We held the first two sessions of the metal lathe class earlier this month. See the metalworking class schedule for future sessions, or check out our full calendar of upcoming classes! Students learned the basic operations used with the lathe, and are enjoying the fruits of their labor
Category Archives: Interests
Overwhelmed by your child’s artistic output?
Here are a few ideas from ChatGPT on how Manchester Makerspace’s tools and supplies can help you selectively display your child’s (or your own) artistic output without overwhelming your home decor.
Coming in out of the cold: Solder and soldering tips
What is a “cold joint”? What is flux? What type of solder should I use? The Perils of Cold Solder Joints ❄️ First things first, let’s talk about the arch-nemesis of soldering – cold solder joints. Picture this: you’re working on a project, and everything seems fine until suddenly, parts of the circuit go dark. […]
Getting started with Microcontrollers at MMS
Many Manchester Makerspace members have experience in programming, using, and debugging microcontrollers, whether the classic Arduino, the more capable ESP32, or other purpose-specific models. We have a wealth of knowledge and supporting components to help make your microcontroller dream a reality, you supply your favorite dev board and we’ve got you covered for soldering and […]
Hemming and cuffing (no hawing, sorry)
Manchester Makerspace offers several options for members who need to hem jeans or similar heavy slacks. You can use either needle and thread or (if checked out on the equipment) one of our sewing machines. Each method is effective, and has its own advantages and disadvantages. To add a cuff, you’ll need to determine the […]
Jack is going hi-tech
Having fun in our ham shack with RTL-SDR
Last hurrah for ISY994
FYI for all @here, our ISY994 automation controller is reaching end-of-support, see https://www.universal-devices.com/finalbye994/ We plan to continue to extend our makerspace automations, perhaps with the new Matter standard. Watch for updates here. Universal Devices (UDI) introduced the first ISY automation controller in 2007. The ISY-99 was a low-cost, embedded, and fully standalone home automation controller that was ahead of […]
Automating the Auto bay
Here’s an example of the code which handles the auto bay motion events. The Axis IP camera in the bay makes a REST call to execute the “Then” clause when motion is detected, and “Else” when a motion event ends: This project leverages the generous donations from Axis (Cameras and controller) and from Universal Devices […]
Automating our Open House
Thanks to our ISY automation controller from Universal Devices, we’ve been able to automatically prep the HVAC (heat or cool) for our Monday Open House nights. This program automatically pre-sets the thermostat on Monday evening:
Webhooks aren’t for fishing
Our new ISY-994 z-wave controller has a bunch of options for webhooks, interfacing with open/close sensors, etc. Tons of documentation, under “IFTTT/Webhooks”. https://wiki.universal-devices.com/index.php?title=ISY_Portal_IFTTT_Integration We currently use these for sending out notifications via the ISY Portal to IFTTT destinations