The Transistor is a UT-based hackerspace. Its members have a love for all things open source and DIY. They enjoy working with embedded electronics and have created their own version of Arduino.
Orem
| Location | 1187 S 1480 W Orem, UT 84058 |
| Members | 55 |
Salt Lake City
| Location | 440 S 700 E Unit #102, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 |
| Members | 18 |
Founder Deven Fore tells us about The Transistor:
ROBBERT: Tell us about your meeting space!
DEVEN: We currently have two locations. One in Salt Lake City, UT and one in Orem, UT.
Our Salt Lake City location is about 1,000 sq ft in a nice office building. We have one main area and two smaller rooms.
Our Orem location is about 5,700 sq ft in a large warehouse that also has offices. We have sectioned off a wood shop, a metal shop, a clean CNC, an assembly area, a members desks area, a lounge, a server room, an electronics room, and a few other dedicated areas.
ROBBERT: What tools do you have in your space? (Soldering stations? Oscilloscopes? 3-D printers?)
DEVEN: Too many things to list. All the general things you would expect, such as:
- Soldering irons
- Oscilloscopes
- Analyzers
- PCB work stations
- Laser cutter
- Vinyl cutter
- Heat press
- Chop saws
- Mini lathe
- Servers
- Air tools
- Cut-off saws
- Mig welder
- V90 FireBall router
- A couple small miscellaneous CNC routers
- 3-D printers
- Networking gear
ROBBERT: Are there any tools your group really wants or needs?
DEVEN: We would love to have a large mill (CNC or manual) some day. Also, just all-around upgrades to current equipment.
ROBBERT: Does your group work with embedded tech (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, embedded security, MCU-based designs, etc.)?
DEVEN: All the time.
ROBBERT: Can you tell us about some of your group’s recent tech projects?
DEVEN: Currently we are working on miniature MAME cabinets. They are two player and will hold up to a 22″ LCD. We will release the CNC plans to the public as soon as we are done.
We’re working on a lot of miscellaneous projects: software, hardware, security, and so forth.
We’re also currently working on building some displays for The Living Planet Aquarium, in Sandy UT.
ROBBERT: What’s the craziest project your group or group members have completed?
DEVEN: Nothing too crazy. We built a drink cooler a year or so ago for the Red Bull Challenge. We designed and build a few full-size four-player MAME cabinets (planned for release to the public on our website, and featured in J. Baichtal’s Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement (Que Publishing, 2011).
4-player MAME cabinet
ROBBERT: Do you have any events or initiatives you’d like to tell us about? Where can we learn more about it?
DEVEN: Lots of things are going on right now. Nothing specific, aside from working with the aquarium. We have a lot of public events/user groups that meet at our space. Our calender is on our website if you are interested in specifics.
ROBBERT: What would you like to say to fellow hackers out there?
DEVEN: Have fun, be productive, be safe.
Want to learn more about The Transistor? Check out their Facebook or MeetUp page!
Check out their calender to see what The Transistor is up to.
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