From hackerspaces.org:

Hackerspaces are community-operated physical places, where people share their interest in tinkering with technology, meet and work on their projects, and learn from each other.

It is a place for hackers, builders, programmers, artists, and anybody interested in how stuff works to gather in a common place and help focus and share their knowledge and creativity. Whether members are interested in individual or group projects, and whether they’re tackling problems with hardware, software, mathematics, or design, it’s our goal to provide the space, tools, freedom, and education to make it happen.

It’s very fun to take things apart just to see how they’re built, or to create something from materials you have on hand. Hacking, in general, is the exploration involved in either building something yourself from parts or altering something you own to solve a problem. People usually use the word specifically for electronics, though that’s not a hard rule.

Hacking is very informal, and so it’s sometimes seen as electronic dirty work. It’s the equivalent of building your own cupboards out of 2×4s, or sawing holes in the backing of your entertainment stand so you can fit your TV cables through.

And so hackers are people who study programs and systems to find out how they work, and try to patch problems in the programs they use. They might also make modifications to their equipment to fix shortcomings in the hardware.

We encourage responsible, legal hacking. Just as there are rules and regulations around home carpentry, there are laws surrounding the creation and use of software and electronics that keep individuals safe. We should work within these laws while we’re having fun with global information systems or electrical equipment.

If a responsible hacker finds a vulnerability in a piece of software (such as a web browser), they will contact the company (such as Google or Microsoft) that maintains the software to let them know how it can be fixed. This kind of hacking (called “white-hat” hacking) keeps everyone in the world a little bit safer.

SkullSpace is more about that general definition of hacking: having fun while learning about something complex. Our members are DIYers, fabricators, makers, tinkerers, cryptographers, brewers, gamers, coders, artists, musicians, photographers, videographers, and so on. We are a diverse community that focuses on interests involving a bit of learning and some trial and error. We love hobbies that go a little over the top.

You can contact us on a variety of Social Media as well as our general email address admin@skullspace.ca

You could also check out our well-loved communitymailing lists, which we use for discussions and announcements.

You could ask every member of SkullSpace why they became a member and you would get a different answer from each one. For some, it might be the people and friendships that are forged. For others, it might be the community and the idea of being part of something like this.

Students may find the space a valuable place to talk to people in industries they are interested in.

Other people enjoy working on projects and want to use the electronic work bench, 3D printer, or CNC machine, and either don’t have the space at home or perhaps don’t want to invest the amount of money required to own some of them.

Perhaps the common thread might be like-minded people. We all have different interests; however, we enjoy a lot of similar things.

Whatever the case, there is something here for everyone ― and the simple fact is that the more active the community, the better it is for everyone! The more members we have, the more events we can host; and we will even be able to expand the space and purchase more tools and equipment.

Just $40 a month will get you 24/7 access to the space. Students can join for $20 a month (student ID card required).

Easy! Just come down to one of our weekly Tuesday night open meetings at 6:00pm and talk to one of the members. They can help you get started. For more information see our Membership page.

You get 24/7 access to the space with the key fob. This includes:

• The SkullSpace community
• Equipment, tools, and parts
• Servers and Workstations, including the Multi-User, Multi-Desktop (MUMD) environment.
• Learning Resources
• Board Games
• Video Games
• Lounge
• Kitchen
• A @skullspace.ca email address
• Commercial Internet access through LES.net

Absolutely! We meet every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM in the space. You are welcome to come check out the space and hang out with us.

We are located on the second floor of 374 Donald Street in Winnipeg.

Check it out on Google Maps!

Unfortunately not. The space is on the second floor of a building without an elevator, so you’ll have to be able to climb the stairs to make it into the space. If we ever move to a new building this will be an item we would like to address.

We have a variety of tools at all members’ disposal. This includes soldering/desoldering irons, various screw drivers, a drill press, 3D Printers, a CNC Machine, oscilliscopes, and more. For a full list please see our Equipment section on our wiki.

If you are a member, you have access to all of our tools; but you must be sure to complete the training sessions with one of our experienced members. From there all you need to do is bring in your materials (or chip in for materials we have on-hand) and away you go. Happy 3D Printing and CNC cutting!

If you are not a member and want to see a demo of these machines in action feel free to come out to one of our Tuesday evening weekly meetings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Yes! All members have access to use the bikes. Be sure you sign it out, and then back in when you bring it back.

There is plenty of space to store small projects that you are working on. We also have small and large lockers available for $5 or $10 (respectively) per month.

We ask that anything you are not actively working on is brought home to free up space for other members.

The short answer: Absolutely!

If you’re hosting an event at the space, you’ll need to coördinate with at least one SkullSpace member for access. We can’t give keys to non-members; but becoming a member is easy, so you could just become a member and have full access.

First off, welcome to SkullSpace! It’s great to have you! There are plenty of things we could use help with around the space. The best thing you could do is attend a Tuesday evening meeting and ask some members what needs to get done around the space. It’s also a great place to discuss your ideas and get support/help.

The simplest way to pay your membership dues is through our PayPal links. You can easily cancel the payments through your PayPal dashboard if you decide to.

You can also sign a pre-authorized debit (PAD) agreement, also known as Customer-Automated Fund Transfer (CAFT), to automatically send your dues from your bank account on the 15th of each month. Just fill out the PAD form. Ensure that the top is marked “NEW” if you are not currently set up with PAD or “CHANGE” if you are changing the banking information on your agreement. You can leave the form with a director or slide it into the cash box before the 10th of the month. (If you’re short on time and can’t email us a digital copy, you can go straight to Assiniboine Credit Union and ask a teller to forward it to “Payment Services”. They may be confused by this as they don’t typically deal with these forms).

If you would like to cancel your payments, you can send an email to the admin mailing list.

We keep separate accounts for each member, so it’s also possible to pre-pay with cash or by Interac eTransfer. You can seal cash in one of our envelopes, sign your name on it, and slide it into the cash box. You can eTransfer to admin@skullspace.ca without the need for a security question.