FCW will be having an Open House at the new facility on Friday, December 15 from 5-9PM and Saturday, December 16 from 10AM-6PM. Even though visitors are welcome anytime someone is at FCW, at the Open Houses, we make a special effort to show of the advantages of FCW, This Open House is special in that is the first one since the fire destroyed nearly everything at the Shuford facility.
At the open house, we will have:
Food – mainly burgers and hotdogs on Friday, a more traditional meal on Saturday.
Demos of replacement equipment.
Tours of the new facility and future plans.
Activities
The Open House is at the new facility at 141 N. Main St., Granite Falls, NC 28630 (directly on 321-A). Note that parking is at the rear of the building. This activity is free and open to the public.
As of Monday, October 31, 2017. FCW has a new location. Since the fire on July 21, we have been obtaining equipment and looking for a new home. Many of our members spent extra time, money and effort to help FCW get started again.
The new location is at 141 N. Main St. Granite Falls, NC. We have to do some work but can start up several operations soon. This location is 11000 sq. ft which is slightly over twice the previous space. Due to scrounging and donations, we have roughly 60% of our equipment back and plan to start up the areas as soon as possible. This is a two story building and has large external doors accessing both floors. This building is air-conditioned and has 5 restrooms.
Part of top floor as equipment is moved in
There is a lot of internal construction and wiring to be done for full operation. The current plan is as follows:
Top Floor:
Common Area/Lounge
StM vintage computer museum
Classroom
Galley (expanded from before)
Science Center, containing:
Chemistry
Physics
Biology
Supporting subjects
Electrical, containing:
Electronics
K4FCW -Ham radio station
Robotics
Mechatronics
Motors and Controls
PLCs
Computer repair
Arts & Crafts, containing:
Stagecraft
Costumes/sewing
Sets
Props
Lighting/sound
Animatronics
Special effects and CGI
Art/Sculpture
Glass shop
Jewelry
Videography
VR
Model shop
3d Printing
Laser cutting
Railroad
The Science Center and Railroad will take additional time before they can be used.
The lower floor contains:
Office
Woodworking
Metalworking, containing:
Machine shop
Sheet metal shop
Welding
Canteen
Exercise room (new)
The metal shop will take some time to build. The wood shop is missing a few items which should be replaced soon.
The crew is working to make the space usable as soon as possible. Spread the word — FCW is back!!
FCW will conduct a condensed Ham Radio Technician License class on Saturday, September 9, from 9AM to 3PM at the Caldwell County Public Library, Room 5 in Lenoir. This class will cover the more difficult aspects of the entry level Technician exam. Topics covered will include:
Electromagnetic waves
Electrical Fundamentals
Electronics components and circuits
Station setup and operation
Antennas and propagation
Modes of operation
Units and the metric system
Safety
Some rules and regulations
Since this is a condensed class, participants will be expected to view some videos and do practice exams on-line. A schedule for the test will be determined at the class.
This class is free and open to the public. Contact Michelle, (michelle@foothillscommunityworkshop.org) or 828-754-5002 for more information.
FCW is just beyond the fire truck on the lower floor.
On July 21 at around 7PM, the building containing FCW was totally destroyed by fire. Apparently it started in a rear corner, then spread up the back side before spreading forward and destroying FCW. In addition to us, there were several businesses, a couple of warehouses, a few residential apartments, and over two hundred storage units in the building. Fortunately, at this time, it appears that nobody was injured.
However, FCW is down for a while. The early consensus of the board is that we will rebuild and like the Phoenix “rise from the ashes”. Exact details will be worked out over the next few weeks. In the meantime, donations of money and equipment will be accepted (Remember that FCW is a 501(c)( 3) non-profit organization.
All classes and workshops are canceled for the near future as we clean up, salvage anything possible and look for a new home.
UPDATE: It appears that at least one piece of equipment survived. Our R5 Ham Radio Antenna remains proudly perched on its beam. Now if we only still had a radio….
The current estimate is that we will be able to survey the damage on Tuesday.
UPDATE 2017-07-23
A Members Meeting discussed the rebuilding of FCW today. Here are a few key points.
FCW will rebuild – eventually having more interest areas than before.
Top priority is finding a new space – this one should require little renovation for us to start using.
Scheduled events (hamfest, makerfaires. etc.) will be attended as planned, but with a smaller display focused toward the rebuild.
Classes will be delayed for about a month, then start being scheduled again, depending on resources.
The Common area (lounge), Woodworking, Electronics, and the Ham Station will come on line first.
The Railroad will be rebuilt (HO gage) but will be used also for classes to instill interest in trains and making.
Equipment priorities after a space is found are the computers and laser cutter. Woodworking, electronics, science, and stagecraft (art) will be built up as resources permit.
Everyone should be in “scrounge mode”, look out for possible locations, watch for possible deals or donations, and spread the word that FCW is far from dead.
There is a slight chance that some of the equipment can be salvaged/repaired. Ben will bring a drone down this week to see if we can get a better look.
A Slack group is being set up for those who would like to be involved, have ideas, or just want information. Members will be invited automatically. Others should email info@foothillscommunityworkshop.org
I’ll try to get some pictures specific to our damage on Tuesday.
