iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Happening in 30 minutes: I'll be chatting with Greg Steiert from Altera, Liz Chen from Terasic, and Leo Weigand from ONE WARE about FPGAs, Edge AI and AI modelling. Join us live to ask questions!

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Wow. Early early bird tickets to #Teardown2026 are now SOLD OUT! A limited number of early bird tickets are still available at $50 less than regular tickets. Call for participation and volunteers open now - we're already getting some interesting ideas. Join us! www.crowdsupply.com/teardown/por...

crowdsupply.com

Teardown 2026 | Crowd Supply

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

🎉 #Teardown2026 will be happening 24-26th July. We're in a cool new space: the Jupiter on Burnside. Our 60s mall era is dead, long live our 60s motel era. Tickets, calls for participation + volunteers, and general info on the @crowdsupply.bsky.social site: www.crowdsupply.com/teardown/por...

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Tim 'mithro' Ansell @mith.ro · 30/09/2025

Leo Moser and myself will be on @crowdsupply.bsky.social 's Teardown Session talking with @helenleigh.bsky.social about @wafer.space this Thursday (3rd October) - youtu.be/tEOmnN8IAjs

youtu.be

Teardown Session 56: wafer.space with Tim Ansell

YouTube video by Crowd Supply

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Crowd Supply @crowdsupply.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Join @helenleigh.bsky.social for a livestream! Teardown Session 55: Ultra Low-Latency Open Hardware E-Paper with @modostech.bsky.social August 28th, 12pm PT www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekIn...

youtube.com

Teardown Session 55: Ultra Low-Latency Open Hardware E-Paper with Modos

YouTube video by Crowd Supply

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بلبل @chipperdoodles.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

going live in 20ish minutes with the wonderful @helenleigh.bsky.social to talk about anwaar! www.youtube.com/watch?v=50xd... hope to see you there!

youtube.com

Teardown Session 54: Anwaar from Chipperdoodles

YouTube video by Crowd Supply

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Alex Glow (merlin) @alexglow.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Had a blast interviewing showrunner @helenleigh.bsky.social about this year's #Teardown2025 for this week's #HacksterCafe !! SO MUCH cool stuff in store. 🤩

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Walking home from the mall in my surprisingly comfortable and practical (and dare I say cute??) open hardware bandana from @oshwassociation.bsky.social ✨

Helen wearing an open Hardware bandana. With mirror Shades. And trees behind

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

I just got keys to the ex-GAP we run Teardown in. Creepy dying mall vibes? Immaculate. Over the course of the next week this liminal space will fill up with soldering irons, machines, hacker art, projects, and four tracks of talks, workshops & panels. #teardown2025

Fitting rooms in dark with red exit sign

Looking through a door into darkness, with cool lampshades and two red exit signs

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

I'm on my way to the UK for the Open Hardware Summit. I'll be hosting Hardware Happy Hours in London (Cat & Mutton, Weds 28th) and Edinburgh (Old Bell Inn, Thurs 29th) and I'd love to see some of you! Bring a hack to show off or just bring yourself :) www.eventbrite.com/e/hardware-h...

eventbrite.com

Hardware Happy Hour London: Open Hardware Summit edition

Hardware Happy Hour is an informal way to socialize, show off your projects, and talk about the world of hardware.

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

I'm on my way to Berlin for @hackadayofficial.bsky.social Europe. Who else??? On Friday from 6pm I'll be hosting the Bring a Hack pre-event party at Jockel Biergarten, just ten minutes walk from the venue. Bring a project to show, stickers to swap, or just bring yourself 💖

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Going live in 15 minutes - join us!

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Reposted by Helen Leigh

Crowd Supply @crowdsupply.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Join @helenleigh for a livestream with Zeke Wheeler this Thurssday at noon PT www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqiI...

youtube.com

Teardown Session 52: Zeke Wheeler speaks with the ISS

YouTube video by Crowd Supply

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Reposted by Helen Leigh

OSH Park @oshpark.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Hey #Portland! Hardware Happy Hour is tonight at the Bye and Bye on Alberta. Hosted by @helenleigh.bsky.social, It's an informal way to socialize, show off your projects, and talk about the world of hardware. From beginner to expert, all are welcome! www.meetup.com/hardware-hap... #PDX #PortlandPDX

meetup.com

Hardware Happy Hour Portland, Tue, Feb 18, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup

Hardware Happy Hour is an informal way to socialize, show off your projects, and talk about the world of hardware. At Hardware Happy Hour Portland we welcome anyone intere

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Reposted by Helen Leigh

Phoenix Perry @phoenixperry.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Watch @helenleigh.bsky.social and I high five each other to make music in pure joy. youtu.be/L7at10FYFfg?...

