Do you have a project sitting on a breadboard that you want to make more permanent?  Maybe you are ready to turn it into a product to sell.

Then the Circuit Board Design with KiCAD workshop on Sunday, June 2nd (2PM-4PM) is for you!

The tool you need to make your schematic into a PCB is called an electronic design automation (EDA) tool.  While there are many choices out there, one of the best free open source options is Kicad.  This software suite allows you to design schematics for electronic circuits and printed circuit boards (PCB).

This workshop will cover the user interface, schematic layout, footprint selection, PCB layout, and Gerber file export.  You will also learn how to make your own components and footprints. When we are done you should have the knowledge to design your own PCBs and prepare them for production.

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction.   Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.  

You should bring a laptop with the current version of Kicad installed (available here: http://kicad-pcb.org)  And a mouse with a scroll wheel if you have one as it makes zooming easier, but it is not required.

It’s not too late to take the Intro to Electronics workshop tonight (May 7) at 7 PM!

Weather you’ve had a project in mind for awhile or are looking to learn something new, we’ll help you take those first steps towards making your great ideas work. The workshop is designed for complete beginners but it is also a good refresher for those who haven’t done electronics in awhile. We will go over some fundamental electronics components, such as resistors, diodes, capacitors, switches, potentiometers, and simple integrated circuit chips. Through a series of hands-on circuit building exercises we will cover proper wiring, reading circuit diagrams, voltage, and current. 

The $50 workshop rate covers all the materials and two and a half hours of instruction. To sign up, give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to our space on Broadway. 

Check out our new weekly event! Learn to with various types of fabrics on all kinds of levels!

Matt Westervelt posted a photo:

Show someone you care!   Sew magnetic hearts that turn on when they snap together.  Learn the basics of e-textiles and make a gift just in time for Mother’s Day. Join us for our workshop is Tuesday, April 30th at 7 PM.

What are e-textiles?  E-textiles, or electronic textiles, are fabrics with electronics integrated in them.  Each heart has a circuit that is sewn together using conductive thread. 

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required.  All materials included for $50.  Call 206-357-9406 or come down to the shop to sign up.  Space is limited.

Join us for the first LilyPad Arduino workshop on Monday, April 15th!  This workshop is designed for people new to microcontrollers and interested in e-textiles. The LilyPad Arduino has been developed for sewable microprocessor applications. We will use the LilyPad to learn how to program a microcontroller and interface it with electronic components. No prior knowledge of electronics or programming required, however taking the “Hello World” workshop will give you a good foundation for the programming component. Please bring a laptop with the Arduino IDE and drivers installed (http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoLilyPad). All materials are included in the $60 workshop fee. Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

Are you looking to leap into the world of electronics? Have an awesome project in mind but need to start with the basics?

There are still a few spots left for the Intro to Electronics workshop on tonight (March 26) from 7 PM to 9:30 PM. We’ll help you take those first steps towards making your great ideas work. The workshop is designed for complete beginners but it is also a good refresher for those who haven’t done electronics in awhile. We will go over some fundamental electronics components, such as resistors, diodes, capacitors, switches, potentiometers, and simple integrated circuit chips. Through a series of hands-on circuit building exercises we will cover proper wiring, reading circuit diagrams, voltage, and current. 

The $50 workshop rate covers all the materials and two and a half hours of instruction. To sign up, give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to our space on Broadway. 

Join us on Monday, April 8th at 7 PM for our our beginner programming workshop, “Hello, World!”.  This workshop is designed for absolute beginners and can be used as a stepping stone to the Intro to Arduino workshop. You will learn basics of programming by running Python examples.  Then you will see how these building blocks appear in other languages.  

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction.  Please bring a laptop.   Call (206 357 9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.  

Matt Westervelt posted a photo:

Matt Westervelt posted a photo:

Matt Westervelt posted a photo:

Matt Westervelt posted a photo:

Do you keep trying to sign up for the Intro to Arduino class but it’s always full? Are you new to microcontrollers and looking for a way to get started?Just looking for a fun new thing to do on a Tuesday night? This month we’ve added an extra Intro to Arduino workshop! The workshop will be this Tuesday, March 5th at 7 PM.

