MightyOhm » Events

Geiger Counter Workshops at #28C3

Jeff — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:28:19 +0000

There will be 30 kits allocated for each workshop. The sign-up sheet is down right now, keep checking back. And if all else fails, we’ll fill the workshops as people show up. Come early to get a spot!

The cost for the workshop is 100 EUR, which includes the geiger kit, case, geiger tube, batteries, and 2 hours of instruction.

28C3

Jeff — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:08:05 +0000

Yes! I will be at 28C3, which takes place in just under two weeks, from Dec 27-30th, 2011 in Berlin.

There will be Geiger Counter kits for sale in the Hardware Hacking area, and I will be giving several workshops.

If you know me from the blog or just want to learn how to build a geiger counter, come say hello!

More details to come…

PS: Conference streams will be available, see the Fahrplan for scheduled talks, and no nerd left behind means that even if you cannot go to Berlin, there might be an event in your area.

See you at the Open Hardware Summit & NY Maker Faire!

Jeff — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:12:49 +0000

Two exciting events are coming up in September – the New York Maker Faire and the 2011 Open Hardware Summit. This year I’m fortunate to be traveling to New York for both events, and I’m looking forward to meeting other makers and OSHW enthusiasts.

I should be easy to spot, I’ll be the guy wearing a Geiger counter around his neck (and hopefully not being hassled by security).

If you’re not coming to the summit and you’re interested in seeing my open source Geiger counter in person, stop by my booth at the Maker Faire. I’ll be doing various demonstrations and will also have kits for sale.

See you there!

Chaos Camp 2011

Jeff — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:39:23 +0000

A few scenes from Chaos Camp 2011 for your enjoyment. Two more days to go!

Two weeks to Chaos Camp!

Jeff — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:21:28 +0000

In just two weeks I’ll be pitching my tent at the 2011 Chaos Communications Camp in Finowfurt, Germany, just outside of Berlin.

Chaos Communications Camp is a five day outdoor camp for “hackers and associated life-forms.” There are talks, workshops, and many opportunities to socialize with fellow hackers, as well as enjoy the paradise that is a summer camp with showers, high-speed internet and AC power to every tent. (This is definitely my kind of camping!)

Here’s a short video about the last Chaos Camp in 2007, to give you a taste of what it’s all about:

At Camp this year, I’m giving a workshop on building a simple Geiger Counter (more details about this project to come) in the Hardware Hacking Tent on Thursday and Saturday.

PCBs are due Friday, I’m still tweaking the circuit design, there is code to write… Many last minute preparations. Fun!

If you’re going to Camp, I’ll see you there. If not, there is probably still time to book a flight.

T-minus 1 week to the Maker Faire

Jeff — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:15:00 +0000

I’ll be there! I’m showing off my Wifi Radio project on the Make: stage at 1:30PM on Saturday.

Austin Dorkbot / SXSW Ignite this Friday

Jeff — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:32 +0000

This Friday, March 11th, Austin’s Dorkbot chapter is holding a science fair in conjunction with Ignite Austin for SXSW Interactive.

I’ll be demoing my Wifi Radio project and showing off various other projects. There is a list of presenters here.

General Admission is $10 ($0 for SXSW badge holders), but if you RSVP right now on Dorkbot Austin’s Facebook page there might be some free passes left.

DorkbotPDX

Jeff — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:55:09 +0000

While I was visiting Portland last month, I had a chance to check out a DorkbotPDX meeting.

This meeting was unlike any other Dorkbot I have seen before (in San Francisco and Austin). Instead of formal presentations, everyone shows up at a cafe/coffee shop called Backspace (that serves beer!) and brings a project to work on or show and tell. And, instead of meeting once a month, they meet every other week!

It was awesome.

I didn’t get to take very many pictures, but I just uploaded a few photos to Flickr.

Wifi Radio / Dorkbot 27

Jeff — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 19:05:34 +0000

Last night, I dusted off my Wifi Radio project and gave a 15 minute presentation about it at Austin Dorkbot 27: Electric Boogaloo.

Dorks who want to download the slides can do so here: Jeff_Keyzer-Wifi Radio Project

I had a particularly challenging evening because the hastily assembled wireless network in the ACTlab refused to hand out an IP address to the radio. After wrongly suspecting that the 802.11n network was causing problems (my home network is b/g), I discovered that if I set a static IP and default gateway, I could get a stable connection to the router. That process of discovery took something like an hour of tweaking settings, trying to remember iwlist arguments, how to set up routes, etc.

