Tonight's meeting - Arduino, etc.

[Richard Smedley]

Hi all,

A customer's server is having an unscheduled crisis today [1],
adding to an already large workload, so I'm afraid I won't be
free in time to make tonight's meeting.

I was going to be bringing an Arduino & going through
some of the basics. Is anybody else able to step in and
bring along something they've been working on to
share? Anything at all would be good :-)

Cheers,

- Richard

[1] This one's so broken I'm not even sure what went wrong :-/

[Ian Knight]

Should have gone to; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandem_Computers ;-]

This Unix stuff was never intended for grown up computing.

Sorry Richard but I can't make it tonight as up to my eye in big diy still..
Good luck with the server

Ian

[Quadrant]

There is no point in myself and Tony and Duncan coming along
Then this evening. As Simon is away. Thomas is on Holiday
And This times visit was to be about Arduino boards but
The co-ordinator can not make it. Thanks for letting me
Know though so that we didn't have a waisted Journey
Cheers regards Quadrant

-----Original Message-----
From: potteries...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:potteries...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Richard Smedley
Sent: 11 July 2012 13:55
To: potteries...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Potteries Hackspace] Tonight's meeting - Arduino, etc.

[David Parr]

I picked the wrong night to come along to my first meeting!
Called it a night just after 7.30, I think the TECC guy, (Peter?) was keen to get away once it looked like no one else was likely to show.

Next time maybe?
Cheers,
David

On Jul 11, 2012 7:20 PM, "Wombat" <timthefloa...@gmail.com> wrote:

Sounds like no-one will be there!

I will not be setting out tonight - see you next time

Tim

[Quadrant]

Owe dear

David where you the only person there then ?

Regards

Richard (Quadrant2005)

 

---

[David Parr]

Hi Richard,
Yep, I was the only one there. No worries, I'll try again next week. I'm using the time off tonight constructively!
Cheers,
David

[Quadrant]

Hi David,

             Where are you in the city out of interest ? I will be starting a

Hackspace at the other end of the city soon located at Blythe Bridge.

Im not sure when the next meeting will be at Tunstall so check with

The others before going along. Its normally every few weeks.

 

Your welcome to visit my site at stokehackspace.org.uk

When the group at Blythe kicks in the space will be available

Wednesday Evenings 7:00pm – 9:00pm (meeting and working on little projects no machinery access)

Friday Evenings 6:00pm – 9:00pm (with half hour machine slots with max of two slots on a machine by one user)

Saturday Afternoon and Evening 2:00pm until 7:00pm (30 minute and 1 hour slots available on the machines)

All visits have a £3 visitor fee, Tea Coffee and Squash will be available a kitty Tin towards any donations towards

Refreshments is much appreciated.

 

For further information please visit the site or join the youtube group thanks…

[Ian Knight]

David,

I am really sorry to hear that no else made it tonight.

I have been at most meeting and found it interesting, there's a lot of good people attending and lots of good ideas going about.

Also there's lots of really useful skills in the people that have been in the past.

I couldn't make it for the last two sessions as I am in the middle of a major DIY job on the house... Dropped five ceiling and put them back again in the last two weeks or so, plus dug up the back yard and replaced the drains etc. hence I just too tired to come along this last two sessions.

Please don't give up on us! we are just at the beginning of getting the PHS together and it will be up and running as a proper HS in no time I am sure.

 

My background is big IT system for airline res, checkin and flight ops etc but I retired from IBM a few years ago and been working on my own software and hardware developments.

These includes lotto and horse race prediction by pattern matching and neural networks... And yes it works.. No I am not a millionaire.

Puzzle compilers, motor vehicle motion analysis to monitor driving style, this uses embedded PIC24 and DSP's with LCD and tri-axial accelerometers, SPI, i2c, UART comms. I also building custom PC's

Also some CNC machining, but this is at the embryonic stage of my skills at it.

Love Windows and VAX VMS is the best OS ever. Unix is just the work of the devil.

 

 

What are you into and what do you want from PHS?

