Electronics Projects San Francisco
Electronics projects enthusiasts gathering in San Francisco

Analog Electronics for Guitar Pedals
Sat, Apr 25, 8:00 PM# Analog Electronics for Guitar Pedals ## Session 1: Breadboarding the Transistor Amplifier Ever wondered how a guitar pedal actually works? At the heart of most fuzz and boost pedals is a humble transistor doing something elegant: amplifying your signal. The **common emitter amplifier** is one of the most important circuits in analog electronics — and once you understand it, you'll see it everywhere. The Big Muff Pi is a chain of common emitter stages. The Electra Fuzz is built around a single one. Joe Davisson's Vulcan Overdrive uses the topology as its foundation. In this session we'll build one from scratch on a breadboard and learn exactly how it works. We'll cover: * **Ohm's Law** — the foundation of everything * **Resistor dividers** — how to set voltages * **Biasing a transistor** — how to wake it up and make it work * **Building a common emitter amp on a breadboard** — see and hear it in action No prior electronics experience required. Bring your curiosity. Breadboards, components, and multimeters available to share. Already working on a pedal project? Bring it along! This is an open, collaborative space — you're welcome to work on your own build, ask questions, and share what you're making. This is Session 1 of a three-part series. Session 2 will take what we build here and turn it into a real prototype, and Session 3 will explore the op-amp.

🦖 Webcam Powered Dino Alert Electronics Project (CHM)
Tue, Apr 21, 2:00 AMIn this fun, beginner-friendly project, you’ll build a system that uses your laptop’s webcam to detect motion and trigger a hilarious **“Dino Alert!”** on screen. When movement is detected, a T-Rex appears, opens its mouth, waves its tiny arms, and warns everyone nearby with a roar. No prior experience is required. By the end, you’ll have a working Dino Alert system—and a solid foundation for building more advanced projects that combine software and electronics. **If you have a laptop, please bring it — but come anyway if you don’t!**

Open House / Open Build / Open Repair Projects Workshop
Sat, Apr 18, 1:30 AMOur monthly Circuit Launch Oakland "Open House" evening for everyone, fun for the whole family! Join us every third Friday evening of the month: **○ Robot, AI and Electronics Projects:** Start a project, continue a project or discover one here: we provide the space, tools and peer learning – you bring your project and enthusiasm! **○ Repair Projects:** Fixit Clinic's monthly residency at Circuit Launch: bring your repair projects – electronic gadgets, appliances, computers, toys, etc.– for consultation, assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. We’ll provide workspace, specialty tools, and guidance to help you disassemble and troubleshoot your item. First-time repairers and “Fixing Families” are heartily invited. Learn more at [https://www.fixitclinic.org/](https://www.fixitclinic.org/) **○ Tech Topic Discussions and Practice:** join the AI thought leadership practise group for lively conversation: Come share your knowledge -- or your lack thereof: all experience levels welcome. It's definitely worth a visit if you've never been here: tour Circuit Launch and see all the exciting companies and projects in progress. – U18s heartily welcome with a participating adult. – Equipment use outside of the soldering and debugging gear requires certification. Looking forward to seeing you this third Friday!

The Happy Little Arduino Spin Machine (CHM)
Tue, Apr 28, 2:00 AMIn this hands-on workshop, you’ll build your own **motor-powered spin art machine** using an Arduino—no experience required. At the heart of it all is a **DC motor**—your tiny but powerful artist. You’ll wire it up, control its speed, and watch as simple code transforms motion into mesmerizing patterns. Turn a knob, tweak the speed, and see how different rotations create completely unique designs. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about **controlled chaos**. A drop of paint, a burst of speed, and suddenly you’ve got something surprisingly beautiful. By the end, you’ll: * Understand the basics of controlling a motor with Arduino * Adjust speed in real time to shape your art * Create your own one-of-a-kind spin paintings * Walk away thinking, *“Okay… I can actually do electronics.”* Expect a little mess, a lot of laughs, and a machine that turns code into creativity. **If you have a laptop, please bring it — but come anyway if you don’t!**

Resident Electronics Monthly meetup!
Fri, Apr 24, 3:00 AMA recurring electronic music open mic. * **Every 4th Thursday of the month at 8pm** * **INSTAGRAM:** [https://www.instagram.com/resident_electronicmonthly/](https://www.instagram.com/resident_electronicmonthly/) * **YOUTUBE:** [Playlist and upcoming live](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR85h2qnyy8Aubv2FvK-H9zL1fGhPbFxR) * **FREE** **Hosts** * [Franck Martin](https://www.peachymango.org/) * [TanukiSpiderCat](https://tanukispidercat.com/) **Sign up / further info at**: [https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Resident_Electronic_Music](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Resident_Electronic_Music)

5 Minutes of Fame!
Fri, Apr 17, 3:00 AMHappening in the space Let's share all of the cool things we've working on! 5MoF, or 5 Minutes of Fame, is where hackers get the opportunity to present what they've been working on to an audience of fellow hackers and curious, awesome people. With enough people, we generally let everyone get to speak, but given we can talk about our things forever, there will definitely be an after-hours hangout sesh. No need to bring a project, just come and get inspired!
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