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Welcome to Bloominglabs, Bloomington's very own hackerspace!

Bloominglabs is Indiana's first hackerspace (also known as a makerspace). We are a group of community members that have commonly rented a place where we can build projects both collectively and individually. Our space is located at 1609 S. Rogers Street, Building 4. We are open to the public on Wednesday evenings from 7pm until 10pm and are family friendly.

Contents

Stay informed

Support

Bloominglabs Incorporated is a non-profit registered within in the state of Indiana and has 501(c)3 charitable status. Want to make a donation with PayPal? Please use this link:

  • (Note to members - this link should not be used for paying membership dues)


Information for our members: this is how we process cash and hardware Donations.

News

Current Events (PastEvents)

  • Make a Useless Machine
    • Email contact ]at[ bloominglabs.org to sign up! Workshops can be taken individually.
    • Arduino Workshop
      • 1 day, 3 hours of class time
      • April 25th, 6:30pm-9:30pm
      • The Arduino is a popular, affordable, and accessible microcontroller that can be used in a myriad of projects.
      • Learn how to use an Arduino to control LED lights, take inputs from buttons and switches, and drive a stepper motor.
      • Learn how to program a microprocessor to control your Useless Machine.
      • Bring your own laptop with the free Arduino software installed.
      • Cost for non-members: $25 ($15 for the class and $10 for the materials)
      • Laptops may be available upon request. All other materials will be provided.
    • Laser Box Cutting Workshop
      • 2 days, 2 hours of class time plus printing time, shared with 3D Printing Workshop
      • May 2nd and 9th, 6:30pm-9:30pm
      • Learn the basics of how to use a laser cutter/engraver to make a customized box for your Useless Machine (or for fun) and decorate it in your own style using Inkscape.
      • Bring your own laptop with Inkscape installed.
      • Cost for non-members: $13 ($10 for the class, $3 for materials and laser time)
    • 3D Printing Workshop
      • 2 days, 2 hours of class time plus printing time, shared with Laser Box Cutting Workshop
      • May 2nd and 9th, 6:30pm-9:30pm
      • Learn the basics of using a 3d printer so that you can print your own Useless Machine finger, game pieces, specialized parts, cool art pieces, or whatever you can think of using FreeCAD.
      • Bring your own laptop with FreeCAD installed.
      • Cost for non-members: $12 ($10 for the class and $2 for materials)
    • Useless Machine Workshop
      • Take the above 3 workshops plus come on April 25th from 6:30pm-9:30pm to put it all together
      • April 25th, May 2nd, May 9th, May 16th, 6:30pm-9:30pm
      • Includes the Arduino Workshop, Laser Box Cutting Workshop, the 3D Printing Workshop, plus one Put It All Together Workshop on the 16th.
      • Bring your own laptop with Inkscape, FreeCAD, and the Arduino software installed.
      • Cost for non-members: $55 ($35 for the classes and $20 for the materials)
    • Laptops may be available on request.
    • Reserve your space today!

Useless Machine Workshop Series

  • Makevention
    • August 27th from 10am to 4pm at the Bloomington Convention Center
    • Come celebrate the DIY spirit with makers from Bloomington and the surrounding communities
    • Do it with us at Makevention!
  • Public Hack Meetings!
    • Every Wednesday from 7pm until 10pm
    • Come build projects, ask questions, teach things, and learn stuff
    • All ages and everyone is welcome

Current Initiatives

  • Space Improvements
    • Tool and workspace arrangement

Fund Drives

Membership

We are accepting memberships! Please see the Membership Manual for details. If you are a new member please check out the New Members page as well.


Meetings

Currently we meet every Wednesday at 7:00pm at 1609 S. Rogers Street Building 4, Bloomington, Indiana. These meetings are open to the public; anyone is welcome to attend. We usually meet for 2-3 hours and have a lot of fun. Having access to tools is only part of the equation, socializing with people and learning from each other is another large benefit from our group. Pretty much whatever people want to work on or learn is fair game. If it's cool and interesting then we are all interested.


Laser Cutter

We have funded a laser cutter, which is now on-site!! What can people do with this you might ask?? It can cut light wood and acrylic for rapid prototyping. It can also etch wood, acrylic, and metal. Many objects from iphones to laptops can be directly engraved with a laser. Be sure to watch some videos here, here, and here.

We have a 5th generation 40W laser from Full Spectrum.


Who are we?

We are a bunch of people that want to do interesting things and explore the world and technology around us. Expression of this interest takes at least as many forms as we have members, and often employs an amalgam of found and newly-constructed hardware and/or open-source and self-authored software components, but may be as simple as screwing some pieces of wood together to make a useful tool we don't have yet.

Bloominglabs was forged from the Bloomington Hackerspace Initiative and the former IU Robotics Club.

  • Read our Bylaws for a more formalized overview


What is a hacker space?

It's a physical location where people can share resources for their own creative pursuits. It's also a resource where people can come in off the street and advance their own knowledge. In urban locations it can often be hard to find places to weld/build/make noise and keep projects on-going without having to tear down and put-up your work each evening. With a hacker space people can work on their projects and not worry about annoying their neighbors or spouses. The social aspect is also an incredibly important component. Having people to bounce ideas off of and discuss your projects with when you get stuck is a great thing.

Uploaded files: Special:ImageList


Nearby Hackerspaces/Makerspace or initiatives:

Other Cool Groups in Bloomington

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