benefits include an ID card that gives you access to our space at Bluebird during their business hours as well as voting rights at member meetings. We suggest a donation of $10/month as membership dues. If you are interested in becoming a member, join us for one of our workshops or during our public hours and ask how you can sign up.
Hack Day – 2013.02.16
The MakeIcT MakerSpace is going to be open on Saturday, February 16th from 2pm-6pm.
If you have your Arduino stoplight finished from our last Arduino workshop (or if you’re stuck) bring it in to show off. Or bring a different project to work on or get help with. There might be an organ to repair/hack and a 3d printer to check out, too.
Join us for the fun! http://www.facebook.com/events/477326012314802/