SPARKRight
Nottinghack is big –
4 300 square feet of
space and things
Below
There are often
helpful humans
hanging out near the
duck (its name is Ein)All our tools are purchased through pledge drives,
where members suggest buying a new tool, and then
other members pitch in with money in order to buy
it. This way, each member who participates feels like
they own a part of that tool, and that they’re helping to
make the space even better.
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?
Come down any Wednesday night, from 6:30 until
8:30, and have a tour! Our team of volunteers will
show you around the space, point out some of
the tools and resources available, and explain how
membership works at Nottingham Hackspace.
Once you have your tour, you can sign up for
membership and start the process.
Because we know everyone is different, we don’t
have a set flat rate for membership. We ask all our
members to pay what they think is right for how
they’re using the space. It costs around £12 an hour
to keep the space running, though, so we like people
to think about that when they’re choosing their
monthly fee. But we’d hate to lose experience and
talent just because someone isn’t earning as much as
someone else.
HOW DO YOU SHARE YOUR IDEAS?
Along with our website (nottinghack.org.uk), we
have a Google Group where most of our conversations
are held: hsmag.cc/GouOwi. We also have a Slack
workspace for our volunteers, who join teams to
help out at the space. So if you’re interested in
woodworking, the laser cutter, the craft area, software,
helping members, or anything else – we have a team
for you...
WHAT HAVE YOU MADE RECENTLY?
Our biggest task right now is Hackspace 2.5 –
renovating several rooms downstairs to expand our
space to nearly twice the size it is currently.
We have stripped these rooms down to bare studs
and concrete floors, and then we built new walls,
added in new wiring and cabling, repainted everything,
and are working to make it a fantastic new space for
even more tools.
We’ll have a dedicated laser cutting/clean CNC
room, a classroom that can be booked for regular
classes instead of one-off events, and an even larger
metalworking area, with a concrete floor that will allow
for more complicated metal work.
Every Tuesday night, we have members who
volunteer their free time to come and help.
And it might take us a while, but we’re making
excellent progress!
WHAT TRAINING DO YOU DO?
We have workshops to teach new skills to not just
our members, but also members of the public. We
regularly have an Introduction to Arduino workshop that
takes people through using Ardunios, whether they’re
adept with microcontrollers or have never programmed
a line of code in their life. We’ve also had workshops
building electronic kits, designing jewellery, making
soap, constructing models, programming software, and
more. All our workshops are listed on our website.
Some of our tools do require inductions before
they can be used. Members can request an induction,
and then meet up with our volunteer inductors to
learn how to use it. Once you learn how to use it,
then you can book time on it, and embroider, print, or
laser away!