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📻 Radio Day at TOG Hackerspace – Saturday, June 14th

We’re excited to announce a special event at TOG Hackerspace: a full day dedicated to radio, electronics, and signal experimentation, celebrating our recent membership with the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS).

Whether you’re a maker curious about what amateur radio is, a licensed operator interested in digital modes and SDR, or just love to learn how signals fly through the air, Radio Day at TOG has something for you.

This is a unique day to connect the local radio and tech communities, explore the fascinating world of wireless communication, and get hands-on with tools and concepts that are often invisible, yet all around us.

🗓 Date: Saturday, 14th June 2025
📍 Location: TOG Hackerspace, Unit 1B Motor City, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, D12 CF6V
🎟️ Tickets: Free, but registration required – Reserve your free ticket here
🍕 Bonus: From 7 pm, join us for TOG’s famous monthly open social night — meet the community over chats, demos, and pizza!

📅 Event Schedule

🔧 11:00–12:30 — Multimeter Masterclass

Instructor: Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB
Want to confidently measure voltage, resistance, and current? This class will give you hands-on training in using a multimeter properly. You’ll leave knowing how to troubleshoot circuits and understand key electronic measurements.

💶 Fee: €25
🎟️ Booking required – Book here
Note: This is the only paid session of the day. All talks and demos afterward are free with a general ticket.

📡 13:00 — What Is Amateur Radio? A Beginner-Friendly Introduction to the Radio Hobby

Speaker: Adrian Connor EI9HAB

Ever wondered what amateur radio is all about? Adrian will walk us through this rich and varied hobby, from chatting across the globe with handheld radios to decoding digital signals and building antennas in your garden.

This talk highlights:

  • Voice, Morse code, and digital modes
  • Fun, license-free projects (like listening to satellites or airband)
  • How to get started in Ireland, including the path to licensing
  • The creativity, experimentation, and global community that makes amateur radio unique

To wrap up, Adrian will demonstrate a portable station setup, and if conditions allow, attempt a live radio contact!

🛠️ 14:00 — Packet Radio for a New Generation: Reimagined

Speaker: Ben Field EI9IUB

Once the backbone of digital amateur communication, packet radio is getting a fresh look. This talk explores the current state of packet radio, its potential in a modern context, and the ambitious goals for building a new Irish packet radio network.

We’ll look at:

  • What packet radio is and why it still matters
  • Emerging uses with low-power devices, mesh networking, and APRS
  • Ideas and inspiration from international efforts
  • How you can get involved in shaping a next-gen Irish system

Whether you’re into digital comms, infrastructure, or retro-tech with a modern twist—this one’s for you.

📊 15:00 — Hands-On With Filters

Speaker: Gary Cooke

This live, practical session dives into one of radio’s core building blocks—filters. Using function generators and oscilloscopes, Gary will demonstrate:

  • Band-pass, low-pass, and high-pass filters in action
  • How frequency and signal type affect filter behaviour
  • Applications in real radio systems—reducing interference, improving clarity, and isolating desired signals

This is ideal for anyone into RF design, SDR, or improving their shack’s performance. Come see waveforms in motion and leave with real-world insights.

This will be a drop-in in hands-on session and a chance to also get a cup of tea and have a chat.

🛰️ 16:00 — Talking to Space: Connecting Students with the International Space Station

Speaker: Daniel Cussen EI9FHB

How do students get to ask astronauts questions live from Earth? Through ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station)—a program that brings space communication to schools around the globe.

Dan shares the behind-the-scenes experience of helping set up an ARISS contact event:

  • Tracking the ISS as it races overhead at 28,000 km/h
  • The antennas, radios, and audio/video gear involved
  • Challenges in receiving video and audio from space
  • The human impact of seeing kids speak live to astronauts

An inspiring talk for fans of space, education, and the power of amateur radio to bridge worlds—literally.

🏠 17:00 — A Homebrew Amateur Radio Setup

Speaker: Tony Breathnach EI5EM

Tony takes us on a tour of his personal amateur radio station, built with DIY and budget-friendly gear. He’ll explain how he put together antennas, tuned radios, and tackled interference challenges—all from a home setting.

