August 12th, 2010 by uptownmaker

This coming Wednesday, @jmstriegel, @johnbaichtal and I will be having a little chat about “The Internet of Things”.

If you have an interest in this (either in making projects, speculating wildly on the future of embedded internet, or just listening to us pontificate), stop by and join in!  We’ll probably be getting started at about the usual meeting time of 7pm.

April 28th, 2010 by uptownmaker

Once again, the Science Museum of Minnesota is hosting Make: Day!

Twin Cities Maker has been invited to submit a plan for an exhibit, so we need to figure out what that plan will be. Below is some info from Nick at TPT, one of the chief organizers of the event:

Space is limited, but we can be flexible with how projects are exhibited. Here are a few things to consider:
- You would have at least one 8×3 table to exhibit and there will be a stage for presentations in the large atrium, if needed.
- We can also exhibit OUTDOORS, so take that into account as you plan!
- There is open classroom space available for hands-on activities.

We’ll be discussing options at tonight’s meeting, and next week’s meeting, but the submission deadline is May 7, so we need to get something together soon!

April 23rd, 2010 by uptownmaker

I’ve decided to start a monthly electronics day, on every third Saturday afternoon (well, all day, if you want, but I’m only going to be there in the afternoon).

What does this entail? Several things:
1. One class a month, guaranteed. In May, it’s going to be Soldering 101 (one of the most roundly requested classes), where you’ll get a chance to watch a real pro at work (as soon as I find one) and build a kit to take home. We’ll have scrap boards that you can practice on with no fear of damage and no pressure. I’ll set up an EventBrite page ASAP; expect the class to run about two hours and cost $30, which includes scrap for practice, but not the cost of the kit. Bring your own iron and solder; I’ll make some recommendations about what to buy.
2. Ask-an-EE sessions: along the lines of Lady Ada’s popular “Ask an engineer” chat, I’ll give all comers a chance to ask me anything they want about the art and science of electrical engineering.
3. Swap-o-tron: I’ll bring stuff that I’m perfectly happy to part with, gratis, and I ask anyone who has similar stuff to do the same. Take what you need, but please use what you take, or bring it back and re-release it the next month.

I’m expecting to start the Ask-an-EE about 2pm, the class about 4pm, with another Q&A after the class.  I’ll set up my goodies in the workshop.

The date for the first one is May 15.

March 31st, 2010 by uptownmaker

The drawing will be tonight, at 8pm CDT.  It will be streamed over Ustream.  View the channel using he address http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hackfactory. A notice will be posted on the TCMaker twitter account when the channel is open.

EDIT:  The winning ticket number is 364!  Note that we started our ticket numbering at 100, instead of 0, to make a dice roll easier to interpret (4-sided dice are numbered 1-4, not 0-3.  It’s almost like they weren’t designed by someone who starts counting at 0!).  We ended up using random.org to generate a truly random number.

Thanks to all the participants, and congratulations to our winner!

March 27th, 2010 by uptownmaker

I’ll be offering an introductory electronics class on 17 April at the Hack Factory.

This will be a basic class, covering amps, volts, ohms, watts, and the relationship among them.  Also covered (briefly) will be batteries and switches, and then we’ll get into some exercises intended to demonstrate concepts and get you familiar with using a multimeter.

Please register at least four days in advance of the class with Eventbrite. I will need to know how many people plan to attend in advance so I can plan for how many parts kits to assemble.  The parts kit will contain all the bits and pieces needed for this class, as well as a breadboard and multimeter, some wire, and a wire stripper.  It will also include some parts useful for other projects and parts that may will be helpful in other upcoming classes I plan to teach.

March 24th, 2010 by uptownmaker

Due to what can only be termed overwhelming demand, we are closing the ticket sales for the MakerBot drawing.

Unfortunately, logistics are precluding us from arranging payment with all of you wonderful folks who have e-mailed or otherwise offered to buy tickets via non-PayPal methods.  We actually went a bit beyond the originally planned 300 tickets (~340), but shipping is going to be fairly pricey, and we plan to buy some plastic for both our machine and the winner’s machine to jumpstart the process.

Look for an e-mail in the upcoming days verifying the number of tickets we have you down for.  The drawing will be next Wednesday night at the Hack Factory- as is our standard practice we’ll have a Ustream feed set up for it so the whole world can watch.

