Reminder - MiRobotClub Meeting - 7PM on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 at Maker Works.

[James Ronald]

MiRobotClub Meeting - 7PM to 9PM Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 at Maker Works.

Maker-Works
3765 Plaza Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
www.Maker-Works.com


As creativity inspires creativity and all that - please bring your
Robot projects in whatever condition to the meeting so that everyone
can see what your working on.

No formal topic for this months meeting is currently planed. I am
planning to bring a new RaspberryPi Roomba robots that I am currenlty
working on. Rod is also working on a RaspberryPi based/Roomba
robot. We are currently still in the early stages of the Roomba robot
build so if you are interested there is still time for you to join us
in the fun. If there is something that your interested in hearing
about please let me know.

Currently we are invited to exhibit at the Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire
(June 8th) and Maker Faire Detroit (July 27th and 28th). I would like
to get input from some active members regarding ideas for such events
and the 2013 meetings in general. I'm thinking that building some
Raspberry Pi Bots would be cool. I also know that a couple more
members now have Roombas which should be a great platform for
connecting to a
Raspberry Pi. If there is interest in doing so, I would be happy to
host few weekend build sessions at my home (or where ever) to get
things rolling.

Lets make MiRobotClub the best Robotics Club in Michigan (working
toward world domination one Bot at a time). If you would like to
present a talk or have an idea for a short talk, tutorial or demo,
please let me know.

Looking forward to a great time.
Jim Ronald

[Ken Yesh]

I may or may not attend this week. This is my finals week and it will depend on how I'm feeling that day

---

From: "James Ronald" <james....@gmail.com>
To: "MiRobotClub" <MiRob...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2013 9:26:18 PM
Subject: [MiRobotClub] Reminder - MiRobotClub Meeting - 7PM on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 at Maker Works.

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[Anthony Witcher]

I'll be there to show my latest AnthonyBot project.
I'll show that I can make the robot go 5 feet and then turn around.

Robert Doerr has an article just published in the SERVO May issue magazine.

Anthony

[Keith Mc]

> Jim Ronald wrote:
> MiRobotClub Meeting - 7PM to 9PM Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 at Maker Works.
> Maker-Works 3765 Plaza Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48108 www.Maker-Works.com

> [...] please bring your Robot projects in whatever condition to the meeting

> so that everyone can see what your working on.
>
> No formal topic for this months meeting is currently planed.

> {other than Raspberry Pi projects of mine...}

I'd like to suggest that people bring whatever robots they'd
like to work on, to get ready for an Arena Event next month (May),
so we can have some bots to show at the June AA Mini-Maker's Faire!
The Arena is ready, and this gives people a month to work on a
robot that can push Golf Balls around (do I need to describe
the Challenge again?)

Beginner's Class
This is Finals Week at several schools, so I'd hate to start a new topic
this month. So, I plan to get back into the full Beginner's Training
cycle subject set starting next month -

For THIS month, we'll dedicate the Beginner's Class time to
working on your Arena Bots for May, or working on ANY tech problem
or question you may have with your current robot build.
Be sure to bring in anything you'd like help or advice on THIS MONTH.
If no one has a bot to work on (you are all ready... right? ;-), then
we'll use the time to address/answer questions on any robot topic.

FUTURE Beginner's Classes

MAY & JUNE - Unless someone wishes another subject, the planned
topic for those two meetings will be "Drivetrain Geometries and Wheel Types"
IOW, I plan to cover a number of common drivetrains a base may
use to move around - everything from your basic N Wheels and
N Castors (ala "nWnC") drives, through "exotics" like crab, synchro,
swerve, and omnidiectional styles. "Incremental & intermittent
motion drives" (eg legs) will be done at another time.

As soon as we get through Drivetrains, the next two sessions will be
on associated drive-related opics:
... "GEARBOXES! Converting speed and power around"
... "CONTACT! Wheels, Treads, and Suction Cups"
(Wheel designs, Interacting with environmental surfaces, tread selection, etc.)

- Keith Mc.

[Paul Haas]

I can't make it this week. My son got accepted at Lawrence Tech. So as the parents, we get a free dinner. I'm sure once it is too late to easily change colleges, the freebies end, and all the money will flow in the other direction.