This talk is perfect for those looking to start their own station, especially with limited space or funds. Come see how creativity and perseverance can bring the airwaves to life.

📶 18:00 — Drones For Sensing and Communications in Emergency Applications

Speaker: Dr. Boris Galkin EI6HDB

Tyndall National Institute and the CONNECT Centre are involved in a number of projects with the Department of Defence and Civil Defence to explore ways to support emergency personnel using emerging technologies. Drones have shown themselves to be a powerful tool in a variety of applications in this talk, I will describe how radio communication equipment mounted on drones can be a gamechanger in the field.

🌐 Bonus Demos (during the day)

We’ll also have demos, tours and plenty of tea and coffee throughout the day.

🍕 From 19:00 — TOG’s Open Social Night

Once the talks end, the fun continues with our legendary Open Social Night. Meet the TOG community, hang out with radio operators and makers, and enjoy an evening of conversation, demos, and pizza. Everyone welcome!

🎟️ Tickets

This event is free, but registration is required so we can plan seating and space.

👉 Reserve your free ticket here

(Separate booking is required for the multimeter class – link above.)

👋 Get Involved

Want to demo something, share your gear, or help out on the day? We’d love to hear from you. Email info@tog.ie or come along to one of our open nights before the event.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on June 14th for a day of radio waves, learning, community, and fun.

We would like to thank the members of the North Dublin Radio club and the South Dublin Radio club for their help and encouragement in putting on this event.

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Mastering the Multimeter: A Beginner’s Guide

Join us for a practical, hands-on workshop at Tog Hackerspace where you’ll learn everything you need to know about using a multimeter! Whether you’re a beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, this session will cover the essential functions of a multimeter, from measuring voltage to testing resistors, capacitors, and diodes.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Understand the symbols and functions on a multimeter.
  • Safely measure DC voltage.
  • Test resistance and continuity.
  • Compare different multimeter models to help you choose the right one.

This beginner-friendly workshop will give you the confidence to troubleshoot electronics and work with electrical devices safely. Multimeters will be provided, but feel free to bring your own if you’d like to get familiar with them.

Who Should Attend:

  • Anyone interested in electronics, DIY repairs, or home projects.
  • Beginners looking to learn how to safely use a multimeter.
  • Makers, tinkerers, and hobbyists working on electronics.

Workshop Details:

  • Duration: 1.5 hours
  • Cost: €25 Plus Booking Fee
  • What to Bring: Just yourself! If you have a multimeter, feel free to bring it along.

Saturday, June 14 · 11am – 12:30 pm

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/mastering-the-multimeter-a-beginners-guide-tickets-1391260390279?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Tog Hackerspace Featured on the All Things TechIE Podcast

We’re excited to share that Tog Hackerspace was recently featured on Episode 115 of the All Things TechIE Podcast! In this jam-packed episode, the conversation dives into what makes Tog a unique community space in the heart of Dublin and highlights all the exciting things we have planned for Dublin Tech Week, taking place from May 23rd to 30th.

Hosted by tech educator and AV expert Justin Dawson, the episode explores cutting-edge global tech—from a record-breaking drone show in Abu Dhabi to Google’s smart glasses—but one of the highlights is the in-depth interview about Tog’s mission, community, and hands-on approach to making.

Continue reading “Tog Hackerspace Featured on the All Things TechIE Podcast”
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Recap: Physical Computing Course at Tog Hackerspace

Over the course of five engaging evenings this May, Tog Hackerspace hosted a hands-on Physical Computing Course that brought participants deep into the world of electronics and programming.

Led by our talented members Ambrose Clarke and Jeffrey Roe, the course introduced a wide range of hardware components and coding concepts using the Arduino platform. Each week, participants explored a new set of tools and ideas, steadily building up their skills and confidence.

Throughout the sessions, participants worked with:

  • LEDs and buzzers to understand output and tone
  • Temperature sensors to measure and display data
  • Servos to create movement
  • RFID readers to identify objects with tags
  • LCD screens to show custom messages

The final session focused on combining what they had learned into a small project inspired by their own interests—whether that was a simple alert system, an environmental monitor, or just a fun interactive device.

