Category Archives: Workshops/classes

CS-First Class: Storytelling, June 15,16

FCW is pleased to host a Google CS-First session on Wednesday, June 15 and Thursday, June 16 from 4PM – 8:30PM.   CS First is a free program that increases student access and exposure to computer science (CS) by using the block based Scratch language from MIT.

The program is intended for ages 9-14.  The class and materials are free.   More information on CS-First can be found at http://www.cs-first.com  .   To reserve a slot or get additional information, contact Michelle at gms@foothillscommunityworkshop.org or (828) 754-5002.

Arduino Class

Arduino-class-20151114FCW held an “Arduino for Beginners” class on Saturday, November 14 to a packed classroom.  Sixteen participants used the new computers and Arduino trainer boards to become familiar with the popular embedded processor platform.  Rich was the instructor and guided them through the basics of the Auduino, use of the IDE and an introduction to the C language variant used.  The participants were able to see how to use LED’s, an RC servo, an audible buzzer, and an ultrasonic distance sensor in “hands-on” experiments.

There were additional people on a waiting list for this class so a repeat of this class has been scheduled for December 19, from 11AM-3PM.

Ham Radio License Class / Exams

FD-2012-croppedFoothills Community Workshop will be offering an Amateur Radio Technician level license class consisting of  three sessions on  consecutive Saturdays, August 8, 15, and 22 from noon until 2pm.  With some additional on-line exercises, this class is intended to help prepare for the entry level Technician  Amateur Radio Exam.  Topics include:

  • Rules and regulations
  • Station setup and operation
  • Operating procedures
  • Basic electronic  terms, components and calculations
  • Electromagnetic waves, bands, and modes
  • Propagation and antennas
  • Safety

This class is free and open to the public.

FCW will also be  hosting  exams for all levels of Amateur radio licenses.  The testing will tentatively  be on Saturday, August 29 at noon and is available to anyone wishing to obtain or upgrade an Amateur Radio license.  The testing fee is $10.

Intro to Home Computer Networking – July 11

FCW will be offering an Introduction to Home Computer Networks class on Saturday, July 11 from 12noon until 3PM.  The class is intended for home computer users who wish to understand enough to setup and do basic troubleshooting on their network.  Derek N. will be instructing the class and topics include:

  • the basics of how networks operate
  • identification and purpose of network equipment
  • wireless setup
  • utilities useful in troubleshooting the network
  • connecting a device to the network.

This class is free and open to the public.

Robot Build Sessions

With the Model-2 robot trainer ready, it was time to work with the public schools.  On two Fridays, February 6 and 13, students from Mr. Seldomridge’s class at Granite Falls Middle School came to FCW for a robot build session.

With assistance from Rich, Michelle, Bruce, and Gene, each student assembled a Model-2 robot, which they could then keep.  There were a total of 24 students in the two classes  of two hours, and all were successful builds.  Starting with the “fun” of snapping the servos into the side panels, the students added the tail skid and internal braces, then bolted the chassis together.  They then added the circuit board and assembled the wheel “sandwiches”.  With the addition of the battery pack, they were ready to go.  Many of the students took the robots to the common area for them to roam.  It looked like giant roaches running around as up to ten robots roamed around the room, avoiding obstacles and dancing in sync.  With terms like “awesome” students had a great time with the hands-on experience and left with smiles on their faces.

On Thurdsay, February 12, twelve students from Mr. Bingham’s class at South Caldwell High School also had a robot build session.   The older students needed less assistance, but still had a great time   Mr. Bingham joined his students in building a robot and obtained  additional units for use in class.  These students were given the assignment to develop additional programs for the robot during the remainder of the school session.

FCW is pleased to be able to help the schools with STEM projects and plans additional sessions and projects for the future.  Similar sessions are available to homeschool groups, scout troops, etc. as well.  If you have a group that would be interested in the robots or STEM in general, contact FCW for details.

CAD Class on Feb. 28, 2015

FCW will hold an introduction to CAD using  Draftsight on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015 from 11AM until 2PM.  Draftsight is a 2D CAD package produced by Dassault Systemes, the producer of Solid Works.  Draftsight is free to download and use and is available for Windows, Linux, and Macs.

The class will be taught by Ross and will cover the user interface, coordinate system, draw and edit commands, and best practices.  Emphasis will be placed on using CAD to create drawings for CNC applications.

Participants should bring their own computers and have Draftsight already installed.  Draftsight may be downloaded from

http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/  Registration is required for the free download.  A mouse is highly desired.

The class is free and open to the public.

