Makespace - User contributions [en]

Equipment/Laser Cutter/Training

2015-02-12T13:02:21Z

Martin de S: /* Trained Users */

[[Equipment|Equipment]] / [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter|Laser Cutter]] / Training

= Laser Cutter Training =

This page documents the process for being trained on the Laser Cutter, and the list of members who have completed that training.

== Summary ==

Training takes place in three main steps:
* Group Training of 1-4 members, going through the equipment and how to use it (~1hr)
* Individual Training Task, where an individual member is set a task to complete to prove and improve understanding (~30min each)
* Project Oversight, where more experienced users oversee the projects being undertaken when cutting (first 2-3 projects)

Training on the Laser Cutter is run by the Laser Cutter Owners. The Laser Cutter Owners are a group of people responsible for maintaining and training on the laser cutter, and hence have been trained to train, and trained to perform the weekly and monthly maintenance on the laser cutter.

== Booking ==

Sessions are advertised on '''http://meetup.makespace.org'''
* For discussing training, or requesting additional slots if needed, use the mailing list thread: [https://groups.google.com/d/topic/cammakespace/vNrS07zVuY0/discussion Training : Laser Cutter]

Notes:
* You can only be trained if you have your name allocated to a slot (groups will be restricted to four at a time, so please don't make up additional spaces)
* You must do the group and individual training on the same day

= Trained Users =

The following members of Makespace are owner/trainers of the laser cutter:
* Simon Ford
* David Barham
* Nick Johnson
* Toby Moncaster
* Martin de Selincourt
* Mat Cook
* [[User:stevancw|Stevan Wing]]

The following members of Makespace are trainers on the laser cutter:
* Brian Starkey

The following members of Makespace are owners on the laser cutter:
* Diane Probst

