Surface-mount is the new black. Learn about component package sizes, footprints, soldering techniques and how to troubleshoot hand-soldered surface-mount boards. In this workshop participants will assemble the SoundSpark board by SenseBridge, using a variety of surface-mount soldering tools and techniques.  This is a rare chance to learn a highly sought after skill in a group setting!

Date: Tuesday August 25

Time: 7pm - 10pm

Registration Fee:  $45 (Members); $60 (Non-Members)

Material Fee: $15

What prequisites, if any, should the student have? Basic soldering skills are a must.

About the Instructor:  Eric Boyd is the founder of Sensebridge, an wearable electronics company. He was born and raised in Ontario Canada, on a small chicken farm. He attended Queens University for engineering, graduating in 2003, but not before co-founding StumbleUpon.com. After graduating, he lived and worked in Silicon Valley at a high tech startup, designing industrial sensors and helping install them at semi-conductor fabs across the United States. He now lives and works in Toronto Canada, where he is President of Hacklab.to, a technology community space. At Sensebridge, Eric works on a variety of devices which are intended to augment the user, turning them into a cyborg. These devices include North Paw, a compass anklet that gives users a sense of direction, and Heart Spark, a heart-beat flashing pendant which broadcasts the wearers emotions.

In his spare time, Eric is Dean of the Toronto Awesome Foundation, which gives away $1000 each month to support an awesome project somewhere in Toronto. His favorites include the Toronto Kiss Map and Cardboard Fort Night. His other hobbies include Quantified Self and Guerrilla Gardening.