Guides/Getting started

Welcome!

This page is intended to help people who have never been to the Hackspace before.

Everyone should read the rules which covers things you can/can't do, as well as the faceplant list which details things you can do but would probably regret (mainly concerned with common tool related gotchas).

Just looking?

Not sure you want to be a member? Check our IRC channel (Warning: maybe NSFW) or mailing list to get a feel for us; come along on a Tuesday or arrange (via IRC or the list) to come along at another time.

Become a member

This is the website to go to to become a member, for detailed information how to sign up as well as why you should go here.

Briefly: members get full access and stop us closing. No members = no space. There are other member benefits.

Once you've set up the standing order please allow a couple of days for it to clear then come along to the space and ask someone to get you access (best to check on IRC that someone will be there).

Communication

Mailing Lists

Join one of our mailing lists - the list of lists has all our lists but the main options are:

Main mailing list Used for general communication and discussion between members. Extremely active, 30% noise.
Music hack space mailing list Used for general communication and Music Hack Space meet-ups announcements. 2/3 e-mail per day.
~~Announcements Used only for weekly news announcements and event announcements. Intentionally very quiet, 0% noise.~~

If you want to post to the main list (the announce list is read-only) please read the FAQ first.

Following these links will require a google login and sign up your google mail address. If you want to sign up a different email address, see these instructions

IRC

IRC. As well as the mailing list there is a fairly lively (although at times NSFW) IRC chat room that is used for more general discussion, feel free to join in, members get ops (just ask).

IRL

Our Tuesday socials every Tuesday we have a social meet at the space from about 19:30. There is normally a large pizza order (currently £5 / person) for food, drink is BYOB (or buy donate to a beer-run). This is an excellent time to meet people and look about.

Other places on the internets

Events

The space hosts a variety of events, from workshops and lockpicking to parties and young hacker's days.

All of these are announced on the list and are put our events calendar.

Projects

The main project page is here, as well as this there are assorted members projects here. In general projects progress when people work on them; if there is a public project you are interested in read the wiki page for it, ask around on IRC or the mailing list then go for it.

No matter what the project (personal or public) these pages may help:

Suppliers lists local, national and internet based suppliers for all sorts of things.
Guides contain assorted "how-to's" (and some "how-not-to's") for tools around the space
Equipment, what we have. Be aware some tools require training (notably the laser cutter and the Makerbot, these are delicate, expensive, tools: if you don't know how to use them please ask).
The training directory covers who to talk to about what.
Our library contains a range of books (many more than listed here) that are free to use and cover a range of topics, members can borrow books but must list what they've borrowed on the page (at the very bottom).
Our workshops page covers upcoming workshops as well as those passed; the individual pages often contain much useful information (as well as possible contacts), for more see below.

Workshops

Workshops are organised by our members, they are announced on the mailing list and the Workshops page. Most workshops are free but for some (especially those that supply equipment) you will have to pay for them although members will receive a discount. It's also worth noting that some of these workshops will have limited places or other constraints so make sure you check.

Anyone can organise a workshop, it can be a 30 minute 'lightening talk' on what you do for a living (thats how the biohacking started) or a much longer, full weekend teaching session (eg the Arduino workshops).

If you want to run a workshop announce it on the list and put it on the page pick a date (check that nothing else is planned) and go for it!

The process is similar if there's a workshop you would like to see: ask about it on the list, and then put it on the request list.

Other Stuff

For more information on other hackspaces in the UK there is this site which has a list of most of the UK hackspaces. There is also an associated google group/mailing list