However I do plan on going to the Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire and bringing a couple Raspberry Pi's with HDMI monitors (model AOC e2343, runs off of 12volts, approixmately 23 inch viewable, 1920x1080). I was going to put one on my Robot and one for the table. My thought was to have a continuous slide show loop, plus something that interacts with people. So I'm looking for images directly related to this robot club to put in the slide show.

[James Ronald]

Ken,

Thanks for the heads-up in regard to not being able to make the meeting.

- Jim

[Rodney Abke]

I plan to be there.

Paul, the slideshow idea sounds like a good one.

[James Ronald]

Paul,

Thanks for the heads-up in regard to not being able to make the meeting.

I think that the slide show display on a robot will be great.

- Jim

[rdo...@bizserve.com]

When is the Ann Arbor Mini faire?  Is the club going to have a table again?  If so I will try to make it up there and bring some robots.

 

Robert

[James Ronald]

Robert,

This year Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire is June 8th and is going to held
at WCC rather than the fair grounds. We will have a booth/table and
such.

Here a link to the site with more information:
http://a2makerfaire.wordpress.com/

I hope that you can join us again this year.

- Jim

[Keith Mc]

{Moved from thread "Reminder - MiRobotClub Meeting - 7PM on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 at Maker Works"}

Jim wrote:
>This year Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire is June 8th and is going to held at WCC
> rather than the fair grounds. We will have a booth/table and such.
> Here a link to the site with more information:

> ... http://a2makerfaire.wordpress.com/

Did you also RSVP the area required for the Arena / Robot Run Zone,
next to our table? It is a 12' x 6' framework, plus a bit of clearance around it.

- Keith Mc.

[James Ronald]

Keith,

I have not yet submitted our application as we have until May 21st to
do so. I have only verified verbally that we are interested in
participating. Would you mind submitting the application? That way
you can communicate first hand what we need and can work out the
details with Bob, Dale or such...

- Jim

[Keith Mc]

Jim wrote:
> Keith,
> I have not yet submitted our application as we have until May 21st to
> do so. I have only verified verbally that we are interested in participating.
> Would you mind submitting the application? That way you can communicate
> first hand what we need and can work out the details with Bob, Dale or such...

I wouldn't mind, but ONLY IF the CLUB is interested in doing the event,
and enough will COMMIT to showing up. (Last year we had limited participation...)

ACTION ITEM - IS there interest this year? If so, please speak up!
What will you each commit to bring?

I can bring the Arena, balls, and other golf ball sized objects to
pick up and kick around (eg 35mm film cans, the foam cylinders, et al.)
WCC's LM building has a FLAT, carpeted surface, so it should
be a LOT better than the sloped barn at the fairgrounds! {grin}

CAN the group field a number of Arena bots by June?
(If so, we can let the crowd run them, and "compete" as well.)

- Keith Mc.

[James Ronald]

Keith,

The arena is nice to have a somewhat protected area for the kids to
run the robots.

Half of our active members have been tied up with FIRST this year. I
don't know about the others but I will be there with a some of my
robots for people to play with and see. It seems like Robert is also
interested in joining us again. Anyway, we can discuss this at the
meeting...

Currently Rod, Ken and I have been working on some Roomba Pi robots.
It's taking longer than I thought but we now have some momentum and
will have something interesting to show by June 8th and more by the
Detroit Maker Faire.

- Jim

[Keith Mc]

Jim wrote:
>The arena is nice to have a somewhat protected area for the kids to run the robots.

Agreed. It was designed to be flexible, and serve as a "corral" for simple
tabletop scale (1ft^3) robots. It can either be set up for one of several "games",
by adding stuff in the middle (like goal lines or scoring bins) or left "raw" as a
simple boundary for whatever you wish to run.
(BTW... If you wish to run a game other than Golf Cleanup, tell me what you need
and I'll see about making the interior object(s) in time to accommodate it...)

> Half of our active members have been tied up with FIRST this year.

(Like me... :-) But this is for June and July, so we should have enough
time to field SOMETHING, as long as it is SIMPLE, and we start it soon.

QUESTION - Come on all... Other than Jim, Robert, Paul, and myself, I'd like
to hear from who ELSE would like to do something at either AAMMF or DMF.
How about it, all?

The real question for discussion is: WHAT do we wish to do?

Here are some simple options, to start the thought process:
1) Create a presentation on robots, eg a Powerpoint Slideshow or Youtube video
... (the educational model), to show on a laptop or Smart Picture Frame.

