Ok, I've had at least one person respond so that's enough for me to have the refresher class. Right now I'm shooting to have it on 9/3, but I need to make the arrangements with my work and as soon as I confirm it I'll post the update here and announce it.
Our headquarters is right next to Wake Forest Biotech Place, and is very convenient to both I-40 and 52, along with the restaurants in downtown Winston.
As soon as everything is arranged I'll announce it.
Thanks
The next class has been scheduled for October 1st at the Red Cross. We will be working on the weather station with the refactored code and the new light sensor which I will have for everyone. I'll be reposting the updated parts list and the code before the end of the month so everyone can be ready for the class.
I know that the Shelby Hamfest is on the third of September, but I wanted to see if there was any interest in a refresher class for people who ar eavailable or are starting new. We would go over the basic Arduino environment, and help people get their laptops all setup in preparation for the October 1st class. If you are interested in doing this please email me asap. If we have enough interest I'll announce it here in the next week or so. If we do have that class I'm also planning on holding it at my work as its been graciously offered to provide space for the class.
Thanks
I still haven't been able to schedule the room successfully, but as soon as it's been confirmed I'll be posting the date here.
Thanks
I'm going to be starting the classes again. Right now we are going to continue with the weather station project, but we will be making some changes to the code. I just wasn't really happy how it was developing so we'll refactor the code.
Not to mention it's been so long since we've met, it'll be good to start clean and have everyone at the same spot. I'll be updating the code between now and when the class starts, and right now I'm shooting for the first Saturday in August. As soon as I get confirmation of the room reservation I'll make an announcement here.
I'm also going to review the parts list for those who are joining us, so you'll have time to order the parts and be ready.
At a high level overview we are still planning to make a weather station that uses an Arduino uno for the sensors in a waterproof box, and it will transmit the information wirelessly to either another Arduino Uno or to a Raspberry PI. We will do both versions, and at first we'll be using an Arduino to test the wireless communication, then for those that are happy with that they can build that. But then we'll be moving on to a Raspberry PI station that will allow you to display the weather information on a webpage.
Thanks for everyones patience as we get going again with the classes. If anyone has any questions or suggestions please email me at nc4rg@yandex.com.
Thanks
I'm hoping to start the Arduino classes again in June. I'm updating the software and making up class plans that will cover what we want to accomplish each session.
As soon as I have everything ready I'll be posting the next class date here.
Thanks for everyone's patience.
Well I slipped on the ice during the snow we had back in February, and I slipped on the ice in the afternoon as I was leaving work and hurt my back. I had been hoping it would be something that muscle relaxants and aleve would fix but it turns out I have a bulging disk as a result of the fall.
So for now until I can get back to normal the Arduino class is on hold. I hate having to do this but until I can sit comfortably and more importantly walk around I have to take care of my back first.
Thanks
I've updated the weather station code to include the DHT22 sensor, and the instructions are in the PDF called Weather Station Part 1.pdf.
Ok, I know it's been a long time coming but it's time to start up the class on the weather station again.
I pulled out my circuit board and it's been the victim of scavenging for other projects. Considering this and that I want to make a change to the light sensor (I have enough for everyone, it'll just be an even swap for the sensor you have now) and how I'm distributing the code for the project (we'll start using GitHub) we'll be changing tactics a little.
I think the best thing is for me to rebuild my station to the point where we were before and document it along the way as I write the software for each sensor. By using GitHub you'll be able to see what's been added and follow along, and use what you want to use of the project. This will be helpful in our future projects.
This will also allow me to be caught up ahead of the class so we aren't doing as much scrambling on the Saturday and instead answering questions and troubleshooting any issues we find.
So to start with for those of you who are familiar with GitHub you can join the repository at https://github.com/NCBob/ArduinoClass. I've got the code for the DDSVFO posted there, and the last version of the weather station, but when I start the rebuild this will be changing back so the software will be updated as I add each sensor.
For those of you who the last paragraph was Greek do not despair, when we schedule the next class (once I get my board rebuilt and all the code documented) first thing we will do is go over what GitHub is and how to use it.
I've also been struggling with an editor to user for Arduino, as the default environment does not make me very happy. I recently downloaded the Visual Studio Code Editor and installed the Arduino extension and I REALLY like it. It's open source, and supported across Windows, Mac and Linux.
I'll be updating as I work on the documentation on the class and once I feel comfortable on when I'll have it done we'll post the next class date.
Thanks for everyone's patience and we'll be chugging ahead full speed again soon.
Right now I am unsure of how soon I'll be able to hold a class, I should know by the second week in February when we'll be able to start having classes again.
Thanks for everyone's patience, and if you want to know more about what's going on click the link at the top of the page 'My Lifeline Site'.