Arduino is an open source microcontroller platform that combines hardware and software into a user-friendly versatile system that can be implemented for a variety of project scales. The Intro to Arduino workshop is designed for true beginners to the platform. Through a series of hands-on exercises we will go over the hardware of an Arduino Uno board, how to talk to it by writing simple programs, and the basics of the digital and analog input/output set-ups. No previous electronics or programming experience is necessary. The $60 workshop rate covers all the materials for the class, including an Arduino Uno board, as well as two and a half hours of instruction. You will need to bring a computer with the Arduino IDE installed (http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software).

To reserve your spot, give us a call at 206.357.9406 or come down to our shop on Broadway. Space is limited.

Sew a circuit!  In this workshop, you will learn the basics of e-textiles by sewing a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.  Our next workshop is 2 - 4:30 PM on Sunday, March 17.

What are e-textiles?  E-textiles, or electronic textiles, are fabrics with electronics integrated in them.  The firefly has a circuit that is sewn together using conductive thread.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required.  All materials included for $50.  Call 206-357-9406 or come down to the shop to sign up.  Space is limited.

Making things requires a lot of skills. Soldering is a key element when it comes to anything electronic. Maybe you want to get your projects off your our valuable breadboard and make them into something more permanent. Or simply want to do some circuit bending or be able to repair something that’s broken. 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.

     Here at Metrix we have enough silicon and tools to make anything your heart desires. Reserve your seat at our soldering workshop and we can show you how to solder a simple circuit that results in some cool blinking lights. Basic Soldering is a skill that is required if you want to take our upcoming Surface Mount Soldering or Robotics workshops . At only $50 the workshop will fill up quick. Space is limited so be sure to call or give us a visit before the next scheduled class on Tuesday February 26th at 7pm.

     It helps to have a small background knowledge of electronics but its not necessary as we will cover some basic material such as polarity and proper assembly.

    Give us a call at (206)357-9406, or just stop by and check the shop out! 

Join us on Sunday, February 24th 2013 at 7 PM for the first in a series of workshops on design for 3D Printing!

I will explain principles and considerations for the design of a 3D print.  No previous 3D printing experience is required as we build a foundation of knowledge for designing models with intent of printing them in plastic on a 3D printer.  

3D Printing has made its way to the consumer-level and the significance of this technology is changing the way we think about commerce, consumption, production, hacking, repair and design. 

It’s not just for prototypes anymore!  With 3D printers dropping in price and improving in print quality, countless people are using 3D printing to create everything from works of art to toys and models; robotic linkages and prosthetic limbs to wall hangars and switch covers.  But like all technologies, to get what you want, you need to give the machine what it needs.  

In the case of 3D printing, you need to provide the machine with a clean, feasible model to print.  3D printing has its limitations like all manufacturing processes do and you need to know what those are if you want to have consistently successful 3D prints. 

This first workshop covers a brief history of the technology, the mechanics of a 3D printer and the physical limitations, quirks and (mis)behaviors of 3D printing with plastic.  By the end, 3D printing should be a whole lot less mysterious or intimidating and you can move on to using design software to bring your ideas to life!

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction.   Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.  

No supplies are required but taking notes is recommended.  If you have an idea of something you are wanting to print, bring it up and we can break it down to determine the ways to make it printable! 

Feel free to look at some of my designs and the designs of others on the “Thingiverse” website to get a feel for the kinds of ideas and designs people are coming up with! 

http://www.thingiverse.com/ErikJDurwoodII/designs 

See you soon! 

Brent J. Rosenburgh

(a.k.a.  Erik J. Durwood II)

Ever wanted to design your own 3D objects?  Take our OpenSCAD workshop Sunday 2/17 2-4 PM.

This workshop will teach the basics of OpenSCAD, even if you have little or no CAD or programming experience.  We will cover the user interface, basic shapes, transformations and Boolean operations, and exporting for 3D printing.  When we are done you should have the knowledge to make basic models and be able to understand other peoples files.

What to bring:

Laptop with OpenSCAD installed. (available here: http://www.openscad.org/)

Mouse with scroll wheel (optional) - a scroll wheel makes zooming easier but it is not required

Target audience: Beginners with little or no 3D modeling experience.

Join us on Monday, February 25th at 7 PM for our our beginner programming workshop, “Hello, World!”.  This workshop is designed for absolute beginners and can be used as a stepping stone to the Intro to Arduino workshop. You will learn basics of programming by running Python examples.  Then you will see how these building blocks appear in other languages such as Arduino.  

