Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab

That's right, we've been booming lately and are happy to see such interest in the lab, but we need more help to keep up with the demand. We will give preference to existing, active volunteers, so don't be afraid to get involved. Here's the description:

Overview

The Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab is seeking lab attendants to assist with daily operations and extend our open hours. The Fab Lab works with patrons of all ages to develop ideas for projects, convert these ideas to digital files and finally produce physical objects and prototypes out of these ideas, with machines like electronic cutters and 3D printers. Our patrons include students, researchers, entrepreneurs and also community members who participate in workshops.

A giant tutorial for using Minecraft to teach all kinds of fab lab concepts and digital literacies (3D modeling and printing, digital storytelling, circuit logic) is now available online:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JHT4KPdZPx-0M3qbJUJf25-HJYgcW-dGiAh9ydqKdu0/edit?usp=sharing

This will be the basis for the Minecraft training workshop on Sunday the 23rd. Feel free to edit it or make suggestions!

Just a reminder that we're having an operations meeting this upcoming Sunday at 2:00p in the break room at the main Fab Lab. General volunteers are welcome to attend to learn about what's going on with the lab and get more involved. The agenda is available online, please let Jeff Ginger (ginger@illinois.edu) know if you have any items to add (and are not on the approved editor list already):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bbU0KG-XebTezPA5G8eJUhiz6EgRiq7e2NCyggd1E8U/edit?usp=sharing

1. What is Minecraft, basics of play, why it's neato
2. Using the Fab Lab Minecraft server, how to access files
3. Showing a variety of tools for 3D rendering and modeling
4. A little bit on using redstone to learn computer circuits
5. Digital storytelling with adventure mode

Fab Lab staff I expect you to come to this. Kids who are old enough and focused enough to teach other kids (and adults!) are welcome to join.

Mitch Altman is giving the "Variety of Cool Kits" workshop, Saturday 15-Feb, 2pm at the Urbana Makerspace.

What: Learn to Solder, with a variety of cool kits!
You can easily learn all of the skills you need in a short time.
Make a project, and take it home with you!

When: Saturday, February 15th, 2pm-5pm
Most projects take about 1.5 to 2 hours

Where: Makerspace Urbana <https://makerspaceurbana.org/>
202 S. Broadway Ave in Urbana
at the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (IMC).

Who: You! All ages, all skill levels -- It is fun to make things in the

The K-Droz association organizes ArtFab3D, an international contest for artistic works made by digital machinery. It will distinguish the works and artists showing the potential of CNC machines in artistic production at its best. The works, which should be submitted as photos, must be manufactured using CNC techniques, such as 3D printing, CNC machining, laser engraving, vinyl etching, water jet cutting, plasma cutting, etc... The contest theme is free and participation is open to all.
K-Droz will award a prize of € 250 to the winner and up to 5 designers will receive media coverage in several countries.

7pm Allen Hall this next Monday, the 3rd.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-01-31/ui-grad-returns-campus-encourage-hackerspaces.html

A fun way to learn about Inkscape for Minecraft enthusiasts.

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/illustration/playing-with-isometric-projection-in-inkscape-to-make-a-minecraft-scene/

Bob McGrath is pleased to bring us a new tool for rapid prototyping! The ‘boxmaker’ creates a six-sided box with tabs for press fitting.  The output is a PDF file which can be edited with Inkscape or sent directly to the Epilog laser. The output can later be edited to add decorations or adjust the layout or features. The program has a command line interface, with 12 arguments, some of which will not need to be set by users. Find a shortcut for the new boxmaker on the desktop of any PC in our lab and give it a try (for free). Check out pictures attached to this post to get an idea of what the process, program and product looks like. You can also find a nifty new tutorial here, too: http://cucfablab.org/book/beginner-cuc-fab-lab-pressfit-boxmaker

Special thanks to Rahul Bhargava for getting us started with some initial code. Find additional release notes attached below.

The Fab Lab will be closed this upcoming Sunday (January 5th 2014) due to excessive snow and limited staff/volunteers, sorry!

We'll plan on being back in action starting Tuesday, January 7th.

Join us this Sunday at the Fab Lab to wrap gifts and to make cards, ornaments and other crafts for the holidays!

Chocolate snacks will also be present.

Join us for a Holiday Potluck this Thursday from 6-9 at the lab. Bring a dish to share and come work on holiday gifts, cards and other creations. Free to participate but if you don't bring food donations to the snack bin are encouraged!

A free online tool to create a vector font from your own handwriting - http://www.myscriptfont.com/

Revised 01.03.2014-

The Fab Lab will be closed for the winter holidays! Our last open day will be Sunday December 22nd and we will reopen on Tuesday January 7th. Have a great break!

A project started (in part) by a Fab Lab patron and UIUC Material Sciences researcher, Analisa Russo, Circuit Scribe is an easy way to get into learning circuits on paper and get around breadboard learning techniques. Learn more (and donate, if you like) here:

I believe a few of us are going to pick a version up for the main lab and TUFL to test and play with. More on the project at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/electroninks/circuit-scribe-draw-circuits-instantly