Category: News

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From Vienna to FAB25: A Maker’s Journey Continues

Here’s a travel diary from one of our members, Jeffrey, who recently attended FAB25, a global gathering of fab labs and makers held this year in Brno and Prague. He shares highlights from workshops, talks, late-night chats, and even a few vegan cakes.

After wrapping up the multimeter workshop at Metalab in Vienna, I continued my summer travels by heading to FAB25 in Prague, the annual gathering of fab labs and makers from around the world. This year’s theme? Bridge the Gap. And what better way to bridge communities than by bringing a bit of Ireland to the Czech Republic?

Day 1 – Brno

The conference this year was split between two cities: Brno and Prague. To kick things off, I jumped on a ~2-hour bus from Vienna over to Brno. After an uneven journey and a quick check-in, I was meeting people right away.

I caught up with Andreas Kopp and Charles Eck from the Erfindergarden Foundation based in Munich. We talked about all things repair and what we should cover in our upcoming working group session together.

The conference kicked off with a great opening, especially a talk from Scotty Allen on storytelling and making. There were also some interesting sounds and beats from Noisy Pots, a Czech duo who put on a great show to get things started.

Day 2 – Brno

The day kicked off in the beautiful Janáček Theatre with talks about the future of the Fab Foundation. In the afternoon, I joined the first of a three-part workshop by the Vulca Network (of which I’m a member), titled Define Your Erasmus+ Strategy.

The session explored how fab labs and makerspaces can access Erasmus+ funding and collaborate internationally. It was practical, clear, and very encouraging, demystifying a system that often feels daunting.

Later that day, I helped run the session How Repair Cafés Can Save the World alongside Andreas Kopp and Rafael Calado from Repair Café Lisboa. We explored how to start, sustain, and connect Repair Cafés across regions and the role they play in circularity, empowerment, and community resilience.

The evening ended with the Conquer the Castle Party, complete with traditional Czech music, brilliant views of the city, and lots of maker chat.

Continue reading “From Vienna to FAB25: A Maker’s Journey Continues”
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Returning to Vienna – A Workshop at Metalab

Here’s a post from one of our members, Jeffrey, about his recent trip to Vienna and a visit to a fellow hackerspace.

It’s not every day you get to revisit a place that helped shape your own hackerspace journey. Earlier this month, Jeffrey made a stopover in Vienna on his way to FAB25.cz, and while he was there, he paid a long-overdue visit to Metalab, Vienna’s oldest hackerspace.

His last time in the city was way back in 2010, for a line-following robot competition. Jeffrey and fellow Tog member Robert Fitzsimons built a painfully slow but determined robot. Of the robots that actually finished the course, they came in last, but technically not last overall, since a few didn’t finish at all. A win’s a win! Old Photos.

That trip also included a visit to Metalab, which left a lasting impression. Its open layout and strong community vibe were a big influence on how we later designed Tog 2.

This time around, Jeffrey got the chance to give back by running a multimeter workshop. There was a great turnout, with participants learning how to properly use a multimeter to measure voltage, current, and resistance. It was a fun and hands-on evening full of questions, demos, and the kind of tinkering we love to see.

After the workshop, Jeffrey got a tour of the space from Hetti, a longtime Metalab member. From the workshop room humming away to the welcoming lounge area full of creativity, it’s clear Metalab continues to thrive.

And making the visit even more special, Meg, one of Tog’s founders, who now lives in Vienna, gave Jeffrey a tour of the city and the best swimming spot to get away from the heat.

📸 Check out the photo album from the workshop and Metalab tour.

Big thanks to the crew at Metalab for the warm welcome and to everyone who joined the workshop. If you’re ever in Vienna, be sure to drop by. It’s a space full of great people and maker magic.

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The Rocking Chair that Came Back to Life at Laois Repair Café

Over the weekend, we hit the road and went to Laois, and what a weekend it was! We managed to fix over 45 items, ranging from toasters to clothes to a whole host of quirky gadgets. People came in with broken stuff, and by the end of the event, many of them were walking out with their favourite items fixed and ready for another lease of life.

But the real heartwarming story of the weekend? It has to be Pauline’s rocking chair, which got a fresh lease of life thanks to our very own Shane Phelan. Now, this wasn’t just any chair; it had history.

Pauline shared a bit about it: “Thanks a million! Chair is fantastic work—my husband is currently sat on it watching a match! It was purchased for my dad (by my mother—they married in 1973) in 1968 for his 21st birthday in June 1968, in Roches Store, Patrick St. Cork! I got it recovered, sanded, varnished, and refurbished (!!🤡) in 2021 but it wasn’t right. Today my husband said he feels more secure in it, so thank you Shane!!”

The rocking chair had been through a lot, but with a little TLC and a touch of Shane’s magic, it’s now back in action and more solid than ever.

The Laois Repair Café was filled with similar stories. There were people bringing in everything from old radios and lamps to stuffed toys and even kitchen appliances, all with one goal: to keep it out of the landfill, and give it another chance. And that’s exactly what we did.

As always, it wasn’t just about repairs. The event was a great chance for people to learn a few tricks, share some stories, and connect with their community. The event was hosted by The CUBE – Low Carbon Centre of Excellence in their lovely building.

