Open Tech Calendar

Please note that this event is ticketed as previous similar events have proved to be reasonably popular. Tickets are free but donations to our hosts, Union St., will be welcome on the day. The link for the ticket page is here: www.eventbrite.com

The micro:bit and hardware project evenings are intended for the most part to be an excuse to play around. You will be encouraged to pair or team up with others and see what you can make. If you are a newcomer to python, you will be learning by experimentation rather than through a formal tutorial. There are expected to be a number of people with enough knowledge of python around to help those who get stuck.

There will be some micro:bits available to play with over the evening although you can bring your own. Alternatively you might choose to bring a Raspberry Pi or anything else you want.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring along any projects they want to show off and they can work on these (and if they want allow others to help.)

The evening is going to be split into two parts.

In the first part, anyone who wants to show off things that they have already made, from lighting leds to small robots will have the opportunity to do so.

Please remember to be sensible about the dimensions of projects that you bring along; avoid those that draw a significant amount of power (high voltage/current) and obviously, no projectiles or things that could be considered as weapons. This is not meant to be robot wars! If there is anything of this nature you want to show off, it may be possible to show videos of your creations instead.

In the second part of the evening we will split up into small groups and we will either play with micro:bits or discuss and possibly work on projects that have been brought along (with the project owner's permission of course!)

If there is time we can discuss what was created for an end of event show-and-tell.

The following is a rough guide for how the evening is expected to unfold:

17:45 - 18:15: Informally, a number of us are likely to be at the StreetFoodChef on Arundel Street for burritos. While these are not provided as part of attending, anyone is welcome to join us.

18:30 - 18:40: Meeting starts with some time for announcements and usually some chatter.

18:40 - 19:00: Phase 1: Show and tell of any hardware projects attendees want to show off

19:00 - 20:15: Phase 2: Split into groups for project work.

20:15 - 20:30: Final show-and-tell.

20:30 - late : Migrate to a local pub (this is usually the Tap and Tankard on Cambridge Street, near John Lewis) for post event drinks. Note that this part of the evening is probably not suitable for any children to join in with, though this does depend on the rules set by the pub.

Attendance is free and the event is intended to be suitable for all levels of python experience.

Note that you should probably bring a laptop to make the most of this event, preferably with Python 2.7 or Python 3.4+ already installed.

Any under 18s who wish to attend must be accompanied by an adult, preferably also with an interest in Python or programming in general.

Code of Conduct:
We uphold the PSF code of conduct: www.python.org

You should report any concerns about any attendee behaviour to the organiser, Gary Martin.