Christmas light repair workshop
The festive season is just around the corner and your Christmas lights have stopped working? Do not worry! Come to our meetup at Starship Factory and repair your Christmas lights with our electronics experts. What can you expect? Professional support: our experienced techies help you get faulty light chains, stars and other illuminated decorations shining again. Tools and materials: all the tools and materials you need for the repair are available on site. A cosy atmosphere: enjoy a warm and welcoming atmosphere in our workshop, exchange ideas with other participants and let the pre-Christmas mood inspire you. Who can take part? Everyone is welcome, whether you are handy or not. Our electronics experts are there to help you with advice and hands-on support.
Laser your design onto all sorts of materials!
Do you have a unique design that you would like to put onto different materials such as wood or metal? At Starship Factory we offer you the chance to engrave your design onto a range of surfaces with state-of-the-art laser technology. Date: Friday, 29 November 2024 Time: 19:30 – 22:00 Location: Makerspace Basel, Starship Factory, Klybeckstrasse 141, Basel
Workshop on computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) in FreeCAD
Following the workshop on constraint-based/parametric modelling in FreeCAD, let’s take a look at CAM (i.e. computer-aided manufacturing) in FreeCAD! We’ll start with some theory on 3-axis CNC milling, covering Different types of milling bits Chipload RPM Feedrate Depth of cut Conventional versus climb cutting Next, we’ll check out some options in the Path workbench in FreeCAD, focusing on operations to generate different kinds of tool paths like
Workshop on constraint-based and parametric modelling in FreeCAD
Constraint-based and parametric modelling is ideal for prototyping something, as it is straightforward to modify your design without having to partially re-model it. Rather than drawing your geometry at a fixed position and with a fixed scale and orientation, constraint-based modelling allows you to add bits of geometry (e.g. line segments, circular arcs, …) and specify properties — constraints — such as length, angle or distance in a flexible way. In addition, you can assign labels to values, which can be used to define properties of other bits of geometry (e.g. define a circular arc with the same length as a line segment elsewhere).
Punch with snowflakes
Oops, is it the end of the year again? Only one thing helps: change down a gear, roll to a stop and switch into contemplative mode. An excellent opportunity to sit together again, look back over the year and do a bit of lasering (what else)! This year we would like to build snowflakes with you, since snow has become rare in the Rhine plain. We defy global warming with Bleeptrack’s snowflake generator and create our own diversity that way. Of course you are welcome to laser other things too. If you are artistically gifted you have the chance to pick up a pen and create your own cutting templates with our help. The materials for the workshop are provided. There is also non-alcoholic punch and, if you prefer, mulled wine — plus harmful carbohydrates for everyone too weak to resist. We are already looking forward to seeing you!
Playing with Home Assistant
+++ Date changed +++ Date changed +++ Date changed +++ Date changed +++ Home automation is becoming ever more important. The components can now be bought in any DIY store. Our flats and houses are supposed to become “intelligent”. That is not always useful or sensible. But you can have a great deal of fun with it.
3D printing workshop
Are you interested in 3D printing? Would you like to try it yourself? With this introduction to slicing and printing you will learn how to work with our 3D printers. The workshop takes place on Tuesday, 12 April, every hour from 18:00 to 21:00. Recommended age: from 14 years Prior knowledge needed: none. Familiarity with 3D model formats is an advantage.
Hot cuts – introduction to laser cutting
Do you share our enthusiasm for lasers? Then this introduction to working with materials on our KH-3020 laser might be just the thing for you. It takes place on Friday, 19 November during our regular opening hours from 20:00. The KH-3020 is a variant of the popular K40 CO2 laser. The controller has however been replaced to extend what it can do. It is driven with the software LightBurn.
Introduction to 3D printing
Round two: on 2 July from 20:00, Claudius and Bernd are offering our uncomplicated and entirely informal introduction to 3D printing at Starship Factory once again. This is an event by laypeople for laypeople. After a short introduction to the principles of TLD (“thin layer deposition”) 3D printing and the typical workflows, we will explore Starship Factory’s machines together. Depending on how we feel, we will start a series of test prints, investigate how the machines work, or print first models.
Introduction to 3D printing
+++ Date changed +++ Date changed +++ Date changed +++ Unfortunately Starship Factory remains closed to the public because of the coronavirus ordinance in force. We therefore have to postpone our introduction to 3D printing. It is now expected to take place on Friday, 16 April during our regular opening hours from 20:00. This is an event by laypeople for laypeople. After a short introduction to the principles of TLD (“thin layer deposition”) 3D printing and the typical workflows, we will explore Starship Factory’s machines together. Depending on how we feel, we will start a series of test prints, investigate how the machines work, or print first models. After this introduction you will normally be qualified to use Starship Factory’s 3D printers on your own. After that there are no limits to your creativity.