Blender 3D class Jan 4

FCW will be offering a class/workshop in Blender 3D on Sunday, January 4 at 12 noon.  Blender 3d is an free, open source 3d modeling package similar to Maya  and 3d Studio Max.  It can be used for 3d modeling for printing, illustrations, walk-throughs, video and animations.  It includes a physics engine, a gaming engine, and a video effects engine.  More info on Blender 3d can be found at http://www.blender.org/

The class will be instructed by Dave, and will be about 3 hours in length.  This is an introduction class and will cover getting started with Blender 3D:  installing, the user interface, navigation, creating and modifying objects, and using some of the tools included in the package.

Participants should bring their own laptop and should have a keypad and 3 button mouse.  Blender 3d is free and can be downloaded from http://www.blender.org/download/

This class is free and open to the public.

Soldering for CCC&TI

Earlier in the year, FCW was approached by Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) about creating a training workshop for students in their College and Career Readiness (CCR) program.  They had read about the eggbot workshop that FCW created for Granite Falls Middle School and were initially interested in using the eggbots for their needs as well.  After some discussion, it was decided (primarily due to expense) that a better workshop for their needs would be an Introduction to Soldering.  The tentative dates were set for sometime late July or early August.

Soldering irons and simple toolkits were procured from Sparkfun.com and a simple LED blinker was chosen for the project.  On August 4th, 5th, and 6th, a total of 42 students attended the soldering training at FCW.  Rich spent about 40 minutes going over the fundamentals of soldering, the specifics of the board, and component identification.  For the remainder of the two-hour slots, Rich, Michelle, Gene, Colin, and Adam assisted the students in assembling their kits.  Most of the attempts were successful and the students were able to keep their creation.

FCW was happy to work with CCC&TI on this project and is currently designing additional workshops that they may use.  We hope to work with the other local community colleges and public schools to promote interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activities.

Ham Radio Class/Exams

FD-2012-croppedFCW will be conducting an entry level (Technician) Ham Radio workshop on three consecutive Fridays, July 18, July 25, and August 1 from 6-8PM. Topics include regulations, station setup, station operation, radio principles, antennas, and basic electronics, to prepare for the VE exams.  Study materials and example tests can be found at http://www.qrz.com/ under the “resources” tab.  This workshop is open to anyone interested in obtaining an Amateur (Ham) radio license, free of charge.  Note that the Technician level question pool changed July 1. The topics and material are unchanged but questions have been changed.

On Friday, August 8 from 6-8PM there will be a question and answer session for anyone wishing to obtain or upgrade an Amateur Radio license.

Also, the VE exams for Ham Radio will be given at FCW on Saturday, August 9 at noon.  All levels will be available and the exams are open to the public.  A photo ID is required. Current exam fee is $10.

Upcoming Classes

FCW has several classes/workshops scheduled for the next few weeks. Unless otherwise specified, all classes/workshops are free and open to the public.

Friday, February 21 5-9PM – Intro. To Electricity: Fundamental Concepts

Summary: Intended for beginners, this session introduces fundamental concepts of electricity and electronics. Included topics: voltage, current, resistance, and power; units; measuring; sources and loads; DC and AC; Series and parallel; Ground; and schematic symbols.

Pre-req material: basic math

Instructor(s): Dave Propst

Duration: 4hrs

Saturday, March 1, 12 noon – 3PM, Introduction To Blender 3D

Summary: This is an introduction to Blender 3D, an open source 3D modeling package. Topics include: 3D visualization; Views; Menus and keyboard shortcuts; 3D primatives; Modeling and object creation and editing; Boolean operations; Materials and Textures; Overview of advanced features.

Students need to furnish their own laptop computers with Blender 3D loaded (http://www.blender.org/download/) and an external mouse. Blender is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Pre-req material: None

Instructor(s): Dave Propst

Duration: 3 hrs

Fridays, March 7,14,21  6-8PM, Ham Radio: Technician License Prep

Summary: These sessions provide the material to take the Ham Radio entry level (Technician) license exams. Topics include Rules and Regulations; Station Setup; Basic Electronics; Operation; Radio theory; and safety.

Pre-req material: None

Instructor(s): Michelle Suddreth

Duration: 3 sessions, 2 hrs each

Saturday, March 15, 12 noon-3PM, Intro. To Electricity: Component Identification

Summary: This session includes the construction, purpose, identification, and testing of basic circuit components including: resistors, inductors, capacitors, transformers, switches, lamps/leds, batteries and connectors.

Pre-req material: Fundamental Concepts

Instructor(s): Dave Propst

Duration: 3hrs

Saturday, March 22, 12 noon – 2PM, Ham Radio VE exams

These are the exams to obtain or upgrade an Amateur Radio (Ham) license.  These are given by WCARS VEC and the cost is $10 per attempt.  All levels will be available and you do not have to have taken FCW’s prep class prior to taking the exams. Study materials for all levels may be found at http://qrz.com/hamtest/