3D modeling is a key tool in the maker toolkit and HackLab is full of makers who are skilled in the process.

Lawrence Temple, a longtime member of HackLab, taught a class this past August explaining the fundamentals of measuring the real world and using CAD software.

“In the maker community, there’s a lot of different ways that [3D modeling] can be used,” said Lawrence.

He mentioned three different uses of 3D modeling that are commonly deployed in HackLab; art, 3D printing, and machining.

“Anything that exists in three dimensions, you can model,” he said.

The first thing that Lawrence taught is how to measure things with precision. He spent an hour and a half of the three-hour class teaching participants how to use calipers to accurately measure objects in real life so that they can be recreated in a CAD program. Participants measured the dimensions of their cellphones and created models of them on their computers. Those models could then be used to create cases.

Lawrence, a software engineer by trade, wanted to get into 3D modeling to build a Gameboy Macro – a project where you modify a Nintendo DS Lite by breaking off the top screen, making it into a big Gameboy like device. He first learned how to model at the Fort York branch of the Toronto Public Library and then taught himself more using YouTube videos.

He spends some of his time at HackLab on his 3D modeling projects. He’s made a few different projects using the skills he has taught in the class, one of them being light fixtures, the results of which can be found in HackLab. The fixtures are thin-walled and clear, created in a vase style for aesthetic purposes. Through the design process he has been able to make different light diffraction patterns. His favourite fixture diffracts the light in a flame pattern.

From teaching the class Lawrence has learned that there are multiple ways to approach the same problem in design.

“You can basically approach [3D modeling] as many ways as you would draw a picture,” he said. “Some of it is intuition and some of it is tools.”

Over the next few months, we will be posting about the myriad of projects that people get up to at HackLab. Make sure to check back regularly for updates!

It can be hard to get information about social services in Toronto for people who are experiencing homelessness. They may not have regular access to the internet and pamphlets are notoriously easy to lose. Zach Donsky, a long-time member of HackLab, thought that there was a better way.

In 2018, Zach created Chalmers Cards, a set of wooden squares that have an abundance of important information laser-cut into them. They are tied together by an elastic hair tie that also makes it easy to attach to pants or a backpack and can be distributed by workers within the social services system. The cards can be easily and cheaply produced in maker spaces across the city and print files can be found on the project’s GitHub. It takes around three hours to make eight sets of cards and the materials cost around $1.

“Access to social services is not as easy as I think it should be,” said Zach.

Information is available online but is not often in the simplest terms. Most of the resources recorded on the Chalmers Cards are accessible through 24-hour toll free phone numbers. You can find contact numbers for TeleHealth, shelter referral, legal aid and more. Many people experiencing homelessness do not have regular access to computers or the internet, so phone numbers are often their best option for accessing services.

“A lot of social services documentation is available on the internet,” according to the Chalmers Card website. “But getting on the internet is a real chore when you don’t own a computer.”

The cards also contain brief guides on getting government identification and financial aid – no access to a computer required.

More than 1000 cards have been produced and distributed since the project was started.

From tiny solar panels that can power your cell phone to systems with a handful of batteries or panels, Alan will walk you through what he’s learned in his solar power tinkering so far. We’ll have a variety of panels, chargers, batteries and connectors on hand so you can see how it all works. Come by our *new* Hacklab at 1677 St Clair West on Wednesday October 23 at 7pm. The workshop is free and open to anyone who’s interested. Tell a friend to bring a friend and we’ll see you soon!

It’s everyone’s favourite time again: the first Junk Independence Day of 2018! Coming up on February 18th from 2pm-7pm (or later). Bring your e-waste and dig through other people’s for treasures. On previous Junk Independence Days, people have walked away with an iPod touch, a 1TB hard drive, working classic iMacs, bubblejet printers, a Sony mini-DV camcorder, stereo amps, speakers, a desktop computer and even walk/don’t walk streetlights! Not to be forgotten, there are always lots of little chips and bytes for random hacking, too.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1574038156049596/

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/junk-independence-day-tickets-43005470520

Anything left at the end will be picked up on Monday, 19th of February and responsibly recycled by Revolution Recycling, who has been participating in our Junk Independence Days since the first one. Thanks Revolution!!

Come hang out with some fellow hackers and search for hidden treasures! Tickets are not necessary but Eventbrite is a great way to sign up and get reminders. You can also RSVP via our Facebook event. See you at JID!

[edit: Monday the 19th is a holiday in Ontario so junk will be picked up on Tuesday morning, the 20th.]

The Repair Cafe for a second time has come and gone.
And with that the Repair cafe moves along to another community to aid where the can to repair wayward electronics. In the mean time here is some photos from today’s Repair Cafe.

As some of you might already know, the Hacklab has a photographic darkroom where we do processing of many kinds of B&W and colour films. All of these processes require a series of fairly precisely-timed steps, where the film or paper is exposed to various chemical baths. A number of these processes require complete darkness (no red safelight!), so you can’t have a timer that has a readable display. Commercial timers solve this by beeping once per second, so you know they’re still timing. As you can imagine, this gets very annoying after an hour or more of working in the dark!

I set out to design a new timer that would be less annoying and more functional. My original design goals were:
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The hacklab hackaday bring your hack meetup, back for the second year. Get your (free) tickets here:
https://hacklabhackaday2.eventbrite.ca
Hacklab.TO and Hackaday are hosting a Bring A Hack meetup on April 20th 2016! Doors 7pm, talks start 8pm. Party till late.

We’ll have drinks, snacks, hacks and swag. It’s a Bring A Hack style meetup, where you bring the project you’re working on and show it off to enthusiastic supporters.

There will also be lightning talks, which are short talks about projects or ideas you’re working on.

Sophi from Hackaday will be in town to talk about the Hackaday Prize, the engineering competition with $300,000 in cash prizes (you read that correctly!). http://hackaday.io/prize

Want to get on the talks list? Let us know! (contact sophikravitz at hackaday.com)

NOTE: as with last year, we expect overwhelming demand. Seats will go fast, grab them while you can. Then we’ve got some standing room only in the back/side of the room. If you’re really interested in checking out hacklab, we also offer an Open House every Tuesday 6pm till late, so feel free to drop by.

At the Hacklab, to save power, we needed a way to turn off devices when nobody was at the Lab.  Rather than buy expensive Insteon or Z-Wave modules, Hacklab member Av (that’s me!) reverse-engineered the radio protocol on these super cheap ($8 each) controllable outlet modules.

For a total cost of $47, you can now control 5 or more outlets via Wifi.  All that’s needed is an ESP8266 and a 433Mhz transmitter module.  No soldering or electronics is required, it’s just three wires!

Check out the rest of the project with source code on Av’s Site.

Today’s photo from the lab is a progress shot of a mirror with built in light. The maker was gracious enough to pose with his project just after assembling all the electronic components into the hand made frame.

Glimps at DIYBIO

Hacklab has been hosting our friends DIYBIO for a while now. And with their presence a great symbiotic relationship has developed between the two groups. DIYBIO has a  bio lab in the Hacklab  space that has grown to a place where they can start running experiments.  The photo gallery below shows one of the experiments recently conducted. For more information on DIYBIO visit their website at DIYBIO.to. As well as visit Hacklab on Tuesdays for our open house to talk to some of the DIYBIO people in person. 

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