Resources

No electronics skills or any experience with technology is necessary to participate in the e-waste workshop. The idea is to start from scratch and create a complete project over a day (or few days), including concept, design, electronics/ interfacing, and functional programming.

Participants are encourage to bring their own laptops if possible (unless the hosting instituation / organisation can provide computers). We are encouraging the participant to bring their own electronic waste too (best junk to bring: old scanners and old printers for their motors, electronic toys for the cool sounds, gadgets, usb joysticks, etc…).

We are also providing some basic handy electronic parts like Servo Motors and a variety of sensors.

Depending on the project they wish to build, we are inviting participants to work with Arduino, Processing and Pure Data or Max/Msp.

The Tools

Arduino

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators. The microcontroller on the board is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing). Arduino projects can be stand-alone or they can communicate with software on running on a computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP, Pure Data).

Processing

Processing is a programming language, development environment, and online community that since 2001 has promoted software literacy within the visual arts. Initially created to serve as a software sketchbook and to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context, Processing quickly developed into a tool for creating finished professional work as well.

Pure Data

Pd is a real-time software system for live musical and multimedia performances. It is in active development by Miller Puckette, and perhaps others. The system is unfinished, but quite useable for sophisticated projects. It has been ported to GNU/Linux, MacOS X, IRIX, BSD, and many flavors of Windows.