Before you start, we want you to know that you’re not alone during this journey into the world of physical computing. We offer a number of sessions between the start of the assignment and its deadline to help and guide you.
Note: this assignment is not the only activity within the first few weeks of the Interaction technology course. Have a look at the Interaction technology course environment in Blackboard for the full curriculum.
Lectures
The first assignment is supported by a short introduction and several full lectures on the topic of embedded systems and sensors. These will cover a lot of ground, so make sure that you attend. These lectures are listed in the schedule that’s available in the Blackboard course environment. The slides will be made available in Blackboard as well.
Furthermore, there are lectures on HCI basics as well as evaluation that are relevant to the first assignment as well. And don’t forget about the “plenary tutorial on assignment 0 and 1”, which will be very relevant to your tasks. These are all taken care of by Federica Vinella and can again be found in the schedule in Blackboard.
Soldering workshop
Besides soldering your Stickuino kit the soldering workshop also allows you to install the Arduino IDE and test the workings of your Stickuino. Use your time well during the workshop and make sure that you leave with a working setup. Note: you are supposed to attend only a single workshop, after reserving a slot. The dates and times are available in the reservation system.
The location of the soldering workshops is CBB-JOBSHOP, which stands for the Job Shop area in the Caroline Bleeker building, next to the Buys Ballot building. You should have received information on how to access the Job Shop in an e-mail.
The Scientific Instrumentation department was kind enough to host these soldering workshops. We owe them a big thank you! And please return the favor by showing good stewardship while using their facilities. Please keep things tidy and clean and follow any instructions they may have.
Practical assistance concerning hardware and software
After the soldering workshops and during the weeks up till the deadline, you can get assistance with the hardware and software of your system during the practical sessions and if need be also on-line. On-campus practical assistance takes place in the Job Shop, generally on Mondays and Wednesdays. Details about getting assistance are available in Blackboard, on the Standard Operating Procedures page. The schedule is also available in Blackboard.
Soldering stations are available during on-campus practical assistance. If you run out of time during the soldering workshop and/or need to do some additional soldering later on, feel free to visit one of the sessions to complete your work. If you don’t need our assistance, you may even walk into the Job Shop at other times during office hours and use the tools available there. (Please remember to turn of the soldering iron and leave everything as it was before.) Acquiring a (simple) soldering iron yourself, as well as some other basic tools (screwdriver, pliers) may save you some trips to campus.
Lili’s Proto Lab: our own makerspace!
If you’d like to use the facilities in Lili’s Proto Lab (3D printers, a laser cutter, a CNC, a vacuum former, etc.) to make – for example – a nice housing for your smart device, feel free to walk-in after 13:00 on any working day. Before 13:00 you are still very welcome, but on appointment basis (send an email to lpl@uu.nl to avoid disappointment in that case).
Practical assistance in HCI-related matters
If you have questions concerning HCI-related matters and how to evaluate your system, as part of the assignment, the teaching assistants will be able to help you out, either during on-campus practical assistance or on-line, if needed. Again, check out the details about getting assistance on the Standard Operating Procedures page in Blackboard!
Additional resources
Are you still feeling lost? Be sure to check out the additional resources on the literature page.