Category: Workshops/Events

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50 Years of the 555 Timer IC

By de:User:Stefan506 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=351550

2022 marks 50 years since the release to market of the iconic 555 timer integrated circuit. The little 8-pin device was designed in 1971 by Swiss engineer Hans Camenzind for Signetics. Released in 1972, it became an instant success and has remained in production ever since. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, it was a rite of passage for any new budding electronics enthusiast to build a 555 circuit. The part was a staple of every enthusiast’s parts bin. Every electronics magazine carried 555 circuits and projects. There were even whole books of 555 projects. 50 years on, it is said that the 555 is possibly the most popular IC ever made, with production numbers in the billions. It can be bought for pennies. Among electronics makers, “Could have done it with a 555” is a common wisecrack in response to a fancy micro-controller project 🙂

We couldn’t let 2022 pass without celebrating the 50th birthday of this amazing little IC. Drop into TOG on Saturday 19th November from 3PM and build yourself a 555 circuit on breadboard. If you have no idea how to do this, don’t worry….. we’ll show you how. You can make something flash or buzz. You can even take away a souvenir 555 for free on us. This is a free workshop. Donations in support of TOG will be most welcome.

This event is part of Science Week which runs from the 13th to the 20th of November. Visit http://www.scienceweek.ie/ for more events.

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Kitchen Lithography Workshop

Learn to create a lithograph print by making a printing plate using common items you can find in a kitchen and around the house. Participants will learn a novel and non-toxic process of creative printmaking that’s easily repeatable at home. This workshop is led by our own Louise Nolan.

10 places available. 

The course runs from 11 am-5 pm with a break for lunch on Saturday 19th of November. Cost €40 plus booking fee – includes materials.  Book via the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/kitchen-lithography-workshop-tickets-464904641297

This event is part of Science Week which runs from the 13th to the 20th of November. Visit http://www.scienceweek.ie/ for more events.

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October Repair Café

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.

TOG members will be on hand to show you around the space – come and enjoy a tea or coffee and a tour while you wait!

What objects can you bring in?

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

Where? – TOG, Unit 1B Motor City
Kylemore Road, Dublin 12
When? – Sunday October 2nd, 11 am – 4 pm
Admission free – all are welcome!

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

Check out the types of things we fixed at our last event.

This event is part of Ireland’s National Reuse Month. This October is all about reuse. Its valuing our stuff, by using and reusing it for as long and as often as possible. This avoids the need to extract raw materials, manufacture and distribute new stuff, and avoids waste thereby cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

For more events visit https://www.mywaste.ie/reuse-month/

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Building a TinyGS Station Workshop

Space is fun. Receiving data from space is even better.

TinyGS is an open community-run network of Ground Stations distributed around the world to receive and operate LoRa satellites, weather probes and other flying objects, using cheap and versatile modules. https://tinygs.com/

This hands-on workshop will cover building, programming and setting up your own TinyGS station.

Participants will build their very own quarter-wave ground plane antenna, and base station to take home. All they have to do is plug the box into a USB charger.

This workshop is perfect if you want to get started building your first antenna and get started in the world of radio.

No amateur radio license is required to operate the station, only if you wish to send data to space.

TinyGS workshop at EMFcamp

Event Date: Saturday 17th September 16:00 – 18:00

Event Cost: €65 plus Eventbrite fees

Max Eight Participants

Booking Link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/building-a-tinygs-station-tickets-410608209207

Participants are required to bring a WiFi device like a phone or laptop to configure and a Telegram account.

This workshop is facilitated by our own Jeffrey Roe and with help from Gary.

You can read more about the building a TinyGS project on our blog https://www.tog.ie/2022/02/building-a-tinygs-station/

All visitors are welcome to stay at the event of the workshop for Tog’s Open social night https://www.meetup.com/tog-dublin-hackerspace/events/286494552/

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The Liberties Festival: How to Build Your Own Air Quality Sensor

Event posters. All information is covered in the text below.

Our own Jeffrey Roe will be hosting an Air Quality Sensor workshop as part of the Liberties Festival on Sunday 4th of September. We will be providing our soldering requirement to help out at this local community festival. Event details and booking information are below.

https://thelibertiesfestival.com/environment-1

Join us for a workshop with Jeffrey Roe of Tog Hackerspace and learn how to build your own sensor to monitor air quality in your local area. 

Air pollution affects many people’s daily lives, not just close to industrial centres. Most governmental monitoring is only done with a very limited number of sensors across the whole of Ireland. Oftentimes we are relying on modelling to make the best guess at current levels. This can miss out on local/seasonal pollution sources like coal fires during the winter and event-based pollution. 

The workshop brings local people together to learn about the issues and gain hands-on experience. It opens up the world of smart/IoT devices to the general public but also contributes the data to a wider citizen science project, the Sensor Community. This network has over 13,000 sensors around the world with 10 million data entries. 

Jeffrey Roe is a software/hardware engineer working building public transport systems from bike-share schemes, to parking and port traffic access management systems. In his spare time, he likes to make crazy projects like bubble machines, bone conduction, IoT projects and anything with LEDs in it. A big fan of getting people making, he co-runs ‘Dublin Maker’ an annual maker showcase festival and Dublin’s Hackerspace Tog. He is also a member of Engineers Ireland, he currently serves as the chairperson of the Electronic and Computing division. 

Requirements: None- all relevant equipment provided 

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Buildroot Developers Meeting

We are happy to host the Buildroot developer days on September 17th & 18th.

Buildroot is a simple, efficient and easy-to-use tool to generate embedded Linux systems through cross-compilation.

The Buildroot Developers meeting is a 2-day event for Buildroot developers and contributors. It allows Buildroot developers and contributors to discuss the hot topics in the Buildroot development, work on patches, and generally meet each other, facilitating further online discussions. Attending the event is free, after registration.

Visit https://elinux.org/Buildroot:DeveloperDaysELCE2022 to put down your registration.

Who can attend ?

This meeting is opened to all Buildroot users and developers. The event is free. However, we make it clear that it is not a training event about Buildroot aimed at newcomers. It is a meeting for Buildroot developers to make progress about various topics in Buildroot. It is recommended to already be a Buildroot contributor to participate to the event.