theTransistor

CMKT 4 returns! Special classes open to the Public!

Deven — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:33:00 +0000

CMKT 4 returns to The Transistor, Provo's Hackerspace Friday, May 25, 2012 7:00pm until 10:00pm! Join the members of the circuit-bent rock band CMKT4 for a workshop on building your very own EconoMIC Bottle Cap Contact Microphone (from Creme DeMentia). CMKT4 will show you how to solder up a piezo-electric pickup and house it sturdily in a recycled bottle-cap housing of their own design! Stick around for a set from the band as the tool-handle dip on your freshly built contact microphone dries. Additional take-home kits and other surprises will be available, come build a mic and see and hear some of the circuit-bent instruments you've read about on www.GetLofi.com up close. Bring your own instruments and objects to amplify!
Build an EconoMIC Bottle-Cap Contact Mic with CMKT 4 $15 Circuit-bending rock trio CMKT 4 will help students build a sturdy, working piezoelectric pickup using components and recycled materials. The band will help you learn to solder and ensure your success in building the kit. The comic book instructions will help guide you through their special process of soldering, drilling, gluing, zipping, and dipping - Voila! You are the proud owner and maker of your very own EconoMIC Bottle-Cap Contact Microphone (from Creme DeMentia). This simple transducer will create an audio signal from physical vibrations - like an electric stethoscope! Stick around for a performance from the band while the tool-handle dip dries! Circuit-Bending 101: Build a Bending Buddy $15 Circuit-bending rock trio CMKT 4 never want you to bend circuits alone - that's why they've developed The Bending Buddy. Want to learn the basics of circuit-bending but don't know much about electronics? Building a Bending Buddy will introduce necessary skills for circuit-bending - soldering, reading a schematic, drilling, mounting components, wiring. Once you've built your Bending Buddy, you'll be prepared to embark on a journey of discovery, using it to probe battery-operated circuits and divine new sounds. The comic book instructions and informational packet will help you understand broader concepts of circuit-bending - different types of bends, understanding components, building simple control circuits, bread-boarding and proto-boarding. Build Mr. Mixer $25 Circuit-bending rock trio CMKT 4 want to introduce you to their new friend, Mr. Mixer. Mr. Mixer is a simple 4 channel passive mixer built from components and recycled materials. Students will build Mr. Mixer from comic instructions with help form the band. Mr. Mixer will allow students to mix together different audio sources to a single audio signal. The kit also introduces students to the magic of CdS or Photo Cells, which translate light into resistance. The Photocells will act as faders on the mixer, allowing students to duck sounds in and out, changing their volume with light!

.:! YOU WILL REGRET IT IF YOU MISS THIS !:.

New Web Server

Deven — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:46:43 +0000

Please beer with us as we switch servers. So far it looks like we have broken the calendar. Ooops. We'll fix it soon. :)

Congratulations Cymon

Deven — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:50:39 +0000

Tinkercad Announces the MakerBot Chess Challenge FTA "With over 180 submissions, we have selected the winner of the Tinkercad & MakerBot Chess Challenge! CONGRATULATIONS Joseph Larson! Your Action Chess Set and love for designin’, teaching and makin’ has won you a MakerBot Replicator! Bask in all the greatness that is 3D printing! Joseph’s Action Chess Set managed to WOW in so many ways. Instead of explaining them to you, take a look for yourself!" Congratulations from everyone here at The Transistor. We can't wait to print an Action Chess set of our own!

