I can’t believe we’re already in November 2019. Happy Veterans Day and Happy 11/11, by the way! It feels like 2019 just started, and somehow we only have seven weeks left in the year.
Crazy how time flies!
Anyhow, this article, like my other What’s New & Exciting posts, is designed as a community update. It’s my way of giving you a behind-the-scenes look into what’s been going on at Learn Robotics plus, give you insight about what’s coming up soon.
In 2020, I’m planning to still run these updates but with a new catchy column name. Some ideas I’m considering are “Learn Robotics Update,” “What’s Going on with Learn Robotics,” and “Quick Robotics News.” I haven’t fully decided on the name of this new series, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to add them to the comments.
Also, let me know if you enjoy these updates and want to continue reading them in 2020!
The LR Community is Growing!
Ever since starting Learn Robotics back in January 2017, my goal has been to create a global community. And, so far, we’ve been crushing 2019 blog traffic goals.
So thank you for stopping by!
Because my main focus is creating content for the blog and my online courses, I’m not as active on Social Media as I could be. As a result, one area that I want to focus on for 2020 is Social Media.
Milestone 1: Have 10K Followers on Facebook & Instagram
I would like to unlock the coveted 10,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. The 10K number is just a metric to measure against, and the goal isn’t to become a Social Media Influencer. I think at this point though, people are more likely to join an established community than a new one. So hitting 10K will help me get robotics content out to a lot more people that might not have otherwise seen it.
View this post on Instagram
And, well there’s also that nice little “swipe up” feature that would be helpful on Instagram Stories. That way when a new post is released, I could link it directly in the Story, and not have to have you type it in or chase it down. The convenience of that feature is something I’d like!
Facebook is where I post new articles and LR specials. I also manage an Arduino Robotics Group that I’m hoping to use as a networking tool for people interested in meeting others in the robotics space. Instagram is where I share behind the scenes updates and robotics tips.
If you like the work I do, and you’re not following me on Facebook and Instagram feel free to give me a follow (@learnrobotics)!
So for 2020, I am going to make it a priority to post daily on each platform. It’s a lofty goal, but I think it will provide a lot of value for the community.
Milestone 2: Add Additional Boards and Video Pins to Pinterest
However, out of all of the social media platforms, Learn Robotics is the most active on Pinterest. We saw a significant increase in Pinterest activity over the summer. However, in early August our account was flagged and none of the links properly led to the site. This issue has since been resolved and I’m happy to say that our Pinterest audience has been steadily increasing.
I publish fresh pins each week so that you have a more visual way to access the LR content. Pinterest is a great way to keep track of articles you want to read later, so feel free to follow my boards or repin articles that you enjoy. In 2020, I’d like to have more boards available on additional topics in robotics, and I’d also like to learn more about video pins.
Be sure to Follow Us on Pinterest if you’re not there already!
Try a Project on the LR Blog
It’s been a crazy few months on the Learn Robotics blog, but I’ve been enjoying the task of creating new topics and tutorials for you to try. I’ve been posting Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Saturday’s every week since early September, and plan on continuing this schedule at least through the end of 2019. Cranking out three articles per week has been challenging, but I think it’s a necessary step for Learn Robotics, overall.
Part of my job is to take highly technical subjects and explain them in easy to read and digest formats. One of the best examples of this is converting Duty Cycle (PWM) to an angle measurement for Servo Motor control. While this is done pretty easily using the servo library in Arduino, for Raspberry Pi, there are a few more steps that have to be done.
If PWM or Duty Cycle has confused you, then I highly recommend reviewing this article. It should clarify things for you and get you well on your way to working with servo motors.
In addition to that article, here’s a list of our most popular articles from July through September 2019:
- Forget the Arduino IDE: 5 Awesome Alternatives
- Home Automation using Google Assistant & ESP8266
- PLC Programming Basics using Ladder Logic
- Is upgrading the mid-2012 MacBook Pro Worth It?
- How to Start with Raspberry Pi (for Beginners)
Check them out and let me know what you think in the comments section below.
I Launched a TV Show!
I hated the idea of being on camera for the majority of my life. However, after working on Learn Robotics, I realized that video content is pretty powerful when teaching highly technical subjects. Anyways, eventually, I had this cool idea of being a host for a Robotics TV Show. It’d be kind of like a cooking show, but for robots!
In case you didn’t know, this show is called Learn Robotics LIVE (LRL). Episode 1 aired back on October 4th. The purpose of LRL is to teach a variety of special topics to help you learn various robotics skills.
Here’s what’s been happening on Season 1 of LRL:
- EP1: Arduino RGB LED (Oct 4, 2019)
- EP2: Glowing Ghosts (Oct 11, 2019)
- EP3: Robot Jeep – Part 1 (Oct 18, 2019)
- EP4: Robot Jeep – Part 2 (Oct 25, 2019)
- EP5: Robot Jeep – Part 3 (Nov 1, 2019)
- EP6: How to use Sensors (Nov 8, 2019)
- EP7: Internet of Things – Part 1 (Nov 15, 2019)
- EP8: Internet of Things – Part 2 (Nov 22, 2019)
And this week, I’ll be releasing EP 7, which is an introduction to the Internet of Things. Tune in to Learn Robotics LIVE Episode 7, this Friday at 12:30 pm EST to watch the premiere.
