Dorkbot Melbourne >>> people doing strange things with electricity <<<

Dorkbot Melbourne
>>> people doing strange things with electricity
4pm, Sunday 25th November, 2007
Level 1, 124a Johnston St Fitzroy 3065 (just east of Brunswick St).

Yes indeed, the final Dorkbot Melbourne for 2007 is on this Sunday, spread
the word!

This month's presentations range from synthetic birds in swampy wetlands to
wireless ultrasonic rangefinding with Arduinos, read on for more. Everyone
with an interest in doing strange things with electricity is invited to come
along and check out the presentations and participate in lively discussion.
Bring your friends. Bring drinks and nibblies of your choice. Scheduled
talks are outlined below.

This Sunday we'll be sharing out some Arduino serial and piggyback boards
(no electronics) kindly donated by Marcus Schappi from Little Bird
Electronics (http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/).

As usual there will be an opportunity for anyone to spend a couple of
minutes explaining what they're up to, promoting related activities and
events, or requesting help. You're welcome to just turn up and ask on the
day, but feel free to let us know in advance. Also, please get in touch with
us at ( dorkbotmelbourne@dorkbot.org ) if you'd like to present something at
a future dorkbot.

::: Common Sounds installation :::
Steve Adam
Steve will talk about his Common Sounds installation, which was set in the
Sale Common Wetland Reserve (Gippsland) for the WaterWater Festival in
November 2005. The installation uses real-time generated synthetic
multichannel audio which was diffused in a swampy wetland setting. The
system was self-powered and involved numerous technical challenges. The
installation's sounds include a range of synthetic birds and insects. Check
out the mp3 link below for a preview:
[ http://members.iinet.net.au/~spectro7/-CommonSoundxcpt2-051105.aif.mp3 ]
[ http://members.iinet.net.au/~spectro7/sa_about.html ]

::: Active Wireless Ultrasonic Rangefinder :::
Ross Bencina & Danielle Wilde
This talk will discuss the design and construction of an ultrasonic
rangefinding system built as part of a recent residency at Steim Amsterdam
by Ross, Danielle and Somaya Langley. The idea was to create a wireless
system for measuring the distance between performers by timing ultrasonic
pings from one unit to another. Each range finder unit uses an Arduino and
has two separate ultrasonic sender and receiver circuits. The units use
Nordic Semiconductor NRF2401 digital wireless radios to synchronise and
transmit data back to a basestation. Ross and Danielle will discuss the
successes and limitations of the project to date.
[ http://www.audiomulch.com/~rossb ]
[ http://www.daniellewilde.com ]

...

Monthly dorkbot meetings are scheduled for the last Sunday of every month
(except December) so whack it in your diary now.

Hope to see you there!

The Melbourne dorkbot overlords: Javier, Ross, Danielle and Jon

dorkbotmelbourne@dorkbot.org
http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotmelbourne/

P.S. Check our website to subscribe to our annoucement and discussion lists.