3D Printer Reprep Code Improvement

220px-RepRap_'Mendel' SmartController

On Saturday 5th of October from 2pm-6pm TOG is holding a 3D Printer Arduino code improvement day.

3D printers are all the rage at the moment. However they are not without their faults and some of the budget, hobbiest models could do with an improvement or two.

The aim of the afternoon will be to improve the Reprap code to add extra features.
The stand alone reprap uses an Arduino based stand controller to print without needing a computer connected.

A second project would be to add bluetooth wireless operation.

The controller being used is:
http://reprap.org/wiki/RUMBA

The display is:

http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller

and the code is:
https://github.com/ErikZalm/Marlin/tags

http://reprap.org/

Whoever works on the project will be given access to a working Reprap with all the hardware for testing the setup. There may be a budget for the time involved if working on the code after the first day. The main plan for the day is to specify what changes need to be made.

No need to book, just show up. Anyone with an interest in 3D printing is welcome. While the event is free we will be asking for donations to cover the hosting costs.

International Space Apps Challenge

On the 21st to 22nd of April, TOG will host the Dublin base for the International Space Apps Challenge.

The International Space Apps Challenge is a two day event that will be taking place all over the world and off world (on the International Space Station). The event is aimed at solving global problems through collaboration both at the local and international level.

There are four main categories of challenges: software, open hardware, citizen science, and data visualisation. You can collaborate on one of the listed challenges or you can propose your own challenge for people to collaborate on.

You can register to take part in the event at http://spaceappschallenge.org/location/tog. TOG will be open for the duration of the event, and if you have any questions, please post a comment.

Note: This a free two day (or overnight) event. Please only register if you can attend both days as the number of places are limited. You can also register if you can only make one day or part of the day.

The plan is to start at 12:00 (noon) on Saturday. We are collecting useful information about our activities here

Unity3D Development Workshop

Unity is a fantastic tool/engine for game development, but what’s not obvious when developing it is the best methods for developing the game code.

Coming from a programming background, Unity can be quiet confusing. The idea of attaching components to objects in order to add functionality is easy to grasp and makes creating small games fast any easy, but what about larger and more complex games?

The Dublin Unity3D Development Workshop is designed to compliment the Dublin Unity3D Development Discussion, which occured in January. Instead of talking about development methods and patterns we’ll be using them to create a game.

 

I’ll be bring assets and (some) scripts, we’ll use them to build a game. Rather than following a set plan we’ll be “winging it” and each person will be encouraged to make theirs unique, trying different things to see what happens. The goal isn’t to create a full game, it is to understand how you might go about doing that.
Some of the things we’ll be covering are:

  • Using design patterns in Unity to structure code:
    • Singleton – For instantiating a single Scene Manager
    • State – For GameStates which encapsulate logic/code for each scene
    • Observer – Having components/classes subscribe to event notices
    • Object Pool – Limiting instantiations of GameObjects to reduce garbage collection (improve performance)
  • Version control

Continue reading “Unity3D Development Workshop”

PHP + MySQL intensive weekend-class

Hey there eager programmers!

Interested in learning a new programming language or in freshening up your rusty skills? Here is your chance! A whole weekend of PHP and MySQL fun is awaiting you.

When is all the coding happening, you ask?

Friday, 2nd of Dec – 7.30pm till 10pm
Saturday, 3rd of Dec – 1pm till 6pm
Sunday, 4th of Dec – 1pm till 6pm

3 days, 10 hours (excl. breaks)

Continue reading “PHP + MySQL intensive weekend-class”

Ubuntu Global Jam!

There’ll be an Ubuntu Global Jam on in TOG on Saturday 3rd September 2011, starting at about 10:00am. The event is open to members & non-members. It’s a chance to learn about how to contribute to ubuntu, both from bug fixes, testing, translations, documentation etc. It’s open to people of all skill levels.

If you were interested in Julie’s recent lightening talk about making your first open source contribution, then could be a practical introduction.

If you want to help work on ubuntu and already know how to do it, then you can come along and meet like minded people!

More info:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuGlobalJam
http://loco.ubuntu.com/events/ubuntu-ie/1211/detail/

Ubuntu Global Jam

TOG will be hosting Ubuntu-ie as they hold a bug jam to coincide with global jam. The Ubuntu Global Jam (UGJ) is a a world-wide online and face-to-face event to get people together and work on

  • Bugs – finding, triaging and fixing bugs.
  • Testing – testing the new release and reporting your feedback.
  • Upgrade – upgrading to Maverick from Lucid and reporting your upgrade experience.
  • Documentation – writing documentation about how to use Ubuntu and how to join the community.
  • Translations – translating Ubuntu and helping to make it available in everyone’s local language.
  • Packaging – work on Ubuntu packages and improve them.

We want to get as many people online and in person fixing bugs, having a great time doing so. This is not only a great opportunity to really help Ubuntu, but to also get together with other Ubuntu enthusiasts and work on things as a group and help one another.

We will be hosting the event on the 28th of August opening at 10am until late.

For more details and to register for the event go to the LoCo Directory.