We just received the circuit boards for the Hair and Balanced TV Filter Kit:

What does the kit do, you ask? Here's a hint:

This open hardware/free firmware kit isn't quite ready for prime time, but will be debuted at the Austin Maker Faire; stop by our table to see it in action!

Fabrication and Folk Technology in downtown Providence.

AS220 Labs is proposing to expand the scope of the lab from software and electronics instruction to include the personal fabrication and machining technologies of a Fab Lab.

AS220 Labs is located on the 2nd floor of our Empire Street Complex. We plan to double the size of the existing lab to incorporate the Fab Lab tools and workshop space. We are currently seeking financial support to build the Fab Lab and sustain it during the startup phase.

The mission of the AS220 Fab Lab is to provide access to tools and training (to young people 14-21, especially) and to act as the home base and foundation for AS220's technical support functions. Our goal is to increase our non-financial resource-building capacity by hooking into the growing Fab Lab network of makers. We are interested in freeing the means of fabrication from wasteful, inequitable industrial processes and promulgating the idea of "folk technology" as an alternative to corporate consumer technology.

AS220 has acquired and is beginning to develop a third building on Washington Street in downtown Providence. Our longer term plan is to incorporate the Fab Lab program in the new building.

AS220 is actively working on developing the Fab Lab, which will open this Fall. We're in the midst of fundraising and grantwriting, but we realize that there might be surplus equipment or resources out there that could be put to use in the community lab. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to look over this list and see if there is something that you, your employer, academic institution, etc. may want to contribute to the effort.

Build the BPNG-Touch!

In this workshop we'll build a touch-sensitive version of the Flower Electronics battery-powered noise generator. Participants will assemble and solder the circuit themselves. Besides learning how to solder, we'll talk about how transistors work and the flow of information in circuits. We'll also touch on aesthetic issues related to microelectronics and mass production.

Participants will leave with a fully functional, expressive musical instrument.

All tools and parts are provided. Cost of parts is $25. Participants are limited to 20, so come early!

Wednesday Sept. 17th, 5:00 to 7:00pm

Jessica Rylan is a sound artist and creator of the Baby Blue synthesizer. Her designs draw on the best of 1960's and 70's modular synthesizers, 1980's guitar effects pedals, multiple-feedback techniques (a la David Tudor), and circuit bending.

Read on for photos from the evening...

We just received our first official AS220 Labs printed circuit boards in the mail. It is a version of Tom Igoe's 2-wire bipolar stepper motor control circuit used in the drawbot, for a future Make and Break workshop. I used Ladyada's PCB design hints and resources and chose the Gold Phoenix service. Cost: $89 for 90 boards.

The Drawbot is in the front window of a huge group show of work from the AS220 Print Shop. Over the course of the month it will draw an edition of "prints" of Erik Satie.

Download the Drawbot Arduino code here.