Edinburgh Mini Maker Faire
Not all the tech fun in the UK happens down near Pi Towers in Cambridge. Here in Scotland, the Mini Maker Faire has been the Edinburgh International Science Festival’s grand finale for four years now. This year’s was the biggest yet, so I headed over to see what was going on. There were plenty of projects using Raspberry Pis, loads of new maker spaces and Jams, and even a mildly terrifying giant robot stalking around the courtyard. I’m sure someone did a headcount of the children at the end, don’t worry.
The first person to spot my neon Pi T-shirt was Tony from Newcastle MakerSpace, promoting the MakerFaire coming up on 23 April and attracting over 10,000 attendees. His mini Pi-powered Pacman arcade cabinet drew a sizeable queue, and his dinky Pi Zero game controllers looked like the ultimate in portable gaming: just plug into a TV and play!
MakLabs are also springing up across Scotland, with the largest meeting in Glasgow. Their showpiece was a Bigtrak-style toy tank with a webcam, controlled by REST and with a Pi acting as a server. While the internet was somewhat patchy in a hundred-year-old former veterinary school, it was still an impressive build.
Aberdeen boasts the 57North hacklab. It was hard to miss their amateur radio station tracker, with a PDP-8 minicomputer for added flashing light goodness. The hulking unit consisted of a Pi, two screens and the open-source XASTIR tracking software, showing the various stations.
The newest Makerspace on the block is in Dundee, Scotland’s gaming capital, so it seemed fitting that a tiny minimalist Pi Zero platform game, using a Pimoroni pHAT, was pride of place. They’re running weekly meetups and hope to set up a Jam in the near future.
Finally, we spotted Robotical, a PhD project now seeking crowdfunding for its adorable walking robots. We watched a tense football match between two bots, controlled by Model B Pis in their back and with micro:bit remote controls to move them. (The red robot won, incidentally. My gaming reflexes aren’t what they used to be.)
It was great to see what the community up here is doing with their Pis, and I’m looking forward to the Edinburgh Raspberry Jam on the 30 April where there will no doubt be even more brilliant projects being demonstrated.
11 comments
Toby
:)
Paul Dow
10,000 people seems to be large for a “Mini” Maker Faire. How big does it need to be before it changes to a small “Maxi” Maker Faire?
Hope to see everyone in New York this fall.
Carl
I was under the impression that it was a mini maker faire because it was for “mini” makers. I’d like my son to experience something like this.
Jonathan Sanderson
The 10,000 figure is for Maker Faire UK in Newcastle, which is next weekend (23/24th April).
Nevertheless, Edinburgh really is quite large for a ‘Mini’. It’s a couple of years since I’ve managed to make it, but it’s a really impressive Faire for whimsy, range, and location.
Ben
Does this mean there will be a Picademy Scotland? As even Newcastle is far away for Scottish teachers?
Anthony Jones
72 this year, would welcome somewhere in South Scotland to be able to get hands on advice. Still not sure how to get the small touch screen to work! Doing miniature theatre lighting project at this time: think Victorian Pollock style, penny plain twopence coloured teamed up with pi controlled lighting.
Edinburgh Hacklab
Don’t forget Edinburgh Hacklab, the hackerspace permanently on site at the very venue where the “Mini” Maker Faire happens! Anyone wanting to do Pi stuff in the area is welcome to visit on an open night. We’ve been going for 6 years and Pis are a staple of many projects. Now, I just need the Pi Zero to get back in stock so I can start my next Pi-based project…
Fester Bestertester
Aberdeen’s Ham Radio effort is timely, and a useful display for a shop-front advertising “World Amateur Radio Day” (18th) :) A bit late to organise here.
(oh gods! another Yankism – “organise” not recognised … :( )
William H. Bell
Looking forward to the Edinburgh Raspberry Pi Jam. There are still a few places for the morning talks session.
filo yönetimi
I was under the impression that it was a mini maker faire because it was for “mini” makers. I’d like my son to experience something like this.
Liz Upton
There are usually a huge number of kids at any Maker Faire – these are pictures from our booth at the (enormous) Maker Faire Bay Area last weekend: https://twitter.com/Raspberry_Pi/status/734419976594063361