After the heady preparation work last Tuesday, we eventually got to put the plan to test on Thursday at the oversubscribed workshop, with 9 participants.

There was an eclectic audience, ranging from school kids to retirees! Some people were just eager to play Space Invaders, or rather Pacman – apologies again for not having it. Others had previously worked on the mechanical side of an Arduino project and were eager to get stuck into the the Software/Electronic side of it. Some had even hacked outdoor Solar powered lights and programmed with the Sinclair but were new to the Arduino. All in all it was a wonderful mix of ages and experience!

Five Bedlabbers: Greg, Martin, John, Mick and Victor, were at hand to facilitate the workshop, which meant no one was short of assistance or guidance throughout the project.

I am ecstatic to report that everyone got to complete their projects and go home with a Space Invaders game console or the odd Asteroids one. Most importantly though we all (facilitators and participants alike) had an amazing time and learnt a great deal.

You too can can have some Retro Gaming fun by checking out the apcmag tutorial derived from the nootropicdesign games which we updated to work with the uno. Enjoy.

A big shout out goes to Beccy and all the staff and participants during Rua Red‘s Digital Week, which was a great success!