London Hackspace

The London Hackspace is a non-profit hackerspace in London: a community-run workshop where people come to share tools and knowledge.

Location: NW10 6HF Our tools and equipment The Rules Code of Conduct		Getting started Weekly Open Evening: Wednesday Chat with us on Discord Subscribe to our mailing list Follow @londonhackspace How to Join London Hackspace		Become a member! Donate items from our wishlist Pledge for new equipment Propose a Workshop Help maintain the Hackspace

Inside our wood working area (at Ujima house)

Electronics building area (at Ujima house)

Hacking through the night

Status Update (2024-07-03): London hackspace is now open again to members!

We're still not finished - major construction work is done for a while but there's plenty still to do building workbenches, unpacking equipment and cabling ACNodes. Ask around for ways you can help while you're in working on projects.

To get an Orientation and unlock your 24/7 access, keep in touch via our Discord Guild for announcements.

Location

The location of the current space (2024 onwards) is:

41–43 Standard Road
Park Royal
London
NW10 6HF

Google Maps; Lat/Long: 51.5277, -0.2642

Public Transport

• North Acton station, served by the Central line,
• Harlesden station, served by London Overground and Bakerloo lines,
• Acton Main Line station, served by Elizabeth line trains,
• Park Royal station, served by the Uxbridge branch of the Piccadilly line.

Several TfL bus routes pass through the area serving Central Middlesex Hospital nearby; numbers 187 and 440 will stop almost directly in front of the EX2 warehouse.

Cycling

Bicycles can be locked in the alley to the side of the building at any time.

If it's quiet inside, you may be able to leave a bike against the internal wall separating LHS from the wider EX2. If you do this, be considerate and be prepared to move it at any time. Never leave a bike there unattended if you are leaving the space. (Note the landlord is looking into a more permanent, secure bike storage option - watch this space)

Please don't bring bicycles inside the hackspace (unless you are maintaining them!) - they make it difficult for others to move around the space and access equipment.

Car Parking

On-street car parking is free on Standard Road, but it's difficult to find a free spot during working hours. There is a loading bay, but do not use it unless actively loading (members have previously been fined).

There is a private car park around the corner on the left off Dragor Road (Lat/Long: 51.528217, -0.26539)—which is the nearest and also cheapest—at £2.80 per diem.

The ASDA superstore a little further walk away is free for up to 3 hours, but a day ticket can be purchased online as a last resort.

Canal Access

Grand Union Canal, Paddington Arm. Acton Lane.

Other things

Core Material

• Equipment - Incomplete list of the stuff we have and its status.
• Maintenance - The space doesn't improve itself. Know how you should be helping.
• Consumables, Wishlist - We try stock cheap little things for convenience. Donate or restock to help maintain.
• Library - Useful reading material. Update this when you borrow, return or contribute books.
• Suppliers - In the local area and online
• Pledges - Does the space lack something you want to use? See if others will combine efforts to get it.

Community

• Projects - Some people have documented their personal projects
• Members - Non-comprehensive list of members and photos
• Job Board - Employers, employees, and contractors can find each other here
• Skill Swap - Swap time
• SwapShop - Exchange and advertise unwanted stuff
• Other Events - List non-LHS organised events of interest to the community.

Guides and Rules

• Rules - Know the rules!
• Guides - Find out how things work and how to safely get involved.
• Filming & Photography - Our policy on filming and photography in the space.
• Internet Use Policy - We have a lovely connection. Please don't ruin it for us.
• Commercial Use Policy - If you want to use the space for any commercial or paid-for activities.
• Bringing items - Space is limited and precious, know what's allowed.
• Faceplant - Common mistakes. Don't inadvertently destroy our equipment!

Propaganda

• The history of the London Hackspace.
• The Cost of Hacking - No such thing as a free lunch. Everything costs a little bit.
• Advertising, Propaganda - Promotional materials, stickers, posters, ...
• Press - Mentions of the hackspace
• Organisation - About the London Hackspace's legal structure
• One Hundred Things You Didn't Know About London Hackspace
• Other Hackspaces

What London Hackspace is

• A place for people to work on projects they're interested in - We provide a space for members to work on almost any project that interests them and provide the tools to help them do so.
• A place to socialize with like-minded people - We have open evenings which also provide a social venue for members to meet up and discuss what they're working on.
• A place to repair, improve or re-purpose things - We keep an extensive collection of tools that can be used to repair and hack equipment to make it last longer or be more useful and our members often help each other with repairs.
• A group to share knowledge and experience - We can find an expert on almost anything technical (and a lot of other things) within our membership, and most of them are very willing to share and teach
• A way to learn and teach new skills - Our members provide inductions and other training on most of our equipment, as well as workshops to demonstrate and teach new skills we dont have technicians etc
• A place to work collaboratively on projects with friends - We provide a venue for groups of members to meet up and work on projects that would otherwise be hard to arrange.
• You need to be a current paid up member to use Hackspace resources this includes tools, internet and materials.

London Hackspace is not

• A pay-as-you-go workshop - Although we're very flexible on membership contributions and require no long-term commitments, we do expect that being an London Hackspace member is an ongoing process of contributing to the hackspace. Contributing only when you want to make use of the hackspace facilities is discouraged.
• A co-working space – whilst you may be able to sit down and do some work on a small scale you will very quickly find it is not suited to having meetings, conference calls etc the network may drop out, there will be noise and interruptions
• A laser cutting/CNC machining/etc service - We do not provide commercial services to the public, and we have a shared machine that many members will want to use
• A charity - Although we very much welcome donations and assistance, we are not a registered charity and are structured more like a social club.
• A storage area - We have a small amount of space to store ongoing member projects and we're happy to have tools that are being regularly used, however we are very space limited and do not provide long-term storage.
• A business incubator - We're happy to support local businesses where we can
• A tool hire centre - Our tools are kept at the hackspace and are not loaned out to members.
• The Repair Shop wanting to repair stuff are very welcome to become members and get full access to our facilities. If you join up, we may help you fix it, if someone is around and they have time but we won't fix it for you.
• A source of free materials – You should bring your own materials if people have useable materials left over they can leave them for other member and other members should make a donation to the space to the value of the materials – it is one of the ways we support our selves
• A waste disposal service – Because it does not fit in your bin at home does not mean the space will find it valuable or useful

This wiki

• There are 870 articles in this wiki, covering all aspects of the hackspace.
• Find thing with this Search with more detailed results