Metrix Create:Space

You can pick your friends.
You can pick your beer.
But can you pick… a Lock?

Join us on Saturday, September 8th, from 5-7pm as we embark on an ancient mechanical adventure to explore the inner workings of a modern lock, first developed by the Mesopotamians and Egyptians over 4000 years ago. Led by lockpicker Eric Michaud, this workshop will cover - soup to nuts - everything you need to know about how common locks work… and how to pick them open.

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You won’t be able to resist our newest workshop series that will make you a master of all things awesome!

The series will consist of five classes offered every Tuesday in the five consecutive weeks starting with the Intro to Electronics workshop on August 28 at 7 PM.

Each of the workshops will introduce you to a basic element of learning how to interact with and control your environment and various elements in it through electronics and programming. The series will consist of three introductory workshops and two more advanced ones that tie in the concepts you will learn in the first three. All of these will be hands on workshops. You can take each one as a stand alone workshop or you can take a combination of them based on your skill level and interests. Check out our August and September calendar (http://metrixcreatespace.com/calendar) for the whole series.

The first one of the series, Intro to Electronics, will introduce you to some of the basics of electronics, including standard components, circuit building, and voltage and current. This workshop will give you the foundation you might need to work on your own electronics projects or to move into the world of microcontrollers and interactivity.

All the materials are included in the $50 workshop rate.

Give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to the Metrix Create: Space shop on Broadway to reserve your spot. 

Just took the Intro to Arduino class and wondering where to go next? Did some tinkering with the Arduino awhile ago and are looking for a way to get back into it?

The Advanced Arduino with Processing workshop tomorrow (August 14) from 7-9 PM is perfect for you and anyone else looking to expand their Arduino skills. 

The workshop will cover reading analog sensors with the Arduino and translating the voltage variation into useful measurements. We will also be working with the Processing interface and how to use it to visualize real time data received by the Arduino from your analog sensors. Minimal experience with Arduino is necessary for this class. No previous Processing or programming experience is needed. Some basic electronics experience would be helpful but it is not necessary.

For the workshop you will need to bring a computer with Arduino and Processing installed (Processing.org, Arduino.cc) and your favorite Arduino board. The cost of the workshop ($50) covers 2 hours of instruction and all the materials that you will need. To sign up call us (206 357 9406) or come down to our shop on Broadway.

     Tired of looking at schematics on the Internet or printed in a magazine that you want to build but don’t even know where to start? Its time to get your projects off your valuable breadboard and make them into something more permanent. In just a few hours you can learn the fundamentals of soldering! Nothing beats being able to look at a schematic and turn it into a functional layout on a circuit board. Take your prototyping to the next level by making a durable device that can be handled and incorporated into an actual project.

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It’s not too late to get a spot in the Intro to Electronics workshop tonight (8/7) at 7 PM. 

The workshop is designed to teach beginners the basics of electronics. Through a series of hands-on circuit building exercises you will learn about some of the essential components of electronics as well as how to put them together in working circuits. After taking the class, you will be equipped with the knowledge to take on your own small or larger scale electronics projects.

All the materials for the workshop are included in the $50 workshop rate. You can call (206 357 9406) to reserve your spot or just come to the Metrix Create: Space shop on Broadway a few minutes before the workshop to sign up.

Have you always wanted to cut on the laser, but don’t know how to use a program that allows you to create the right kind of file? Inkscape for the Laser Cutter is happening this Tuesday, July 24 from 7-9:30PM.

This class is for beginners who have never used Inkscape before. I will be teaching you all the basics of this free vector imaging program so you can create your own laser cut projects. At the end of the class, you will receive a 3”x5” piece of birch wood and cutting time to practice your new skills. Call us (206 357 9406) or come by the shop to register. This workshop is $50. Please bring a laptop with the latest version of Inkscape installed and a mouse with a scroll wheel. Looking forward to seeing you there!

If you’ve taken the Intro to Arduino class and want to take your understanding of the Arduino platform farther or if you have been playing around with an Arduino and would like to learn more, the Advanced Arduino with Custom Sensors workshop is perfect for you. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, July 17, 7-9:30 PM.

The first part of the workshop will be dedicated to putting together your own custom Force Sensitive Resistors and properly setting up the circuit to connect them to the Arduino board. In the second part of the class you will develop a program that will allow you to turn the input information from your sensors into useful, real-world data. You will be able to apply the skills acquired at the workshop to a wide range of other sensors and Arduino input/output systems.

Basic understanding of the Arduino hardware and software is required. You will need to bring a computer and your own Arduino board and USB cable. The $50 workshop rate includes all of the materials necessary for building and wiring your custom sensors.

To sign up come down to the Metrix Create: Space shop on Broadway East or give us a call (206 357 9406). Space is limited.

Due to popular demand, we’ll be holding an extra Intro to Arduino Workshop on Monday, July 16, 7-9:30 PM. 

Arduino is a microcontroller based hardware/software platform that allows you to create, control and customize a variety of electro-mechanical projects both small and large in scale. The robot in the photo can dance thanks to an Arduino board hidden in its base.

No previous electronics or programming experience necessary. Through several hands-on exercises, the workshop will introduce you to the Arduino board hardware/software and how to interface with it through circuits that you build and simple programs that you write. The workshop rate ($60) includes an Arduino board and all of the necessary electronics for the exercises. Please bring a computer with the Arduino IDE installed (arduino.cc).

To sign up come down to the Metrix Create: Space shop on Broadway East or give us a call (206 357 9406). Space is limited.

The first casting workshop at Metrix is happening tomorrow (July 3) at 7 PM.

Don’t miss out on all the fun making! The workshop will cover both silicone mold making and pouring urethane plastic parts. All the exercises will be hands-on and you get to take home what you make. The skills taught in the workshop apply to a wide range of casting materials.

Casting is a fabrication method that allows you to replicate existing object as well as create completely new ones from digital designs. You can create toys, mechanical parts, and project prototypes of varying complexity and detail.

The cost of the workshop ($50) includes one silicone mold and one urethane plastic object. Please bring a small (2”x2”x2”) non-latex rubber based object with at least one flat side for the mold-making exercise. To sign up, give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to the Metrix Create: Space shop on Broadway.

You may have heard on the Social whatsits that Chase and LivingSocial are awarding 12 $250,000 grants at Mission: Small Business.    We heard about it too, and it seems legit. Now we’re trying to get our hat in the ring because that is a lot of money that we could use for awesome stuff.  There is one day left for voting, and then the panelists get to judge who gets the cash.  To qualify, you need 250 votes and an essay about all the awesome stuff you would do with the money.  We’re working on the essay, but we need the votes or it is moot.  You trust us to do something awesome right?

To vote for us, it is simple.  Go to the Mission: Small Business site.  Log in to the “Log in and Support” side using your facebook account (it doesn’t ask for lots of permissions, its just an authentication).  Search for metrix and click Vote next to Metrix Create:Space.

That’s it.   Maybe tell a friend.

We need about 80 votes by tomorrow.  you folks can swing that right?

Also, since I mentioned it. 

You know we’re having a big ol launch party for OpenBeam tonight at 8 right?  Adult beverages, and awesome building materials, lasers, cnc dinosaurs. Wonderful people. Make sure you are there.