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction.  Please bring a laptop.   Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.  

Our next Intro to e-textiles class is Monday, February 4th at 7 PM.  This workshop is an introduction to e-textiles and focuses on integrating ordinary electronics into fabric.  We will modify ordinary electronic components and sew them together using conductive thread.  You will take home a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required, but experience helps.  All materials included for $50.  Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

We have one workshop left for January! Here it is with most of the February schedule.  To reserve your spot in any of these workshops, call the shop (206-357-9406) or drop by.  Workshops are $50 and include all materials unless noted.  Check out our calendar for more details.

Inkscape for Laser Engraver, Monday, January 28th, 7-9:30 PM. Laptop required with Inkscape installed.

Intro to E-textiles, Monday, February 4th, 7-9:30 PM

Intro to Electronics, Monday, February 11th, 7-9 PM

3D Design with OpenSCAD, Sunday, February 17th, 2-4 PM. Laptop required with OpenSCAD installed.

Intro to Arduino, Monday February 18th,  7-9:30 PM ($60).  Laptop required with Arduino IDE installed.

Inkscape for Laser Engraver, Tuesday, February 19th, 7-9:30 PM

Join us on Monday, January 21st at 7 PM for our our beginner programming workshop, “Hello, World!”.  This workshop is designed for absolute beginners and can be used as a stepping stone to the Intro to Arduino workshop. You will learn basics of programming by running Python examples.  Then you will see how these building blocks appear in other languages.  

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction.  Please bring a laptop.   Call (206 357 9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.  

Our next Intro to e-textiles class Tuesday, January 8th at 7 PM.  This workshop is an introduction to e-textiles and focuses on integrating ordinary electronics into fabric.  We will modify ordinary electronic components and sew them together using conductive thread.  You will take home a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required, but experience helps.  All materials included for $50.  Tools are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you like (round nose pliers, round tip pliers, cutters, and fabric scissors).  Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

Cross off some of those New Year’s resolutions and take a workshop!  Call the shop (206-357-9406) to reserve your spot.  Workshops are $50 and include all materials unless noted.  Check out our calendar for more details.  

Soldering 101, Sunday, January 6th, 7-9 PM.

Intro to E-textiles, Tuesday, January 8th, 7-9:30 PM.  

Intro to Electronics, Monday, January 14th, 7-9 PM.

Intro to Amateur Robotics, Sunday, January 20th, 7-9:30 PM ($60).

“Hello, World”: Programming for Beginners, Monday, January 21st, 7-9 PM.  Laptop required.

Intro to Arduino, Tuesday, January 22nd, 7-9:30 PM ($60).  Laptop required with Arduino IDE installed.

Making things requires a lot of skills. Soldering is a key element when it comes to anything electronic. Maybe you want to get your projects off your our valuable breadboard and make them into something more permanent. Or simply want to do some circuit bending or be able to repair something that’s broken. 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.

     Here at Metrix we have enough silicon and tools to make anything your heart desires. Reserve your seat at our soldering workshop and we can show you how to solder a simple circuit that results in some cool blinking lights. Soldering is a skill that is required if you want to take our upcoming Synthesizer or Robotics workshops . At only $50 the workshop will fill up quick. Space is limited so be sure to call or give us a visit before the next scheduled class on Sunday January 6th at 7pm.

     It helps to have a small background knowledge of electronics but its not necessary as we will cover some basic material such as polarity and proper assembly.

    Give us a call at (206)357-9406, or just stop by and check the shop out! 

I had to upgrade to 12.10 Quantal Quetzal to get a recent enough set of nodejs packages for this to work.

# First install nodejs and the the nodejs package manager
sudo apt-get install nodejs npm
# The Amateur Radio 'node' package installs /usr/sbin/node, so nodejs installs /usr/bin/nodejs on Debian/Ubuntu. Node scripts don't like this.
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/nodejs /usr/bin/node
#Now install the azure tools using NPM
sudo npm install azure-cli -g

# Get your azure credentials with the link provided
azure account download
# Import these credentials
azure account import foo-credentials.publishsettings
# Get a list of VM images
azure vm image list
# Get the list of hosting locations
azure vm location list
# Create an instance. Change UNIQUE_SERVERNAME and USERNAME to your fitting.
azure vm create UNIQUE_SERVERNAME CANONICAL__Canonical-Ubuntu-12.04-amd64-server-20120924-en-us-30GB.vhd USERNAME --location "East US" --ssh
azure vm start UNIQUE_SERVERNAME
ssh USERNAME@UNIQUE_SERVERNAME.cloudapp.net

I found this document most useful once I got the tools working.

