The Electronic Experimenters Club (ELEX) strives to expand its members' exposure to electronic devices, circuit design, and practical electronic circuit construction. The Club's activities go beyond those available in the classroom and include building simple electronic kits for beginners to experimenting with more advanced types of electronic design systems for more experienced members. The Club welcomes cadets who are tech enthusiasts, crafters, tinkerers, and hobbyists, and it promotes cross-disciplinary opportunities and encourages different majors to learn from each other. Since the projects inherently rely on multiple disciplines, the ELEX club naturally fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between cadets before they complete their capstone projects. Currently, the Club has electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and computer science majors.
Led by Cadet-in-Charge (CIC) Cadet Samuel Skillman, this small but diligent group has made a variety of devices such as quadcopters, a short wave radio that can pick up stations around the world, an ice chest/ice maker combo, and even a flying two-liter bottle. The cadets use new technology such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi computers to make their devices. This technology allows them to connect sensors, motors, and computers together to make anything they can dream up. If cadets need extra help fabricating a box or troubleshooting a component, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Engineering Support Group provides assistance to the cadets. For instance, to make a special mirror that displays information such as weather and pictures, Cadet Skillman asked the EECS Engineering Support Group to make a frame for him, which enabled his project to produce outstanding results.
Additionally, the ELEX Club hosts an annual trip to Maker Faire each year with around 25 cadets attending from all engineering disciplines. At the New York City Maker Faire, almost 100,000 fascinating, curious people come together to teach and share new innovations, technology, and ideas. The New York Hall of Science, which hosts the Faire annually, comes alive with everything from quadcopter races to 3D printers. Cadets leave Maker Faire with renewed enthusiasm for making things and inspired with new ideas from other Makers.