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From Vienna to FAB25: A Maker’s Journey Continues

Here’s a travel diary from one of our members, Jeffrey, who recently attended FAB25, a global gathering of fab labs and makers held this year in Brno and Prague. He shares highlights from workshops, talks, late-night chats, and even a few vegan cakes.

After wrapping up the multimeter workshop at Metalab in Vienna, I continued my summer travels by heading to FAB25 in Prague, the annual gathering of fab labs and makers from around the world. This year’s theme? Bridge the Gap. And what better way to bridge communities than by bringing a bit of Ireland to the Czech Republic?

Day 1 – Brno

The conference this year was split between two cities: Brno and Prague. To kick things off, I jumped on a ~2-hour bus from Vienna over to Brno. After an uneven journey and a quick check-in, I was meeting people right away.

I caught up with Andreas Kopp and Charles Eck from the Erfindergarden Foundation based in Munich. We talked about all things repair and what we should cover in our upcoming working group session together.

The conference kicked off with a great opening, especially a talk from Scotty Allen on storytelling and making. There were also some interesting sounds and beats from Noisy Pots, a Czech duo who put on a great show to get things started.

Day 2 – Brno

The day kicked off in the beautiful Janáček Theatre with talks about the future of the Fab Foundation. In the afternoon, I joined the first of a three-part workshop by the Vulca Network (of which I’m a member), titled Define Your Erasmus+ Strategy.

The session explored how fab labs and makerspaces can access Erasmus+ funding and collaborate internationally. It was practical, clear, and very encouraging, demystifying a system that often feels daunting.

Later that day, I helped run the session How Repair Cafés Can Save the World alongside Andreas Kopp and Rafael Calado from Repair Café Lisboa. We explored how to start, sustain, and connect Repair Cafés across regions and the role they play in circularity, empowerment, and community resilience.

The evening ended with the Conquer the Castle Party, complete with traditional Czech music, brilliant views of the city, and lots of maker chat.

Continue reading “From Vienna to FAB25: A Maker’s Journey Continues”
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Aquarium Automation

Check out this cool aquarium project by our member Hussam. This is an aquaponics project called ”PIPONIC”. The system can be monitored and controlled remotely. Aquaponics combines fish and plants in one self-sustaining setup. In this case, the fish and plants are goldfish and mint.


The system runs on a Raspberry Pi 3, with a few key components:
• A light sensor that turns on LEDs in the dark
• A 12V water pump that cycles on/off to keep the water moving;
• A MAX31865 sensor that monitors water temperature for the fish (16–24°C);
The system logs data to a CSV file and sends it to Hussams website via an API for real-time monitoring. A camera connected to the Pi allows a visual check the water level.


You can view the live system status here https://hussamalhayek.com/aquaponics-status/
View the full code + WordPress integration and more details here https://github.com/Hussam424/Piponics


Hussam is currently working on automating the water level and would love to team up with others to explore new ways to expand the system and make it even more sustainable and smart. TOG has been the perfect place to experiment, learn and share creative ideas about projects like this. The aquarium is in our kitchen in the space. You can usually find Hussam at Electronics Night on Mondays. Feel free to drop by if you’d like to chat, share ideas, or collaborate on improving the system!

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Classic Car Tinker Day at TOG

Own a classic car or thinking about getting one? Join us at TOG Hackerspace for a special tinker day dedicated to classic car enthusiasts. It’s a great opportunity to meet fellow owners, share advice, and check out the workshop facilities we have on offer.

This free, open session is all about bringing like-minded people together. While access to group tools like welders and saws is limited to members, we want to give visitors a full tour of the space, chat about what’s possible, and spark ideas for future collaboration.

We don’t have a car lift (yet), but we do have a good selection of gear to support small jobs, including metal car ramps, axle stands, general hand tools, and some specialist equipment, such as a lathe.

Feel free to bring along your classic car and any bits you’re working on. Whether you’re mid-restoration or just want to talk shop, you’re very welcome.

When: Saturday 19th July 2025 from 3 pm to 6 pm
Where: TOG Hackerspace, near the Red Cow, behind Mr Price
Eircode: D12 CF6V – https://www.tog.ie/location

Stick around afterwards for our monthly open social night from 7 pm to 11 pm. We’ll have homemade pizza fresh from our DIY oven and plenty of good company. There’s loads of free parking available on site.

Hope to see you there!

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Build Your Own RISC-V Computer – Olimex RVPC Workshop

Have you ever wanted to build your own computer from scratch? Now’s your chance! Join us in Tog Hackerspace on Saturday, 16th of August, for a hands-on workshop where you’ll solder and program your very own Olimex RVPC kit — a compact and open hardware RISC-V computer.

🕙 Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm💰 Cost: €25 per person (plus booking fee)

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/build-your-own-risc-v-computer-olimex-rvpc-workshop-tog-hackerspace-tickets-1446556703039?aff=oddtdtcreator

🔧 What You’ll Be Doing

  • Solder up the Olimex RVPC kit – don’t worry if you’re a beginner, we’ll guide you through it.
  • Program and run your new computer using an open-source RISC-V CPU.
  • Get an introduction to low-level programming and system setup on an open hardware platform.

💡 What’s Included

We’ll provide:

  • The full RVPC kit from Olimex
  • USB-C power cable
  • PS/2 to USB adapter

🧰 What to Bring

  • A laptop
  • A USB or PS/2 keyboard
  • A VGA monitor and VGA cable (if possible – we’ll have a couple on hand but not enough for everyone)

Whether you’re a hardware hacker, a Linux tinkerer, or just curious about the future of computing with RISC-V, this workshop is a great way to learn by doing. Spaces are limited, so grab your spot while you can!

Come solder, learn, and leave with a computer you built yourself.

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Returning to Vienna – A Workshop at Metalab

Here’s a post from one of our members, Jeffrey, about his recent trip to Vienna and a visit to a fellow hackerspace.

It’s not every day you get to revisit a place that helped shape your own hackerspace journey. Earlier this month, Jeffrey made a stopover in Vienna on his way to FAB25.cz, and while he was there, he paid a long-overdue visit to Metalab, Vienna’s oldest hackerspace.

His last time in the city was way back in 2010, for a line-following robot competition. Jeffrey and fellow Tog member Robert Fitzsimons built a painfully slow but determined robot. Of the robots that actually finished the course, they came in last, but technically not last overall, since a few didn’t finish at all. A win’s a win! Old Photos.

That trip also included a visit to Metalab, which left a lasting impression. Its open layout and strong community vibe were a big influence on how we later designed Tog 2.

This time around, Jeffrey got the chance to give back by running a multimeter workshop. There was a great turnout, with participants learning how to properly use a multimeter to measure voltage, current, and resistance. It was a fun and hands-on evening full of questions, demos, and the kind of tinkering we love to see.

After the workshop, Jeffrey got a tour of the space from Hetti, a longtime Metalab member. From the workshop room humming away to the welcoming lounge area full of creativity, it’s clear Metalab continues to thrive.

And making the visit even more special, Meg, one of Tog’s founders, who now lives in Vienna, gave Jeffrey a tour of the city and the best swimming spot to get away from the heat.

📸 Check out the photo album from the workshop and Metalab tour.

Big thanks to the crew at Metalab for the warm welcome and to everyone who joined the workshop. If you’re ever in Vienna, be sure to drop by. It’s a space full of great people and maker magic.