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A Christmas Miracle Repair, Bringing a 1970s Tape Recorder Back to Life

We got a message in the run-up to Christmas with a simple ask. Could we pull off a last-minute repair of a vintage tape recorder and save the day?

When the request came from our long-time friend Claire Downey, the person who first introduced us to Repair Cafés over ten years ago, we knew we had to give it a proper go.

The patient from a charity shop on the bench was an ITT Schaub-Lorenz SL54 Automatic, a Taiwanese-made radio cassette recorder from the mid 1970s, roughly 1974 to 1976. A proper bit of kit, and the kind of thing you do not want to see quietly written off and binned because “sure it’s old”.

Ambrose stepped up to take on the challenge.

If you have ever opened up something like this, the first suspect is nearly always the belts. Those rubber belts drive the moving parts, and after decades they tend to stretch, go shiny, or crumble into sticky bits. You open the case expecting the usual mess, then you cross your fingers that you have a belt in the right size somewhere in the spares box.

This time we got a surprise.

Instead of a belt that had perished with age, we found… a hair bobbin.

Somebody, at some point, had tried to get it going again using whatever they had to hand. Fair play for the creativity, but a hair bobbin is not going to keep the timing and tension right, so the tape speed was off and the audio came out warped.

The good news is we did have the right belt to hand. A straightforward swap, and while we had it open, it turned into a lovely teaching moment. That is a big part of what we do at TOG. It is not only about fixing the thing; it is about sharing repair skills and helping the owner understand what is going on inside their device.

Half an hour later, with the belt fitted and everything buttoned back up, it was time for the real test.

Out came a vintage Beatles mixtape. We hit play. Clean sound through the little speaker. Job done.

Another repair complete, another device saved from landfill, and Christmas officially rescued.

If something breaks over the Christmas stretch, or you unwrap a “project” by accident, do not panic. Bring it along to our next Repair Café on Sunday, 18 January 2026.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/repair-cafe-tickets-1977495649721?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Tog’s Christmas Decorations, Upcycled And Laser Cut

Over the last month in Tog Hackerspace, we’ve been in full festive production mode. Between design chats, test cuts, cutting sessions, and the inevitable packing table chaos, we’ve put together around 80 Christmas decorations and cards, and got them into the post as a small thank you to friends and supporters of the space.

A big thanks to Ambrose for this year’s design. It looks great, it cuts beautifully, and it gave us the perfect excuse to properly put our new laser cutter through its paces. Huge credit as well to Jeffrey for putting in serious hours on the cutting and keeping the run moving.

First big run on the new laser cutter

This was the first proper big production run on our new VEVOR 100W CO2 Laser Engraver, and it has worked brilliantly. Clean cuts, consistent results, and a far smoother process than you might expect for a first large batch. For a community workshop tool, reliability matters, and this one has already earned its keep.

Upcycled acrylic, from old shelves to Christmas decorations

One of our favourite parts of this year’s batch is the material story. The acrylic we used is upcycled. It came from a donation of bookshelves that had lived in the space for years. They did their job, but we don’t have a use for them anymore, so instead of sending the material off to waste, we turned it into something small, useful, and festive.

We also took a hint from the internet along the way. After listening to feedback, we’ve been filling up the sheets of material with more little extras to reduce waste. Of course, it’s ducks 🦆

A proper team effort

This run was a whole team effort across the month. From early design chats, to setup and test cuts, to sorting, packing, and getting everything ready for the post, loads of people chipped in. If you helped at any point, thank you. These batches only happen because the community shows up.

Photo gallery

Link: https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/christmas-baubles-2025

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Irish Techie Table Quiz 2025

🎄 It’s beginning to look a lot like… quizmas!

We’re delighted to be joining in with the wider tech community for the Irish Techie Table Quiz. Being organised by long-time champions Declan McGrath, Michael Twomey and Vicky Twomey-Lee (Irish Geeks).

​Even better, this event will be in aid of the Dublin Simon Community, with all proceeds going directly to those who need it this winter season.

​What began as a grassroots gathering has become a festive favourite bringing together developers, designers, founders, and enthusiasts for an evening of light-hearted trivia, friendly rivalry, and charitable giving. We’re excited to keep the tradition thriving by joining us as Dogpatch Labs open up their Urban Garden for a special Christmas edition.

​Dust off your cheesiest Christmas jumper, gather your sharpest teammates, and get ready for a fun, festive night of community and connection.

🎁 Event Details

  • ​📅 Date: 16 December 2025
  • 📍 Location: Urban Garden, Dogpatch Labs, CHQ Building, Dublin
  • 💶 Cost: Free — voluntary charity donations encouraged via our gofundme page
  • 🔗 More info and registration: https://luma.com/puz1brmc
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New “TogWeb” HF Antenna for EI0TOG

We have a shiny new addition to our amateur radio setup at Tog Hackerspace.

A huge thanks to Niall Donohue EI6HIB, from our friends in South Dublin Radio Club, for the generous donation of a cobweb antenna. In true Tog fashion, it has already been renamed the “TogWeb”.

Over the next few weeks we will be installing the TogWeb at the space and getting it tuned up for our HF station. The cobweb design gives us multi-band HF coverage in a compact footprint, which suits our city location nicely.

