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--- starting_a_makerspace [2016/06/10 02:29] – John Eich
+++ starting_a_makerspace [2022/05/29 16:01] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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 ☆ We work hard at being friendly to visitors, and welcoming to all skill-levels. Too often groups of skilled people can (unconsciously) create an atmosphere of exclusivity or "only the knowledgeable get respect". We all bring gifts and skills, regardless of what we happen to know about Topic X. The Bodgery's niche demographic is the part-timers, the tinkerers, and hobbyists.
   * As a makerspace with a woman co-founder, being welcoming and non-pedantic towards women is very important to us. This means expecting women to be interested in all areas of the shop, supporting their learning needs without talking down, and valuing traditionally-female maker arenas like crafts as much as any other arena.
+☆ Building community among our members is important, and needs continual work. Here are some of the things we do to nurture community at The Bodgery.
+  * When new members sign up, we snap a photo and ask them to answer a few questions about themselves (20 word minimum!) - what they like to make, want to learn, are willing to teach, etc.  Then we send that info/photo out to the member listserv as an introduction, and hopefully to draw connections as existing members read through the intro.  The photo also goes up on the "Our Members" board in the shop so the community is always visible. This also helps if you're trying to refer someone to a member and verbal descriptions aren't working!
 ☆ We've adopted the "Do-ocracy" model. People will talk all day about what "you should do", and give lots of advice about a better way to do something. In a do-ocracy the people that actually do something have the power. Whether that's rearranging an area, building something for the space, or starting something new, please go ahead and make it better for all of us.
   * If it's a big change, it's courteous to send out an email to the member list with a heads up. If you're modifying a shop area (metal working, wood shop, craft, electronics, etc), definitely let the Area Captains know. But there is value to things being accomplished.
+☆ Almost all of our tools (so far) are member owned. Members can store a tool in their basement or garage and use it a few times a year - or store them at the Bodgery and still use it the same amount. While this carries the risk that someone else will damage or break it, they also now have a group of handy people that can help fix it or fine-tune it, which they might not have at home.
+  * We do get some donated tools, and gratefully accept them.  At a certain point, you'll be in the position of having to screen the tool offers. Our rule is that if the offered tool is better than our current one, we'll accept it.  Otherwise, thanks but no.
+  * Our board decided that we would not buy big tools until we'd saved 6 months of expenses, as an emergency fund. We bought smaller items (like bits and blades, etc), but not larger purchases. Now that we've completed that goal, our money goes into a savings pot, which we'll apply toward our member-ranked wish list.
+  * The Milwaukee Makerspace has a great process: the final $5 of each member's monthly dues are dedicated toward "area improvement" (new tools, repairs, supplies, etc). Each member decides how their $5 is allocated per area (by the even dollar), which provides an "area budget" that is member-driven. This also gives a good idea of how valued an area is by the members (vs just the board), for allocation of other resources. Members can change their 'votes' at any point.
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+__How did you build your RFID door lock?__
+One of our first members built it, Timm Murray.  He posted the complete code [[https://github.com/frezik/bodgery_rfid|on github]].
+The important parts of this code are in client.pl (which runs on the Pi, reads codes, and opens the door) and app.pl (which is a webapp that accesses the member database and says if the ID is valid or not).
+The hardware is a Raspberry Pi, an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), and a magnetic lock.  You also need a USB RFID reader [[https://www.amazon.com/125KHZ-EM4100-Proximity-Reader-5Keytags/dp/B009FQSW3W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466039351&sr=8-3&keywords=rfid+usb|like this one]].
+We ended up gutting the reader and putting the internals into a new box for mounting.  It works just like a keyboard entering the RFID tag number.
+For the lock mechanism, you have a few options.  A "fail secure" method means that if the power goes out, the door will be locked, even if the UPS is out of juice.  There are some electronic strikes that work that way.  We didn't go with them because we weren't quite sure how to adapt one to our door.  The other method is "fail safe", which means you can open the door when the power goes out.  The magnetic door hold is fail safe.
+Either way, you'll want a relay to control the door opener.
+Our magnetic holder requires 1,200 lbs of force to break.  There are 600 lbs ones that are a bit cheaper, but those aren't considered enough against a good crowbar.  Our metal and glass door could be bent at the bottom with far less force.  That said, it'd make the break-in obvious, which is what you need to take things up with the insurance company.
+Back-of-the-envelope estimates are that a decent sized UPS should be able to keep the system running for 24 hours without power.  We haven't had to test that estimate yet.
+----
-Let us know how it goes!
+Thanks for your interest in how this makerspace works.  Best of luck in your process, and let us know how it goes!