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August Open Social

streamersIt’s Open Social time again…. this coming Saturday 15th Aug. At the last Open Social in July, we were just a week away from Dublin Maker. The place was hectic with activity. This Open Social will see Toggers much more relaxed. Drop in and hang out for the evening. If you’ve never been to the social, or even TOG itself, you’ll find it a great alternative Saturday evening in town. Look around….talk to members and visitors about projects or things you’d like to do.

 

Talk about beer brewing to some of our brewer members or about locks to our lock pickers. Ask about joining as a full member.We’ve cleaned out the pizza oven and its ready to go. The space stays open until the last member is left……usually the small hours of Sunday morning. The open social is free to attend for members and visitors alike. Our doors will be open from 7pm.

 

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Lego Automaton Jukebox – stage 0.2 incomplete, stage 0.3 started

It takes time & certain amount of failed ideas to design anything. Ideas rarely come in a box, they require slow birth rather than rapid unpacking.

STAGE 0.1 IdeaBuldozer-01

B: “What would you build if I gave you a coin counter?

I: ”Any purpose?”

B: ”Yes, to make a machine so the visitors put money in.”

I: ”hmmm… a Jukebox? … hmm with dancing Ducks…”

STAGE 0.2 Learning

I have decided to build prototype of an automaton from Lego Technic. There were plenty sets & I have never had an opportunity to play with those… ehhh Lego <3

Day 1: some basic Lego models from booklets

Day 2: big bulldozer started – learning Lego

Day 3: BREAK sorting bricks day… too hard too find elements anyway.

Day 4: BREAK DISASTER element needs to be ordered online

Day 5: BREAK unsuccessful at building part replacement from other bricks

Day 6-9: BREAKBuldozer-04

Day 10: part arrives 😀

Day 11: model is finished… gears aren’t working

Day 12: disassembling 🙁

Day 13: Here we go again!

Day 14-15: It works! – Lego lvl Advanced reached.

Day 16: Time to upgrade!

Day 17: I hbrick-01ave decide to add electronics from Lego Mind Storm Setbrick-02

Day 18- 28: BREAK – Dublin Maker

…..

…..

SUMMARY

Upon my positive experience with Lego & positive associations towards bricks from public I have decided to build actual Automaton from Lego. Ducks bricks will have to be designed & 3D printed.Buldozer-02

STAGE 0.3 3D printing Lego Bricks

Day …XX(lost count, but it’s today) First general Lego Piece was 3D printed 🙂

SUCCESS 3D printed Lego piece fits with regular bricks!

SHORT TERM GOALS:

  • Build automaton
  • Design Lego Bricks in a shape of Ducks
  • 3D print Ducks
  • program Bulldozer (why not its almost done!)
  • find manual for coin counters…

Would you like to try to create own designs? Come along to our ongoing (every second Monday) CAD workshop in Tog. Looking forward to see you here – next class 17th of August 2015.

 

Buldozer-03

Latest decision –  to add Arduino & remote controller to Bulldozer 😀

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Chaos Communication Camp – Irish Embassy

cccamp15-logo-small-black_RGB

The Chaos Communication Camp is an international, five-day open-air event for hackers and associated life-forms. It provides a relaxed atmosphere for free exchange of technical, social, and political ideas. The Camp has everything you need: power, internet, food and fun. Bring your tent and participate!

13. – 17. August 2015, Ziegeleipark Mildenberg, Zehdenick, Germany, Earth, Milky Way

The Irish hacker & maker communities that are travelling to CCC Camp invites you all to join us in forming an “Irish Embassy” This will be our village presence at the camp. We’ll be show casing any participant projects and coming up with new collaborative initiatives as the camp progresses. Become one of the Irish inhabitants or at least drop by and say Conas ata tú? We look forward to seeing all our friends and making new ones.

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Playing with the IMAX charger

chargerGot an IMAX B6 mini charger to play with. Pics here. This charger will charge and discharge lots of different battery chemistries. We recently acquired some 6-volt lead acid sealed lead acid batteries….believed to be from a UPS.

Two of them powered our buzzer game during the recent Dublin Maker. We’re using the discharge function to test their capacity. It will be interesting to see what capacity they have left.

Drop in if you’d like to try the charger or some other electronics.

 

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Vintage Electronics 2

bikeFollowing the build of our 1978 Metal Detector, next up in our Vintage Electronics series will be a Digital Bicycle Speedometer.  In the March 1977 issue of Popular Electronics, they published an article for a digital speedometer complete with red LED displays. This will be a build from the original magazine which we have in TOG.

 
You can get an LCD digital bike speedometer nowadays for as little as 5 euro. These multi function devices can do much more than speed. Back in 1977 however, this thing must have been space age…..  red LED displays and all!

We think it will look suitably retro on a modern carbon fibre road bike 🙂 We will be building the speedometer over the next few weeks. Come in and join in the build, or keep in touch with the build online.

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Dublin Maker Wind-down BBQ & en-Pizza-ing

Dublin Maker logo Can’t you feel the excitement in the air?! Dublin Maker is on this Saturday! From bitter experience we know that all the Makers will be at Panic Stations this entire week. And as we here at TOG are a caring bunch, we’ll be holding our traditional post-Dublin-Maker BBQ (now with added pizza!) on Sunday, 26th July, from 2pm-5pm.

It will be a chance for the Makers to unwind in an understanding and supportive environment. But it’s not just an event for official Dublin Makers! Now is a great opportunity to finally take a look around TOG, or to get to know our members better. It’s a chance for anyone, and everyone, to chill out with some interesting people, who do interesting things, while filling their bellies. So come one, come all, satisfy your curiosity, and your appetites!