More recent drone flyover: Zooming up, you can see both laser cutters, the shelving supports in the fab lab and StM (computer museum), the mill and lathe in the machine shop, part of the large bandsaw in the woodshop, both fume hoods, the large oven, the autoclave and a metal cart in the science lab, and a light in the stagecraft area. https://youtu.be/0aHt01O719k
Update 7/30/2017
Additional drone footage (I can’t post it yet) allowed us to id a cabinet, computer rack, and A/C compressor in the fab lab; the welder, 18″ planer, suction, and a tool box in the cave;, the transformer and instructors desk the classroom; and a power supply and the Pace rework station in the common area. Nothing can be salvaged.
Meetings have resumed on Saturdays and Wednesdays. We have a lead on a temporary space until we can find a building, and multiple leads on replacement equipment.
At the 2017 Field Day, a brief tour was done of FCW. This is the last known video before the fire. The mics being used failed during the interview portion so there is voice over description. This video was done by Gary Pearce of Ham Radio Now on Youtube. Do realize that we had be up over 24 hours for Field Day at the time.
Once again, FCW via Amateur Radio station K4FCW will participate in Field Day from Saturday, June 24 at 2 PM thru Sunday, June 25 at 2 PM. Field Day was created by the ARRL and encourages Hams in North America to:
Set up under emergency conditions
Test equipment
Promote Amateur Radio
Socialize
Practice contest techniques
Even though FCW is not a “portable” setup, it is not a normal station location. For 24 hours, participants will be contacting hams across North America (and a few other countries) to accumulate points in the contest.
If you are a ham, interested in ham radio, or just curious, this is a good opportunity to get on the air and see why many people still enjoy ham radio as a hobby or a public service.
The event starts at 2PM on Saturday. Drop by for a while and check out the activity. This event is free and open to the public.
Rick will be conducting classes in Wood Turning on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10AM – 2PM. Beginners are welcome at any session. Besides the basics, each session will concentrate on methods to create specific items, such as bowls, plates, goblets, table legs, etc. Advanced topics will also be covered.
FCW will have a Spring Open House on Friday, June 2, 5-9PM and Saturday, June 3, 10AM-6PM. Though visitors are welcome at any time, at the open houses an extra effort is made to present what FCW has to offer.
At the Open House:
There will be food – burgers and hotdogs on Fri, regular meal on Sat.
The Railroad will be operating.
Demos will be in the Electronics and Science areas.
The laser cutter will be operating.
The Ham station will be operating.
There will be tours and activities.
There will be special membership offers.
Areas available for use at FCW include:
A machine shop with CNC mill
A wood shop with 2 CNC routers and traditional tools.
An electronics shop.
A Ham Radio station (K4FCW)
A Science Lab for Chemistry, Physics, and Biology and support.
A Stagecraft shop for props, sets, costumes, SFX, lights, sound.
A HO scale model railroad
A technical library
A Fabrication lab with laser cutter and 3d printer.
A vintage computer museum.
A classroom.
Things are always changing at FCW. The woodshop has been overhauled, the Science Lab and Stagecraft shops are close to starting up, new machines have been added to the computer museum, and the electronics area has expanded. There is also new equipment provided by grants and some exciting plans for the near future.
For more information contact info@foothillscommuntiyworkshop or call (828) 351-2551.
The Arduino Uno – Microcontroller Bread Board: An open–source platform used for building electronic projects of all kinds.
Programming the Arduino for Model Railroad Applications
1. At Grade Crossing Flashing Warning Lights, a simple Arduino Uno project for Model Railroaders.
2. At Grade Crossing Flashing Warning Lights, Safety Gates and Bell with approaching train detection.
Optional Program
There is a possibility that we could provide laptops and Arduino kits for each attendee so there could some hands-on programming for more of the class time. (Dependent on class size, maximum of 14-Attendees)
FCW will be having an Introduction to Soldering Class on Sunday, February 26 at 3PM for approx 2.5 hours. The class will provide instruction in “Through-the-Hole” Soldering, using temperature controlled soldering stations. Each participant will solder a project — a small siren, which can be taken home. There is a service charge to cover materials of $10 and each participant should bring a 9V battery for the project. This class is open to the public. For more information contact michelle@foothillscommunityworkshop.org
FCW will host a class to prepare anyone interested in obtaining an entry level Amateur Radio license. The class will meet on three Fridays, January 13, 20, and 27 from 6PM to 8:30PM.
Topics include:
FCC rules and regulations
Electromagnetic (radio) waves
Basic Electronics
Setting up an Amateur Radio station
Station operation
Antennas and Propagation
Safety
Preparation for the Technician level exam.
There is no text required. All materials will be handed out or online. The class is free and open to the public.
FCW will be having an Open House at the new facility on Friday, December 15 from 5-9PM and Saturday, December 16 from 10AM-6PM. Even though visitors are welcome anytime someone is at FCW, at the Open Houses, we make a special effort to show of the advantages of FCW, This Open House is special in that is the first one since the fire destroyed nearly everything at the Shuford facility.