 

Ian

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: David Parr

To: potteries...@googlegroups.com

[David Parr]

Hi Ian,
No worries. I'll be along next time. I should've checked my email before heading out..
I have a young family, and time is limited, but I've managed to negotiate the time off for PHS. I'm keen to help get it off the ground.

I've got lots of things I'd like to be doing. I have a newly minted (yesterday) CS degree. I officially know how little I know!  I really enjoyed the meagre low level programming on the course, and wish now I had done EE. I used to be a ham. I've been playing with an arduino for a couple of years, and am currently mucking about with several TI launchpads. I did some object recognition and environment mapping using a robot mounted scanning IR laser rangefinder for my final year project. I had fun with the neural networks section of the AI module and started looking into FPGAs as a result.

Like I said, lots of interests, but little time. I've a couple of projects I've been slowly working on... very slowly! I was looking for a place to plug my iron into tonight, when the TECC guy suggested that there wasn't much point with no one else there.

What do I want from the space? Time to play. Brains to pick. I have a brand new raspberry pi sitting in front of me right now demanding I think up something to do with it.

I'm a linux fan myself. Vim, gcc and python. Java was mainly what were taught at uni.

See you there sometime.
Cheers,
David

[David Parr]

Hi Richard,
I'm in ST5. I'd certainly be keen to check the place out once it is up and running. I'll keep an eye on the site. At the moment I'm just looking for some space for the limited time I have available for stuffing about with, well, stuff!
Cheers,
David

[Ian Knight]

David,

Sounds like your just the sort of person PHS needs so look forward to meeting u next time... I'll have a day off the diy so I'm up to the meet..

One of the things we have talked about is the micromouse competition and maybe getting an entry for it. I did some work on the maze solving bit years ago on a bbc micro (simulation only as did not build the robot just mock-up of maze in software.) But have been think about building a real one for a long time now so maybe next meet we can see if this is something the group would like to do.

If so your scanning IR laser rangefinder skills would come in real handy, add in some of my accelerometer skills plus a good machcanial guy and we may have a winner.

 

I to am in ST5 area Chesterton in fact, basically I have come home after forty years in exile (lived in five countries and worked in twenty five)

 

If your local and want to pop by to say hello sometime that would be fine. House is hell but get better every day.....

 

Ian

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: David Parr

To: potteries...@googlegroups.com

[quadrant2005]

Hi Ian how are things coming along at home. Did you get the drain sorted ?

Has the next meeting date been decided for PHP. Did you show this logo

at one of the meetings maybe my first visit as i remember seing it at some

point. Richard has now purchased the domain name for PHP located at

http://potterieshackspace.org/ its a place holder at the moment but the

important thing is the domain has been secured. I secured a potterieshackspace

facebook page if someone would like to take control of it.

 

In my other post i should have said you could follow SHS on facebook not

youtube :) there is currently no videos on there. Im hoping to work inconjunction

with PHP, i will most probably open on different wednesdays of the month to

the PHP, or if they are interested i could always open my space on all wednesdays

and the nights that the PHP is open link to them via a skype stream so that the

two spaces can communicate to each other, Then people could visit there closest

space and still kind of collaberate with each other. I don't know if anyone else

noticed but Tim has made some great handmade pens they looked really professional

really liked them very smart. Ian brought along some Eprom programing kit, and some kind

of prototyping kit maybe he could give details here, all sounded interesting . He also

brought along some Z80 processors i think, would be great to build a computer and get

something running. The other Richard is into Aurdino and Linux, im into Pic Micro controllers

and windows, I think there is an interesting mix of people and skills. One of my current projects

is that im building a fullsize animatronic Johnny Five Robot as seen in the Short Circuit films of

the 1980s David. Ok bye for now guys and ladys.

 

 

On Wednesday, July 11, 2012 1:55:24 PM UTC+1, Richard Smedley wrote:

[Richard Smedley]

Hi,

Stuck working onsite today, with no chance of getting free in time for the evening mtg - the six minute cycle of booting through these blades' BIOS is really making the job drag :-/

I hope some of you are still going: looking at my diary I've got "possible" by the first August meeting, then more likely for September.

Sorry to David for last time - hope someone confirms attendance here before you set out tonight. Summer's often a tricky time for a lot of people.

btw I have details of a couple of interesting events - will forward when I get home.