In addition to the show, I created the Special Topics Robotics Course, which is an online course that goes along with each of the episodes. All of the episodes are aired on the Learn Robotics LIVE page on Fridays at 12:30 PM EST. However, if you miss the premiere, the Special Topics Robotics Course gives you access to replays, project files, and code examples.
Sign up for the Special Topics Robotics Course and get caught up on Season 1 of LRL.
Preview the LR Black Friday Sale
Black Friday is just around the corner, and I wanted to give you an update about this year’s Black Friday Sale on Learn Robotics.
Bringing Back All-Access
First of all, I’m planning on bringing back the Unlimited Access Pass. If you’re new or if you don’t know what that is, essentially it’s like a golden ticket for Learn Robotics courses. Anyone who has an Unlimited Access Pass will gain one-year access to both Arduino for Beginners and Build Arduino Robots, plus all the courses we launch in the next year plus updates for one single price.
This offer was quick to go the last time, and the prices will go up by $50 each day between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Original Price: $597 per pass
- $249 on Black Friday (Save over 50%)
- $299 on Saturday, 11/30
- $349 on Sunday, 12/1
- $399 on Monday 12/2
Learn Robotics courses are $150 each. So for less than the price of two, you’ll receive both courses and updates plus the new courses launching in 2020.
That’s a savings of over 50%! Once the Unlimited Access Passes are gone, they’re gone.
Learn Robotics courses make a great gift as well. So if your son, daughter, parent, friend, significant other, etc. would enjoy a new hobby or wants to gain a new skill, you can also opt to make it a gift at checkout! More deals will be released as we get closer to Black Friday. I will also be updating the Black Friday article and giving Special Deals to our Newsletter Subscribers.
If you’re interested in getting notified when the sales are announced, you can sign up below.
[et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_27]2020 Vision: What You Can Expect from LR
Lastly, what can you expect from Learn Robotics in 2020?
1. Course 3 will Launch
First off, you can expect a brand new course. Yep. I said it. Learn Robotics will have it’s 3rd full-length course launching sometime in 2020.
I’m dubbing this course, “Course 3.” Creative, right?!
Planning for the new course is already underway. I’ve decided to make this course the coolest and best course to date. As with everything I do, I try to go one step further than the previous try.
While I can’t go into details about what the course is about, what I can tell you is that Course 3 will include robots and it will be catered towards intermediate students.
I’m super pumped to share this one with you, but I can’t quite do that yet! But rest assured, this course will have more projects and teach you way more about robots than you ever thought you could learn from an online course.
If you haven’t taken the first robotics course yet, now would be a good time to enroll and get started. I recommend starting with the beginner course if you’ve never build robots before taking the Course 3 launching in 2020.
2. New Membership Option (maybe)
I’ve been toying with the idea of offering monthly memberships for the Learn Robotics courses. Rather than paying for the course upfront, you can pay for a monthly membership and receive access to Learn Robotics courses.
What do you think about this idea? Let me know what you think about this in the comments.
3. Learn Robotics LIVE Season 2
And finally, I’m looking into creating Season 2 of LRL. For anyone in videography or filming, I applaud you. It takes a whole lot of work and planning that I completely underestimated with Season 1.
If I go the premiere route of LRL for Season 2, then filming will commence in January. If I decide to do real “live-streaming” then the episodes will be recorded and released in real-time.
I’ll keep you updated on which path I plan on taking, once I decide what option works best. Once Season 2 goes live, Season 1 will become a Premium Course. If you want to enroll in the course for free, then I recommend signing up today. Registration takes less than a few minutes and you can start watching the episodes immediately.
Wrapping Up and a Freebie
That’s all for this Learn Robotics update! As a thank-you for sticking around for this long post, I want to offer you a free example Arduino project from the Arduino Projects Workbook.
I designed this workbook to help students gain problem-solving skills. This isn’t your typical Arduino guide, so there aren’t any copy and paste solutions, or a solution key, for that matter. Each challenge has a wiring diagram and a challenge question. Your task is to use the information to create a solution.
Solve the initial challenge? Every project has an “extra challenge” that’s designed to get your brain spinning. The nice thing about the workbook is that it’s designed to be printed and used as a journal.
If you like puzzles and want to practice your prototyping skills, then purchase your copy of the Arduino Project Workbook.
For a limited time, receive a free example page from the Arduino Workbook when you enter your email below!
That’s all for this Learn Robotics update! Until next time!
Thanks again for all of your support, and if you’re half as excited for everything we have in store as I am, share this article on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or wherever your favorite online hangout is.
