Sometimes you just have to make your own gadgets

I've always enjoyed soldering things together, and sometimes they're actually usable little doodads.  If you've ever been interested in electronics, you might enjoy learning about the Arduino microcontroller.  It's a tiny open-source computer that can control external devices like motors, servos and sensors.  We've mentioned it here in the past, and since that first experiment with the Arduino, I've built a couple useful gadgets that I use every day.  One of them even helps me monitor the Post-Gazette's farm of web servers in real time.

This month, the local group Hack Pittsburgh is putting on a beginners' class about the Arduino.  Walk in with a soldering iron and walk out with your own Arduino and a new appreciation for the open source community and the maker movement.

The class will be held on July 25th at 2pm.  $30 for members, $40 for non-members.