In the end I got it all working and gave a very successful demo of the radio. Whew!

Microcontroller Mondays @ ATX Hackerspace

Jeff — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:18:07 +0000

I am hosting a weekly microcontroller study group at the ATX Hackerspace. If you are interested in learning about microcontrollers in a casual setting, come on by at 7:30pm tonight.

Tonight at 7:30pm we will hold our weekly evening of microcontroller exploration, otherwise known as Microcontroller Monday.

The idea is not to have a fixed agenda or format. This is not a class, though I’m pretty sure everyone who comes will learn something.

Some examples of things we might do on MM:

- start learning about the MSP430 and play with the MSP430 launchpads at the space
- have Danny and Christian teach us about the dsPIC
- build some USB devices and play with LUFA (the open source AVR USB library)
- corrupt Arduino users with the notion that there is something beyond analogWrite()
- discuss related topics, like circuit design, PCB layout, etc.

If any of this sounds interesting, consider stopping by tonight.

I plan to be at the space from 7:30 to around 10PM, but that doesn’t mean people can’t start hacking earlier or stay later. While this event is open to non-members, since a member needs to be present to keep the space open, non-members should adhere to the 7:30pm – 10pm schedule.

ATX Hackerspace maintains a calendar so you can stay up to date with this and other goings-on at the space.

ATX Hackerspace Launch Party this Saturday

Jeff — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:27:12 +0000

Austin’s local hackerspace, ATX Hackerspace, is having a launch party this weekend. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov 6th from 5pm on.

I can’t make it, but I hope lots of other people will check it out.

Maker Faire Retro Bluetooth Handset Talk on Ustream

Jeff — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:37:17 +0000

I didn’t know at the time that I was being recorded, but here’s a somewhat low quality video of the Retro Bluetooth Handset talk I gave on Sunday of the 2010 Bay Area Maker Faire.

The talk starts about 7 minutes into the video, so skip ahead unless you want to watch John Edgar Park of Make: television greet his fans.

Enjoy!

Maker Faire Bay Area 2010

Jeff — Tue, 11 May 2010 23:35:57 +0000

The Maker Faire Bay Area 2010 is less than two weeks away!

I’ll be giving two short talks about my Bluetooth Handset Hack over the weekend. Look for me on stage near the Make: booth.

I would love to meet some readers of the blog. If you spot me at the Faire, please say hello!

Update: I’ll be presenting on the Make: stage in Expo Hall at 12:30pm both days.

Happy Holidays…

Jeff — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:12:35 +0000

Hello everyone! Happy Holidays from mightyohm.com!

Extended traveling, 8-bit music festivals, and holiday planning have kept me away from a keyboard recently, but I hope to post more soon.

Stay tuned…

Upcoming San Francisco Ham Radio Exams

Jeff — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:19:10 +0000

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in getting your amateur radio license, there are a couple testing sessions coming up in 2010 that may be of interest:

The Bay Area Educational Amateur Radio Society (BAERS) is hosting a Ham Cram on Saturday, January 9th from 8AM-5PM at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. The cost is $30 including the VEC fee.

A “Ham Cram” is a one day workshop where you can get your ham radio license (usually the Technician level) without studying in advance. I’m not sure I completely agree with their methods of blind memorization over actually understanding the rules, but apparently this method works and most people pass on their first attempt. If you’re short on time and want to get your license in a hurry, this is one option.

Thanks to Robert for the heads-up on the January session.

AERO is another SF-based group that regularly posts flyers advertising their own ham cram sessions. Their most recent poster is outdated, but the site mentions there will likely be an upcoming session in February 2010. I just took the General license exam at their November session and was really impressed by how many people were there and how professionally run the event was.

Update: Their next session is on February 7th, 2010 at 8:45AM. Details here.

Studying the old fashioned way:

If you don’t like the “cram” method, you can always pick up a study guide (Technician, General, Extra Class) and spend a few weeks studying for the test like I did for both my Technician and General license exams. There are even a couple online practice tests to help you study. When you feel comfortable with the material, you can take the exam at the sessions above for a $14 VEC fee without doing the cram. I know AERO allows this, but it would probably be a good idea to check and make sure BAERS permits this as well. In either case, I recommend that you RSVP to ensure you get a seat and get notification about changes to the venue, etc. Contact info for each group is on their respective websites.

Good luck and 73 from KF6PBP!