I am not currently leading undergraduate classes at the University of Kent.
However, I occasionally lead and assist in teaching classes at the Tinker Society. This is a free maker society for both students and external participants to learn, share and create new things. If that sounds good to you, and you’re in the Kent area, come along for an evening! (Externals can do a free trial - just come along).
My classes often consist of electronics and microcontrollers, but we also offer classes on 3D modelling/printing and PCB design. In the future, we aim to offer lessons on metalworking, including the use of our lathe and mill.
Extracurricular, Kennedy Building - The Hackspace, 2024
This lesson aims to explore the use of ultrasonic sensors. This lesson makes use of our work from lesson one. When we move our hand closer to the ultrasonic sensor, an LED will glow brighter. We also look at the physics behind the code, noting how we use the speed of sound and the time it takes for the pulse to return to calculate the distance of an object from the sensor.
Extracurricular, Kennedy Building - The Hackspace, 2024
This lesson aims to move a servo with the push of a button. We mostly focus on controlling the servos through code. As an extension, we touch on the theory behind servo control - PWM. For fun, I often bring in my oscilloscope for this class. Doing so provides a visual for all the theory, but really it is so I can show off oscilloscope music. It’s a big hit, and my favourite part of the class.
Extracurricular, Kennedy Building - The Hackspace, 2024
This lesson aims to teach the electronic equivalent of “hello world” – blinky. We start with the basics - installing the IDE and connecting the ESP32 to the computer. We then explore the syntax and layout of a C++ program, and how to build a basic circuit to blink our LED.