May Workshop: Introduction to Arduino
think|haus will be presenting a workshop on May 24th about the Arduino microcontroller and interfacing different sensors. This is a basic introduction, so no prior experience is needed. Follow-up workshops are planned for later in the summer which will delve into more advanced topics including motors and wireless networking. Details of the current workshop are below.
*Due to space constraints there are only 6 spots open. Register early as this workshop has proven to be very popular in the past*
When: Saturday May 24, 2014 10am-4pm
Where: think|haus Makerspace, 25 Dundurn St N
Cost: $30/person
Registration: thinkhaus.org/events
ARDUINO IS AN OPEN-SOURCE ELECTRONICS PROTOTYPING PLATFORM BASED ON FLEXIBLE, EASY-TO-USE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE. IT’S INTENDED FOR ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, HOBBYISTS AND ANYONE INTERESTED IN CREATING INTERACTIVE OBJECTS OR ENVIRONMENTS.
Workshop participants will learn:
- What the Arduino community is all about
- How to interface a computer to the real world
- Simple programming for interfacing
- Really basic electronics concepts
Please Note: All the required hardware and software will be provided at the workshop but you do need to bring your own laptop with you. Mac, Windows, and Linux are all okay. Registration is open to those age 16+ only.
Makin’ Filament…
Posted by admin in 3D printing on 2014/05/10
We’re really enjoying the wide world of 3-d printing at think|haus but we’re facing an odd reality. We’re dealing with the cost of filament and the piles of misprints that occur as a natural result of the iterative design process.
To solve this, we’re starting to make our own filament using the Filastruder that was acquired by one of our members.
The filastruder takes pelletized plastic and turns it into plastic string suitable to feed to one of our 3-d printer.
Ultimately, we’ll be building a grinder that reduces a misprint to the right consistency to be feedstock for the filastruder.
Think of all of the plastic things in your life that you could drop into the grinder and have come out as filament that goes right into the top of a 3-d printer and makes the next thing.
That’s pretty cool.
Introduction to Arduino
think|haus will be presenting a workshop on April 26th about the Arduino and interfacing to the real world. It’s really just an introduction to the whole Arduino ecosystem. Future workshops will get more into the technical details of the electronics side of Arduino interfacing. Ultimately, it should all lead to a final set of workshops where the participants learn to design and build an entire embedded system and solder it to a custom printed circuit board. Details of the first
workshop are below.
When: Saturday April 26, 2014 10am-4pm SECOND DATE ADDED: Sunday April 27, 2014 10am-4pm
Where: Think|Haus Makerspace, 25 Dundurn St N
Cost: $30/person
Registration: thinkhaus.org/events
ARDUINO IS AN OPEN-SOURCE ELECTRONICS PROTOTYPING PLATFORM BASED ON FLEXIBLE, EASY-TO-USE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE. IT’S INTENDED FOR ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, HOBBYISTS AND ANYONE INTERESTED IN CREATING INTERACTIVE OBJECTS OR ENVIRONMENTS.
Workshop participants will learn:
- What the Arduino community is all about
- How to interface a computer to the real world
- Simple programming for interfacing
- Really basic electronics concepts
Please Note: All the required hardware and software will be provided at the workshop but you do need to bring your own laptop with you. No prior knowledge of microcontrollers or electronics is assumed for this course. Its for beginners. There will be more advanced courses coming soon. Space is limited to 6 people, but if we receive enough interest then an additional workshop may be held on the Sunday. Registration is open to those age 16+ only.
MiniMakerFaire Toronto
Posted by myrcurial in promoting think|haus on 2013/10/03
We had an absolute blast at MMF-TO!
We handed out approximately 850 laser cut acrylic moustaches for kids and adults alike to colour up and make uniquely their own.
We’ve got some good pictures kicking around, but in the meantime, here’s an awesome video that TVO put together.
Big thanks to Richard for the endless laser cutting, Dave for bringing the cool toys, and Amelia for her 16+ hours teaching little kids to colour moustaches.
MiniMakerFaireToronto 2013!!!!
Posted by myrcurial in Administrivia on 2013/09/11
We’re going to the Toronto Mini Maker Faire — September 21 and 22 at the Wychwood Barns (former TTC streetcar facility)
You could come too if you get a ticket 
Also, there will be moustaches… lots of moustaches.
UPDATE: Added the link where you can buy tickets. derp.
Waterloo Mini-MakerFaire!
You know what we did?
(besides forget to post this)
We went to Waterloo Mini-MakerFaire!
It was a totally awesome experience. The folks from KW who put it all together deserve a huge round of applause for pulling off an event like that.
Our little contribution was the think|haus Moustache – a little laser-cut opportunity for decoration and self-expression.
If you’d like to see more photos, keep reading…
Event: Introduction to Python Programming (5 Sessions)
Date: Weekly — starting Wednesday June 19, 2013 – 7pm
Place: think|haus – see side bar for details
What: Learn how to program in Python!
You need to bring: A notebook computer with Python and a decent text editor installed (see the wiki article for details)
$20/pay-what-you-can per session — 5 sessions total
Register Here
Details: Learn how to program in the Python language! These classes are targeted at those with no knowledge of Python, including those with no knowledge of programming at all. We’ll be covering all the base mechanics of the language, from printing and math through making packages and classes, plus a little on structure and best practices – you can see our full itinerary on the wiki.