Tonight we will be closed early (6pm) for our “Fancy Holiday Cocktail Party”. 

If you would like to come, it starts at 8pm. dress fancy, and perhaps bring something fancy. 

Attire is required.  

You can still check off “Learning Arduino” and “Making something awesome” from your 2012 New Year’s resolution list. Come to the Intro to Arduino Workshop on Monday, December 10th at 7 PM. 

The workshop is designed for beginners with the Arduino microcontroller platform. Arduino is a versatile hardware/software system that can be used for projects of varying scales and complexities that span a wide range of applications, from robotic toys to home monitoring systems, light installations, and kinetic artwork. We will be going over the board hardware, how it works, how to physically interact with it, and how to control it. We will also look at the Arduino programming interface and how to talk to the hardware through the software. After a detailed overview of the system we will go through a series of hands-on circuit building exercises designed to take you through the basic applications of the Arduino. No previous electronics or programming experience is necessary. The workshop rate ($60) covers all of the materials, including the latest generation Arduino Uno board. You need to bring a computer with the Arduino IDE installed (arduino.cc). To sign up give us a call (206.357.9406) or come down to our shop on Broadway East. Space is limited. 

‘Tis the season to sew some circuits!  Our next Intro to e-textiles class Tuesday, December 18th at 7 PM.  This workshop is an introduction to e-textiles and focuses on integrating ordinary electronics into fabric.  We will modify ordinary electronic components and sew them together using conductive thread.  You will take home a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required, but experience helps.  All materials included for $50.  Tools are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you like (round nose pliers, round tip pliers, cutters, and fabric scissors).  Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

Thanks to this Wired article on Ribbon Farms, I finally have a name for a phenomenon I’ve seen before. Much of North America is laid out in 1-mile-square grids with square farm parcels, but farms in areas of French settlement tended to be “ribbon farms”: “long, thin strips oriented perpendicularly to a transportation route”. I decided to dig up some aerial images of places I’ve seen this phenomenon.

Monroe and Frenchtown Townships, Michigan

French Prairie, Oregon

Ste-Agathe, Manitoba

Prairie du Rocher, Illinois

St. James Parish, Louisiana

Still trying to figure out your holiday season attire? Snazz-up your old reindeer sweater with some blinky lights and be the life of the party!

Take the Intro to Electronics Workshop on December 4th at 7:00 PM and learn about voltage and current, resistors and capacitors, LEDs and integrated circuits, and how to put them all together. The workshop will cover basic components and tools as well as circuit building and reading circuit diagrams. We will go through a series of hands on building exercises that cover the fundamentals of electronics. The class is best suited for people who are completely new to electronics but it is also a great refresher if you tinkered with electronics a long time ago and want to get back into it.The workshop rate ($50) covers 2.5 hours of instruction and all the materials we will be using.

To reserve your spot you can give us a call (206.357.9406) or come down to our shop on Broadway.

Join our firefly committee!  We have a few spots left in our Intro to e-textiles class next Tuesday, November 27th at 7 PM.  This workshop is an introduction to e-textiles and focuses on integrating ordinary electronics into fabric.  We will modify ordinary electronic components and sew them together using conductive thread.  At the end, you will take home a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required.  All materials included for $50.  Tools are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you like (round nose pliers, round tip pliers, cutters, and fabric scissors).  Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

An appropriate robot for the weather.

Alan Turing says, “Hello , World!”

Join us on Tuesday, November 13th at 7 PM for our our beginner programming workshop, “Hello, World!”.  This workshop is designed for absolute beginners and can be used as a stepping stone to the Intro to Arduino workshop. You will learn basics of programming by running Python examples.  Then you will see how these building blocks appear in other languages. No programming experience necessary.  Please bring a laptop.   

