Author: gary

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Project: Fun with a GPS Tracker

GPS trackerCheckout some pics here of a GPS tracker we got to play with. This is nominally a vehicle tracker, but it could also be considered for other tracking applications. The unit is small and is powered from 12V. It draws up to 100mA. A regular SIM card is inserted. The unit has an external GPS antenna and a mobile phone antenna. It has a few other inputs and outputs too.

When power is applied, the unit is ready after about a 1 minute startup. When the number is called, the unit replies with a text message containing latitude and longitude as well as a Google maps link. Opening the link takes you to the location. If you would like to tinker with electronics or stuff like this, drop in to our regular Electronics, Microcontroller, IOT and CAD Evening  every other Monday. Check the events section of our website for details.

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TOG May Open Social

sunflowers

Well summer has arrived (sort of), it’s the middle of the month (or thereabouts), it’s Saturday and it’s 7PM. What on earth does all this mean? It means TOG Open Social of course. Drop in and have a natter with us.

Our May Open Social takes place on Saturday 21st May at 7pm. If you fancy a great alternative Saturday evening in town, why not drop in and see us. We’ll show you around our space and update you on the progress. We’ve been very busy lately with events and workshops. We have a number of others in the pipeline. Dublin Maker is coming at us frighteningly fast too.

Our Open Social is a great informal way to visit us. You can talk to members and visitors, see what’s going on, or just hang out for the evening. The space stays open until the last member is left……usually the small hours of Sunday morning. The evening is free to attend for members and visitors alike. Our doors will be open from 7pm. No booking is required…. just turn up. You can drop in for 10 minutes, or stay the whole night. We have parking available. Bring beer, food, gadgets! Hope to see you there.

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Electronic “Build-It” Workshop

line follower*** STOP PRESS …. Our workshop is full for this Saturday. We may run another soon. Get in touch with us on the “contact” link above if you are interested in taking part in our next one ***

We’re holding an electronic “Build-It” workshop in TOG on Saturday 14th May at 14:00. Many visitors to TOG tell us that they would like to get started with electronics, soldering or assembly, but they are unsure how to do so. This workshop will help. The workshop will run for approximately 3 hours. You will get to build (and keep) an electronic kit. The kit that we have chosen is a line-follower robot car. It will follow a black line or any line where there is reasonable contrast. You can see a video of the kit in action here.

The kit comes as a complete set of mechanical and electronic parts including a bare circuit board. You get to do all the electronic assembly and soldering as well as the mechanical assembly. If you’ve never built an electronics kit or soldered before, then this workshop is ideal for you. We’ll show you everything that you need to know. No previous experience at electronics, soldering or kit assembly is needed. We’ll explain the circuit and how it works too. All tools and equipment are provided. The workshop will take about 3 hours from 14:00 – 17:00.

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E-Bike Battery Surgery

battery deadOne of our long term visitors is an e-biker. One of his batteries was on the blink. There was no output on the normal output connectors, but there appeared to be an output via the charge port. We suspected that the balance circuit was shot, but when we opened the battery case, it looked like one of the cells was physically damaged. Lots of pics here.

We ordered a replacement cell. When we removed the bad cell, we noticed some others damaged. It looks like we need 4 replacement cells in all. We plan to cannibalise these from an old spare battery. We tested the remaining cells and they seem able to take a charge and deliver reasonable current. A 2 Ohm power resistor came in handy. Check back with us to see how the rest of the repair went.

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Blackpitts Makeover

spruce upThe front of our building is getting a bit of a makeover. Pics here. New cement render on the outside, painting, new bike racks, steps and ramp cleaned up. Inside we’re getting a spruced up entrance lobby, a new entrance door and other works. Drop in and have a look.

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TOG April Open Social

blower2

Our April Open Social takes place on Sat 16th April at 7pm. If you fancy a great alternative Saturday evening in town, why not drop in and see us. We’ll show you around the space and update you on the progress. Things are moving along nicely. Our workshop walls are going up and we’ve now had our first brewday. We might even have some beer samples for you to try 🙂

The Open Social is a great informal way to visit us. You can talk to members and visitors, see what’s going on, or just hang out for the evening. The space stays open until the last member is left……usually the small hours of Sunday morning. The evening is free to attend for members and visitors alike. Drop in for 10 minutes, or stay the whole evening. We have parking available. Bring beer, food, gadgets! Hope to see you there.