Public Events: April

Deven — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:16:21 +0000

We are pleased to announce the upcoming schedule for April's Public Night. All of the events and classes listed below are free to the public. Some classes may offer kits at a price. If you don't wish to purchase a kit, you are still welcome to sit in on the class. Please see the our homepage for exact details. Event: Meet the Makers Sat, April 7, 6:00pm – 6:30pm
Free Class: Introduction to DipTrace. Hosted by Tim Anderson and Devin Hales. Sat, April 7, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Free Class: Chip Amplifiers and Surface Exciters. Hosted by Alex and Zack. Sat, April 7, 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Free Class: Chip Amplifiers and Surface Exciters

Deven — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:51:14 +0000

Hosted by Alex and Zack. For the amplifier part of the class we will be giving a brief overview of the different types of electronic amplifiers. We will discuss the basic functions of several types of circuits, along with their pros and cons. For the surface exciter portion of the class we will be talking about surface exciters [also known as tactile transducers]. These amazing little devices can turn most any surface into a speaker. We will talk briefly about how they work and will offer a demonstration of how they can be used to turn different surfaces into speakers. The rest of the time will be used for kits assembly. Participants can choose to buy kits and assemble their own small amp. They will also receive a pair of 2 watt surface exciters for them to experiment with. Kits will be provided for $30 and will include: 1x stereo amplifier kit 1x 6 foot 3.5mm stereo cable to connect their amp and audio source 2x 2 watt 8 ohm surface exciters Please email Alex [at] thetransistor [dot] com to reserve your kit Participants will need to supply their own audio source and 12v DC power supply that can supply at least 500mA (.5A) of current. If you do not have a spare one lying around your house, you can usually find one at a local thrift store for relatively cheap. The circuit is designed around a 12v power source, but theoretically can use a supply as high as 25v. Check out this youtube video of the test circuit: *note the final circuit uses screw terminals instead of spring terminals. This is a FREE, public class. We will start at 7:30pm on Saturday, April 7th. You are welcome to sit in on the class without purchasing a kit if you would like. Please email Alex [at] thetransistor [dot] com to reserve your kit

Free Class: Introduction to DipTrace

Deven — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:48:25 +0000

Hosted by Tim Anderson and Devin Hales. This class will cover designing PCBs and Schematics in the Diptrace Software including importing and making new components and patterns, setting up and enforcing design rules, considerations for manufacturing, gerber file generation and more. The class will cover these topics through the design from the ground up of an FTDI breakout board. Cheers, -Tim P.S. Feel free to bring down a laptop (we will have WiFi and Power) to follow along. This is a FREE, public class. We will start at 6:30pm on Saturday, April 7th and should run 1 hour.

Public Classes: March

Deven — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:37:47 +0000

We are pleased to announce the upcoming schedule for March's Public Night. All of the events and classes listed below are free to the public. Some classes may offer kits at a price. If you don't wish to purchase a kit, you are still welcome to sit in on the class. Please see the calendar for exact details.
Event: Meet the Makers Sat, March 3, 6:00pm – 6:30pm Class: Build your own Atari Punk, Hosted by Deven Fore. Sat, March 3, 6:30pm – 7:30pm Class: Vinyl Cutting - Decals and Stickers, Hosted by Eric Lowry. Sat, March 3, 7:30pm – 10:00pm For more details, please visit our Calendar at http://thetransistor.com/calendar/

Free Class: Composite Materials and Laminates

Aaron — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:18:36 +0000

The Transistor will be holding an entry level class on plastic reinforced fiber laminates. The class will cover construction of basic structures, mold preparation, and vacuum bagging. We’ll also be talking about mechanical properties, different kinds of composite materials, the benefits of composite structures, as well as cutting and machining difficulties. Kits will be provided for $20. Kits will include resin, carbon cloth, 2 kinds of glass fiber cloth, vacuum bagging materials, and other items necessary for laying-up a 5 inch square laminate.
Please send an email to Clay [AT] thetransistor [DOT] com if you would like to reserve a kit. Note: The resins we will be using will more than likely ruin any clothing they come into contact with, dress accordingly. This is a FREE, public class. We will start at 6:30pm on February the 4th.

Free Class: 2.4GHz biquad antennas

Aaron — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:36:35 +0000

We're doing a class on 2.4ghz biquad antennas and that there will be kits available. Each kit will consist of the hardware to make the actual antenna, and one satellite dish. We won't include any cables or adapters in the kits at this point. An update with the price of the kits will be posted soon. This is a FREE, public class. We will start around 5:00pm on January the 7th, and should run between 30-60 minutes.
Make: Provo is held the first Saturday of each month, unless otherwise noted. It runs from 4:00pm-10:00pm. We try to offer a free class each month. Bring your projects to show off and your questions to ask.