Richard

Sent from my mobile - short answer & poor typimg ;^]

On 11 Jul 2012 21:45, "Ian Knight" <imk...@sky.com> wrote:

David,

I am really sorry to hear that no else made it tonight.

I have been at most meeting and found it interesting, there's a lot of good people attending and lots of good ideas going about.

Also there's lots of really useful skills in the people that have been in the past.

I couldn't make it for the last two sessions as I am in the middle of a major DIY job on the house... Dropped five ceiling and put them back again in the last two weeks or so, plus dug up the back yard and replaced the drains etc. hence I just too tired to come along this last two sessions.

Please don't give up on us! we are just at the beginning of getting the PHS together and it will be up and running as a proper HS in no time I am sure.

 

My background is big IT system for airline res, checkin and flight ops etc but I retired from IBM a few years ago and been working on my own software and hardware developments.

These includes lotto and horse race prediction by pattern matching and neural networks... And yes it works.. No I am not a millionaire.

Puzzle compilers, motor vehicle motion analysis to monitor driving style, this uses embedded PIC24 and DSP's with LCD and tri-axial accelerometers, SPI, i2c, UART comms. I also building custom PC's

Also some CNC machining, but this is at the embryonic stage of my skills at it.

Love Windows and VAX VMS is the best OS ever. Unix is just the work of the devil.

 

 

What are you into and what do you want from PHS?

 

Ian

 

 

 

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David Parr
> To: potteries...@googlegroups.com

> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 8:42 PM

> Subject: RE: [Potteries Hackspace] Re: Tonight's meeting...

[Quadrant]

Hi Richard,

                No one let Peter know last time that no one was attending, If that continues I can see Potteries Hackspace loosing

Its meeting place. When I joined the group Richard I was told that you where the head of the group is this correct or have i

Been incorrectly informed ? I did ask on the forum after last times cancelled meeting when the next one would be but not heard

Back from anyone, So didn’t know when the next meeting was to be until just reading your post. I hope organization can be

Improved or its not going to go anywhere which would be a big shame..

 

Myself and Duncan + Tony will not be attending this evening as we where unaware of when the next meeting was to be..

 

I don’t want to step on anyones toes but I wanted to make you aware that I have been working really hard on the project

And should have my Hackspace open by the 25^th of August for the first meeting, Those that would like to attend are welcome..

Futher details will be on the website stokehackspace.org.uk and updates regularly to the rss feed and facebook page..

 

Cheers

Regards

Richard (Quadrant2005)

Of StokeHackSpace

 

---

[Richard Smedley]

Hello Richard,

On 25 July 2012 17:40, Quadrant <quad...@teamrobotics.co.uk> wrote:
> Its meeting place. When I joined the group Richard I was told that you where
> the head of the group is this correct or have i
> Been incorrectly informed ? I did ask on the forum after last times

Groups within Free Software / Open hardware don't
have traditional leaders ;-)
Instead ppl step forward to volunteer to lead on something that
they can *do*

I'm certainly too far away to be a "leader" in any case.

My rôle in Potteries hackspace has been limited to a few
conversations - 1) Wouldn't it be good to have a hackspace
in the region, why isn't there one? 2) Talking to TECC
after Simon Knight suggested them, and explaining what
a hackspace is 3) Looking for interest, particularly at the
Alsager meetings of S Cheshire / N Staffs GeekUp
4) Talking to various Stoke ppl who expressed an interest
in getting things going ...
...thankfully Simon H stepped forward & has organised
meetings at TECC.

Unfortunately Simon's away working for most of the summer,
and I'm working 16 hours a day 7 days a week, but this
needn't stop meetings happening :)

> Back from anyone, So didn’t know when the next meeting was to be until just
> reading your post. I hope organization can be

2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month

> Improved or its not going to go anywhere which would be a big shame..

Indeed. Even though I'm not very local, I think
it's just what's needed. As I mentioned before,
it's difficult to keep things moving in the summer,
but I'm sure things will pick up in September :)

> Myself and Duncan + Tony will not be attending this evening as we where
> unaware of when the next meeting was to be..

