Dr. Robert M Flight
Emily VelascoI want to teach a class on repurposing electronics. We could start out just taking some broken things apart and seeing if we can fix them, but every student would have to pick something to repurpose or revive as a semester-long project. Maybe they want to turn an old propane lantern into an LED lantern, convert a cordless drill with dead nicad batteries to lithium, or jailbreak an e-bike. Everyone should leave the class with a device or appliance with a new lease on life. A community college should hire me for this
I had to mute this post. People really love the idea!
Steve's Place@MLE_online There is safety in muting, lol. It's a great idea.
misternineham@MLE_online people are hungry
Toughest Bastard on the Fedi@MLE_online
I would sign up for this class. Extra credit if your project was a road find.
I would sign up for this class. Extra credit if your project was a road find.
Chip@MLE_online That would be excellent.
kimu@MLE_online @afewbugs one idea: proposing it as a class at a local makerspace or public library. In my experience, CCs have fairly tight curriculum requirements & also budget challenges, so starting off in an environment with more open requirements might get it off the ground faster. It’s an amazing idea! 100% would love to take a class like this!
KnowAttitude@MLE_online
This was started by someone who simply has a scheduled open invitation to meet for coffee https://www.sbmakers.com/
Who knows what it will lead to?
(If you are in the area again, you'd fit right in)
This was started by someone who simply has a scheduled open invitation to meet for coffee https://www.sbmakers.com/
Who knows what it will lead to?
(If you are in the area again, you'd fit right in)
Thin Line
frankiezafe@thin_line a bit too far for me, but i have a friend who is very competent in this field
I am Jack's Found 404This is like next level Repair Cafe 👍
The Doctor
SQLAllFatherI would attend
nethope@MLE_online Absolutely would take this class!
The last time I had a dead fan, I scavenged parts from it - like the toroidal inductor for a simple joule thief flashlight. Just need to know what to keep from "dead" equipment!
Ma Quest 
@MLE_online Thanks for posting. Tagging for an early #SolarPunkSunday
Emily_S@MLE_online that would be a blooming awesome. Maybe have a mini project each week to teach about some material or components. So they cover more things and maybe learn about something tha helps them later.
"Today we're making a light weight bending break from two by fours and some clamps. This will be helpful making enclosures for your big projects"
NilaJonesMy local community college, you can teach pretty much anything through continuing ed, if you bring in a minimum number of students
Parks and rec classes might also be an option, although it depends on who uses them where you live, whether that is your demographic
Of course you know I wish you would teach this on video! But I think you prefer in person
ShadSterling@MLE_online I have some old devices I wish I could give away to anyone who would make them into something useful again.
(Also old things that are not electronics; I wish I could pay to have any old things repurposed. I’d call it “waste not, as a service”)
Guda Blues@MLE_online Well, if you ever do it online, please, sign me in!
Ericka Simone@MLE_online there a fix-it community that pops up in Pasadena that has been addressing this. I don’t know if you’re LA local but if you are I can send more info if you want.
@ErickaSimone I've volunteered with them before! That's a great group of people
@MLE_online good to hear. You deserve your own class at this point. lol.
Rue Mohrheh :]
Dave bauer@MLE_online This sounds amazing. I think a lot of folks would like to do this but don't know where to start.
Perkele@MLE_online close where I live, there's a monthly thing where a group of professionals help others to fix their broken things. Mostly electronics etc. The people who frequent there also help out others. Its pretty neat.
@ItsePerkele we have a repair cafe in this area too. I volunteered once. i should do it again
MrGrumpyMonkey@MLE_online Why stop at the Community College level. We need this as early as Jr. High School, if not earlier. I could imagine a bunch of engineers ready to take on the world and put companies out of business, just due to what was learned extremely early on. But, I can get behind this option. I sure wish I had something like this. Alas, I got to learn about other less interesting things.
Tim the Enchanter@MLE_online a class like this would be fantastic
Human Brain Enthusiast@MLE_online please a course on making new battery packs for old cameras and laptops
mds2 (Michael Sch-sko)@MLE_online I would take this class. Hell I'd sign my kids up for it too
Entikan@MLE_online Sounds awesome. I still have the itch to turn a random DC-motors into a windmill.