2) Do a basic show-n-tell (past experience shows that often doesn't hold much interest to many)

3) Do a demo of some kind (eg run some bots in the arena doing "something", they watch)

4) Watch US compete (eg FIRST model - we run OUR bots, and they watch)

5) Create some sort of activity for the audience to do... Some examples of "classes" of thing:
... Build up something to take home (make and take - cost? Time to design? Target audience - kids vs adults?)
... Build up something that can be recycled for the next person to do (but get a sticker for it)
........ ex: some "few part" Lego-ish snap together premade bots that they run, and WE separate afterward..
... Just run some premade robots ("play in the sandbox" model) - either do a task, or to have fun
... Participate in a "pseudo contest" - accomplish or win a task for a takeaway sticker
...... Samples: A simple Sumo contest, where they mod the front assy;
...... Run some Golf Cleanup bots; etc.

6) Other suggestions?

Who WISHES to do any of the above? Which ones?
PLEASE speak up, either yes or no, and what you'd like us to do.

- Keith Mc.

[Chris O'Donnell]

@Paul, big congrats to your son's admission.

I have a few club photos I can bring for the slideshow, good idea.

[James Ronald]

Chris,

That would be awesome! Could you also please send them to Rod so that
he can put them on our website as well? I just have the one picture
that's pretty dated. Perhaps we could snap a few more pic at the
meeting.

- Jim

[Rodney Abke]

i'll bring my camera.

[Chris O'Donnell]

Ah, I only have approx. 1.5 dozens of photos from an 2008 meeting.  Mostly the BalanceBot, a few of Paul riding JeepBot, and one of a general group shot, all at the (pre-demolished) Corsa building.

I'll bring these on an USB stick, maybe with some photo magic, a select few can be turned into high-powered robotic marketing material.  IOW, I might use my vintage '90s version of Paint Shop Pro 5 and crop a few pics, and if everybody behaves, I'll even adjust some brightness.

[Keith Mc]

Since nobody replied asking for anything else, the Beginner's Class this
month will be simply answering questions on your current robot build,
AND helping everyone get their Arena Bots running.

So bring in your robots, in any state, and we'll see what we can do!

- Keith

[Anthony Witcher]

Chris wrote: if everybody behaves, I'll even adjust some brightness....... well... lucky no one is going to bring a battle robot to keep things in order.

[Chris O'Donnell]

Probably not, unless... somebody brings the Sphero Peacekeeper <insert evil laughter> robot
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sphero-peacekeeper-edition

Though I can't tell if this is a farce or a real product.

[Keith Mc]

Hey everyone...

We've yet to hear from most of you, stating what you would desire to do
at A2MMF, (if anything). I went ahead and reserved us some space there,
but the list has been fairly quiet on WHAT we will do there.

We still need to know all of your individual plans! (Will you have an arena bot to run? etc...)

So... Please, PLEASE people, SPEAK UP. Please let everyone know here on the list:
A) if you WILL attend A2MMF (or not), and
B) just what you each plan to DO.there.

That will help us insure this week's very last meeting before the event is productive!
Thanks!
- Keith Mc.

On Apr 22, 2013 Keith wrote:
> {I wouldn't mind applying for A2MMF}, but ONLY IF the CLUB is interested in doing the event,

[Rodney Abke]

I will be attending.  

I will be displaying the bots i've built; PROPBOT and ROMBAPI BOT. 

I will also try to prepare a arena bot so kids, others can push golfballs.

[Ari Morris]

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend a2mmf; or, to be more precise,
I'll be at the event to staff a different booth - that of the Ann
Arbor Hands- On Museum, which is where I work.

-Ari Morris

[James Ronald]

I'm planning to be there as well.

I plan bring a PropBot that is VEX RC enabled that people can use to
push around gulf balls.

I will also be bringing my Arduino and RoombaPi robots. The RoombaPi
was using a USB webcam which was too slow to be useful. The new
Raspberry Pi Camera module is much faster but there is currently no
Linux Kernel driver support for it so getting it to work with
mjpg-streamer is not straight forward.

- Jim

[Chris O]

I can attend, but might have to time share with FRC3322 booth, not sure how many of those folks will attend.

I will bring whatever fascinating stuff I have moving in my basement (except for insects).