We’re incredibly proud of the creativity and curiosity shown by everyone involved. The supportive, social environment made the class a great success—and we’re looking forward to running similar workshops in the future.

🎥 You can watch a short highlight from the course here:
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Zb-Nfyeem2c

📸 And check out our full photo gallery:
➡️ https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/arduino-physical-computing-course-25

We’d like to give a huge thank you to Dublin City Council for supporting this initiative through their Informal Adult Education Grant Scheme 2024. Grants like this allow us to open our doors wider and create opportunities for people to explore technology in a hands-on, welcoming setting.

Want to get involved?
Join us for our Electronics Nights every second Monday or check out our Events Page for upcoming workshops and courses.

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Monitor Your Home Energy in Real Time with ESP32 and Home Assistant

Check out this wirte up by our member Christian Kortenhorst.

With energy prices climbing and smart homes becoming the norm, having a clear view of your household power usage has never been more valuable. That’s what motivated me to create a compact, real-time energy display powered by an ESP32 and a 2.8″ TFT touchscreen—fully integrated with Home Assistant for accurate, live data at a glance.

Why I Built This
I already had a power monitoring system installed through my home energy provider. While it gave a general idea of usage, it was far from ideal:

  • It only updated every 30 minutes to an hour, making real-time decision-making impossible.
  • It didn’t show live solar production, even though I had solar panels installed.
  • It lacked any visual clarity—just vague numbers with no context on where power was flowing.
  • Most importantly, there was no breakdown of grid vs solar vs battery usage. – Without opening my phone
  • Also existing power monitor does not do negative number so any feedin from solar does not show.

That’s when I realised I needed something more flexible, accurate, and immediate—custom-built to show the exact figures I cared about.

Old OWl monitor

The Hardware

Here’s what I used for this project:

  • ESP32 Microcontroller – Powerful, Wi-Fi enabled and Arduino-compatible. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DXFBKKQB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
  • 2.8” TFT Touch Display (320×240) – A colourful and responsive screen with touch input, perfect for compact dashboards.
  • Home Assistant – My existing setup, which already tracks energy through integrations like the Energy Dashboard or MQTT sensors. Shelly

What It Shows

The display cycles through or organises a simple dashboard view with key stats:

  • 🌞 Solar Power: Current generation in watts.
  • 🏠 Home Consumption: Real-time power draw.
  • ⚡ Grid Usage: Whether I’m importing or exporting electricity.
  • 🔋 Battery Level: Charge percentage and power flow.
  • Water temperature in boiler

These are live, accurate figures from my energy system—not delayed estimates.

How It Works
The ESP32 fetches data from Home Assistant using either its REST API or MQTT feed. I chose to parse JSON data from Home Assistant’s /api/states endpoint, which allows me to pull specific sensor values and display them on the TFT screen.

To keep it fast and responsive:

  • Sensor values update every few seconds.
  • Touch input can be added for toggling views or brightness.
  • The layout is clean, using large fonts and colour-coded elements for clarity.
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Tog Hackerspace at Security BSides Dublin 2025 – Come Pick Some Locks with Us!

We’re excited to announce that Tog Hackerspace is once again a Community Sponsor of Security BSides Dublin, taking place on Saturday, 24th May 2025, in Trinity Business School.

Security BSides Dublin is an annual information security conference run by a passionate community of volunteers. It provides a platform for infosec professionals, enthusiasts, and hobbyists to come together and share their knowledge in a relaxed, inclusive environment. Talks and workshops will explore everything from ethical hacking and digital forensics to cryptography and social engineering.

As part of our involvement this year, Tog will be hosting a lockpicking table at the event. Whether you’re brand new to physical security or a seasoned picker, drop by our table and try your hand at opening various locks with specially designed tools. Our members will be on hand to guide you through the process and talk about the fascinating overlap between lockpicking and digital security.

We’ll also be sharing more about what Tog Hackerspace has to offer—from electronics nights and coding workshops to 3D printing, laser cutting, and hardware hacking. It’s a great chance to meet our members, learn about upcoming events, and see how you can get involved in Dublin’s maker and hacker community.

See you on May 24th at Trinity!

For more info on the event, visit https://www.bsidesdub.ie