Manchester Digital Laboratory

Everyone knows the pro-social fun of the TV-B-Gone, right? Well, it’s creator and fellow of NoiseBridge in SF – Mitch Altman – is gracing the MadLab with not just a visit, but a workshop. He’s one of the US’s most prolific makers and hackers, and it’s a real honour to have him stop by – as part of his effort to unite hackerspaces around the world, he’s on a UK tour starting at the UK maker faire in Newcastle and working his way across the country. Let’s give him a huge MadLab welcome, as he’s putting on his all-ages, any-experience-welcome introduction to soldering, tinkering and making…

Mitch teaching soldering. Image © Opacity

How To Make Cool Things With
Microcontrollers

Soldering Irons and Wire Cutters to the ready! (you can pick up both with stands for less than £20 at Clas Olson in the Arndale).

Mitch will be inducting people in the Art of Soldering, and the fundamentals of how to make your own devices from microcontrollers. He’s coming fully armed with kits and parts, so if you don’t have a project you want to work on already, there’s a number of kits and sets Mitch has kindly shipped with him -they’re listed below along with the costs associated with each.

Mitch also sent us a video of one of his previous workshops so you know what to expect.

We’ll be announcing the times soon, but the event will be happening on the 18th March 2010, so keep your eyes on the calendar to know more!

Mitch’s Kits and Projects

Mitch will be turning up with a collection of parts and components; and if you cross his palm with silver, he’ll find what you need to make any of the following items…

• Mignonette Game kit @ £30 each
  a way fun, way low-resolution hand-held computer console that you can use to create your own games
• Trippy RGB Waves kit @ £5 each
  waves of colours follow your hand as you wave it over these
• TV-B-Gone kit @ £15 each
  turn off TVs in public places from up to 50 meter away!
• USBtinyISP kit @ £15 each
  a programmer for AVR microcontrollers
• MiniPOV3 kit @ £15 each
  display messages of your choice through the air you wave this through
• Brain Machine @ £15 each
  hallucinate beautiful colours and patterns while you drift off into fabulous meditation
• MintyBoost kit @ £15 each
  with 2 AA batteries you can charge anything with a USB charging input (such as an iPhone)
• Drawdio @£15 each
  fun and annoying noisemaker that changes noise as you draw on paper
• LEDcube @ £15 each
  3x3x3 cube of LEDs with animated sequence

As well as project kits, Mitch will be offering BoArduinos, a super-tiny Arduino clone for advanced tinkerers.

• DC BoArduino kit @ £15 each
  Arduino clone kit
• FTDI cable @ £15 each
  this is not a kit — it is required to communicate with the BoArduino (and many other open-source projects)

Mitch also has a couple of readymade versions of the kits, so you can lie about how good your soldering skills really are.

• TripGlasses @ £25 each
  A ready-made version of the Brain Machine (hallucinate beautiful colors and patterns while meditating!)
• EU TV-B-Gone @ £15 each
  A ready-made keychain to turn off TVs in public places (with a stealthy batman-like look)
• NA TV-B-Gone Pro SHP @ £30 each
  The ready-made version, the size of an mp3 player, that turns off TVs in public from up to 150 meter away! One model