Unbinare@MLE_online This is exactly what the Reverse Engineering Toolkit (RET) aims to support. I have designed a set of tools that bridges the gap when repurposing electronics. Check out the repo at https://repo.unbina.re/
Jack Yan (甄爵恩)@MLE_online Great idea! My dad was a master at this stuff, rehabilitating parts and machines. Fancy bottles turned into lights, literally using human hair inside circuitry (canʼt remember why now), using paper to fix an LCD, and tons of stuff I donʼt remember.
busy_wizard@MLE_online I would love something like this. Perhaps an open curriculum or wiki to help others get started with electronics and repair would be a good place to start?
Dan Lyke@MLE_online oooh. I have a brushless drill that uses NiCd or NiMH batteries, and I haven't tackled the "what would it take to LiIon this?" because voltage mismatches and controllers.
I'd take this class...
Granny Art (Shrimp) (Joni)@MLE_online @abraxas3d I would take this class!
Frank Bennett 🇯🇵@MLE_online Excellent idea. When I was a teenager in 4-H, I joined a section on Tractor Maintenance. The instructor, owner of a local Massey Ferguson dealership, gave each of us a discarded one-cylinder utility engine to fix. The story goes downhill from there—the shop owner was in fact a shit teacher, and we were lost, my dad recruited a neighborhood mechanic to help with mine, and I was the only kid to return a working motor. But I learned a lot from old Darrel!
MoveFastAndFixThings@MLE_online I’d love to attend something like this
Den of Earth@MLE_online
In the second semester you can teach people how to recover maliciously bricked polish trains.
Also ping @pluralistic for the OP ⬆️⬆️
In the second semester you can teach people how to recover maliciously bricked polish trains.
Also ping @pluralistic for the OP ⬆️⬆️
arcadeshopper@MLE_online Great idea! That fits right in with the idea for the makerspace of my museum that I'm setting up here in Oregon would be a great class to have there.. https://pnwmct.org
secretspecter 🚲
@MLE_online pitter patter let's get at 'er 😋
David W. Jones@MLE_online
When I was in 6th grade, our science class spent time desoldering and sorting electronic components (resisters, capacitors, diodes, etc) from old TVs and such, then used them in our projects. It was fun!
When I was in 6th grade, our science class spent time desoldering and sorting electronic components (resisters, capacitors, diodes, etc) from old TVs and such, then used them in our projects. It was fun!
Adam Patridge@MLE_online I hope you can be picked up for this. I want this to be a nationwide thing too. I would absolutely take this class from a local community college!!
Some of those schools have proposal systems for outreach-style (non-credit) classes.
@MLE_online you know I'm giggling cause of the thing about not being able to find e-waste parts for the speed circuit :]
@RueNahcMohr rue, you need to understand that there's a difference between something being technically possible and something being feasible.
The only municipal e-waste dropoff site around here is only open from like 9-4 Monday through Thursday, and it's about ten miles from my house.
I'm not going to go all the way over there to see if they have junk that I can bring home, open up, and look for optoisolators inside, then take all the way back to the e-waste dropoff site to get rid of -- just so i can try an experimental circuit you showed me on the internet.
@RueNahcMohr i remember years ago, back on twitter, you telling me to go dig a CRT TV out of the river bed so i could harvest some kind of transistor from it.
That's not not worth the effort!
@MLE_online I wont push you to do it. but, I will giggle.
@RueNahcMohr stop giggling until you practice what you preach! go out today and look for ewaste, bring it home, harvest optoisolators, and post pics. You are not allowed to use ewaste that you already have at home
{ Rue bows his head in shame }
I... cant *fit* anymore ewaste at home.....
BUT, if I could I would go to the thrift store and buy a $2 media player (or a computer power supply, but they dont turn up at the thrift store much)
OOOO yaknow, a hike where I look for e-waste would be fun, I wonder if I have any buddies who would be into that.....
@RueNahcMohr neither can i! I don't have room for more junk around here
@MLE_online I know, and I sort of wish I could prove it (tho it doesn't matter) but I'm sure on your bike trips you have encountered multiple e-waste things that would have almost everything you need in them.
It may not seem like it, but I do understand your position.
@RueNahcMohr ok, and when i'm on my bike, how am I supposed to bring home these appliances? I would have to go back with my car
@MLE_online I dont know which bike is your daily driver, dont have you a thing that would fit a dvd player on it?
wait, I feel like I'm pushing now, is this just postulation?
@MLE_online Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday!