nodebots/nodeboats-jsconf2018

Materials, Tips, and Tricks for the NodeBoats Workshop at JS Conf 2018!

nodeboats-jsconf2018's Issues

Prototype Updated Boat Hardware for 2018

The last NodeBoats workshop in 2015 used the Particle (or Spark) Core for the microcontroller, but there were some complications from the wifi congestion at the conference. For the 2018 workshop, we should prototype a new boat using a different microcontroller.

We want to make sure the microcontroller we use will be reliable (or as reliable as possible given the limitations of a conference setting), and that it will allow attendees to easily transfer their boats from the indoor conference workshop area area to the outdoor pool area.

For the boat build, we'll want attendees to be able to use either a Tamiya motor pod (a basic motor) plus a standard servo (for steering) to create a motor boat, or two (or more) continuous rotation servos to create a paddle boat.

I was initially thinking we may want to use a board with bluetooth so that wifi wouldn't be necessary, but that's not a requirement. However, we ideally would want something that attendees would be able to implement on their own at home after learning the basics at the workshop.

The final challenge for the day at the workshop will be a race across the short length of the pool, but we don't need to have everyone go at once - we could have teams go in smaller batches and time them with a stopwatch so that they could walk alongside the boats as they go along. (This would also allow them to reach out and rescue their boats if needed, which happened a few times during the 2015 workshop.)

For this issue to be complete we need:

• a prototype boat
• a build of materials for 16 boats (plus some spare parts)
• the firmware / j5 plugin for controlling the selected hardware

Questions for The Conference

Ask any question you have of the conference here and I'll get it answered.

Questions so far;

• @ajfisher asked What is the size of the pool?
• @reconbot asked What facilities do we have at the pool and what do we have at the workshop area? (Power, network, etc)
• Can we have a map again? (slack history ate this)
• @reconbot Do we have any equipment from 2015?
• How long is the workshop? (9-5?)
• Can the conf give us nodeboat stickers?
• Confirmation of the budget

Plan Boat Physical Designs

Beyond the hardware elements of the boat, the look, feel, and creative elements are very important, and something attendees had a lot of fun with last time! (A bunch of teams even made runs to Walmart to get additional supplies beyond what we provided.) We might have 3d printers available but in the past they've been slow and in very high demand and shouldn't be relied upon.

Last workshop we provided:

• A container for the hull of the boat (we had a waterproof plastic box, but some people made rafts with soda bottles, and styrofoam pool noodles)
• Goopy goo glue sealant
• Styrofoam (we have sheets and will cut off what your boat needs)
• Popsicle Sticks
• Hot glue guns
• Soldering irons & solder
• Heat shrink tubing & heaters
• Wire cutters/strippers
• A drill
• Box cutters
• Googly eyes

Obviously we're not limited to these supplies and we don't have to do things exactly the same as 2015, there are a lot of cool materials and tools we can provide. We can get creative.

For this issue, we need:

• A list of tools and equipment needed to support the teams (these will be kept for next year, hot glue guns, knives, drill, etc)
• a list of materials to buy for the core of the 16 boats (eg, hull materials, paddles, rudders, waterproof glue etc)
• A list of creative materials to buy for fun (markers, feathers, flags, googly eyes, stickers, contact paper, whatever)

Write Workshop and Educational Materials

In the 2015 NodeBoats workshop we had a repo to walk attendees through the basic build of the boat, which also linked out to helpful resources to get them started with Johnny-Five. Some of this can be repurposed from the 2015 materials, but since so much time has passed and we're updating the boat build, these materials should be updated and expanded on for the 2018 workshop.

For this issue to be complete we need:

• a tutorial write-up for the workshop for how to build a base NodeBoat (both motor-powered and paddleboat options should be included)
• links to resources on how to set up the microcontroller being used (dependent on issue #1 )
• links to helpful Johnny-Five resources and documentation most relevant to the boat build