Category: News

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Second Life For Solar Panels

We were fortunate enough to receive a generous donation of small solar panels from UTS Technologies LTD, thanks to their commitment to embracing the principles of the circular economy. As ardent supporters of reuse, repair, and sustainable practices, we were thrilled to learn that these solar panels, instead of being discarded, were seeking a second life in a community that could truly benefit from them.

Our admiration goes out to UTS Technologies LTD for their forward-thinking approach to seeking out organizations like ours. By repurposing these solar panels, we will embark on numerous exciting projects in the days to come. Their potential is immense, and we are excited to explore the myriad possibilities they offer.

Together, we are forging a path towards a more sustainable future, one that embraces the power of reuse and reinforces the importance of environmental stewardship. Let us continue to inspire others and champion the cause of sustainability through the power of collaboration and innovation.

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Hello from Cornell University

A few weeks ago, we started a new event in the space on Monday evenings. This was to follow the Designing with Microcontroller course, ECE4760, from Cornell University. The course is run by Hunter Adams. We got off to a great start with our first two lectures, with up to 18 people attending and great enthusiasm.

Imagine our surprise and amazement when we were contacted by no less than Hunter himself! Hunter was delighted to know that we were following his course.

It’s incredible that such high-quality material is placed online and is free to use. You can follow the course material yourself at your own time and pace. We decided to run the course as a scheduled event, however, to set a pace and to put a bit of mild pressure on ourselves. We plan to run some jams in the space over the coming weeks and months to allow the participants to work together on the course in-person. Now that we are being watched by the lecturer himself, we better keep going! Keep an eye on our schedule and you are welcome to join us on Monday evenings.

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Cork Carnival of Science

We will be in Cork in June this year \o/.

The Cork Carnival of Science at Fitzgerald Park features non-stop, family-friendly experiments, interactive activities, garden games, street cuisine and a packed line-up of live demonstrations, big top science shows, hands-on workshops and entertainment.

  • Fitzgerald Park, Cork
  • June 10th & 11th – 11 am till 5 pm

We will be showing a range of interactive games and projects that highlights what can be created in a maker space. Find us on Discover Drive.

Our own Jeffrey Roe will be giving a workshop while we are in Cork. Our friends in Benchspace are hosting a Build Your Own Satellite Ground Station workshop. https://benchspacecork.ie/events/satellite_ground_station_9june/

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raSTEM Visit

We welcomed members of the raSTEM project from Croatia. They are on a fact-finding trip to Dublin visiting STEM formal educators and non-formal.

Our own Jeffrey Roe gave them a tour and talk about what we do in Tog.

“raSTEM – Development of STEM in Vukovar”, which is supported by the European Union (European Social Fund/ Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia).
The goal of the raSTEM project is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to popularize STEM through the development of new and innovative STEM content for end users – children, youth and the population in general.

The study visit is to find examples of good practice. The group consists of 20 participants (representatives of project partners: professors, gymnasiums and technical schools from Vukovar, representatives of the University of Osijek, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Information Technologies, City of Vukovar, Vukovar Development Agency And representatives of local CSOs).

Lead partner is of the project is, YPGD MGMD Youth Peace Group Danube, Vukovar (Croatia).
The project is implemented by the partner organizations and institutions: 
1. Vura d.o.o. – Development Agency, Vukovar
2. European House, Vukovar
3. Gymnasium, Vukovar
4. Nikola Tesla Technical Secondary School, Vukovar
5. University of Osijek, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Information Technologies
6. City of Vukovar 

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Learn Digital Systems Design Using Microcontrollers with Raspberry Pi Pico at Tog

Join us at Tog to learn about microcontroller design and implementation using the Raspberry Pi Pico from Cornell University by following their Digital Systems Design Using Microcontrollers. The course is perfect for intermediate coders who want to take their skills to the next level.

https://ece4760.github.io/

During this course, we’ll be watching lecture videos together and discussing the content in person. We’ll be scheduling one lecture every two weeks on Monday evenings, starting with the first four lectures. After that, we’ll discuss as a group if we’re ready to proceed with the next four lectures. With 28 lectures in total, there’s plenty of material to explore and learn from.

At Tog, we provide a welcoming environment for learning and collaborating. Our fully equipped electronics lab has lots of components and test gear, and we’ll have tea, coffee, and snacks available to keep you energized throughout the course.

Please note that this is a 3rd level university course, so it may not be suitable for absolute beginners. However, if you’re interested in learning and willing to put in the effort, this course could be a great opportunity for you to develop your skills.

To participate in the course, you’ll need to bring your own laptop and Raspberry Pi Pico. Donations to Tog are welcome but not required.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email or visit our website for more information. We look forward to seeing you at Tog!

Timetable

Monday 24/04/23 7 pm – Lecture 1: Course Introduction
Monday 08/05/23 7:15 pm – Lecture 2: Hardware/software overview
Monday 22/05/23 7:15 pm – Lecture 3: Timers, timer interrupts, SPI
Monday 19/06/23 7:15 pm – Lecture 4: Direct Digital Synthesis

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St Mary’s Hospital Display Table

Hillary and Gary with the display table

St Mary’s Hospital reached out to us for help a while ago. It’s a multidisciplinary community hospital in the Phoenix Park, that offers stroke rehabilitation to patients of all ages, provides in patients rehabilitation to older population and provides residential care to older persons.

They run a gardening project for residents and were in need of a display table for their plants. They sell plants to visitors and staff to help cover the funding of the garden project. Our member, Gary was happy to jump on board as an avid gardener and maker to make up a display table.