dorkbot bristol

No Dorkbot tonight - but we should be back next month in the usual location

Change of venue to Bristol Hackspace for this month only.

We’re pleased to announce that Brendan Arnold will be coming to talk about Manifestations.

Manifestations was a ten day exhibition of interactive sound sculptures by collaborators Matthew Roy Arnold, Daniel Cioccoloni and Brendan James Arnold.

Exhibiting in the crypt of one of Bristol’s oldest churches, the works provide a focal point for meditation on our relationship with real and virtual spaces as well a serving as an example of how digital technology can be used to build on traditional sculptural practice. The pieces feature sounds and lighting which respond to the way a viewers approaches the works revealing new meanings in the physical forms.

The pieces utilise Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, movement sensors and even lasers! Brendan will be bringing some of the pieces along for us to see and play with (so if you missed the exhibition - now is your chance).

Brendan will also be doing a Bristol Hackspace Skillshare workshop on May 5th with Raspberry Pi and Arduinos.

Tuesday April 21st - 7.30pm for 8pm in Bristol Hackspace, G11, 37 Philip Street, Avon, Bristol BS3 4EA. (opposite Windmill Hill City Farm)

This month’s Dorkbot - Jan van Lent, from UWE’s Engineering, Design and Mathematics department, will talk about 3D printing.  With some example objects and a discussion of 3D modelling and some useful mathematics.

March 17th,  7.30pm for 8pm at the Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed.

  Richard Sewell (@jarkman) will give us a talk about … err … something to do with slippers…

Not sure what it’s about - but if it’s Richard it’s bound to be interesting.

7.30pm for 8pm, Tuesday February 17th at the Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed, Bristol.

Getting the location of people, indoors, with any kind of accuracy, has long been the Holy Grail for many digital interactive applications.

This month’s Dorkbot will have a demonstration of Ubisense - ultra wide-band radio tag detection - which, in theory, gives an x, y, z position to within 15cm.

We also have Rik Lander (@riklander), who has been using some of the more recent ultra-sound detectors for his piece, “Watch For Mystery Pays” - a reluctant one-armed bandit.

And, if anyone got any exciting toys for Christmas they want to show off - bring them along.

Dorkbot is in the Pervasive Media Studio at the Watershed. 7.30pm for 8pm start, Tuesday 20th January.  Everyone welcome.

No regular Dorkbot this month - but do come along to the Hackspace Christmas get together on Thursday 18th from 7pm.

Bristol Hackspace, G11, BV Studios, 37 Philip St, opposite Windmill Hill City Farm. BS3 4EA

This month’s talk is from our very own John Honnibal @anachrocomputer.

Command-line interfaces are great, but what if you want a graphical user interface (GUI) for your microcontroller project? John has built a few GUI programs using GTK+ on Linux, and connected them to Arduinos and other serial devices. One serial gadget is a vacuum fluorescent display from a cash register, while another is an Arduino driving lots of LEDs.

John will show us how to get started with GUI programming in Linux, and how to interface that GUI with external hardware. His talk will include demonstrations of the hardware and the GUIs.

Dorkbot is open to anyone who is interested.  Held in the Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed. 8pm start, Tuesday 18th November.

If you go to Bodiam Castle; you can experience Splash and Ripple’s “A Knight’s Peril” by taking an “Echo Horn” around the castle to listen to the echoes in the walls of the castle - and maybe help avert a murder!

Tarim will be talking about the hardware, software, Raspberry Pis and Minirigs that go to make up an Echo Horn.

In the Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed on Tuesday 21st October, 7pm for an 8pm start.

Bristol Dorkbot is back after its summer break.  This month, we have:

• Damon Rand of Clean Energy Prospector (CEPRO) will talk about their latest project, a radio-operated substation energy display that is being trialed in 50 homes in Easton. The Internet of Things display is Arduino Mega based, uses Pervasive Displays ePaper to extend battery life and a long-range, low power radio for communications.
• Richard Sewell (@jarkman) will be demonstrating The Tune On A Stick - which went down really well at EMF Camp.
• Nikki Pugh (@nikkipugh) will be showing off a Critter from her Colony project.
• Beforehand, will be the Botlab AGM (the co-op who look after Bristol Hackspace). There will be a quick review of accounts followed by voting in any new committee members.

7pm Botlab AGM
8pm Dorkbot
Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed, Bristol

This month’s speaker had to postpone - so let’s take it as a sign and put Dorkbot on hold until the autumn.

If there’s anyone you’d like to hear at Dorkbot or you’ve got something you’d like to present then get in touch.