This past weekend’s Rochester Mini Maker Faire was full of inspiration. With over 125 makers including hobbyist, craftsman, and start-ups, along with 3600 attendees, the showcase floor was packed with exciting activities around every corner. Highlights from this weekend’s fair included a 19ft by 30ft fire-breathing dragon, an amazing sci-fi world made from millions of toothpicks, robots of all shapes and sizes, and of course EMA’s Create a Schematic hands-on workshop.
As our first showcase at the Rochester Mini Maker Faire, we were thrilled to meet all different types of makers from hobbyists to students and even some inspirational entrepreneurs. With an increased focus on the STEM field in the academics’ world today, it was very exciting to speak with students and teachers who were eager to learn more about our free OrCAD Lite and OrCAD Trial software options as well as our special Academic licenses. These types of programs bring what was once considered unattainable technology into today’s classrooms, allowing students to develop the very valuable skill sets needed to succeed in the electronics industry of the future.
Our booth provided a unique hands-on opportunity for attendees to create their very own schematic in OrCAD Capture. This step-by-step activity led by Application Engineer, Helen Lebel and Academic Account Manager, John Kesel, guided attendees through the process of creating the schematic pictured below from scratch in OrCAD Capture. Participants learned the basics of electrical design including how to place parts, ground, and power, how to route buses, component values, along with a bonus exercise on assigning differential pairs.
This fun, hands-on activity presented attendees with insight into the day-to-day life of an electrical engineer utilizing today’s powerful software capabilities. By providing a first-hand glimpse into the tools that power today’s innovative technologies, the young minds of the Maker Faire were inspired to further their education within the electronics field.
Interested in trying this project? Don’t wait for next year’s Maker Faire, the entire exercise can also be performed at home on your very own computer. Download the OrCAD trial, design files, and instruction manual today and instantly start creating a schematic in OrCAD Capture.