youtu.be

Testing our High Five Synth

YouTube video by Do It Kits

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Rounded out the weekend by doing an embroidery stitch sampler while watching some very good owls. This is destined to be a visual aid in a new e-textile workshop that I've been developing with @anu1905.bsky.social 🪡⚡

Embroidery hoop containing a sampler of various stitches, inc fern, feather, satin and fly. TV in background with a football man on the screen (the green flavour)

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Spent this afternoon figuring out how to control a SUB 37 with my disco ball theremin. It's looking like my best option is to update the code and add in CV support. I've also added a MIDI cable in the hopes that I'll be able to use it to control Ableton Live as well.

Half a golden disco ball on a sub 37 synth

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

I've been making devices that talk MIDI to Ableton Live for years but I somehow never learned how to use it to lay down a track. I signed up for a series of classes at an electronic music school in Portland. One workshop in & I already know that this will be a game changer. Weird noises incoming!

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Welding class (TIG) started tonight. A fair amount of theory to start but we did also get to do some beading work towards the end. Making stuff out of metal is fun.

Helen wearing welding PPE with the mask flipped up, giving a thumbs up sign

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

This weekend I learned how to cast bronze inside carved cuttlefish bone. This ancient metalworking technique has been around since the 6th century BCE (at least!) and produces objects with organic, unique features. Any weekend you get to play with fire is a good weekend 🔥

Helen in googles and facemask holding a powerful torch

Cuttlefish mold broken in half on a workbench

Hand holding cast ring with funnel still attached

Helen's hand close up wearing the mostly finished ring

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

The best bit of buying yarn is when they make it into a ball for you

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Bought this cool old purse with metal details in a vintage store at the Lloyd Center (the mall I run Teardown in). Gave it a tickle with my multimeter at home, and it turns out that the purse has good conductive properties. Hmm. My hobby: making things that shouldn't be buttons into buttons.

Vintage purse on a workbench with a multimeter in the background

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bleeptrack @bleeptrack.de · 12/12/2024

Open Hardware Summit is around the corner and it's IN EUROPE! Wohoo! So submit all your cool talks, art and everything else until Dec 22nd! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @oshwassociation.bsky.social

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Last night's fit for the Hacker Holiday Party

Outfit selfie: layered black fake fur, gold brocade capelet, and a black calf length dress

Outfit selfie no outer layers, just a black dress

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Steph Piper @sjpiper145.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Introducing my open source Skill Trees project! Have you ever wanted to learn a new skill in a gamified way? I've created a range of printable templates where you can color in the boxes of anything you've already done, visualise your progress and find your skill gaps. 50+ skills now covered!

A skill tree template for 3D printing. Just colour in anything you've already done to visualise your skills and identify skill gaps..

Maker skill trees project banner, featuring a happy paper printer with a range of printed and coloured templates.

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Straithe @straithe.com · 22/11/2024

Teardown is one of my top conferences to attend. If you enjoy art, hardware, and good folks I hope you will join me at this event.

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

It's official! @crowdsupply.bsky.social's Teardown will be returning to the mall in June 2025 and they are still letting me run it. Keynotes will be Cory Doctorow (author, journalist, activist), Kate Stewart (VP of Embedded at Linux, Zephyr, RTOS) and bunnie Huang (hardware hacker, author).

A room full of ppl listening to Mohit Bhoite talk about making free formed space themed circuit sculptures. this used to be a baby GAP.

Rooftop at sunset overlooking the Willamette river

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

The first musical instrument I ever made was with @phoenixperry.bsky.social. We made a wearable keyboard with an Arduino nano connected to conductive paint + vinyl stencil keys. We finished it just in time to do a chaotic (but hilarious) talk that included Phoenix running onstage to reboot me.

Helen on stage with an arm keyboard. Wires run up the arm to a hot pink cuff holding an Arduino nano and a lipo battery

Helen on stage with Phoenix. Phoenix is holding her computer and making a face

Helen on stage with Phoenix. Helen is grinning and Phoenix is bent over laughing

Helen in front of a mic with an arm keyboard. Wires run up the arm to a hot pink cuff holding an Arduino nano and a lipo battery

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Helen Leigh @helenleigh.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

I haven't been on social media much lately but here's some proof I'm still alive and hacking! Lately I've been working on some fun projects that I might even share with the Internet at some point ✨🟪🎹🟪✨ Clip on ⚡ earring by @lasermistress.bsky.social

Mirror selfie of Helen in a red tartan poncho

Selfie of Helen wearing a gold electric bolt earring made by Claire Cassidy

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