What are the South West Makers and what do we do?
We had our first public meeting back in May 2013 in Bunbury. We are currently an un-incorporated group of individuals who enjoy making things and coming together to exploring and help each other Making things. You can see the kind of individual projects we build on our log site: http://www.swmakers.org/blog and a lot more in our Forum: http://forum.swmakers.org/ (subscription needed).
We meet on the second Saturday of the month in Eaton.
It doesn't currently cost anything to join the group. See below for how to join in.
We had our first public meeting back in May 2013 in Bunbury. We are currently an un-incorporated group of individuals who enjoy making things and coming together to exploring and help each other Making things. You can see the kind of individual projects we build on our log site: http://www.swmakers.org/blog and a lot more in our Forum: http://forum.swmakers.org/ (subscription needed).
We meet on the second Saturday of the month in Eaton.
It doesn't currently cost anything to join the group. See below for how to join in.
What is a Hacker / Make space?
These are spaces to collaborate and be creative any time of the day or night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackerspace
http://makezine.com/2013/05/22/the-difference-between-hackerspaces-makerspaces-techshops-and-fablabs/
http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackerspace
http://makezine.com/2013/05/22/the-difference-between-hackerspaces-makerspaces-techshops-and-fablabs/
http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/
Do I have to know Electronics and other Geeky Stuff?
No definitely not! All you need to do is have an interest in making and repairing things. While some of our members are oriented towards geeky projects, the spaces are also oriented towards art and being creative. The limit is your imagination and what you want to do, these spaces just help make it happen for you, whether it's electronics, CNC, robotics, Art, Video, Metal work, Music and just about anything else you can think of.
A make space provides the "how" of what you want to do, most people can't afford to have expensive tools an machinery at home, where it is usually sitting idle most of the time. Why not collaborate and have access have to shared equipment and resources.
A make space provides the "how" of what you want to do, most people can't afford to have expensive tools an machinery at home, where it is usually sitting idle most of the time. Why not collaborate and have access have to shared equipment and resources.
What's in the Make Space?
We would ultimately like to get a dedicated 24x7 space available to our members that has:
- 3D Printers
- Laser Cutter
- CNC Milling
- Work Benches
- Hand tools
- Soldering Area
- Wet Area
- Library
- Training Area
What do you currently have?
We don't have a dedicated space yet, although through our members we have access to some of the following equipment:
- 3D Printers
- Desktop CNC Mill
- Soldering
- Electronics
- Oscilloscopes
Where do we Purchase things from?
We are often asked where to start, or where to purchase things from. Below is a list of some common sites that we use and that you might want to investigate:
We are often asked where to start, or where to purchase things from. Below is a list of some common sites that we use and that you might want to investigate:
- https://www.jaycar.com.au/ Local Bunbury or Busselton Jaycar stores. They sell a range of electronic kits and parts etc.
- https://www.brainspice.com.au/ Local Bunbury store that sells Makeblock robotic kits, electronics and science kits and a lot more!
- https://www.freetronics.com.au/ supplier of Arduino kits and other electronics
- http://www.frontier3d.com.au/ They are a new Perth company/store that has a lot of 3D printing gear and Chinese electronic parts
- http://www.bilby3d.com.au/ (NSW) have a large range of 3D printer filaments and CNC parts etc
- https://core-electronics.com.au/ An East coast Maker parts supplier. Great service.
- https://littlebirdelectronics.com.au/ A Sydney company that holds a lot of Sparkfun and Adafruit electronic parts, including Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's.
- https://www.adafruit.com/ Adafruit (USA) sells a LOT of interesting electronic parts and kits. Most parts come with a handy on-line tutorial that is a fantastic way to start learning and playing with electronics. They also run an interesting tech and fashion blog site. Parts usually take around two to three weeks to arrive.
- http://sparkfun.com/ Sparkfun (USA) sell a range of electronic parts. Parts usually take around two to three weeks to arrive.
- http://www.dx.com/ Deal Extreme (Sydney/Hong Kong) are handy for one off parts. Very cheap and the HK store has free freight, but you have to be patient and wait up to five or six weeks for it to arrive. The Sydney store is usually faster, but you have to pay the freight.
- https://www.aliexpress.com/ (China) It's the Chinese equivalent of eBay. They have some great deals on specialised electronic parts and you can usually purchase things in bulk.
- http://www.banggood.com/ (China) kind of the same as Aliexpress and sometimes cheaper again.
- http://www.ebay.com.au/ (world) most companies sell via their eBay store as well. Watch the freight mark up though.
- https://www.cleverpatch.com.au/ (NSW) a wonderland of STEAM, Art and Craft supplies
- https://www.bunnings.com.au/ (local stores) have a great range of hardware supplies
How to Join the Group?
You can join via the Contacts page. See this Blog entry: http://www.swmakers.org/1/post/2013/08/google-group-mailing-list.html
