April 2018 – YLab

More progress settling in at the DDO

Written on April 24, 2018.

We’re settling in and things and getting back to as normal as normal gets for ylab. The laser cutter is back in operation and better than ever. We spent a lot of time calibrating, and the precision is better than it was when new. We are having to re-set some of the cutting settings for less power or time. It’s a maker space. What else...

DDO Workshop: Respecting the heritage

Written on April 16, 2018.

Operating a maker space in the basement of the David Dunlap Observatory means taking special care to respect the heritage and history of the facilities. We posted earlier about the incredible old workbench we cleaned out in the workshop. The new workbench overlay. Nothing short of a nuclear event can harm that vise. Without putting in...

Laser cutter returns to the DDO

Written on April 13, 2018.

IT’S BACK! Our laser cutter. Back in its home sweet dome. On Wednesday night, the weather gods shone down on us and stopped the downpour just in time to get the our laser cutter loaded up at from the undisclosed location (a.k.a Richard’s garage). After we got it loaded. Because you really, really don’t want to see inside Richard’s...

Radio non-silence. Background non-noise.

Written on April 9, 2018.

Ylab has run some amateur radio events and classes with our friends from the York Region Amateur Radio Club (YRARC). We like radio stuff because there’s a history of it at the DDO, and there’s some fascinating new activity and technology that’s clearly not your grandfather’s old ham rig. Some ylab members are also Scout leaders, and we’ve been helping...

Much improvement and excitement at ylab and the DDO

Written on April 5, 2018.

It’s ylab’s first week back with the DDO now being run by the Town of Richmond Hill, and there are lots of improvements to our space and the entire facility. While progress appears slow, in the background, the Town’s staff are accomplishing great things. We mentioned a lot of clean-up in earlier posts. Invisible, but most apparent:...

First night clean-up turns into archeological dig

Written on April 3, 2018.

Having a maker space in a historical building is so cool. After many months absence, our first night back at the DDO was dedicated to some clean-up. A new part of ylab is the DDO’s basement workshop, so we decided to attack it first. Knows what these are, and can tell some parts are missing. Getting into some of the old tool cabinets...

DDO Access Obstacle Course Cleared!

Written on April 2, 2018.

Some attendees of past ylab events at the DDO approached the site with a healthy amount of fear and trepidation. Not because of us – we’re the happy, friendly kind of crazy – but because of the state of road and driveway during construction and years of wear and tear. Hillsview Drive. With real curbs. An a distinct lack of mud. To...

WE’RE BACK AT THE DDO IN APRIL 2018!

Written on April 1, 2018.

On March 8 we signed our agreement with the Town of Richmond Hill to get the Ylab Maker Space back up and running in the basement of the administration building of the David Dunlap Observatory. For ylab, it’s been over a year of paperwork, waiting, negotiating, board meetings and calls, getting insurance, and still taking care of tax...

Month: April 2018