Workshop: build your own digital clock
We are building a digital clock to our own taste. The workshop offers an interesting mix of soldering, 3D printing and laser cutting. The individual steps can be carried out in any order. On the day of the workshop we will split into 3 groups for this. The workshop mainly serves as a way into the project. Finishing it then happens at your leisure during Starship Factory’s opening hours (see opening hours).
Electronics beginners workshop
On 02 May at 19:00 an electronics workshop takes place at Starship Factory. This workshop is aimed at electronics beginners looking for their first way into electronics. Depending on the participants’ interests we will cover the following topics: Resistance, voltage, current. What are they? Simple resistor circuits Voltage dividers Calculating series resistors, and LEDs Simple transistor circuits The participation fee is CHF 15, one drink included.
Raspberry Pi workshop
On 29 October there is another Raspberry Pi workshop at Starship Factory. Part 1: getting to know the Raspberry Pi Get to know the Raspberry Pi 3 and build a wireless access point with it. Part 2: Raspberry Pi *blink* Learn to control simple electronics and let it become a thing of the internet.
2 April: Arduino Day 2016 at Starship Factory
On 2 April 2016 the international Arduino Day takes place again. And this time too we at Starship Factory will be putting on a varied programme. A few highlights: For everyone curious and new to it, Christoph from Starship Factory gives an insight into the Arduino world: what is an Arduino? What do you do with it? How can I dive into the Arduino world myself, right here? Dr. Mathias Wilhelm presents his HelvePIC32 project, an Arduino-compatible microcontroller to solder together yourself. Cedric from CS Audio Design presents his Gesture Based Performance System (GePS) in a workshop, which turns body movements into music. The detailed programme with all the activities will be published shortly. But do not wait for it — put 2 April in your calendar today!
Workshop "Opening locks for beginners (and the advanced)" in December
You had to wait a long time, but now the time has finally come: there is another workshop on opening locks for beginners (and the advanced)! In a relaxed atmosphere and with friendly fellow learners you will learn how a lock is built, how locks can be opened without force, and what to look out for when buying a lock. A large number of practice locks offers plenty of challenges. No prior knowledge is needed to take part; everything required is learned on site during the workshop.
Workshop "Programming for absolute beginners"
Have you always wanted to learn to program, but thought until now that it was too hard for you, or simply never got round to it? We have exactly the right workshop for you, and it is easier than you think. Come by and let us convince you! On Saturday, 27.06.2015 from 14:00 to 16:30, Alexander Schremmer (xoraxax) is giving an introduction to the basics of programming using the programming language “Python”. Anyone who wants to learn to program can take part — member or not. No prior knowledge of programming is needed; knowing some English is useful (but not required).
Workshop for women: help, my clothes are glowing!
On Sunday, 19 April 2015 from 14:00 to 18:00 there is a workshop by women for women: Do you find ordinary clothes too boring too? With EL wire you can add glowing messages in many different luminous colours! And with our T-shirt film you can put a non-glowing message underneath.
Workshop: opening locks for beginners
On 17.04.2015 at 18:00 a workshop on “opening locks for beginners” takes place at Starship Factory’s premises. The workshop aims to give beginners an understanding, through tangible examples, of how a lock is built, which principles ensure its security, and what to look out for when choosing locking mechanisms. The moral and legal limits of lockpicking are also covered (for example that only practice locks may be opened, ones that are not, or no longer, used for security).
April at Starship Factory
New space, new possibilities: this April we are offering a whole series of workshops for interested people. Saturday, 11 April 2015, 15:00: Making spare parts with OpenSCAD (3 hours) Missing a spare part, or has something broken? With OpenSCAD and a pair of callipers a replacement is made in no time. Bring CHF 20 and we will show you how.
Soldering workshop with Mitch Altman on 20 May
Mitch Altman from the hackerspace “Noisebridge” in San Francisco has announced himself as our guest. On 20 May at 18:00 he will be giving a soldering workshop here at Starship Factory. It is suitable for beginners who have never soldered and are looking for an easy way in. The kits, on the other hand, are varied and interesting for the more advanced too.
Workshop "T-shirt printing made easy" at Nähcafé Kiel
Now that the congress is over, our T-shirt printing experts are making a short stop in Kiel, where we want to spread our knowledge of T-shirt production. So there will be a workshop on T-shirt design at the local Nähcafé. There we will turn your T-shirt idea, or one of our templates, into a finished printed T-shirt which you can take away with you straight after the course. We will show you the basics of the open source program Inkscape (Mac, Win, Linux) and convert a template (a photo or logo, say) into a vector graphic suitable as a motif.
T-shirt production at 30c3
Until tomorrow we are present at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg with an assembly. Thanks to numerous interested visitors, the cutting plotter and the T-shirt press are running almost continuously, and people are busily developing, plotting and pressing their own T-shirt designs. The important part of the process is less the T-shirt itself than that visitors learn thoroughly how to print T-shirts themselves under guidance — from the graphic to the press.