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Soldering Workshop

We are hosting another soldering workshop soon due to the demand so book early.

This workshop is designed for those who are new to the world of soldering and want to learn the basics. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast, a maker, or simply curious about soldering, this workshop is perfect for you.

In this class, our experienced instructors will guide you through the process of soldering components onto a circuit board. You’ll learn about the different types of soldering tools, materials, and techniques. Our hands-on approach will allow you to practice what you’ve learned, so you can feel confident in your newly acquired skills.

You’ll start with the basics, such as how to properly use a soldering iron, and work your way up to soldering components onto a circuit board. You’ll leave this workshop with a fully functioning circuit of your own creation, a greater understanding of soldering, and a newfound sense of confidence.

All materials and equipment needed for the workshop will be provided, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing anything beforehand. Just come ready to learn, have fun, and take your soldering skills to the next level. Whether you’re a complete beginner or simply looking to improve your skills, this workshop has something to offer everyone. So sign up now and join the soldering community!

Date: Saturday, 5th of April 2025 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Cost: €35 plus fees

Location: Unit 1B Motor City, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, D12 KRW1

Booking via the following link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/soldering-workshop-tickets-1295675202409?aff=oddtdtcreator

No electronics skills are required. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Workshop open to ALL. Limited to 12 participants per workshop.

You are welcome to stay after our workshop for our Retro Computing & Gaming Day at TOG. https://www.tog.ie/2025/03/retro-computing-gaming-day-at-tog/

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Green Week: Repair Cafe

Tog Hackerspace is teaming up with Trinity College Dublin (TCD) for a special Green Week Repair Café! Bring your broken items—electronics, appliances, furniture, clothing—and our skilled volunteers will help you fix them while sharing valuable repair skills.

📅 Date & Time: 12th of March from 12:00 – 14:00.
📍 Location: Atrium, Trinity College Dublin
🔗 More details: Event website

Let’s reduce waste, learn new skills, and build a culture of repair. See you there!

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Dublin Comic Con Spring 2025

Dublin Comic Con returns to the Convention Centre Dublin on March 15th and 16th, and we are excited to be taking part in the Spring Edition! As Ireland’s leading pop culture event, Dublin Comic Con is a celebration of movies, TV shows, comics, cosplay, and gaming—a must-visit for fans of all things geeky.

We will have a fan table on both days, where we’ll be showcasing amazing projects built by our members. Whether you’re into electronics, 3D printing, or creative making, come by and see what’s possible in our community makerspace. It’s a great chance to chat with us, learn more about Tog, and get inspired to start your own projects.

Be sure to drop by and say hello—we’d love to meet you!

Find out more about the event here:

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Fingal Makerspace Repair Cafe

We are teaming up with Fingal Makerspace and Make Create Innovate to host a Repair Cafe in Blanchardstown. The aim is to bring together skilled volunteers and community members who want to repair their broken household items.

Our passionate team of skilled volunteers will be on hand to help you fix everything from electronics and appliances to furniture and clothing, all while sharing valuable repair skills and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

At the Repair Café , you can:

  • Learn essential repair techniques from our expert makers and volunteers
  • Discover the joy of fixing things and reducing waste in a collaborative, community-focused environment
  • Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about sustainability and the maker movement

So grab your broken treasures and join us for a day of mending, learning, and connection at Fingal Makerspace Repair Café. Together, we can build a more sustainable future and celebrate the power of repair!

Date: Saturday 29th March 2025

Time: 11 am – 3 pm

Location: Fingal Makerspace

More info & Tickets : https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/fingal-makerspace-repair-cafe-all-ages-tickets-1249306582619?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

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Ebike BMS Upgrade

An ebike battery from 2012 has given great service, but the balancing of some individual cells in this 16S Lithium Iron Phosphate battery started to take much longer than others. Eventually, some cells would not balance at all. Each cell has its own “channel” on the battery management system (BMS). A red LED on the BMS should illuminate when the cell comes up to full charge.

On closer examination, some of the sense wires to individual cells were found to have become disconnected. These were resoldered which brought some improvement, but still balancing was not happening consistently. Some damage and corrosion on the BMS circuit board was then found. In the world of ebikes, things have moved on quite a bit since 2012. So it was decided to replace the stock BMS with an up-to-date Bluetooth enabled one.

A “JK” BMS was chosen, which seems to be a popular brand from various online forums. The one page “manual” that came with the BMS isn’t the best, and would probably get a “could do better” if it was a school or college project. Thankfully, with a bit of help from a number of YouTube channels, the BMS was fitted ok and started up. With the matching smartphone app installed, it’s cool to see all the individual cell voltages in real time and the balancing happening before your eyes.

If you’d like to see these kinds of fixes and mods that we get up to, drop in to our Monday night Electronics or Tuesday Open House.
 

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Stopping Time: A Sensor-Driven Interactive Art Installation

At Tog Hackerspace, we love helping artists bring their visions to life by combining technology with creativity. One recent project, led by me, Jeffrey Roe, involved modernizing an older artwork that originally used a film camera, and upgrading it to use a digital projector and new sensors. The high-level concept was simple but striking: if a person was detected in front of the screen, the video should stop, and the screen should go black.

This collaboration took place over several months, working around the artist’s availability and my own time outside my day job. We began by choosing a Raspberry Pi as the brains of the project. Initially, I used an ultrasonic distance sensor to detect when a person was present. I wrote the control software in Python, using VLC Player to handle video playback. The script managed VLC through subprocess calls, ensuring that the video would start and stop as needed. To make the setup more seamless, the Raspberry Pi was configured as a server to auto-start, log in the user automatically, and hide the mouse cursor from the screen.

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