Thanks to all who participated- this has been an outstanding experience for us and a wonderful reflection of the support the Maker community has for its own.  If you have any questions or concerns,  please send us e-mail at twincitiesmaker at gmail.

March 24th, 2010 by uptownmaker

Per PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy, we can’t sell raffle tickets through their service.

Please cease using PayPal as a payment method for raffle tickets; PayPal can, of course, still be used for paying your monthly dues or making regular donations to TCMaker.

We’ll be selling tickets at tonight’s meeting; people out of town can e-mail us at twincitiesmaker[-at-]gmail.com and we’ll figure out a way to facilitate a distant payment for your tickets.

March 23rd, 2010 by uptownmaker

EDIT:  The drawing will be tonight, at 8pm CDT.  It will be streamed over Ustream- watch this space and the TCMaker twitter account for an address.

EDIT:  Ticket sales are now closed.  If you bought a ticket but haven’t received an e-mail informing you of your numbers for the drawing, or of a refund of your money, e-mail us and let us know.

The drawing will be Wednesday night, March 31, and will be streamed live over Ustream.  Watch this space for more information.

Shamelessly stealing Borrowing a good idea from our colleagues at AS220, Twin Cities Maker is putting up a raffle to fund the acquisition of a MakerBot.

Rules are simple: $5 a “ticket” (tickets are actually virtual- you’ll get entered into a spreadsheet and we’ll randomize a selection), 300 tickets are available, no limit (if you want to buy all 300, be our guest!).  Need not be present to win, nor a member of TCMaker (and membership is, of course, not going to improve your chances of winning).  We obviously can’t guarantee the delivery schedule (currently, they are on backorder until batch 14 is ready in mid-May; they are accepting pre-orders, but unless we sell out of tickets in record time, we will probably miss the pre-order bus, too).  Winner will be expected to pick up the prize from the Hack Factory- if you are outside of the metro area, we’ll drop ship it to you from the MakerBot mothership.

Buy your tickets via the usual Hack Factory payment methods: PayPal, or in person at one of our meetings with cash or check.  If you use PayPal, please make sure that you clearly state in the message that the money is for the raffle.  We’ll e-mail you back with a range of ticket numbers. Please do NOT use PayPal, as that would violate PP’s Acceptable Use Policy.

EDIT (3-24-2010  17:50 CDT): We’ll be selling tickets at tonight’s meeting; people out of town can e-mail us at twincitiesmaker[-at-]gmail.com and we’ll figure out a way to facilitate a distant payment for your tickets.

EDIT:  To be clear, the winner of the raffle gets a MakerBot.  This is a “one for you, one for me” thing- we’re selling enough tickets to fund the purchase of TWO MakerBots, and one goes in the Hack Factory.

March 18th, 2010 by uptownmaker

It’s been mentioned in the semi-weekly update, and here’s the skinny:

This coming Friday, March 26, the Hack Factory will be hosting a HACKQuarium.  What is a HACKQuarium?  It’s an event (FREE to members; TCMaker respectfully suggests a $5 donation for non-members) where you get to play around with sugru, a fun new material designed specifically for the DIY/hacker/maker community!

Sugru is a hand-moldable material that can be used to repair or improve existing items.  Check out their website for examples of things people have done with it. Start thinking about what YOU want to do with it- bring your stuff to fix, hack, or trick out.  Prizes will be awarded to the best uses!

We do ask that if you plan to come, you register in advance so we know how many people to expect.  As with most TCMaker events, BYO snacks or beverages, or we’ll have some non-alcoholic beverages on hand for purchase.

January 31st, 2010 by uptownmaker

Meet Jazari, a band of funky robots who could have come straight out of a Jules Verne novel. Patrick Flanagan, a Minneapolis local, has kept these machines under wraps until now, showing them only to a lucky few. This evening he will introduce his robot groove ensemble to the world. These steamfunk automatons will make you shake it to a new kind of home grown groove.

This also marks the birth of Smart. — a mix of parties where it’s hot to be Smart and where people who build crazy beautiful things rule the roost.

Smart. will be at CodeSpace- a workspace on Harriet Ave in South Minneapolis. Note that at least some of this event overlaps the standard Wednesday meeting- if you want to get your key or pay your dues, it might be smart to come to the Hack Factory pretty close to 7pm…

To RSVP for Smart. check their EventBrite page.