AVR class and a Robocode Challenge

I've been quite busy. I've been volunteering BETA testing the new FIRST robotics controller and teaching high school students how to program their robots in Java. I've also been working heavily with people at FUBARlabs to help turn it into self sufficient hackerspace (easier said than done). I've also been helping FUBAR design some classes...

 I am currently in charge of designing a curriculum for a Rutgers program for gifted students, combining a basic electronics course with robotics. I naturally went the BEAM route, having the kids put together a Herbie the Mousebot while we explain electronics to them.


AVR Course

Two cool events I'm in charge of is coming up. First, I will be teaching Atmel 8 bit AVR micro controllers! The course will be hosted at Hive76. The course will cost $100, or $75 for FUBAR and Hive members. The course is three hours and you will receive a special package I put together:

1. A USBtinyISP - A small, easy to use programmer for AVR micro controllers
2. An Atmega88 - the chip we shall be cutting our teeth with.
3. A breadboard - for playing
4. A number of sensors - the hope is that by the end of the course you'll understand enough about the AVR to interact with these sensors, and then be able to design physical applications with your AVR right out of the course
5. A bread boardable power supply - all the components you need to create a standalone 5 volt power supply for your AVR

The course will cover the basics of AVRs, but enough to get someone started in using it instead of going overkill with an expensive Arduino:

1. An understanding of registers, the datasheet, and how the MCU works
2. Basic input/output
3. Basic interrupts
4. ADC
5. Timers

If I have time remaining (which I don't think I will) then I'll dive further into topics like serial and SPI. I truly doubt that we'll get that far though. If it is popular than we will offer a follow up course for more advanced AVR fun. There are only 15 tickets available, so be sure to grab them while you can!


RoboCode Challenge

RoboCode is a  teaching tool/game made by MIT. In it, you create AI for robotic tanks in a  simulated world using Java. It is easy to get into, easy to understand, and unlimited in its complexity. FUBAR Labs will be hosting a contest on Feburary 13th, 2010 challenging all other hackerspaces to create a robot that can best them all. The event will be a fundraiser for us.