Free Class: RFID and the Arduino

Deven — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:06:59 +0000

This coming Saturday we will be giving a quick class on the basic usage of RFID readers with the Arduino. We will give a basic overview of RFID, then move onto interfacing a reader with an Arduino, and finally look at some code. This is a FREE, public class. We will start around 6:30pm on December the 3rd, and should run between 30-60 minutes.
Make: Provo is held the first Saturday of each month, unless otherwise noted. It runs from 4:00pm-10:00pm. We try to offer a free class each month that starts at 6:30pm and runs anywhere from a half hour to several hours. Bring your projects to show off and your questions to ask.

3D Print Place

Deven — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:56:59 +0000

I received an email from some awesome people over in the Netherlands. They are launching a collaborative site which looks absolutely fun. Here's the 'meat' of the email.
"My name is Danny and my associate’s name is Sebastian. We are two recent college grads who caught the 3D printing bug and believe that 3D printing is going to explode and revolutionize the way we live our lives. We can’t wait to see the transformation take place, so we setup 3D Print Place to help facilitate this change. 3D Print Place is designed to make 3D Printing more accessible to home users, academic institutions, and small businesses, by serving as a one-stop-shop for all your 3D Printing needs. The platform is entirely fueled by user-to-user collaboration – the community creates content and value, the website solely provides the necessary infrastructure to simplify user interaction. We recently launched to the general pubic at the 3D Printing Event (http://3dprintingevent.com) in the Netherlands on October 25th and now are looking for enthusiastic people in the 3D printing community to help improve our project. You can check out the site by clicking on the link below. 3dprintplace.com We are in the process of reaching out to hacker spaces, engineering programs, and tech clubs around the world and think that TheTransistor could get a lot out of our beta site. It would mean a lot to me if you could pass on this e-mail to members of TheTransistor and to anyone else that you think might be interested in this collaboration project." Good luck Danny and Sebastian, the project looks absolutely wonderful. :)

Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement

Deven — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:17:51 +0000

I wanted to take a second to mention a fantastic book that was just released. This book has been "in the works" for about a year now. The book is Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement by John Baichtal. It features 24 hackerspace projects and a few other sections on things like how to start your own hackerspace. It even includes a quick write up on theTransistor's MAME cabinet. Overall it really is a good book full of interesting projects from many hackerspaces. The best part is that right now you can pick up a copy over on Amazon for $15. I highly recommend this. :)

Hacking cheap RFID readers

Aaron — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:17:17 +0000

RFID readers on prototype supply places are expensive. There are many cool applications for the technology, but cheap readers that include documentation and a standard interface are impossible to find. I decided to confront this problem. I found and ordered a cheap 125kHz reader off eBay for around ten bucks.

Free Class: Introduction to Oscilloscopes

Deven — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:16:43 +0000

This coming Make: Provo (October 1, 2011 @ 4pm - 10pm) we will be giving a quick class on the basic usage(s) of the ever popular tool, The Oscilloscope. This is a FREE, public class. We will start around 6:30, and should run between 30-60 minutes. We will have two oscilloscopes left out for the public to play with when we are done. If there is interest we may do some additional classes on more advanced oscilloscope usage. (And join us in November for our CNC machine basics class where we will cover 3d printers and cnc routers!)

