At MakerLabs we believe that sharing space, tools, and skills are fundamental aspects of maker culture. The mission of the Creative Technology Residency is to build an electronics-focused community by making technology together. It achieves this mission by encouraging collaboration between participants. The creative technology residency also offers tool training, one-on-one mentorship, space and tools for making, and project help and feedback.
Residents that complete this program will gain a solid foundation in electronics prototyping, soldering, CAD modeling, digital fabrication with 3D printing, and artistic expression through physical computing.
MakerLabs Extended Hours Membership + member benefits (2 months, 7 days/week, 9am - 9pm)
Access to our electronics lab, studio space, and project storage
Access to prototyping equipment including:
Hardware Components, Sensors, Actuators (Including Arduino and Raspberry Pi)
4 Classes: Soldering and Electronic Tools 101, Fusion 360 and 3D printing 101, Arduino and Electronics 101, Arduino and Electronics 102
Platform to share/exhibit work
Consultation and peer mentorship in the following areas:
hardware prototyping (embedded systems design)
interaction design
sound installation
Large scale LED creation
CAD design/manufacturing
custom fabrication (wood, metal, plastics)
Interactive art
PCB design and manufacturing
Duration: 2 Months
Cost of Residency:
$895 + GST plus any additional materials / consumables the residents may use.
This residency is subsidized and includes free classes, early access to the building, and support. In return we require the following from our residents:
Month 1:
Attend all classes on the first four Wednesday evenings of the first month, engage in weekly mini-projects, attend Sunday afternoon support sessions, commence independent project work, and maintain a digital presence through an introductory blog post and weekly Instagram posts.
Month 2:
Step into a mentor's shoes by supporting the new cohort of residents, continue to develop personal projects, and keep the digital narrative going through mid-residency and end-of-residency blog posts, alongside weekly Instagram updates.
Residency commitment
This residency is subsidized and includes early access to the building, workspace, and support. In return we require the following from our residents:
● Residents must be at MakerLabs a minimum of 15 hours a week to be committed to the program. This includes class time, time spent meeting with mentors / mentees, and time spent working on projects.
● Residents must attend all scheduled classes on Wednesday Evenings from 6pm to 9pm during the first month. Residents may also attend the weekly support sessions through the residency, on Sunday afternoons. All other hours are flexible but we encourage working in groups and meeting up with your mentor / mentee on a weekly basis.
● Residents must document their experiences and work completed during the residency. This includes submitting posts for our Instagram account at least once a week. We also require three posts on our blog over the duration of the residency (one introductory post, one mid-way through post, and one post upon completion of the program).
Accommodation and travel
This must be arranged by the resident.
Project legacy
All intellectual property will remain in possession of the resident(s).
Anything built here is the property of the resident.
Any documentation can be shared by MakerLabs through our website/social media etc.
Throughout the residency you are expected to document your progress and provide MakerLabs with content to post on their social media. We want one Instagram post per week (at least), and you are encouraged to provide more content if you want to. You can cross post to your own social media channels as well. We require three blog posts. One Introductory post, one after your first month, and one at the end of the residency.
You must be able to attend all classes in the first month and must be available to mentor for the second month.
Join the MakerLabs Member Slack to communicate with your cohort. Please communicate regularly on Slack, so we can see that you are actively participating in the program.
Attend the Meet & Greet
Sign up for Slack and have it downloaded to your phone
Make sure you can sign in to the blog (on Wordpress)
Write a short blurb on who you are and why you are doing the program and ideally with a photo of your previous work. Post it to Instagram and the blog (include tag: creativetechnology)
Soldering & Electronics 101 Homework:
Complete a soldered prototype on protoboard using MakerLabs' soldering stations (2 hours)
your project should not be solely powered through a microcontroller
should include at least one switch
should include at least one indicator light
try and have at least one external data connector
Go to Lee's Electronic and get familiar with the layout and introduce yourself to staff (buy some parts for your soldering project!)
Suggested Instagram Post: Breadboards from the Soldering & Electronics class, any works in progress or finished electronics projects.
Resources: Week 1 Presentation
Arduino and electronics 101
Homework:
Post on Instagram
Suggested Instagram Post: Works in progress
Resources: Week 2 Presentation
Creative Tech Code for Arduino 101
Arduino and electronics 102
Homework:
Post on Instagram
Suggested Instagram Post: Any works in progress or finished projects.
Resources: Week 3 Presentation
Creative Tech Code for Arduino 102
Fusion 360 and 3D printing 101
Homework:
Post on Instagram
Suggested Instagram Post: 3D printed objects, works in progress
Resources: Week 4 Presentation
Homework:
Meet the new residents & have a mentee assigned. Set a regular schedule to check-in with your mentee either in person on virtually.
Write a blog post about your projects and what you have learned so far.
Post on Instagram
Start to work on personal projects
Suggested Instagram Post: Post about your specialization/favourite class or tool. Pictures using that tool.
Homework:
Meet with your mentee this week. See if they need help with anything.