Aug 8 & 22
Sept 12 & 26
Oct 10 & 24
Nov 14 & 28
Dec 12.

> I don’t want to step on anyones toes but I wanted to make you aware that I
> have been working really hard on the project

> And should have my Hackspace open by the 25th of August for the first
> meeting, Those that would like to attend are welcome..

I'm really looking forward to seeing it :-)
As I mentioned last time I saw you, the potential
is there for many, many spaces.

I'm not in the country that date, but will be there
for one of the following meetings.

Regards,

- Richard

[Quadrant]

Thank you Richard for getting back to me and clarifying things.
Simon had given me the impression that you ran the group. So
Thank you for clearing that for me. Yes Simon is tied up for
A while now on his Job, there needs to be something worked out
For Peter at TERC so that he is contacted if there isn’t going
To be a meeting, Im not sure of the best day to do that then,
I wonder if anyone has attended this evening.

Im still willing to help Potteries Hackspace even thought im
Seting up my own as you mentioned the more spaces the better
It then gives more opertunity for people to come together to
Collaborate, If the different spaces run on different days it
Then gives people somewhere always to go to. I think someone
Was going to speak to Peter about having access to the wifi
If that goes ahead, It would be cool to hook up with other
Hackspaces, Or it would be nice to link up with my hackspace
So that people at the two spaces could collaborate with each
Other. When I have meetings here I plan to have a ustream
Running so that people can see what is going on at the space.
Or skype call for one on one connection between two spaces.

The plans I currently have in my mind are the space being open
Wed 7pm-9pm meetings and presentations (No Machinery on this evening)
Fri 6pm-9pm for full open access to all areas workshop etc
Sat 2pm-7pm for full open access to all areas workshop etc

The above is something I would like to really do. Ive been
Putting a lot of work in over the last weeks since my first
Visit to PHS ive been purchasing workbenches and kit to
Make SHS a nice space to work in Ive purchased nice seating
New benches, Soldering irons, lighting, bench lights with magnifiers
Lots of different bits and piece, the last purchase will be
Made next week then the remaing time between now and the 25th
Will involve adding E Stops to any equipment that currently
Hasn't one fitted. A disclaimer to write, introduction packs designed
And printed, making the software user friendly on all pieces
Of equipment and constructing the rest of the benches and
A complete overhaul of the workshop, It would be really nice
To see you guys there, Ive worked really hard to accomplish
Everything, this along with holding up a fulltime computer
Programming Job and radio presenting Job. Cheers thanks regards
Richard

[Simon Halliday]

Hi Folks,
Sadly it looks like another meeting isn't going ahead.. As Richard has pointed out, its the 2nd and 4th wed of every month, if folks are able to start a thread and state their availability, and this us passed on to the TECC, that would be great!

Also as Richard states none of us are in charge, we all need to make this work between us, Im just the boot trying to kick things along :)

On another note, things are going well here at t'lympics, Im currently sat in the main stadium waiting for a rehersal to start for ther opening ceremony.. The show is going to be amazing, never seen anything like it..

Ive also managed to get a bit of hacking in, made myself a nice active speaker with four switchable inputs and a VU meter.. Good old Maplins..

Cheers

Si
--
Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

Richard Smedley <rgsm...@googlemail.com> wrote:

>&gt
 ;

[Ian Knight]

Yes,

Got the drains sorted (I hope) work done but did it solve the problem....Only time will tell.

Now doing a wall and cars flywheel has decided to break... So not sure when I'll make it your way again but I'll try..

BTW have lot track of meeting so when is the next one.

Ian

[Richard Smedley]

2nd & 4th Wednesdays.

- Richard

Sent from my mobile - short answer & poor typimg ;^]

On 30 Jul 2012 17:24, "Ian Knight" <imk...@sky.com> wrote:

Yes,

Got the drains sorted (I hope) work done but did it solve the problem....Only time will tell.

Now doing a wall and cars flywheel has decided to break... So not sure when I'll make it your way again but I'll try..

BTW have lot track of meeting so when is the next one.

Ian

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: quadrant2005
> To: potteries...@googlegroups.com

> ...