Thanks
I've gotten my laptop fixed, so we're ready to start scheduling classes again. I'm going to check the availability of the Red Cross meeting room for January and post the next class date shortly.
Thanks
I've cracked the screen on my laptop, so I have no way to work on the raspberry pi and Arduino weather station until I can get it fixed. As soon as I do get it fixed, we will reschedule the class.
Sorry for the late notice, but I just broke it this morning and won't be able to get it fixed right away.
Thanks
Unfortunately I've had to cancel the 10/17 class, right now the next class is tentatively scheduled for 11/14 pending confirmation of the room availability.
I'm also not happy with the light sensor so instead of the one we are currently using, we'll be switching to another one that has better range and functionality. I'll have them for everyone at the next class.
I'm also still working on the Raspberry PI documentation, they've just released an updated version called "Jessie" so I'm going to download it and work through the configuration using this latest version.
Thanks
I've created a Github repository to store and track the code we are writing for the Arduino Class. We'll go over in the next class what this is and how to use it, but it will be helpful to keep track of our code we are writing, especially now that we are doing more than just the Arduino code.
The link is in the 'Links' section for those of you who do know how to use Git and feel free to clone it and set it up to be used for the class.
Thanks
We are confirmed at the Red Cross for 10/17 for the next class.
I'm going to try and get out the updates from the last two classes on the weather station with the instructions and code early next week.
The next step will be working on the wind weather vane and wind speed sensor and getting some boxes made for the final installation.
The rest of the time between then and the class I'll be working on the Python code for retrieving the data and displaying it.
Pending verification that the Red Cross is available the next class will be held on 10/17.
It appears that there have been some significant changes to the raspbian system since the last time I installed it, so I'm going to do some testing on configuring the wifi and remote access, then I'll get the instructions out to everyone so we can ge as much done ahead of time as we can.
I am also building the weather vane and anemometer and will have an idea of the costs next week and I'll get reservations for the parts needed. Right now it looks like it will be no more than $25 for the parts for both.
I am also going to put the code up both on the class site and on GitHub to make it easier for me to track the changes we are making and keep everything up to date.
Thanks!
I've uploaded the latest weather station code from yesterdays class in the links section. It's under 'Weather Station Updated'
I've uploaded the code and libraries that you'll need to have on your laptop on Saturday. There's a new section in the links page, just download all the files under weather station and have them ready on Saturday.
The next class has been confirmed for 8/29 at the Red Cross. This will be part 2 of the Weather Station which will either be a Raspberry PI based console, or a continuation of using an Arduino as the console.
I've got all the parts kits together for what parts I've received, I'm still waiting for the last parts to arrive, and right now it looks like we will be short 3 UV sensors. They will be here next week.
On Saturday we will be building the weather station which will have all the sensors, and a console using another arduino that will talk wirelessly to it. I would like to propose that for next months class we replace the console that displays the weather information with a Raspberry PI and use the same wireless board to talk to the weather station.
This will give you a lot of flexibility with what you do with the weather data. I am going to be uploading mine to WeatherUnderground and the Citizens Weather Observation Program. I am also going to make a web page I can pull up to view the weather and eventually log the weather data so I can view graphs. Of course this is why I want to use the Raspberry PI as it has enough horsepower to do this things, and makes it much simpler than trying to do it with an Arduino.
You can get the Raspberry PI 2 board for $35.00 from http://newark.com. The only other things you'll need is a power supply, and a SD card. Any micro-usb wall charger that can provide at least 1 amp will work. If you want to connect it to your network wirelessly you'll need a wifi dongle as well, otherwise you can connect it directly to your network using a ethernet cable.
On Saturday I'll get a vote on how many people would be interested in doing this for the weather station, and we'll proceed from there.
Either after the next class, or if there's not enough interest in doing the Raspberry PI console then the next class we will build a weather vane and anemometer for the weather station and add that to it as well.
Here's the list of people for Saturdays class everyone has requested a parts kit. I believe I have everyone here, if not please let me know asap.
I've been testing it and it seems to be working quite well. I'll be posting the files this weekend with the code and the instructions on the assembly of the weather station and the base unit.
While working with it I've decided that I am going to be building the console for the weather station using a Raspberry Pi instead of an arduino. This will make it much easier to display the weather information wherever I want to, and upload it to the various weather web sites that I'm a member of.
If there is enough interest we can do the build of the Raspberry Pi console as a part 2 for the weather station, and we can do that at the next class. This will give people who are interested in expanding what you can do with an arduino the ability to use another inexpensive controller board to expand your projects even more. Using the wireless module we've chosen and a Raspberry Pi potentially gives us an opportunity to even create a home automation system controlled by the Raspberry Pi and use Arduino nano boards to control and sense various things around the house.
We will discuss this at the class.
Thanks!