This special Repair Café is only possible thanks to the support of The Climate Action Team, The Community and Culture Department and the Just Transition Team of Offaly County Council.
What can you bring?
We’ll be ready to tackle repairs on a wide range of household items, including:
Clothes and accessories
Toys
Small electrical appliances and electronics
Small furniture
…and more!
Each repair is limited to half an hour. Bring up to a maximum of three items. We will see what we can repair in your time slot. Ticket holders will be given priority.
We’ll even have PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) available to ensure repaired electrical devices are safe to use.
Whether it’s a toaster that won’t pop, a lamp that’s gone dark, or a favourite toy in need of TLC—don’t bin it! Our volunteers will work with you to diagnose and repair your items, all while sharing tips and advice to help you learn new skills.
While you’re waiting, soak in the warm and welcoming atmosphere of Tullamore Library.
Event Details
🛠️ When: Saturday, 11th October 2025⏰ Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
This special Repair Café is only possible thanks to the support of The Climate Action Team, The Community and Culture Department and the Just Transition Team of Offaly County Council.
Together, let’s keep things out of the landfill and build a culture of repair in Tullamore!
When you think of fairgrounds or arcades, you often picture the classic “hammer strength” game – swing a mallet, ring the bell, prove your power. For Dublin Maker this year, I wanted to flip that idea on its head – literally. Instead of smashing something down, players pull upwards against a resistance. That’s how the Reverse Hammer Machine was born.
It’s part carnival attraction, part engineering challenge, and part community experiment in building something a little quirky, a little geeky, and a lot of fun.
The Concept
The idea was simple:
Replace the hammer strike with a pulling action.
Use a Bluetooth-enabled crane scale to measure how much weight someone can pull.
Display the results on a big screen so everyone around can see the outcome.
Rather than brute force through a mallet, the machine measures grip and pull strength. It’s surprising how competitive people get once the numbers are up in lights!
How It Works
The machine looks like a cross between a fairground attraction and a maker project gone wild. Here’s what’s inside:
Bluetooth Crane Scales – these are normally used in warehouses or for weighing heavy loads. I hacked one into the system to register the pull force. Aliexpress special
ESP32 Controller – a small but mighty microcontroller that handles the Bluetooth connection, reads the data, and passes it on.
LED Strip – mounted along the board to give a visual indicator of how much force is being applied. The harder you pull, the higher the light climbs.
Display Screen – the live weight reading is shown on a large monitor, complete with a fun duck mascot illustration for a playful touch.
Players grab the rope, pull upwards, and watch their strength measured in real time. The numbers shoot up on screen while the LED strip glows higher and brighter – instant feedback, instant bragging rights.
The Build
I built the frame tall and sturdy, with enough presence to attract attention across the room. The whiteboard-style front not only holds the LED strip but also doubles as a canvas for signatures and doodles from players.
For more photos of the build, check out our gallery.
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Some key features of the build:
Mechanical setup: The rope feeds through a pulley at the top so players can get a good pulling grip.
Electronics box: A control panel with a button and a microcontroller sits neatly to the side.
Data display: The Bluetooth scale readings are processed by custom code and displayed on the big screen with graphics.
The artwork – a cheerful duck in a top hat – was added to keep things light-hearted and tie in with the playful Dublin Maker spirit.
On Show at Dublin Maker
The Reverse Hammer Machine made its public debut at Dublin Maker, where visitors of all ages lined up to test their pulling power.
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Lessons Learned
As with any maker project, there were a few quirks and challenges along the way:
Bluetooth quirks – the crane scale wasn’t exactly designed to be hacked, so getting stable data required persistence.
User safety – people can pull harder than expected, so making sure the frame was strong enough was a priority.
Showmanship – it’s not just about the electronics, it’s about making it fun and inviting to play and the competition of competing against family and friends.
By the end of the day, the board was covered in names, the LED strip had seen plenty of action, and the duck mascot had overseen countless strength contests.
Why Build It?
