A member of the public contacted us about a toy repair. Unfortunately, they could not make it to one of our Repair Cafes. We don’t normally take on repairs outside of our events but this one tugged at our heartstrings.

This bear has huge sentimental value to the owner and their wish was to pass it on to her niece allowing the next generation to enjoy it. The bear was originally gifted by a now-deceased grandfather and enjoyed many happy years with the owner.

Disaster stuck with the electronic teddy bear with its arm becoming dislodged. With nowhere offering to repair the bear, all was lost until the owner came across a Repair Cafe event.

Do you have broken items at-home – clothes, small appliances, toys, electronics?

No need to throw them away!
Save your things from the landfill and your wallet from having to replace them.

Bring them to our repair café and learn how to fix them together with our volunteers. We have tools, materials, space to work on your item, and repair experts who will help you with your repair.

Our next repair cafe takes place as part of the Beta Festival. Beta is a new festival of art and technology critically engaging with the impact of emerging technologies on society. Taking Ireland’s role as a central node in today’s wired world as a starting point, Beta will showcase and celebrate Ireland’s research and artistic communities through a combination of creativity, debate and experimentation.

The festival will take place November 2nd – 5th 2023 with the exhibition that opens as part of it continuing in The Digital Hub and the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) for a further two weeks until November 19th.

A repair cafe is a community gathering place where people can bring their broken items, such as appliances, clothing, bicycles, or electronics, to be repaired by skilled volunteers for free. The idea behind repair cafes is to promote sustainability and reduce waste by encouraging people to repair and reuse their belongings instead of throwing them away.

At a repair cafe, visitors can learn how to repair their items themselves or watch and learn from the volunteers. Repair cafes also offer a social atmosphere where people can connect with others who share their interest in repairing, reducing waste, and promoting sustainability.

Our passionate team of skilled volunteers will be on hand to help you fix everything from electronics and appliances to furniture and clothing, all while sharing valuable repair skills and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

At our Repair Café , you can:

• Learn essential repair techniques from our expert makers and volunteers
• Discover the joy of fixing things and reducing waste in a collaborative, community-focused environment
• Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about sustainability and the maker movement

So grab your broken treasures and join us for a day of mending, learning, and connection at Tog Hackerspace Repair Café in the Digital Hub. Together, we can build a more sustainable future and celebrate the power of repair!

If we can’t fix your items, we will do our best to make suggestions on where to get spare parts or the best recycling options for you to continue your journey of repair.

What objects can you bring in?

• Clothes and accessories
• Toys
• Small electrical appliances and electronics
• Small furniture
  … and many other things!
  Safety (PAT) testing for electrical devices will be available.

Where? – iD8 Studio at The Digital Hub, 0-13 Thomas St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 EY05, Map Here
When? – Sunday, November 5th, 12 pm – 3 pm
Admission is free – all are welcome!

If you would like to be a fixer, drop us an email.

We are teaming up with Fingal Makerspace and Make Create Innovate to host a Repair Cafe in Blanchardstown. The aim is to bring together skilled volunteers and community members who want to repair their broken household items.

Our passionate team of skilled volunteers will be on hand to help you fix everything from electronics and appliances to furniture and clothing, all while sharing valuable repair skills and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

At our Repair Café , you can:

• Learn essential repair techniques from our expert makers and volunteers
• Discover the joy of fixing things and reducing waste in a collaborative, community-focused environment
• Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about sustainability and the maker movement

So grab your broken treasures and join us for a day of mending, learning, and connection at Fingal Makerspace Repair Café. Together, we can build a more sustainable future and celebrate the power of repair!

Date: Saturday 21st October

Time: 11am – 4pm

Location: Fingal Makerspace

More info & Tickets : makecreateinnovate.ie/repair-cafe

The event coincides with International Repair Day.

At one of our Repair Cafes, we had an electrical bicycle that would not turn on because it had been sitting idle for three months and would not charge. Vanmoof has no repair options since they have gone bankrupt over the last few months and not supplying any spare parts.

With nothing to lose, we started to take the bicycle apart to find out what it’s made of and if it’s serviceable. With little or no documentation on how to take it apart and without specialised tools and security bits we cracked it open.

Issue 1: Unlock The Bicycle

The bicycle needed an app to unlock it, the bicycle would turn on for 1-2 seconds and then turn off. To solve this I used a generic 36v charger and plugged it in to get the smart cartridge to boot up. This allows you to unlock your bicycle and ride as a push bike.

Issue 2: Repairing The Battery – Manual Recharge

The bicycle was not holding any charge in the battery. The battery is located in the bottom rale. You need a specialised tool to remove the wheel however I found if you deflate the wheel and take out 2 bottom screws you can slide the battery out. There was no power coming out of either the charge ports or discharge ports. By connecting the DC benchtop power supply to discharge ports battery started to charge. Voltage when plugged in was 28v. I let it charge up to 36v and then put the battery back into the bicycle.

Conclusion:

The Vanmoof bicycle is back up and running and fully functional again. It was well worth the time.

Thanks to all TOG members who helped out with advice, I am in no way an expert on this.

This repair was carried out by Christian Kortenhorst.

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