This document is “The List” – it is the direct result of the overwhelming interest in starting Hackerspaces that hit my inbox after co-founding PSOne and HacDC. When so many people asked for help with the very basics of starting and running a successful Hackerspace, I compiled this list to make it as easy as possible for potential Hackerspace founders to hit the ground running (and not forget anything important). Since then, “the list” has been distributed and shared within Hackerspace culture. It has helped with structuring the success of many Hackerspaces – and hopefully with this update and public release, it will serve as a handy go-to checklist for your awesome Hackerspace-to-be.
Feel free to share this widely, print it out for your clipboard, read it on your tablet, and share it with anyone you think could use this checklist to kickstart their Hackerspace aspirations.
For even more elaboration on starting a Hackerspace, I highly recommend that you also read the How To Start A Hackerspace tutorial, which you’ll see me refer to throughout The List.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