The whole point of Dublin Maker is to share creativity, curiosity, and the joy of making. The Reverse Hammer Machine isn’t just about strength – it’s about turning an idea into something physical that makes people smile.
It blends hardware hacking, coding, design, and a touch of carnival silliness into one interactive exhibit. Best of all, it gets people talking, laughing, and competing in the spirit of fun.
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What’s Next?
I’d love to refine the project further:
Add a leaderboard system that stores top scores during the day.
Integrate sound effects for dramatic impact when someone hits a new record.
Maybe even design multiple “difficulty modes” with adjustable resistance.
The great thing about projects like this is they never really finish – there’s always another upgrade waiting to happen.
Bringing It All Together
The Reverse Hammer Machine shows what can happen when you take a familiar idea and twist it. By hacking together a Bluetooth crane scale, some microcontrollers, and a splash of creativity, you end up with something that feels both retro and futuristic.
It’s a reminder that engineering doesn’t have to be serious – sometimes the best projects are the ones that make people grin.
We’re delighted to share some exciting news from the Tog community – our very own Jeffrey Roe has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Repair & Reuse Hero category of the Full Circle Awards 2025! 🎉
The Full Circle Awards celebrate people and projects across Ireland making a real difference in circular living. Jeffrey’s nomination recognises his huge contribution to growing the Repair Café movement here in Ireland, from rolling up his sleeves to fix household items and carry out safety testing, to running hands-on workshops teaching skills like soldering, multimeter use, and wiring plugs.
He’s in great company on the shortlist, alongside other inspiring repair champions including Michelle Power (Wren & Mabel), Luzimar Pereira (Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, Ireland), Noeleen Christie (Serenity Works), Poonam Padmani (Poona Seamstress), and Shannen Healy (GreenGal).
The winners will be announced at the EPA Conference in Dublin on 24th September, and we’ll be cheering him on!
Congrats Jeffrey – and thank you for continuing to inspire us all to repair, reuse, and keep things in circulation. 💚
This year’s IRTS Hamfest, our member Jeffrey cycled down to Mullingar and wrote this post.
Instead of taking the train or car, I decided to cycle the 95 km from Dublin, following the Grand Canal out to Adamstown, cutting across, and then joining the Royal Canal all the way west.
The journey had its challenges, with closed sections, impassable barriers, and detours that stretched a 10 km road section into 17 km. But there were plenty of highlights too. I love a good bundle, so along the way, I decided to take photos for the Wiki Loves Monuments project, trying to make sure everything on the national monument registry has a photo. That had me stopping at landmarks such as Ballyfermot Bridge and the 12th Lock Bridge, and enjoying a lunch break at the Boyne Viaduct, complete with a battery swap on my e-bike. I was even joined from Leixlip by a fellow club member for the journey.
By late afternoon, I arrived in Mullingar and settled into Hamfest.
Activity at Hamfest
Hamfest this year was buzzing with activity, with a wide range of groups and demonstrations:
Collective Communication Radio Club had their trailer-based mobile station on show. It’s a fantastic setup designed to bring amateur radio right into the heart of communities, complete with HF and VHF/UHF capability, antennas, and a neat operating position. I had a great chat with their members about how they deploy it for outreach events.
The Galway Radio Experimenters Club showcased Morse code trainer kits based on ESP32 boards. These little devices allow budding operators to learn and practise CW with built-in keyers, displays, and sounders with modern microcontrollers helping keep the oldest digital mode alive.
The RAYNET Emergency Communications Group gave a live demonstration of AREDN mesh networking (https://www.arednmesh.org), linking radios into a network carrying VoIP, messaging, and data services. Seeing voice calls and file transfers moving seamlessly over amateur microwave links was a great reminder of the role radio can play in resilience.
The EIDX Group had a stand full of stories and photos from their DXpeditions. They’ve activated rare locations around the world, giving thousands of operators new countries in the log. Their passion for bringing remote places onto the bands was inspiring.
My own club, Tog Hackerspace (https://www.tog.ie), had a stand showing packet radio from Ben (EI9IUB). We had good discussions about how the hackerspace community overlaps with amateur radio with experimentation, DIY builds, and curiosity.
