Interview
Hubert Engler, a former electrical engineer and firefighter, wants to use his many years of professional experience to promote greater sustainability. In collaboration with the student-run makerspace “House of Makers and Engineers” (HOME) at RWU and the association “Friends of HOME,” which also makes the workshop accessible to the public, he is therefore launching the “ReparierBar” project. In this interview, he explains everything he had to organize for the project, what kinds of devices have already been brought in for repair, and how people can get involved.
Chiara Roma: What is the ReparierBar?
Hubert Engler: The ReparierBar is a division of the volunteer-run “Friends of HOME” association in Weingarten. Here, people have the opportunity to repair their broken devices and items for free together with us—instead of throwing them away—and to exchange ideas with one another. In doing so, we’re not only promoting sustainability but also providing a social gathering place for anyone interested.
How did you come up with the idea to start the ReparierBar?
I’ve been a tinker all my life—even as a child, I used to take things apart to figure out how they worked. Now that I’ve taken early retirement and my active duty with the fire department ends at age 65, I wanted to find another way to keep myself busy. When I read about the global Repair Café movement, I wanted to know if something like that existed in Weingarten—and since it didn’t, I came up with the idea of starting it myself. I was then able to present my idea at the city’s project incubator.
What did it take to make the project a reality?
First, I reached out to the university through a former coworker who is now a professor at RWU, since we needed a suitable space for electrical engineering work. It turned out that RWU already had a maker space for students: the “House of Makers and Engineers,” or “HOME” for short. With its many possibilities, it was naturally the best fit. Chancellor Rudewig and Rector Spägele were also on board, as was Rector Schweizer of the PH. After that, we just had to obtain a usage permit from the state of Baden-Württemberg, which owns the building, and clarify the usage fee.
How is the ReparierBar funded?
In the beginning, we received funding from the community foundations of the Ravensburg district and the city of Weingarten so that we could purchase the necessary tools. We also cover our fixed costs, such as rent, and purchase new equipment as needed through voluntary donations. We’d love to attract additional sponsors for this as well.
How did you recruit collaborators for the project?
At first, I asked my colleagues at the fire department, then amateur radio operators and electricians I knew who had technical expertise. We also connected with volunteers through the Projektschmiede. Through close collaboration with the student initiative HOME, we’ve been able to recruit students and alumni to join the ReparierBar team. These days, people sometimes approach us during our open hours. For example, a man who had worked as a radio and television technician for 40 years approached us. That worked out well, because shortly afterward, a guest stopped by with an old tube radio. My deputy, Regina Kollmann—who had already been active in the Repair Café—supports me most of all with the organization.
You use the student Maker Space facilities at RWU. What’s the collaboration with the HOME team like?
The collaboration is going very well. When things are busy at the university—like during exam periods—we naturally have to be considerate. But we always manage to organize things so that it works for both parties.
What has been the most difficult or interesting repair so far?
The most interesting one was a hundred-year-old mechanical typewriter that a visitor brought in. She wanted to use it to write her memoirs, but the carriage wouldn’t move anymore. We tinkered with it for a long time until we discovered that a piece of sheet metal was stuck in the mechanism. After that, the repair was quite simple. Difficult and time-consuming cases are mainly fully automatic coffee machines, since their inner workings are always a bit different depending on the brand and age. Tube radios are both exciting and challenging—unfortunately, we couldn’t save our first one, but we managed to fix another one after that. Of course, we can’t promise a guarantee of success with repairs, but there’s nothing better than when we’ve managed to help someone and our visitors go home happy.
With the ReparaturBar, you help other people fix things. Have you learned anything yourself in the process?
You actually learn something new with every device. YouTube tutorials and, of course, team discussions are very helpful. And to promote the RepairBar, I’m currently teaching myself how to use Instagram, Facebook, and video editing. My colleagues at the fire department are always joking now, saying I’m becoming an influencer.
Are there any plans for the future to expand the ReparierBar’s services?
Right now, it’s trendy to upgrade PCs yourself, so I’ve been thinking about offering something like that here and setting up a Linux Café. Bicycles or cell phones would also be an option, though I’d only do that if I had the right staff on the team. There are also a few things that need to be clarified to avoid commercial conflicts, so for now, it’s not something we’d actively pursue.
How can you get involved with the ReparaturBar? Are there any requirements?
You can sign up to join us right at one of our meetups, and you’re in. We meet once a month, on Saturday mornings. The most important things are an interest in repairing devices and objects, not being shy around strangers, and the ability to work as part of a team. Of course, it’s helpful if someone brings specific repair knowledge to the table, but the motivation to learn is just as valuable. We also plan to provide further training for our volunteers in the future. By the way, we don’t just repair electronics—we’re specifically looking for volunteers with experience or an interest in textiles or general organization and reception.
You can find the association’s upcoming event dates and more information on Instagram at @reparierbar_weingarten.
Text:
Chiara Roma