What would you do with a TechShop membership?

[XMIT]

http://www.techshop.ws/

TechShop is a chain of maker spaces. For a monthly fee you can gain access to all of their toys, including: 3D printer, laser cutter, mill, lathe, solder reflow station, through hole rework station, water jet, plasma cutter, powder coating booth, and even a small injection molding machine.

What would you do with a TechShop membership? What projects would you want to see done?

Spoiler: MrsXMIT got me a four month TechShop membership for my birthday. If I make some interesting things maybe the membership will extend?

[Muirium]

Not much. They're an ocean away!

But in your case, well, which keyboard would you most like to make an awesome new housing for? And which switch would you like to bring back from the dead? With which caps?

Investigate their capabilities. Find out the constraints. Then design a project that is doable within your time.

[Findecanor]

There is a local makerspace, but they have not been able to keep their machines running steadily because of various issues. Therefore, I have not seen it worth it to get a membership. They moved location and opened a new place last week, and maybe, maybe things are working now. Memberships are yearly, so maybe I'll get one for next year.

Projects I have had in mind, but not been able to do:
- Laser-cut keyboard case out of plywood for custom keyboard.
- Milled acrylic waterblock top for water-cooled PC.
- Guts for Luke's lightsabers from ANH/ESB and ROTJ. I have met the maker of the Luke ANH lightsaber cutaway, who told me how he build it with a laser-cut acrylic and turned brass in a lathe, and I want to build it as accurate as possible.

I would probably also have done more soldering over there if there is proper ventilation for it. It hasn't been in the old location. The stench of warm 3D printing filament has been thick.

[zslane]

I have an idea for a project that would require metal (aluminum probably?) rolling/bending, or whatever would form metal into shapes like the case sections of an IBM Selectric. I wonder if TechShops would be good for that; they seem to be planning a new location in Los Angeles next Spring.

I'm not sure if my project would require a custom keyboard plate (and custom-programmed controller), but it might. I presume there are plenty of other places that do those sorts of things judging from the threads I see all over the place involving custom plates and controllers?

[XMIT]

The Austin/Round Rock Tech Shop does have some metal bending facilities. I was thinking of using them to make a Hammond style case. They also have powder coating facilities.

I'll know more when I take a member's tour Wednesday evening.

[wacko78]

I went the tech shop in RR and the hacker space in Austin. I'd definitely join if I had time.

[XMIT]

Yeah. I really don't have the time. I hope the membership isn't wasted.

[Plasmodium]

UK people, check out the Fablab website - it seems like a similar deal, but whether or not you need a membership varies per individual shop. Speaking from my experience of the one in Exeter, you can do pretty much anything for free, but you need to supply any materials they don't have it things like specialist drill/CNC bits or whatever.

[Edit] Here's the link: http://www.fabfoundation.org/fab-labs/ - looks like they're international, actually.

[RoastPotatoes]

UK people, check out the Fablab website - it seems like a similar deal, but whether or not you need a membership varies per individual shop. Speaking from my experience of the one in Exeter, you can do pretty much anything for free, but you need to supply any materials they don't have it things like specialist drill/CNC bits or whatever.

[Edit] Here's the link: http://www.fabfoundation.org/fab-labs/ - looks like they're international, actually.

Exeters the closest one to me. This could be interesting.

[ne0phyte]

Yeah, fab-labs are international. There is one in Hamburg and I know that the Linux user group in my old hometown is about to found one there, too.

[Plasmodium]

UK people, check out the Fablab website - it seems like a similar deal, but whether or not you need a membership varies per individual shop. Speaking from my experience of the one in Exeter, you can do pretty much anything for free, but you need to supply any materials they don't have it things like specialist drill/CNC bits or whatever.

[Edit] Here's the link: http://www.fabfoundation.org/fab-labs/ - looks like they're international, actually.

Exeters the closest one to me. This could be interesting.

I can tell you for free that if you want to do metalwork, the only blokes who know how to operate the CNC machine are only in on every other Tuesday and Wednesday.

[photekq]

I'd make some custom cases from various metals.

[Muirium]

Absolutely. And with better designs than this:


https://www.massdrop.com/buy/hhkb-cnc-a ... guest_open

Or this:

http://deskthority.net/post258917.html#p258917

But instead, more along the tasteful lines of this:

http://deskthority.net/post259869.html#p259869

[DanielT]

@Muirium: please stop posting that shitty red case, my eyes hurt

[ramnes]

I kind of like that red Topre brick, actually.

[Muirium]

It'll look better if you can get it anodised in unicorn rainbow…

Spoiler:

[XMIT]

As I mentioned in matt3o's thread: If TechShop has a 3D scanner, I'll get the best scans I can of a number of spherical key cap profiles. I've got a bunch in the house!

[seebart]

I kind of like that red Topre brick, actually.

It's a monolith block from hell...

Spoiler:

6a00d8341bf7f753ef011570362b38970c.jpg (48.33 KiB) Viewed 4430 times

[Muirium]

Fun fact: Kubrick filmed that inside! The apemen were on a small revolving set in front of a huge white screen, where he had several (three?) immensely high powered projectors simultaneously play back the same footage, picture perfect, from a series of shoots he had an assistant go off to Africa to film.

All so he didn't have to catch a plane.

[ramnes]

It'll look better if you can get it anodised in unicorn rainbow…

Spoiler:

Just for you µ:

[seebart]

Yeah I knew that, he and his team had some crazy genius ideas for that production...no unicorn rainbow crap thank god.

mono.jpg (223.63 KiB) Viewed 4407 times

[XMIT]

I love how Kubrick used an f/0.7 lens (yes!) for shooting in natural candlelight for Barry Lyndon. That's ridiculous.

[mr_a500]

You can actually rent one of those lenses.
http://petapixel.com/2013/08/05/zeiss-f ... ever-made/

Anybody want to rent it to take low light keyboard photos?

[Muirium]

He was a good kind of nutter, Kubrick. The best thing about him being he didn't just get his jollies from using extreme kit, but he made a whole career's worth of intensely thoughtful movies even while indulging in all of that. Plenty of directors don't really know what they're doing, or aren't really in control. He didn't suffer from either problem.


Re: the lens. Kubrick had also hoarded the (already!) vintage movie camera bodies required to use a lens like that. Spielberg apparently tried to borrow one or two of them some time after Barry Lyndon, but Kubrick wouldn't let him. He knew they were impossible to replace. Like asking Webwit if you can borrow an industrial SSK.

There are a handful of f/1.0 lenses out there for Canon bodies. As in really just a few instances of the same long forgotten vintage model. Canon still makes an excellent (and already very pricey) f/1.2 but the 1.0 was a flop. So much more glass for so little more speed. I saw a review with sample pictures some years ago, and it was blown away by the 1.2 even on its home turf. Bragging rights, but no cigar.