Fees will be on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a suggested price of $20 per session ($100 for the full course of five sessions). If that’s too much for you, pay whatever you think is fair. Pay on a per-session basis or all up-front, skip a session if it’s not worth the cost, pay more if you think we’re really helping you, or less if you didn’t get much out of a session. We want to be flexible about it.
If you want to hear more, comment on the schedule, or talk about the content, join the course mailing list.
Event: Sugru Build Night (sponsored by Instructables)
Date: Monday July 1, 2013 – 7pm
Place: think|haus – see side bar for details
What: Come out, fool around with Sugru and see what you can make
You need to bring: yourself!
Open to Members, non-members $5/pay-what-you-can
Details: This will be the second Build Night that we’re hosting – and we’ll be well on our way to Instructables Sponsorship. They’re sending us Sugru, we get to play with it. Bring lots of ideas!
This is the next step in getting full Instructables Sponsorship – which would be kinda awesome for the space – and since there’s a limited number of sponsorships available, I’d like to get in sooner as opposed to later.
Instructables is sponsoring monthly build nights at makerspaces and hackerspaces around the world. Each month is a different theme and we will send you materials to run a workshop at your space. We are partnering with sugru for our July 2013 build night. Sugru is the exciting new self-setting rubber that can be formed by hand. It molds like play-dough, bonds to almost anything and turns into a strong, flexible silicone rubber overnight. Sign up for the July build night and we will ship you several packages of sugru to experiment with. Details below (please read all the information).
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
- Host a Build Night: pick a night in July (any night) to host the sugru build night. At the event experiment and play with sugru.
- Post Five Instructables: post 5 Instructables using Sugru. This can include: making products more ergonomic, simple fixes, or more advanced uses. You have 1 week after your build night to post these projects. Anyone from your space is welcome to post an Instructable that counts towards the 5. (Not posting these Instructables may affect your chances to participate in future build nights).
- Brownie Points (not required): after the build night post a forum topic on Instructables about your event. Include pictures, stories, etc… Here are two examples from the May build night:Noisebridge and Makers Local 256. We may even feature your photo on the homepage.
INSTRUCTABLES SPONSORSHIP
Use the build night as a launch pad to bring your makerspace towards Instructables sponsorship. Individual projects can be included towards the sponsorship AKA get people to post new Instructables to count towards sponsorship.SIGN UP
We have 100 spaces available and it’s first come first serve. Please only sign up if you are able to complete the requirements listed above. You must be associated with a formal makerspace or hackerspace to participate. SIGN UP HERE.RESOURCES
- Sugru.com
- Instructables Sugru Projects
- Instructables App (for documentation during the build night): iOS and Android
Event: 3D Printing Build Night (sponsored by Instructables)
Posted by myrcurial in 3D printing, events on 2013/06/06
Date: Friday June 21, 2013 – 7pm
Place: think|haus – see side bar for details
What: Come out, learn how to do 3D modelling in 123D and Tinkercad – maybe even get a print of your design!
You need to bring: A computer with a recent web browser
Open to Members, non-members $5/pay-what-you-can
Details: So we’ve decided to go ahead and jump on the sponsorship bandwagon again. And hey – you can be part of it! We’re going to spend about an hour working on some learning and then spend some time playing and at the end of it, we’ll have completed the requirements and $150 worth of what we designed will be printed at Shapeways!
This is a first step in getting full Instructables Sponsorship – which would be kinda awesome for the space – and since there’s a limited number of sponsorships available, I’d like to get in sooner as opposed to later.
Instructables is sponsoring monthly build nights at makerspaces and hackerspaces around the world. Each month is a different theme and we will send you materials to run a workshop at your space. In June we are running 3D Printing Build Night with 123D and Tinkercad. Experiment with these free 3D design tools and receive $150 worth of printing credits from Shapeways! Details below (please read all the information).
How to Participate:
- Host a Build Night: pick a night in June (any night) to host the 3D printing build night. At the event play around with 123D, Tinkercad, or both.
- Share your work:
- 3D Models in 123D Gallery: Post all models created at the build night in the 123D Gallery or the Tinkercad gallery. We want to see all experiments with the 123D products and Tinkercad from beginner models to more advanced uses. These must be posted 2 days after the build night. You will receive $150 in 3D printing credits to Shapeways after posting these models.
- 2 New Instructables: post 2 new Instructables from the build night that incorporate your 3D models and/or prints. These can be posted after you receive your printing credits.Sign up for an Instructables account here.
- Instructables Sponsorship: use the build night as a launch pad to bring your makerspace towards Instructables sponsorship. Individual projects can be included towards the sponsorship AKA get people to post new Instructables to count towards sponsorship.
- Brownie Points: After the build night post a forum topic on Instructables about how your event ran. Include pictures, stories, etc… This is an example from the May build night @ Noisebridge.
Sign Up: we are limiting this month to 25 spaces so it’s first come first serve. No more spaces available.
Resources:
Shapeokoed!
Posted by peter.rogers in Administrivia on 2013/05/05
A quick update about a new tool we’ve added to the space. A few months back we bought a Shapeoko CNC milling machine. It’s an entry-level CNC machine, meaning it’s small, cheap and simple to assemble. It’s well-suited to smaller jobs (7×7″ working area) and can handle milling wood, plastic, styrofoam, copper clad boards, etc. It can possibly mill some metals but that’s going to take some experimenting. (check out the wiki page for more details about our setup)
(more after the break!)
