6:15-8:45pm "Maker's Meetup", show & tell (bring projects!), project talk, fun stuff.

We will also be doing a live build of a Kelvin's thunderstorm. If you would like to assist by bringing components, please mention it in the comments.

We require the following components:

• Tank - Partial [Adam, see comments]
• Stand - Partial [Adam, see comments]
• Aquarium tubing & T connector, [Adam]
  
• 2 metal cans - probably, [Chris]
• Wire with alligator clips - probably [Matt]
• Duct tape [Alastair] [Gus]
• Stiff wire or tin foil for the electrodes [Alastair] [Gus]
• Nozzles [Adam]
  
• Hot Glue [Alastair]
• Cutting/Drilling tools [Alastair]
• Spark Gap - [Alastair]
• Neon lights

First timers are welcome. If you plan to bring anything exciting, please post up in the comments!

See here for complete details, including location and a map.

(Maker's Meetups happen every fortnight at 6:15pm.)

Last Tuesday MHV were invited to present their projects at Robot World Live. This event was held at Questacon as part of National Science Week.

Chris Wolfe & myself presented the latest incarnation of Chris' robotic hand and talked briefly about the potential for hobbyist robotics, and home-made creations.

6:15-8:45pm "Maker's Meetup", show & tell (bring projects!), project talk, fun stuff.

First timers are welcome. If you are bringing anything really exciting, please post up in the comments!

See here for complete details, including location and a map.
(Maker's Meetups happen every fortnight at 6:15pm.)

This is a workshop for people who have never tried soldering, or people who would like to practise their soldering skills and pick up some tips

We will have two kits available for anyone to build. At the moment it looks like one kit will be an Arduino clone, and the other will be an analog version of the "Synchronizing Fireflies" kit:

6:15-8:45pm "Maker's Meetup", show & tell (bring projects!), project talk, fun stuff.

First timers are welcome. If you are bringing anything really exciting, please post up in the comments!

See here for complete details, including location and a map.
(Maker's Meetups happen every fortnight at 6:15pm.)

6:15-8:45pm "Maker's Meetup", show & tell (bring projects!), project talk, fun stuff.

First timers are welcome. If you are bringing anything really exciting, please post up in the comments!

See here for complete details, including location and a map.
(Maker's Meetups happen every fortnight at 6:15pm.)

I made some progress on the Emiglio build tonight. I've had the mounting plates that fit in the collars at the top of his torso and the bottom of his head ready since the weekend. The Lazy Susan bearing I ordered off ebay arrived yesterday and I was planning on heading to the hardware store today for some nuts and bolts to fit them all together.

I had a moment of inspiration when I was collection up the parts to take to the hardware store (so I would get the right sizes). I didn't need nuts and bolts I just needed a way to get a screw driver to the second mounting plate. A drill took care of that. I used some wood screws I had laying around to fit the bearing to the mounting plates and reinstalled the whole system into Emiglio.

The motion's smooth and quiet. I posted a quick video on Vimeo which you can see here. I hope to motorise it in the next fortnight, but I'm still considering my options. I think I'll take a trip to Bunnings on the weekend and soak up some inspiration.

I wrote most of this post in an email to one of of members who couldn't make it to the meeting this week. It seemed appropriate to post it as a news item so people can get an idea of what we've been talking about.

The discussions this week were quite technical, some of which were well over my head. While we didn't managed to provide any solid solutions to the all the problems presented. I'm hoping that we can turn the Maker Meet ups into problem solving sessions for all kinds of problems facing Canberra makers from the experienced to the novice. If you have a problem, no mater how trivial or complex, I'd encourage you to come along to our next Maker Meetup in a fortnight (there will be an update here to remind you) and present it to the group. We might not be able to solve it right away, but we might be able to give you some stimulating ideas that help you get you project moving again.

Click on to see what we've been up to.

6:15-8:45pm "Maker's Meetup", show & tell (bring projects!), project talk, fun stuff.

First timer's welcome. If you are bringing anything really exciting, please post up in the comments!

See here for complete details, including location and a map.
(From next week, Maker's Meetups will be happening every fortnight at 6:15.)