These special Repair Café events were only possible with the support of Laois County Council, in collaboration with the Eastern-Midlands Waste Region, and with the generous backing of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

Massive thanks to everyone who came along, and to the volunteers who made it all happen. Check out some of the photos from the weekend in our gallery, and we can’t wait to do it all again soon!

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Tog Hackerspace Receives Support from the Local Enhancement Programme 2025

We are excited to announce that we have received support through the Local Enhancement Programme 2025, an initiative from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. This grant will play a key role in enhancing our facilities and ensuring the continued success of our community-driven projects.

The Local Enhancement Programme 2025 is designed to assist community organisations, particularly those serving disadvantaged areas, by providing funding for capital improvements and operational costs. For Tog, this means we will be able to improve our infrastructure, expand our offerings, and continue providing a space for innovation, creativity, and hands-on learning. The grant will help ensure that Tog can continue to serve as a collaborative hub for individuals to explore and develop their skills in technology and problem-solving.

With this support, we can offer even more opportunities for our members and visitors to engage in a wide range of workshops and activities, from electronics and 3D printing to IoT and programming. It’s an exciting time for the hackerspace, and we look forward to welcoming more people into our vibrant community.

We encourage everyone to visit Tog Hackerspace during our open nights! Whether you’re a maker, tech enthusiast, or just curious, there’s always something new to discover. Come see what we’re working on and find out how you can get involved in shaping the future of innovation and creativity in our community.

For more information about the Local Enhancement Programme and to see the full list of other projects supported, check out the press release.

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Edinburgh and the Open Hardware Summit 2025

A blog post by our member, Jeffrey Roe, on his trip to Edinburgh.

At the end of May, I headed off to Edinburgh for a long weekend full of hardware hacking, radio waves, refurbished tech, and just a little too much cake. The trip centred around the Open Hardware Summit 2025, which took place on the 30th and 31st of May in The Nucleus Building at The University of Edinburgh.

The last time I attended an Open Hardware Summit was way back in Maker Faire New York 2012, so it was a real treat to be back at such a key event in the open hardware calendar. The talks this year were fantastic, touching on everything from accessible design to space exploration.

One of the nice surprises of the summit was getting to meet up with others from Dublin who were also attending. I had a great chat with the team behind EIRSAT-1, Ireland’s first satellite, who were showcasing their testing equipment. It’s always refreshing to run into familiar faces and see Irish projects represented at international events, and we even had dinner together.

Saturday: Workshop Day

Saturday was all about rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck into workshops. I signed up for three sessions and left each one with a new creation in hand.

  • Opencyclone – A Vacuum You Can Build Yourself
    This workshop involved assembling a fully working vacuum cleaner using open source plans and a bit of elbow grease. Loud? Yes. Satisfying? Absolutely. More details on the project here: Opencyclone Project
  • Shortwave Collective – Open Wave Receiver
    A beautiful, social workshop where we built a basic but effective radio receiver that can tune into the shortwave bands. There’s something magical about hearing signals bounce around the world using only passive components and a wire for an antenna.
  • Ribbit Network – CO₂ Sensor Workshop
    Frogs and sensors—what’s not to love? This community science project helps build a distributed network of open hardware CO₂ sensors. I now have my own Ribbit sensor ready to go!

The evening ended with the Open Source Open Mic, where makers shared stories, sang songs, and showcased their creative projects in a welcoming atmosphere. It was a lovely way to wind down after a busy day of building.

Sunday: Art, Nature & Hacking Spaces

On Sunday, I took some time to explore more of what Edinburgh had to offer beyond the summit. I started the morning with a peaceful stroll through the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, soaking up some greenery and grabbing a moment to reflect after two busy days of hardware excitement.

I made a return visit to Summerhall (Last visited in 2017 for Maker Faire), this time exploring more of its galleries and installations. It’s an inspiring venue for both art and tech events, with a real sense of creative energy running through its halls.

Later, I visited Edinburgh Hackspace, a highlight of the day. Tucked away but buzzing with activity, the space was full of tools, interesting projects, and most importantly, very welcoming people. We chatted about how their space operates, community challenges, and shared experiences around running public workshops and events. It reminded me a lot of Tog, and I left with a few ideas we might borrow!

Monday: From Cake to Circular Tech

After all the indulgences of the weekend (I’ll link to my full vegan cake round-up below!), I kicked off Monday with a workout at a local health club before taking a short walk to the Scottish Parliament and Palace of Holyroodhouse for a tour.

That afternoon, I headed out to Leith to visit the Edinburgh Remakery. The team there were incredibly generous with their time. We talked about their work in tech refurbishment, sustainability education, and their Repair Café events. There are a lot of parallels between their mission and the work we do at Tog, especially around community-led repair and reuse. It’s always great to meet people tackling e-waste in practical, inclusive ways.

Wrapping Up

All in all, it was a brilliant weekend packed with tech, community, creativity, and inspiration. Edinburgh has a lot to offer, both for hackers and visitors alike. If you’re curious about the non-maker side of the trip, including my deep dive into Edinburgh’s vegan cafés and cake scene, check out my Mastodon account.

More photos

https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/2025-open-hardware-summit

https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/edinburgh-hackspace-2025

https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/edinburgh-remakery-2025

Until next time, OHS!