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Maker Fest Feature: Maker Meetups

This year, in addition to lots of great exhibits, there will be some Maker Meetups happening with Maker Fest. I know what you’re thinking: “Meetups within meetups? Where will it end?”. The answer is, it won’t, it’s meetups all the way down.

First, there’s the Miami Valley Mesh Alliance. In addition to their talk on Mesh Networks (1PM, don’t miss it!), they’ll be having their monthly group meeting at Maker Fest. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 9:30. It should be a good chance to find out more about amateur radio in Dayton.

Then, there’s the Miami Valley Knitting Guild. They’ll be holding a meetup for anyone and everyone interested in fiber arts. If you want to learn to knit, or have a project in progress that you just want to bring and work on while talking to other fiber folks, here’s your opportunity.

Finally, Dayton Diode is opening its doors for people to check out their makerspace. Find out more about Diode at Maker Fest, and then go check it out first hand. And, once Maker Fest is over and you’re looking for more makers to hang out with (because, really, can you ever get enough hanging out with makers?), Dayton Diode will be having an after party, starting at 7PM.

Basically there’s lots of opportunities for extra fun at Maker Fest, so we hope to see you there!

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Maker Fest Feature: David Wirth

A common trope in Star Trek was to have a piece of equipment break, followed by the pronouncement that the equipment in question was too detailed to be called forth from the replicators. Back here in Sector 001, we’re dealing with the early predecessors of replicators, 3D printers. And this year at Maker Fest, we’re lucky to have David Wirth, who is working on using 3D printers to create complex pieces of equipment.

David has developed a 3D printed railgun, and will be giving a presentation about the process at Maker Fest on March 12. He’ll also bring a some parts from the project for attendees to see, as well as discussing some of the other aspects of his creation.

For more information about David’s project, see the Make article about him: http://makezine.com/2015/10/21/we-talk-to-the-mysterious-maker-of-the-3d-printed-railgun/

See you at Maker Fest!

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Maker Fest Feature: Mr. Jim Charters

Have you ever thought about how different the modern world would be without Dayton? Near the turn of the 20th century, Dayton had more patents per capita than any other US city. This year at Maker Fest, we’re fortunate enough to have Mr. Jim Charters, who will give a talk about the many world-changing inventors that have come from the Gem City. In his own words:

“Inventors from Dayton are responsible for a wide range of ideas that have changed the world. At one time Dayton was known as the City of a Thousand Factories. James Ritty’s invention of the cash register led to NCR. Kettering’s automobile self-starter led to Delco. Thomas Midgley’s leaded gasoline led (no pun intended) to Ethyl Corporation. And the Wright Brothers’ airplane…well that led to nearly everything else. Many creative minds from Dayton shaped the world we live in today.”

Mr. Charters is a spokesperson for Dayton History and has made presentations to numerous organizations about significant historical events and individuals from the Dayton area. He volunteers as an interpretive guide at Carillon Park and Hawthorn Hill. In 2013 he received Carillon Park’s “Volunteer of the Year” award.

We hope to see you at Mr. Charters’ talk!

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Visit us at Tech Fest!

Come down to Sinclair Community College today and visit us at Tech Fest! We’re in the Great Hall next to AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate booth. We’ll have info on upcoming Maker events and some interesting projects from our members.

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What is Maker Fest?

Yesterday we updated the site with a link to register as an exhibitor at Maker Fest 2016. But, what exactly is Maker Fest?

Maker Fest is an event where local Makers are invited to show off their projects, hobbies, and even small businesses. Last year we had people who built their own 3D printers, Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects, a musical robot, HAM radio operators, a blacksmith, drones, kites, and lots of other great exhibits. Basically if you make things, anything, you’re welcome to exhibit at Maker Fest. Maker Fest isn’t exclusively about high-tech Making either; things like woodworking, sewing, and other traditional crafts are welcome.

The purpose is to celebrate innovation, creativity, and the do-it-yourself spirit that has historically made Dayton a world center of entrepreneurship and manufacturing. There is also the opportunity to give seminars, workshops and panel discussions on various Maker topics.

This is a free, family friendly event, although it is not exclusively a K-12 or STEM event. Adults will find just as much to enjoy as the kids will.

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Tech Fest!

Make It Dayton will have a booth at TechFest at Sinclair Community College this year. We’ll be showing off some of our member’s projects from a wide range of interests, including 3D printing, electronics, weaving and woodworking. Plus, you can get more information on the big Maker events planned for Dayton in 2016. Hope to see you there!