Once it is up in the air, it will:

  • Improve our HF receive and transmit performance
  • Give us more reliable contacts across Europe and beyond
  • Make it easier to demo HF to visitors during open nights and events

If you are interested in amateur radio, HF operation, or you are curious what all the wires and boxes are about, drop by the space on one of our open evenings. We are always happy to show people the station and talk radio.

We hope to log many more QSOs under our club callsign EI0TOG using the TogWeb. With a bit of luck, you might even end up in the log yourself.

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Last TouchDesigner Ireland Meetup in 2025

Join us for the third in our series of monthly meetups for anyone interested in TouchDesigner, from complete beginners to experienced creators. Whether you’d like to learn the basics, share your projects, or connect with others using the software, this meetup offers a welcoming and supportive space to do so.

Each session runs for around two hours in a relaxed, hands-on setting. With multiple rooms available at Tóg Hackerspace, we can host beginner and advanced activities simultaneously, ensuring everyone gets the most out of the evening.

Expect an informal, community-driven environment where the format adapts to participants. You’re welcome to bring a laptop to follow along, showcase your work, or simply join the discussion. The event is a great opportunity to meet other creative technologists and artists, and to continue building the growing TouchDesigner community in Ireland.

Join us on our Discord to share ideas for future sessions or to express interest in presenting your work: https://discord.gg/6s3WMdH2

https://www.tog.ie

The meetups are hosted each month by a group of artists and creative technologists:

Ciaran Eaton
Ciaran Eaton is a Creative Technologist and Educator based in Dublin. With a background in audio and visual arts production, Ciaran integrates visual programming environments such as TouchDesigner with open-source software and aims to foster an active community around creative workflows.
Website

Serdar Buhan
Serdar is a software engineer based in Dublin with a curiosity for creative technology and building interactive experiences. In his spare time, he explores tools such as TouchDesigner, Processing, Blender, AR, photogrammetry, pen plotters, and generative AI.
Instagram

Cailean Finn
Cailean Finn is an Irish media artist, researcher, and creative technologist from Waterford, Ireland. His practice investigates the idiosyncratic nature of human–machine relationships, drawing from computational histories and engaging with technologies and practices such as creative coding, artificial intelligence/life, game development, and physical computing.
Website

Pauric Freeman
Pauric Freeman is a multidisciplinary artist based in Dublin, working across audiovisual performance, sound, and installation. His practice explores translation, using data collected from live instruments as the basis for real-time audiovisual compositions.
Website
Instagram

Louise Nolan
Louise Nolan is a multidisciplinary artist and designer working in glass, print and digital media. Her work is transmedia integrating digital techniques with physical installations to create an interactive multi-sensory experience for the viewer. She is a visiting lecturer at NCAD and TU Dublin in physical computing, creative coding and emerging media practice.
LinkedIn
Instagram

Gwen Stevenson
Gwen Stevenson is a multidisciplinary artist exploring memory, loss, and resilience through interactive installation, experimental film, and durational performance. She uses digital technologies, motion capture, and generative systems to create immersive experiences reflecting ecological fragility and transformation. Collaboration with communities, artists, and organisations is central to her practice. Gwen is preparing for artist residencies in 2026 at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, School of Experimental Arts, Beijing, and Art Arcadia, Derry.
Instagram
Website

Let us know if you can make it on our Meetup page here:
https://www.meetup.com/tog-dublin-hackerspace/events/312369261/?slug=tog-dublin-hackerspace&eventId=312369261

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Repair Café At Leixlip Library

Bring broken bits from home to Leixlip Library for a morning of repair, chat and climate action with volunteers from TOG Hackerspace.

On Saturday, 13 December 2025, from 10.00 to 13.00, Leixlip Library will host a Repair Café in partnership with TOG Hackerspace and the Kildare County Council Climate Action Office. Skilled volunteers will help you give worn and broken items another shot at life, instead of sending them to the landfill.

Multiple 30-minute slots run through the morning. Booking is through Leixlip Library, so contact the library desk or check the library website for full details.

What you can bring

• Clothes and accessories
• Toys
• Small electrical appliances and electronics
• Small furniture

If you are unsure about an item, bring it along on the day. Volunteers will take a look and see if a repair is possible. Safety testing (PAT) for electrical devices will be in place.

What happens at a Repair Café

You arrive with an item, sign in, then wait for a fixer to free up. A volunteer sits down with you, opens things up, and talks through options. You get to see how the repair works, ask questions, and pick up a few skills for next time.

The aim is not a drop-off service. It is a shared repair session where everyone learns something, has a chat, and heads home with more confidence and, hopefully, a working item.

Why take part

Repair Cafés support a circular economy in a simple, local way. Every item repaired keeps resources in use for longer, cuts waste, and saves money. Events like this also build up local skills and give people a chance to share knowledge across the community.

Where and when

Date: Saturday 13 December 2025
Time: 10.00 to 13.00
Venue: Leixlip Library, Captains Hill, Leixlip, Co Kildare
Cost: Free, booking required for a 30-minute slot

If you would like to help out as a fixer on the day, drop us an email at TOG and we will be in touch.

This event runs in partnership with Leixlip Library, TOG Hackerspace and the Kildare County Council Climate Action Office as part of local climate action work in Kildare.

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