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Badgers build their own lamps

UW–Madison students brought home some new lighting after a hands-on electronics workshop at the Design Innovation Lab.

​Photos by Xiaomeng Shen
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We all know that UW–Madison students are creative and enterprising. But did you know that they can build their own lamps from the circuit board up? Now they can, thanks to a hands-on electronics workshop that was hosted by the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Lab in Wendt Commons on March 13. Participants practiced the fundamentals of SMD (surface mount device) soldering and circuit board assembly — leaving with a brand-new lamp, perfect for late-night studying.

Two rows of students sitting at workstations prepare for a workshop, with a screen in the back that reads Lamp Workshop: Intro to SMD/SMT Assembly
UW students light up the room — and then some lamps — at a hands-on workshop in the Design Innovation Lab.
Two students stare closely at a circuit board at a workstation.
Thomas Griffiths (left) and Matthew Norton carefully work on a circuit during the workshop.
A blue rack of electrical wires with a sign that reads: free wires.
Freely available: all the wires you’d ever need to build a lamp.
A participant's hand uses a tweezers to pick up a component on a circuit board.
Working on a UW-branded circuit board requires patience and precision with a tweezers.
Three students at a blue table look focused while working on electronic parts.
Students practice the fundamentals of soldering and circuit board assembly.
A student solders a circuit board at a workstation, with a small mushroom-style lamp nearby.
Griffiths solders the final pieces, with the mushroom-style lamp nearly ready for action.
A small mushroom-style lamp on a table, next to electronic equipment.
Students took home fully functional lamps — ready for late-night studying.

Tags: innovation, learning, recent sightings, student life

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