This is what our June Artist-in-Residence Jimmie Rodgers showed me how to do last week:

It's an Atari Punk Console Noise Dolly! The Potentiometers are in her arms! When Jimmie told me he could turn toys into electronic instruments, my first thought was "Creepy Doll Orchestra." Now I'm one doll closer to realizing my vision. This weekend, I'm going to LASERCUT a little stage for them to play on.
It's Magic! And you can learn it too! This week and next, Jimmie will be hosting a series of workshops for you to learn how to turn your own toys into wonderful oddities.
Did you notice that we also have kits back in stock! You betcha! TV-b-Gone! MintyBoost! Open Heart! Buy a kit then drop by and learn from the master himself. Jimmie is only here for another week and a half! Don't miss out on the magic. Sign up NOW!!

That's right, it is officially GO TIME in the AS220 Labs. So many classes, so many weird and wonderful things for you to learn and see and make....like this:



It's the Open Heart by our Hacker-in-Residence Jimmie P. Rodgers.

For the entire month, Jimmie will be here to show us what he knows, and, to be corrupted by our all powerful and irresistible laser cutter. Look what he made on his first try:



In a few short weeks, Jimmie will be hosting some awesome workshops, like this:

Circuit Bend the Easy Button Tuesday, June 22 7-10pm.

Buy a Kit, Build a Kit Wednesday, June 23 7-10pm.

Atari Punk Console Kit Build Thursday, June 24 7-10pm.

Circuit Bending II Tuesday, June 29 7-10pm.

Buy a Kit Build a Kit Vol.2 Wednesday, June 30 7-10pm.

Or, just stop by any weeknight between 7 and 10 to say hello, hack some stuff and hang out. We'll be here, making stuff like this:

Atari Punk Console:

And talking about Jimmie's hacker space Artisan's Asylum opening June 18 in Union Square in Sommerville!

Resistance is Futile....resistors are plentiful. Get it while the gettin is good!

Greetings from the hacker capital of Rhode Island-It's* QuahogCon*! We've been talking with makers, hackers, thinkers and tinkerers from across the country about how cool it is to be a total nerd.
There's robots and LED's and brain machines and lock pickers and laser cutter goodies all over the place! It's pure magic!
Our comrade John Duksta, fearless leader of DC401 put this whole shindig together and we couldn't be happier to be here!

Students from the FabAcademy are impressing the masses with their gadgets

the Fluxamascanner 3D scanner
Chording Keyboard prototype
Motion sensored skulls with LED eyes
3d casts of moon craters and Pure Data Frequency Modulators
and cute laser cut keychains that amazingly double as bottle openers!!

It's all fun and games here friends! And don't forget about our May classes:

Intro to the Laser cutter
Basic Electronics for Artists
Laser Eastern Woodblock Printing
Hop to it Hackers!! We'll be waiting!

Listen up geeks: you do not want to miss what's goin' down in the labs this Spring. We have new classes and old classics seeking open minds and able hands to help us hack and hot wire our way out of winter. Behold-It's Springtime in the FabLab!

MARCH
13: Intro to the Laser Cutter 10am-1pm $65
18&25: Electronics for Artists 7-10pm $100(includes parts)
20&27: Lasercut a Pinhole Camera 1-4pm $55

APRIL
3: Intro to the Laser Cutter 10am-1pm $65
22: Programming Workshop 7-10pm FREE

MAY
1: Intro to the Laser Cutter 10am-1pm $65
5,9&12: Laser Cut Japanese Woodblock Printing $125
6,13,20&27: Introductory Arduino 7-9pm $200 (includes parts)

Sounds like fun, don't it! Visit our online store for detailed class descriptions and to reserve your spot!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions for super slick hacker savy classes?
e-mail krystal@as220.org

That's right folks, lasercutting is back with a vengance in the AS220 Labs. We're slicing and dicing our way through the dark days of winter, and this is your chance to get in on the fun! Didn't get a spot in this Saturday's sold-out class? Not to fear friends of the lasercutter, there's another class this Monday with 3 spots open!! Can't make it then? Then sign up for Broken Hearts Lasercutting on Saturday Feb.13th or almost-but-not-quite Leap Year Lasercutter on Feb. 27th and get your piece of laser glory. Come on, you know you wanna! Visit the online store to sign up!

The raffled Makerbot has finished its long journey from Providence to Tempe AZ, where it is now ensconced in the workshop of Becky Stern. She writes in her Sternlab blog:

I recently won a raffle for a Makerbot Cupcake CNC machine, which is a DIY 3D printer. The raffle was held by AS220, an awesome hacker/etc lab in Providence. Thanks a million, guys, it works great! You can find the file for the little mushroom that I printed (John Park modeled it) in the Thingiverse.

It's official. This past weekend we hosted Zack Hoeken of Makerbot Industries and NYC Resistor and built a Makerbot with the help of about a dozen workshop-goers over the two days. Reprappers Bruce and Nick Wattendorf arranged the whole event; Nick is shown in the photo above, working on the Makerbot with Zack. The Makerbot we built is #48 in the lineage of Makerbots.

Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets! We sold a total of 107 tickets, and received a $100 match from board member Brian Jepson (thanks Brian!). The raffle closed at midnight last night, at which point Arley-Rose pulled a name from the glass jar. Drumroll please... and the winner is...

Rebecca Stern of Tempe Arizona.

Congratulations Rebecca!

Check here for a full list of everyone who bought tickets and threw their names in the hat. The current batch of Makerbot kits is sold out, but we will be trying to get an order for the AS220 Labs bot in the July batch.

When: Tuesday, March 10, 4 - 6 pm
Where: Cranston Public Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road

Teens! Do you like to tinker? Come join us at the Cranston Public Library for Make and Break: Build a 555 Noisekit! - a workshop designed to inspire you to further investigate electronics technology and technology-based scientific inquiry. An instructor from AS220 Labs will show you how to use an old reliable integrated circuit - the 555 timer - to produce electrifying noisemusik. You will leave with a completed project that that can be plugged into any amplifier, computer speaker, or home stereo. All soldering tools and materials will be provided free of charge.

This program is funded by a YALSA Teen Tech Week Mini Grant!

To register, call 943-9080 x 5

Here's a quick update on what is happening in and around AS220 Labs at the beginning of March, 2009:

New Equipment

Back in mid-November we held a fundraising event to raise money for the "Fab Lab" fabrication equipment. In January we purchased the first large piece of equipment, an Epilog laser cutter. We also did some minor electrical improvements and combined two of the studios on the second floor of Empire Street to accommodate the Fab Lab equipment.

Marc deVinck came up to AS220 last weekend and did a great article for the Make Blog.

PBN photo by Frank Mullen

Ted Nesi of Providence Business News came by last week and interviewed MItch for Providence Business News.