Like the Smartboard in the electronics classroom? Have an extra remote for your Wii gaming system laying around? Why not make your own multi touch smart board that can be projected anywhere: on a wall, on a table. Maybe you could even make one for your favorite teacher. The setup also works to turn a LCD screen into a touch screen.  Watch this video and see how:

What you need to get started:

• Projector
• Wii Remote Controller ($25)
• LED Pen ($10+ pre-assembled / build custom)
• Bluetooth Adapter (~$10, various vendors)
• Presentation Software – Smoothboard ($29 for registered copy, demo free)
• Other considerations: mount for Wii Remote

For more information, check out the source

Hamilton Tech’s evening Electronics Engineering Technologies students hosted Andy Andresen from Cumulus Broadcasting last Monday night. Andy is the Regional Coordinator for Cumulus in Iowa as well as being one of 2 full time engineers in the state and sitting on the development committee for new products.

Cumulus Broadcasting is the 2nd largest broadcast company in America (Clear Channel is number one). They currently operate 24 stations in Iowa, 5 of which are in the Quad Cities. Andy is in charge of those five stations as well as five more in Dubuque. The five local stations include: Rock 104.9, Star 93.5, 97X,  B100, and True Oldies 1170.

Andy’s presentation included a breakdown of how music and DJ banter makes its way from the mic to your radio. In order for you to hear your favorite song on the radio, it must go through processors, compressors, the studio to transmitter link and finally be transmitted through the transmitter. It is this signal that your radio picks up and you hear. He was able to illustrate his points with pictures of the actual radio stations and transmitter stations he works with, offering the students a virtual tour of Dwyer and Michaels’ studio.

After a thorough explanation of how radio works, Andresen then went on to explain the changes in technology that have emerged and how they are affecting his job and the user’s radio listening experience. The first major change was in how information is  transmitted through the station. Where bulky cables with only 24 channels once ran through the building, the same result can be achieved with ethernet cable and a node device connected to a computer.  Antenna lights that once only lasted a year, requiring a treacherous climb up the tower to replace have been usurped by high intensity LEDs that can last up to 8 years. The final technological advance was one that Andy had a personal hand in developing.  Previously, when radio stations did remote broadcasting, there was a lot of equipment that had to be brought and setup– microphones, mixers, cd players, antennas, etc. Cumulus has developed an ipad application that can tap into the station’s computer system and broadcast remotely with nothing more than an ipod, microphone and an internet connection. The end audio result is clearer than the previous system and is super portable and user friendly. Currently the Quad Cities is the only market using the remote broadcast ipad app, but they are looking to expand to other markets.

Thank you Andy and Cumulus Broadcasting for coming in and sharing with our students.

On this day,  December 13th, in 1816 Werner von Siemens was born in Lenthe Germany. He was the fourth of fourteen children of a tenet farmer. He was never able to finish school and in order to pursue an education in engineering he joined the Prussian army. Here he was able to have 3 years of artillery and engineering training.

The army was in need of a quick and reliable means of communication. In 1947, von Siemens constructed a pointer telegraph, which used a needle to point to letters as opposed to Morse code. This began Siemens and Halske Telegraph Construction Company. The small workshop grew larger over time developing electrically triggered railroad warning bells, water meters, and seamless insulation. The company was later responsible for laying submarine telegraph as well as establishing telegraph systems in England and Russia.  The company continues today as Siemens.

Werner von Siemens’ scientific research included discovering the dynamo-electric principle, which led to electricity being  a source of power. Other patents developed include the first electric railway, first electric street lights, first electric elevator, and the first electric streetcar.

Today, Werner von Siemens is known for being the namesake of the SI (siemens) unit of electrical conductance. He also coined the German word for electrical engineering: elecktrotechnik. Today, the company that von Siemens founded is known as a leader in energy, healthcare, industry, and infrastructure.

Happy birthday Werner!

Happy Birthday George Boole!

On this day, November 2nd,  in 1815, George Boole, inventor of Boolean Logic was born. Boolean Logic is said to be the basis of modern computer logic.

