Bootcamp

Table of Contents

Notes taken during the student bootcamp.

Day 1

FabLab León
Important Links in the Presentation
Compress your images and videos. See presentation for commands, how to do it etc.
use a notebook (analog). Sometimes, you dont want to use your laptop. you are in the workshop and cutting things etc. but still you want to document stuff. this is when you need analog documentation.
Assessment book is about what you need to write about in your documentation.
images
- adjust image size in your camera app
- use magick or ffmpeg for video compression
- use ffmpeg for video compression
how to make photos
- make photos of you doing things
- horizontal photos
- good light, good photos
- good perspective (hero shot)
save videos you put on your website in the repository, not on yt or anywhere else

dont be alone
- know global open time, be at the fablab.
- enjoy every moment of your fab academy journey
etiqette for meetings
- deactivate your mic when entering
- turn on your camera
- speak slow and clear
- save the chat
memes and emotions
- take the rest that you need
ferdis talk afterwards
- dont worry, you will not make the best fabacademy
- at least do one good assignment that you are really proud of. choose one thing you are good at and excel at least there.

Sketch
- drawing helps ou se your subject
- what basic shape will the object have?
- what are the main parts?
choose program. there are multiple ones. you want to experiment with maybe 3 or 4 and then decide. No matter which sw to use there are best practices:
- work with real measurements and real units. if you dont do that oyu will end up with proportions antd then it will turn out too small/toobig, shitty etc.
- work with simple shapes and then go ahead..
- divide your 3d model into sections. then you can figure out the whole thing piece by piece
- use layers or groups and use proper naming conventions. dont end up with “body 68” and dont know what it means
- regularly save and version your work.
- iterate and review. get a model, fabricate, test, improve

Regarding practicing:
- take one object from everyday life
- model the same object in different workflows (different softwares, etc.)
plan final project at the start. take each week to work on your final project.

also check presentation
We work with low volat eletctronics
if you want you can still do that but ask and consider safety things
preparation
- you need:
  - ohms law
  - power = current * eVoltage
  - kirchhoff’s circuit laws
regarding fabac. use:
- resource page
- expert network map
investigate resources that work for you
- adafruit
- ohmify
- raspberry pi org
- sparkfun
- starting electronics
dont just watch video, when possible work along with video
use online simulators when needed
- wokwi
- circuitjs
- …
order we work
- …
chatgpt and electronics
- ask chatgpt to explain a concept to a 12 year old
- then ask chatgpt to explain the same concept to an 18 year old
- finally if needed we ask chatgpt explain it to an electrical engineer
- awoid asking chatgpt to write all your code or it may becomas a crutch which is quite easy to do
- rather look at code and someone has written and ask chatgpt to explain it to you.

https://academany.fabcloud.io/fabacademy/2025/bootcamp-students/slides/AI_in_FabAcademy/
use it to automate things
you have to understand to read and triy to see what the model is telling you
sometimes it gives false information
if you want to see if an llm knows concepts check with prompts questioning something about that concept how much llm knows about it. e.g. ask image generator to

different resources
- fab academy website
- project development (fa website)
- assessment book
document your final project
make good video
try to avoid
- just lesercut press fit box or boards just fixed in a box with gluegun o|
instead
- designyour own encasing with purposeful holes, shape and material, with durability
big nono
- loose wires
- tape and glue to hold your parts together
- breadboard
- copying other people’s work
tips
- plan your final prooject now. time management is key
- work on your final project each week
- you can make parts for your final rpoject as your weekly assignment. document as you go
- research plenty on different components and tools when you have time
  - dont make that the core thing. you have other things to do as well.
- make the project more personal

the earlier you know the final project the earlier you can integrate your assignments into doing that
but it is okay if you are changing your opinion
choose somethign where u say it is too easy. buuild a nice-looking enclosure and present it well.
Have a look at other final projects: https://finalprojects.fabacademy.org/#/thumbnails/2024

the video
good final project is
- simple
- has a very precisie purpose
- beautifully designed
bad
- useless
- super complicated
- does not have any meaning
you get a bad final project if
- you add features about features to a project that was initially good
- you start with an non-existent need
- if you cannot explain your final project in a sentence, it is bad

What a new fa student would need to know, according to your experience?
- make the most out of your additional recources
  - mattermost
  - saturday global time
    - you know other people also try their hardest. you are not alone
  - expert network map (most cited documentations)
- you need to practice all the time. fa is a full-time job
- document as you go. 50p of work is documentations.
Would you like to have learned or known something before starting fa?
- do not strive for perfection all the time. you only have 1 week for each assignment. sometimes you need to settle for the bare minimum. each week is just an introduction to the topic. dont spend too much time on each week.
- how to do screen captures, how to compress that.
What has been the biggest difficulty for you when finishing the final project
- time management. hint: if you think something takes time t, assign 3*t
- keeping it simple for each iteration was the most difficult part.
what do you value most about fa after passing?
- how independent you were. teaches you to be more self-driven. after faba
Has the fab academy met your expectations?
- community-building
- mindset-building etc.