For me, a real highlight was sitting down to do some hands-on soldering. I had people drop in to chat while learning how to solder for the first time, and with others who were more experienced, sharing advanced techniques and discussing why we should all be switching to lead-free solder.
Social Side
Hamfest is not only about radios and equipment, but also about community. On Saturday evening, I joined the YOTA Ireland team and their invited guests. We played games late into the night, before moving on to share stories well past midnight. While there was no campfire this year, we improvised with hot water bottles (thanks to Ana!) to keep warm.
On Sunday morning, the car boot sale was a highlight. After rummaging through the tables, I found an adjustable bench power supply for just €15, a proper bargain, and a reminder that Hamfest always has surprises in store.
The Return Journey
After two full days of activity, it was time to cycle home. I had company on the way down for the chats, and an audiobook kept me going on the solo cycle back. The return trip began under grey skies, with a 45-minute rain shower outside Kilcock. After a battery swap at 54 km, the sun reappeared, and I made good progress along the Royal Canal. I arrived back in Dublin about an hour quicker than on the outbound trip, helped by fewer photo stops and no sit-down lunch.
Thanks also to Ben (EI9IUB) & Conor(EI3020) for bringing down the soldering gear and my tent, which allowed me to cycle bag-free. It made the whole adventure a lot more manageable.
This being the first-ever IRTS Hamfest, it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout, a variety of engaging stands, and plenty of opportunities for learning and socialising. It was a fitting start to what I hope will become a regular highlight of the Irish amateur radio calendar. You can see even more photos of the event in our gallery.
One of the projects I’ve been meaning to tackle is a walking cane for my girlfriend, who sometimes needs extra support when moving around. It’s not just another workshop job; it’s important, so I wasn’t about to risk good timber on a first attempt. Before I even acquired a cane stock, I figured it made sense to spend some time wrestling with a tool that was still new to me: the wood lathe.
Since this was my first real spin at it, I started with softwood scraps. Honestly, the results were pretty rough. Tear-out everywhere, edges that looked more chewed than cut. Still, rather than chalk it up as a failure, I treated it as an early lesson. A quick trip for some denser hardwood planks gave me the excuse to keep going, and that’s when things took an unexpected turn.
What started as a test run slid sideways into a completely different project: wizard wands. With the lathe humming, I worked a pair of blanks down until they began to resemble something out of a fantasy film. To push the texture further, I brushed the grain with a wire brush, stripping away the softer fibres so the harder ridges stood proud. It made the timber beg for a good finish.
Painting and sanding became their own experiment. Both wands got a base coat, one solid black, the other black with flashes of red. After the paint set, I sanded them back so only the recessed grain kept its colour. The raised lines popped as raw wood while the grooves glowed darker. One wand ended up stained a deep brown, giving it an old-world look. The other I sealed with clear lacquer, which left the contrast sharper and cleaner.
The finished pieces? Two handmade wands, each carrying its own quirks, the sort of thing a kid (or a nostalgic adult) could wave around and feel a spark of magic. More importantly, they gave me a crash course in shaping, texturing, and finishing on the lathe, without the pressure of messing up the cane wood.
So the cane is still waiting, but now I’ve got a pair of unexpected practice pieces and a much steadier hand at the lathe.
And if you’re curious what others are up to in the workshop, there’s always something brewing, sometimes practical, sometimes just for fun. Keep an eye on the blog, or better yet, swing by on an open night and see for yourself.
We’re packing up our tools (and a few stories) for the EPA Circular Economy Conference 2025 on Wednesday, 24 September, in the Aviva Stadium.
You’ll find us in the exhibition area, flying the flag for Repair Cafés and the workshops we run at Tog. We’ll be chatting about how fixing the things you already own is good for your pocket, good for the planet, and good craic altogether.
And since we’re on the topic, we’ve got not one but two Repair Cafés coming up this October. Keep an eye on the details here: tog.ie/repair
So if you’re at the Aviva, swing by our stand for a natter. We’d love to see you there.