Fun Facts about George Boole:

• There is a crater on the moon (Boole) named after him
• Taught himself Greek, French, and German
• Started teaching at age 15
• Was self taught in both classics and mathematics

A group of electronics students toured KLJB Fox 18 studio this week.  They spend most of there time in the control room that houses all the electronic equipment that powers Fox 18.  As you can see in the photos, they also learned about the antennas and dishes that are a part of keeping the station on the air.  Thanks Fox 18 for giving us some insight into the operation of a  local TV station.  For more information about Hamilton Tech visit www.hamiltontechcollege.com .

Robins Industrial classes toured Vizient Manufacturing Solutions  in Bettendorf on August 15th.  Vizient Robotics manufactures robotic work cells for major manufacturing companies around the world.  It is a very modern facility that does all phases of the work cell creation from design to fabrication to programming and installation.  They also provide maintenance and repair services to their customers.  This is a great example of an amazing high tech company right here is the Quad Cities.  Hamilton Tech is proud to partner with them on locating employees with a high level of technical training.  To see examples of the work cells they create go to http://www.vizient.com .  Thank you Vizient, for the fantastic tour opportunity.

On September 7, 2011 a group of students from Tim Edens morning electronics class along with Larry Bradley, visited the VLBA radio telescope near North Liberty.  The students were able to see the control systems that capture the information received by the radio telescope.  As you can see in several of the photos taken on that day, they were able to climb up on the dish itself for an impressive view of the sheer size of the dish (82 feet in diameter) and the surrounding Coralville reservoir and country side.

The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) comprises ten radio telescopes spanning 5,351 miles. It’s the world’s largest, sharpest dedicated telescope array. With an eye this sharp, you could be in Los Angeles and clearly read a street sign in New York City!

Astronomers use the continent-sized VLBA to zoom in on objects that shine brightly in radio waves, long-wavelength light that’s well below infrared on the spectrum. They observe blazars, quasars, black holes, and dying stars. They plot pulsars, exoplanets, and masers, and track spacecraft, asteroids, and planets.  More information is available at http://www.nrao.edu.

On August 24, 2011 Bob and Craig took their morning classes on a tour of the John Deere Harvester Plant. About 40 students and Instructors toured the factory. The tour started with a presentation in the auditorium which presented a brief history of the John Deere Company and a look at the company today. They boarded a tram and want into the factory proper. The tour lasted about an hour and a half and allowed the students to see the harvester’s production from start to finish. The students were able see the raw material coming in the door through the assembly process of laser cutting parts, welding robots assembling those parts, to the extensive robotic painting process. The tour then proceeds to the final assembly including the start up of the huge machines. The students were very impressed with this state of the art factory here in the Quad Cities that make the big green harvesters that are shipped all over the country and the world. For more information about the John Deere Company visit www.deere.com , and for information about Hamilton Tech visit www.hamiltontechcollege.edu

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Open House

Visit www.hamiltontechcollege.edu for more information about Hamilton Tech!

After being introduced to the Propeller Microcontroller in the 5^th semester of Electronics Engineering Technology Program, I decided to build an LED cube (see the cool video he created below).  The cube is 4X4X4, totaling 64 LEDs.  The Cube is made up of 4 layers of 16.  The layers were made using a square piece of peg board, with 16 pre-spaced holes.  The multitudes of patterns are unlimited.  I would like to construct an 8X8X8 Cube, totaling 512 LEDs and use RGBs. This will require a more complex circuit than just the Propeller chip.  The Propeller chip will still be used to drive the circuit.  Yet, it will also include one or all of the following, shift registers, de-multiplexers, and latches.  It’s a fun project that is helping me with Propeller programming, soldering, and circuit construction skills.  I hope to have a finished model ready for the upcoming Hamilton Tech Open House in July 2011.

Submitted by: David Spittler, EET, 5^th semester

Thanks for the great work David.  This is awesome!  Let us know when the 512 LED Cube is completed.  You can also some other cool examples of LED Cubes at www.youtube.com.

If anyone has a project they would like to share on this blog, please let me know.

Mark Christy
Director