We love our classes small and intimate.  Unless otherwise noted each class has a 6 people max. Secure a spot by clicking on the class' "pay now" button.  If a class has less than 3 paying students 2 days prior to the class date the class will be cancelled.  Private classes are always a good alternative for really small groups.

VACUUM TUBE MICROPHONE WORKSHOP

Wednesdays SEPT 29 and OCT 6 from 6 to 9p

$100 + kit ($50)

15 students maximum

2 sessions, 3 hours each

instructor: Lorin Edwin Parker from electricwestern.com

$50 in carefully selected parts, a little theory and some basic electronics assembly and case design, can yield a professional vacuum tube microphone comparable to $500-$1000 music recording microphones.
Lorin Edwin Parker & Electric Western have designed and assembled the parts kit for you, with precision microphone capsules and military vacuum tubes originally used in Hawk Missiles and mig fighter jets. You are assigned the creative responsibility of designing and building the “body” of this microphone to express a unique style or acoustic principal.
We’ll start by looking at the basics of acoustics, physics and transducers (sensors that convert vibration and electricity). You’ll have an opportunity to play with various types of microphones & transducers before you build your own. Then we'll build our own microphones, with plenty of help, by soldering the electronic components together on the circuit board. After that you’ll design your stylish case with some newly gained knowledge of acoustics in mind.
Skills needed / Prerequisites: None. Only the desire / obsession to make things and work with your hands. (Soldering required for assembly is fairly easy, and Lorin will help as needed).
Microphone technical details for audio enthusiasts:
Capsule: Panasonic WM-61A electret omni capsule 6mm
Tube – 6418 subminiature pentode.
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz +-1dB (really)
Phantom Powered (+48) or Battery Powered - AA and 9V

Lorin Edwin Parker, born 1877, Idledale Colorado is an artist, engineer, professor and occasional futurist cowboy. His Albuquerque company, Electric Western, is dedicated to the new development of analog audio and creativity in sound technology. Additional information is available at www.electricwestern.com or through your local telegraph exchange.
Parker holds a B.Sc. Engineering and a B.Sc. Music from the University of Colorado, as well as an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. He has been on the faculty at the California Institute of the Arts and The Art Institute of Los Angeles. His mentors and colleagues have included Bob Moog, Morton Subotnik, Roy Pritts, Nicolas Collins, Pauline Oliveros and his two dogs, Salvador and Nicolai (both adept in soldering).
Parker’s instruments and designs are in use professionally on every continent except Antartica. Electric Western, however, does have long term plans to dispatch vacuum tube amplifiers for penguins & walruses to reach this remaining market.

LAB ORIENTATION

by appt

1 session, 1 hour

instructor: Staff

Inclusive on price of month pass and mandatory for all members.

We will show you safe and proper use of all major tools in the lab.

OPEN STUDIO

1 session, 3 hours

$30 + membership

instructor: Staff

If you have taken a class at Fab Lab in the past or are currently attending a class you may sign up to use our Open Studio. Experienced fabricators will be availabe to aid in your specific projects.

INTRO TO LASER

TBA

1 session, 2 hours + 1 hour lab time

$40 + materials

instructor: Kenji Kondo, Karole Mazeika

We'll cover safety and basic strategies in using a Laser machine.  You'll learn the principles of what a Laser can do and how to do it.  We'll also teach you Inkscape fundamentals. The third hour will be Lab time to allow for prototyping. This class is project driven.  By the end of the class you will have fabricated an object to take home with you.

WORDPRESS 101

TBA

1 session, 3 hours

$40

instructor: Grady Jaynes

Within the first hour you will have a functioning website. Learn to choose and customize templates in the second hour. In the last hour we'll cover the basics of maintaining a blog and/or portfolio.

FASHION HACKING v1.0

TBA

1 session, 2 hours

$20 + materials fee

instructor: Lisa Kondo and Tanda Headrick

Combining tailoring tools, sewing techniques, soldering, conductive thread and LED's with our in house Laser Cutter, this class will have you Hacking fashion and technology into custom wearables.

FASHION HACKING v2.0

TBA

1 session, 2 hours

$20 + materials fee

instructor: Lisa Kondo and Tanda Headrick

Carry your projects over from session 1 or if you have more experience join us for v1.0.

PRIVATE LESSONS

Fab Lab abQ offers private lessons for individual or group interests. Talk to us about your interests and techniques you want to learn and we can help you establish a methodology to achieve your goals. 

Private Lesson Pricing:

1 person = $35 per hour per person

2 - 3 people = $25 per hour per person

4 - 6 people = $20 per hour per person

+material and lab fee

(Maximum class size is 6 people.)

WAITING LISTS

Once a class fills, waiting lists will be maintained. If a participant drops out of a class, we will contact people on the waiting list, in the order they register, to fill the spot. Drop-bys are welcome but we recommend calling ahead to guarantee your spot.

REFUNDS

All registrations are considered final. A refund may be granted only if a waiting list exists, and the program is able to sell your spot to a person on the waiting list.

CANCELLED PROGRAM OR CLASS

If for some unforeseen reason Fab Lab ABQ must cancel a class or activity, a full refund will be granted.