October 2016

Welcome to the first edition

Our lovely new space.

On the 1st of October we moved into our new space. It is in the same building on Wind Street as before, but we are now on the 4th floor. The space is about the same size as our old room but it has a much better layout. Everyone, members and non-members alike, are welcome to come and check it out on one of our open nights and socials every Monday night from 7PM onwards.

These evenings are often a hive of activity as people get on with their projects and chat with like minded people about their latest activities. So call in and see us.

You can ring the buzzer at the green gates below on the street and someone will let you in. All existing keyholders have been transfered over so just follow the signs to the new room.

Handmade Crafternoons

For anyone that has an interest in learning to knit, crochet, or sew, or who already has these skills and wishes to meet up with others and craft socially, come to Swansea Hackspace on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month.

These sessions are free and open to all, including non-members.You can get the materials quite cheaply at the market in Swansea, and acrylic yarns are fine for beginners.

We want to create a friendly and inclusive place for everyone interested in crafts to nurture their creativity. So come down and join us. The next session is on Wednesday the 12th October at 7PM. More details are on our website at http://swansea.hackspace.org.uk/Meetings/Next

New Take Out kits.

Regular users of the hackspace will be familiar with our Take Out Kits, which are handy packs of basic electronics for projects which can help you get started cheaply. We order in bulk so we can often offer cheaper rates than can found elsewhere in the UK.

You can buy the new "Pick and Mix" base kits, then optionally you can add any combination of additional components from our stores.

Prices are as follows:

• Plain Take Out kit: £5
• Arduino Uno clone : +£5
• ESP8266 Wifi board: +£3

As in previous kits the base takeout kit contains: Breadboard, jumper wires, resistors, various LEDs, LDR, Thermistor, Buttons, Speaker, and Servo

For more info please see the website http://swansea.hackspace.org.uk/TakeOut/PicknMix

Hack the Space Day.

As a result of the move we have decided that in future we will be holding a quarterly Hack the Space Day. The first of these will be on Saturday 7th January. We will be taking the afternoon to reorganise and tidy the space, with discussions on ways we could improve things for everyone as well as planning for future purchases and upgrades.

Uplands After Dark event.

During the recent British Science Festival we took part in the very successful Uplands After Dark event. Amongst the 3D Printing, @H2G2 Tweetable Bag, and other projects on display, The light up badge kits which we developed for soldering practice were enormously popular, and "sold out" rapidly. We are looking for suggestions for the next generation of this badge.

We even featured in their Highlights Video.

Future News

We will be publishing this newsletter on a regular basis keeping you informed of upcoming events as well as featuring a range of activities from the space and its members. If you have a project or interesting activity please share it with us, along with any other news or events to newsletter@swansea.hackspace.org.uk