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction. Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

Everybody likes music! Now is your chance to get some hands on experience and insight on how sounds can be generated electronically and manipulated to make different tones and effects.

   In our newest intermediate level workshop we will teach you the fundamentals of wave forms and oscillation while we show you how to build the ever popular Atari Punk Console. We wouldn’t feel right just showing people a dry noise maker so we have added a twist and implemented a sequencer into our version!

   With this base kit you will now be able to play 4 (expandable to 8 ) different sounds in succession with tempo control.  After you take this workshop you will take home not only an awesome synth that will give you hours of amusement and dazzle your friends, but also the confidence of hearing a song and being able to say “I know how to make that sound!”

  The workshop fee of $60 includes an APC_4 kit and 2.5 hours of instruction. A background in electronics helpful but not necessary  But the ability to solder is. Space is very limited and this workshop will fill up extremely fast so keep a couple hours of your evening of Sunday November 25th open (7 to 9:30 pm) and give us a call at (206)357-9406 or stop by the shop and check us out if you haven’t already! 

Testing out our new 3D Scanner.

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.

     Here at Metrix we have enough silicon and tools to make anything your heart desires. Reserve your seat at our soldering workshop and we can show you how to solder a simple circuit that results in some cool blinking lights. Soldering is a skill that is required if you want to take our upcoming Synthesizer or Robotics workshops . At only $50 the workshop will fill up quick. Space is limited so be sure to call or give us a visit before the next scheduled class on Sunday November 4th at 7pm.

     It helps to have a small background knowledge of electronics but its not necessary.  If you are interested one of our labcoats will be more than happy to talk to you about our “Introduction To Electronics” workshops and give you the head start you need. We know your up for it, all you need is yourself, steady hands and some ambition.

    Give us a call at (206)357-9406, or just stop by and check the shop out! 

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 tonight Tuesday, October 23 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!

Over the past ten years, I’ve photographed every town in North Dakota, plus many places in eastern Washington, and some in Montana, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota too. Now through October 25, 2012 I’m doing a Kickstarter to sell 2 different photo books and some other fun stuff, all to help fund a new project focusing on some of the smallest places in the west. Check it out here.

It’s getting dark - time to put LEDs into your all your clothes!  Learn how at our Intro to e-textiles class, Monday, October 29th at 7 PM.

This workshop is an introduction to e-textiles and focuses on integrating ordinary electronics into fabric.  We will modify ordinary electronic components and sew them together using conductive thread.  At the end, you will take home a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required.  All materials included for $50.  Tools are provided, feel free to bring your own jewelry tools if you have them (round nose pliers, round tip pliers, and cutters).  Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

Appearance of an OpenBeam Rostock on 3D Thursday.  Designed by Johann, and built by HB Seigel

Metrix Create:Space is having an anniversary party.  This time we are three.

If you’ve been putting off an OpenBeam project because the idea of spending an afternoon with a chopsaw didn’t seem appealing, Terence has you covered.  

Metrix Create:Space now has a large selection of pre-cut lengths, joining plates and tools so you can bring your awesome openbeam project to life.

Once you have, you can put it up in the new OpenBeam Forums. 

Want to learn how to program and don’t know where to start?  Need a stepping stone before you take the Intro to Arduino class?  Next Monday, October 8th at 7 PM, we are holding our first “Hello, World!” workshop!  No programming experience necessary.  This workshop is designed specifically for absolute beginners to  programming. You will learn basics of programming by running Python examples and then see how these building blocks appear in other languages. The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction. Please bring a laptop. Call (206 357 9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.

Weather you want to make cool electronics or awesome toys, you have to start with the basics. The Intro to Electrnics workshop is the perfect place for you to start learning about voltage and current, LEDs and resistors, capacitors and integrated circuits. Through a series of circuit building exercises you will learn how the basic components of electronics fit together and how to read and communicate information through circuit diagrams. The workshop is great both for total beginners as well as those who need a refresher.

The workshop will be held on Monday, September 24, at 7 PM. The workshop rate ($50) includes all materials. To sign up, give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to our shop on Broadway.

     There is only a few days left to sign up for our introductory robotics workshop at the end of the month! Have you always had an interest in making things move and think? Are you tired of making your Arduino just blink LEDs? Our newest workshop will give you hands on experience on the fundamentals of robotics. We will cover many topics that may change the way you view everyday devices that you take for granted. 

