Monday Mar 3, 2014 6:00 pm

Join Sarah and Mark at SYN Shop for drink and cupcakes to celebrate the successful completion of our Kickstarter funding campaign! Come join us in a toast as we kick off the next phase of our Robot Army project.

Saturday Mar 1, 2014 9:00 am

A hackathon for kicks and giggles! Both amateurs and pros most welcome.

Take It Back-athon is a different kind of independent hackathon, returning to the days of coding for fun.
People of any gender, race or condition are encouraged to attend, and cooperation is stressed over competition.

Find out more, and buy tickets on http://takeitbackathon.com/

Saturday Mar 8, 2014 12:00 pm

In this class you'll learn what the Raspberry Pi is, the components on the Model A/B, what you need to start using your Pi, and what the Raspberry Pi really is and how come YOU should care.

Learn how to get up and running with your Pi and how to find the various ARM-based operating systems. This class will focus primarily on Raspbian.

Leaving the class you'll have the skills to: 

• Download then Format the correct File System for your project

• Write and Install Raspbian from your SD Card

You will get a good understanding of how you can use your Pi for almost anything, including but not limited to: Home Security, Micro Arcade, BitCoin Mining, Home Cloud Server, and even just having a portable PC to play Minecraft on the go with only a few Double A batteries.

Come with an OPEN mind and see how the latest technology is changing the future and how micro platforms like the Pi are just the start of the Maker movement, giving everyone a chance to take part.

Requirements: Red Food Coloring, Puff Pastry (just kidding!) bring a 4GB or larger SD Card & if you have a Pi, bring it in! 

* KIDS are welcome BUT with a responsible Adult for kids under 13. Please let us know if you'll be bringing a child, so the class can be tailored for both Adults & Kids.

Thursday Feb 20, 2014 7:00 pm

Interested in learning more about SYN Shop but not sure what it is exactly?

Come to our open house and learn more about the Shop, the tools we have and how you can join our thriving community of makers.

SYN Shop is open to all and we run the gamut; whether you are a hardcore hardware hacker or love to needlecraft, we are here for you.

Wednesday Feb 5, 2014 7:00 pm

Soldering Workshop with the Minty Boost Kit

For our next Soldering Workshop, we're assembling the world's first and only open-source hardware charger: The MintyBoost

http://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost

This is a great little device.  It is a small & simple, but very powerful USB charger for your mp3 player, camera, cell phone, and just about any other gadget you can plug into a USB port to charge!

The charger circuitry and 2 AA batteries fit into an Altoids gum tin, and will run your iPod for hours!

As this is a DC to DC converter circuit, I've also used this device for powering 5V microcontroller circuits off two AA batteries.  I really like this kit, as I've found lots of uses for it.

What is included

This class includes the following:

• Adafruit MintyBoost Kit http://www.adafruit.com/products/14

• A nifty altoids tin to put your project in http://www.adafruit.com/products/16

• The warm feeling you get by helping out SYN Shop while learning how to solder

You will need to provide two AA batteries to power your new MintyBoost.  You can also use rechargeable batteries.

Saturday Feb 22, 2014 12:00 pm

Building Wearable Tech Butterfly Wings.

Another “wearable tech” DIY project! Build a wearable butterfly with two wings that oscillate by using a shape-memory-metal  actuator.

The instructional part of the class will also focus on digital logic and digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) circuitry: 

• Introduction to Boolean Logic.

• Flow chart diagrams and decision symbols

• Logic gate schematic symbols

• How to implement abstract logic gates  into physical digital circuits

• Overview of Shape Memory Metals and applications

During the practical part of the class, we will breadboard an oscillator circuit, then sew the circuit components, butterfly wings, and shape memory metal actuator into fabric. No soldering required, but lots of practice with a needle and thread to build soft, flexible and conductive circuits. Conductive thread and shape memory metal wire will be included in the kit. Optional reference text for this class will again be “Fashioning Technology” by Syuzi Pakhchyan:

http://fashioningtechnology.com/

Syuzi’s blogsite, at fashionngtech.com, also showcases lots of wearable tech applications and practical references at:

http://www.fashioningtech.com/profiles/blog/list?user=306sf06eygkoc

Completed butterfly wing kit can be taken home.

Thursday Jan 30, 2014 6:00 pm

Interested in learning more about SYN Shop but not sure what it is exactly?

Come to our open house and learn more about the Shop, the tools we have and how you can join our thriving community of makers.

SYN Shop is open to all and we run the gamut; whether you are a hardcore hardware hacker or love to needlecraft, we are here for you.

Thursday Jan 23, 2014 6:30 pm

Interested in learning more about SYN Shop but not sure what it is exactly?

Come to our open house and learn more about the Shop, the tools we have and how you can join our thriving community of makers.

SYN Shop is open to all and we run the gamut; whether you are a hardcore hardware hacker or love to needlecraft, we are here for you.