I saw this on the DMS (Dallas Makerspace) site, and I think it would be popular with us:
Basic Electronic Applications: Fun with 555s
About this Event
Come learn the basics of electronics in this one-hour+ hands-on class.
We will be using the popular “555” timer chip to build and test simple circuits in class.
You will learn so many useful electronics things in this class, including:
The basics of electricity
Simple components and how to identify them
How to read a schematic
Building circuits on a solderless breadboard
Trouble-shooting techniques
This class is designed to be mostly “hands-on” with a minimum of theory or, shudder, math. Learn by seeing, hearing, doing and failing. Yes, failing!
Once you complete this course, you can tell your Arduino friends, “I can do that with a 555” (as long as it’s blinking an LED, of course).
If this class sparks your interest in electronics, we will also be presenting a more detailed, lecture-based class in The Near Future.
No previous experience is required, just an interest in electronics and How Things Work.
All lab materials will be provided.
Special Considerations and Warnings
We will be using small components and working on a small scale. Please bring your good reading glasses, if required.
There are a lot of arduino projects I see that van be done analogue. Like
the whole if you have a hammer, your gift horse will be on the greener side
of the…
I’d love to teach a simple little breadboard class, get me back into the electronics thing! We’ve got tubes of 555s someplace I think right? James maybe we could talk and divide/conquer some of your component class ideas - I like starting with transistors.
There’s a small pile (less than 10) of 555 and 556 chips sitting on one of the shelves. I think I still have a few left over from the 555 controlled claws at makerfair.
Unfortunately, I think most of the coin cell batteries were trash, so we’d have to come up with a separate power supply for people to use.
Pack of ten is like $4 on Amazon you can get 100 for 20 bucks on Mouser.
A basic class should learn the monostable and astable modes, and how to use
the control pin. I’m thinking a good circuit for a take home is the astable
one, it’s a good square wave exciter for learning amplifiers.