     In just 2 and half hours you will get to assemble your own Line Following robot kit and learn how simple machines use sensors to react with the world around them. This workshop is designed for both new comers and people with hands on robot experience already. For the class fee of $60 we provide the robot and all the tools. The only thing you need to bring is some soldering experience. If you have taken one of you soldering workshops then you should be good to go! ( if not just ask us how you can prove your soldering worthiness ).

Seating is very limited so give us a call at (206) 357-9406 and one of our LabCoats will be happy to reserve your seat over the phone. 

Just took the Intro to Arduino workshop and looking for ways to move forward with your board? Been tinkering with Arduinos but need something a bit more structured to get into the programming side of the interface? Feeling adventurous and looking to just jump into the Arduino platform?

Come to the Advanced Arduino Workshop on Tuesday, 9/18 at 7 PM.

We will be using analog input sensors to learn sensor calibration, data reading, and translation of the numeric voltage variation output into real information. The workshop focuses on the programming side of the Arduino platform and the range of options for extracting useful data from various analog sensors. 

The workshop rate ($50) includes 2 hours of instruction and the materials necessary for the class (sensors, resistors, etc). You will need a laptop with the Arduino IDE installed as well as your own Arduino board. No programming experience is necessary for the class. Minimal knowledge of the Arduino hardware and software is expected.

To sign up, give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to our shop on Broadway.

Have you gotten as far as getting never-ending streams of numbers from various sensors out of your Arduino’s analog input but don’t know what to do with all of that information yet? Bored with pie charts, bar graphs, and other lackluster ways to present data? Or maybe you are looking for interesting new ways to create art? 

Come to the Processing 101 Workshop on Tuesday, September 11 at 7 PM.

Processing is a great programming platform that allows you to develop both simple and highly complex static and dynamic graphics based on inputs you choose. Inputs can range from single preset values to real-time streams of data. You can use processing to create beautiful art, to develop visually interesting presentations, or to organize information in better ways. 

The workshop will go over the basics of the Processing platform through a series of programming exercises that will allow you to create some fun graphics. You will learn how to develop static visualizations as well as animated and interactive ones. We will also go over integrating data streams as inputs, which would be useful if you are looking to interface with the Arduino platform. 

If you have never heard of Processing, but are looking for new ways to work with data and information, or if you do know about Processing, but haven’t had the chance to explore it yet, this workshop is for you. No programming experience is necessary for the course. You will need a laptop with the latest Processing version installed (Processing.org).

The registration ($50) covers two and a half hours of instruction as well as color printouts of the graphics you develop. To reserve your spot, you can give us a call (206 357 9406) or come down to our shop on Broadway East.

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.

Whether you’re a complete novice curious to find out what pin-tumbler really means, a homeowner protecting your family’s treasures, or a veteran lockpicker with questions about advanced locks and techniques, this event is for you! With 2 solid hours of history, mechanical diagrams (“lock pr0n”), and hands-on lockpicking instruction… first we’ll open your minds, and then we’ll open some locks!

To properly learn this ancient art, you will need the proper tools.  By registering for a ticket with a lockpick set, this guarantees you a seat at the workshop, and reserves - all for you - a brand-new 10-piece custom lockpick made entirely in the USA, hand-pickedby College of Lockpicking faculty to maximize utility for beginners and locksport enthusiasts alike, and offered for only $30.

If you already have some picks you’re itching to practice with, you can bring them along and your workshop cost is only $50!

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.

     Here at Metrix we have enough silicon and tools to make anything your heart desires. Reserve your seat at our soldering workshop and we can show you how to solder a simple circuit that results in some cool blinking lights. Soldering is a skill that is required if you want to take our robotics workshops and some very interesting electronics based ones that we are going to have scheduled in the near future. At only $50 the workshop will fill up quick. Space is limited so be sure to call or give us a visit before the next scheduled class on August 26th at 7pm.

     It helps to have a small background knowledge of electronics but its not necessary.  If you are interested one of our labcoats will be more than happy to talk to you about our “Introduction To Electronics” workshops and give you the head start you need. We know your up for it, all you need is yourself, steady hands and some ambition.

    Give us a call at (206)357-9406, or just stop by and check the shop out! 

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.