Post on Instagram
Continue to work on personal projects
Suggested Instagram Post: Reflect on the progress of your goals, or a project you are working on
Homework:
Meet with your mentee again this week. Check in and see if there are any areas they need extra help in.
Post on Instagram
Continue to work on personal projects
Suggested Instagram Post: Any other works in progress or completed projects that you done over the residency.
Homework:
Meet with your mentee again this week. Check in and see if there are any areas they need extra help in.
Finish up any personal projects.
Post on Instagram
Write final blog post about your experiences, completed projects, and lessons learned.
Fill out Creative Technology final survey, clear out your storage space.
Attend and present at the Electronics Meet-up
Suggested Instagram Post: Completed projects
#creativetech #creativetechnology #prototyping #arduino #advancedarduino #immersivelearning #collaboration #creativecode #electronics #prototyping #technologyart #vancouverresidency #makerlabs #makerlabsvancouver #vancouvermakers #vancouvermaker #futuretechnology #vancouvermakerspace #makersgonnamake #codersgonnacode #learnsomethingnew #vancouverresidency
Recommended Tools
● Budget soldering kit: Amazing value for money, although it must be emphasized this is a budget kit and the quality isn’t excellent. Recommended for those trying out electronics without wanting a significant initial investment.
● Hakko Soldering Station: Expensive, but will last a lifetime. Fast heating with temperature control.
● Irwin Wire Strippers: Very high quality wire strippers
● Klein Wire Strippers: Another amazing option for wire strippers
● Fine wire snips: Great for getting flush cuts. Only recommended on thin metals like resistor legs and thin wires
● Regular wire snips: Good for cutting thicker cables and larger component legs
● Budget Multimeter: Gets the job done, with some limited features.
● Best Value Multimeter: Many high-end features, reasonable price, great build quality.
● High-End multimeter: Very precise, durable, excellent build quality
● Desoldering pump & copper wick: Tools for cleaning up excess solder or fixing mistakes
● Helping hands: Useful for holding circuit boards while soldering. Can be frustrating to adjust arm positions.
● Alternative helping hands: Easier to work with than “traditional” helping hands
● Magnifying glass lamp: Optional tool, that makes soldering very small components easier.
● Variable power supply: Not a recommended initial purchase (can use 9V batteries & small 5V chargers initially), but a good upgrade when pursuing electronics further.
Components and Hardware
Arduino starter kit: Selection of sensors, actuators, screens. Check out the ByteSize Robotics course, Intro to Arduino, to learn more about Arduino.
Alternative jumper wires: sit flush on the breadboard
Breadboard power supply: powers breadboard with either 5V or 3.3V
NeoPixels: Programmable LEDs, check out the ByteSize Robotics course, Programming with RGB LEDs, to learn more about NeoPixels.
Assorted electrical components: LEDs, resistors, switches, potentiometers
Beginner Friendly Kits
Any soldering kit from Elenco. These kits have extremely good accompanying step by step guides. I have personally built and tested the AM/FM radio kit and can recommend it. You can reference the manual online prior to purchase. This is the most expensive kit they offer, there are also more budget friendly options available.
Textbooks
Make: Electronics: Hands on project book covering the fundamentals of electronics (recommend you purchase with hardware kit)
The Art of Electronics: Considered “the Bible of Electronics”, quite technical and may throw beginners in the deep end but covers everything you could ever want to know.
Practical Electronics for Inventors: Similar to “The Art of Electronics” but slightly less intimidating. More accessible to beginners, but still fairly technical.
Exploring Arduino: Tools and Techniques for Engineering Wizardy: Great beginner introduction to Arduino.
Online Resources
Too many to list! But off the top of my head, Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare, https://www.programmingelectronics.com/, SparkFun and Adafruit tutorials, Instructables.com, numerous YouTube channels (explore to find the niche topics you are interested in), Hackaday.com, allaboutcircuits.com, https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/
Local Suppliers
Lee’s Electronics: Excellent customer service and expert knowledge tailored to your specific problem (plus it supports local!). Prices are slightly higher than online.
North American Suppliers
Amazon: Fast shipping, has standard components but no specialized components
Adafruit: Excellent supplier for hobby electronics, Arduino, sensors, and actuators. Also provides great online tutorials.
Sparkfun: Same as Adafruit
Digikey: Electrical component supplier such as LEDs, transistors, ICs, connectors, etc
Mouser: Same as Digikey
International Suppliers
Aliexpress: Similar to Amazon, based in China, direct from manufacturers. Very cheap but slow shipping (up to 2 months)
LCSC: Component suppliers like Mouser and Digikey, low prices
SeeedStudio: Like Adafruit and Sparkfun, based in Shenzhen
Online Learning Resources
YouTube: Lots of great tutorials
All About Circuits: Lessons and electronics theory
Adafruit: Electronics supplier with tutorials on how to use components
SparkFun: Electronics supplier with tutorials on how to use components
Instructables: Community-driven tutorials and project inspiration. Run regular contests with financial prizes.
Hackaday.com: Blog with tech news and project documentation from unique projects all over the internet
Hackaday.io: Like Instructables
Make: Maker’s magazine, tutorials, and news.