CANCELED: College of Lockpicking: September 17th

Deven — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:49:50 +0000

Sorry for the late update folks, but it appears that the people presenting the class have had something or other come up. I apologize to all that made plans to come down this weekend, we are hopeful that they will stop by in the future! Eric from Pumping Station: One is coming down this coming Saturday (the 17th) to give a workshop on lockpicking. The class will be between $20 and $50 dollars (details below), and is open to all that would like to attend. College of Lockpicking is a hands-on workshop that includes approximately an hour of instructor-led lecture and an hour of participant-led workshop, including the history and development of pin-tumbler locks, a full breakdown of how a pin-tumbler lock works, introduction and tutorial with the pick tools, and a slew of videos on bump keys, destructive entry methods, decoders, Medeco picking, electronic locks, bike locks, car locks, and more. In our experience, everyone opens a lock at College of Lockpicking! Details are still being worked out, buy you can expect a $20 door fee, and 10-piece custom lockpick sets available for $30. Participants sign up prior to the event at an EventBrite page (link coming soon), where they can register for either the whole package, or just the door fee if they already have some lockpicks. ~~More details coming soon!~~

Prusa

Aaron — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:46:45 +0000

Tim has completed the Prusa! Bill (the authority on 3D printers in Utah) came down to check it out and gave his seal of approval. The prints are already impressive quality.

Computers

Aaron — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:48:48 +0000

We've had some exciting new developments. Thanks to the efforts of our members, the transistor has acquired computers for the public work space!

DEFCON – Pictures

Aaron — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:38:25 +0000

Defcon was awesome. We had a lot of fun, learned a lot, and it was an excellent opportunity to see what other hackerspaces were doing.

More pictures after the break.

DEFCON

Aaron — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:09:21 +0000

The transistor is attending defcon! We have a limited amount of Transistor stickers we’ll be passing out so track us down if you’d like to score one.

Make: Provo Monthly

Deven — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:10:03 +0000

Starting September Make: Provo will be a monthly only event. We will no longer be doing a weekly public night at that point. We have updated the website calendar to reflect this. (There will be a once-a-month public Make: Provo meeting the first Saturday of each month.) Here are some of the reasons why we have decided to switch to this model: *** It is a lot of work to host a public night every Saturday (even though we currently don't do a whole lot, we still have to make sure we are there, the doors are unlocked, etc) *** We would rather have one "big" night once a month then several small nights. *** This will give us more time to concentrate on our projects so we can show them off on the Make: Provo meetings. *** We would like to extend the hours that Make: Provo runs. (details on the calendar) *** We would like to start providing a free public electronics / science / etc demonstrations each month. This will help with that as we need planning time. If you are interested in teaching a class / giving a demonstration please contact us via email or PM on the forums. (Details will be posted a month in advance on the calendar) As an example Septembers Make: Provo will include a 30-60 minutes class/demonstration on using the TI TLC5940 ic. You are encouraged to bring a MCU and some LED's if you would like to play with one of ours for a couple hours. As a side note: we have a nice new public desk area set up for you to set up your projects, and we are working on getting computers at all 8 stations. (We do have additional seating as needed.) Please send questions / comments to deven [at] thetransistor.com Please send all flames / spam to tim [at] thetransistor.com Thanks Again, tT Staff

Progress!

Aaron — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:57:23 +0000

We’ve gotten quite a bit done at the transistor; this last week we completed the tables for the public work area, and it's looking great.

Teensys

Aaron — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:02:48 +0000

The great folks over at PJRC generously donated seven teensy 2.0 dev boards to The Transistor. We're going to set them up in the public work area so visitors without a dev board can have an opportunity to try their hand at microcontroller development.

Optimizing

Aaron — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:10:19 +0000

After extensive planning and discussion we've been altering the layout of the transistor to better accommodate all the members while also making the space more inviting to visitors. It's been a lot of work and there is still a lot to do, but we're already seeing it all come together. The majority of it should be done within the next few weeks.

Independence days

Aaron — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:52:28 +0000

A lot is happening at the transistor. Because of the increase in members we're once again altering the layout to better utilize the somewhat limited space we have. The process has been democratic, everyone has had great ideas, and thanks to Tim and Deven's persistence we have a plan that everyone seems happy with.

theTransistor Google Group

Deven — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:23:17 +0000

Join us on google groups at: https://groups.google.com/group/thetransistor Or email the group at: everyone AT thetransistor DOT com