The following members of Makespace are trained and qualified to use the Laser Cutter (note, they are not qualified to train others however):
* Steve Upton (Simon Ford, 23/01/2013)
* Martin de Selincourt (Simon Ford, 23/01/2013)
* Oliver Jackson (Simon Ford, 23/01/2013)
* Simon Stirley (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Stephen Woolhead (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Martin Levine (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Uwe Borowski (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Peter Sewell (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* Steve Loughran (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* ST John (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* Henry Gomersall (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* Brian Corteil (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* Wayne Keenan (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* Andrew Dunn (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* David Knell (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* Tom Oinn (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Amir Chaudhry (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Anil Madhavapeddy (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Edward Imhagwe (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Michael Dales (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Laura James (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Robert Copcutt (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Phil Cowans (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Errol McMullen (Simon Ford, 9/03/2013)
* Gaye Soykok (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Mark Williamson (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Joe Tapply (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Dan Ros (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Paul Osborn (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* David Esteves (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* Zé Pinto Ferreira (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* Sharath (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* Andy Jude (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Mark Mellors (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Chris Abri (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Tom Ingham (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Adrian van den Heever (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Chris Voth (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Archie Reid (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Rachel Rayns (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Giovanni Orlando (David Barham, 15/04/2013)
* Chunhe Yu (Nicholas Johnson, 04/04/2013)
* Marko Cosic (Nicholas Johnson, 04/04/2013)
* Mark Watson (Nicholas Johnson, 04/04/2013)
* Andy Fisher (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* David Bebb (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* Simon Haydn (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* Adrian Carr (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* John Clamp (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Maciek Piatek (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Antonio Barragan (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* John Sturdy (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Roeland Schumacher (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Mark Tillotson (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Ward Hills (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Anne Harrison (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* William Morton (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* Ali (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* Rod Williams (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* Toby Moncaster (Simon Ford, 30/5/2013)
* Damien Guihen (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Ben Evan (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Jake Young (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Shareef Jalloq (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Renee Chow (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Dan Tidhar, (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Mat Cook, (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Toby Roberts (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Jonathan Austin (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Stacy Smith (David Barham, 13/8/2013)
* Matt Harvey (David Barham, 13/8/2013)
* Marcin (David Barham, 13/8/2013)
* James Waldmeyer (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Chris Wilson (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Kevin Maloney (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Harry Braviner (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Lee (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Jon Aas (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Armando Carlone (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Eckart Jack (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Pop Sharma (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Anthony Wainman (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Hazel Jenkins (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* James Hutton (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Jia Wei Lim (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Julius Schmidt (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Riccardo Gherardi (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Anna Stoilova (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Glyn Knowles (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* James Cooke (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Jennifer Herbert (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Simon Birrell (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Theo Sanderson (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Indy Wilkhu (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13 - practical to come)
* John Campbell (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Stephen Jeapes (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Chris Stanley (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Mat Greenwood (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Jonathon Brookfield (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Matt Grimes (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Richard Fosh (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Esther Leighton (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Katia Dilks (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Tim Dilks (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Alexander MacFaden (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Brian Starkey (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Dave Potts (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Andy Spencer (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Jon Green (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Danny Garden (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Steve Wiseman (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Patrick Wollner (David Barham, 18/2/14)
* Leonardo Impett (David Barham, 18/2/14)
* Diana Probst (Brian Starkey, 19/3/14)
* Hidde-Jan Lemstra (Brian Starkey, 19/3/14)
* Francisco Cordobes (Brian Starkey, 19/3/14)
* Peter Ferguson (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Tim Hayward (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Jason White (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Stuart Wilson (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Steve Harrison (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Alex Atkinson (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Kate Aston (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Sheila Shepherd (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Rachel Bow (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Emyr James (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Peter Knight (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Andy Gale (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Owen McAree (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Michal Stefenow (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Neil Tan (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Vaiva Kalmkaite? (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Alberto Santos (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Sonny Siree (sp?) (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Tim Ronsell (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Rob Voisey (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Mike Hunter (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Tony Bunting (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Eric Jones (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Carl Phillips (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Ed Ben (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Toby Norman (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Marco Galardini (Mat Cook May 7 2014)
* Thomas Keller (Mat Cook May 7 2014)
* Martin Lenz (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* David Grech (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Rick Lupton (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Tim Regan (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Shashank Srinivasan (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Al Napp (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Tom Roberts (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Matthew Taylor (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Milosz Wasilewski (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Matt Grimes (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Brandon Invergo (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Simon West (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Kevin Rathbone (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Richard Gordon (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Rob Yates (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Alex Gee (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Patrick Beigent (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Guilliame Tucker (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Jo Brook (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* David Taylor (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Joe Watson (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Richard Armstrong (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Eric Gowland (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Paul Holland (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Craig Richardson (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Stevan Wing (Mat Cook 11/08/2014)
* John Sidiropoulos (Mat Cook 11/08/2014)
* Greaham Douglas (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Joseph Gamble (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Robert Fryers (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Will Hartley (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Alistair Turnbull (Stevan Wing 24/09/2014)
* Tim Ramsdale (Stevan Wing 24/09/2014)
* Hugo Van Sansen (Stevan Wing 24/09/2014)
* Marco Aita (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* Rob Shore (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* Katy Marshall (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* John Clarke (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* Danny Farrant (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* John Ginger (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* Emilo Mont (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* Geoff Lunn (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* Milosch Meriac (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Abhi Manyu (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Alba Rodriguez (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Stephen Paulger (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Erik Pickering (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Rob Meadows (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Chris Mayhurst (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Giovanni Orlando (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Chris Padbury (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Robin Sterling (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Kristien De Clercq (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* "Nevindep" (Mat Cook 11 Dec 2014)
* Jae Turner (Mat Cook 11 Dec 2014)
* Luke Twydell (Mat Cook 11 Dec 2014)
* Steph Tyszka (Mat Cook 20 Dec 2014)
* Jonny Waite (Brian Starkey 3/9/14)
* Toby Jaffey (Brian Starkey 3/9/14)
* Greg Matthews (Brian Starkey 3/9/14)
* Tom Parker (Brian Starkey 12/11/14)
* Ben Weeks (Brian Starkey 12/11/14)
* Clara Todd (Brian Starkey 17/12/14)
* Ian Mc (Brian Starkey 17/12/14)
* Timothy Baldock (Brian Starkey 17/12/14)
* Rob Rescrola (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Tariq Harris (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Ed Robertson (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Imogen Ford (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Dan Tidhar (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Alex Judd (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Adam Mulligan (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Adam Nightingale (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Charlotte Harvey (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Matt Wayland (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Andrei R. (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* John Mead (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)

= Training Cheatsheet =

The training structure and prompt sheet. Please note, this is used by the Laser Cutter Owners as a prompt to ensure training is executed in a consistent and complete fashion is included on this page; this does not constitute and is not a substitute for the training itself.

== Group Training ==

The group training introduction structure, suitable for 1-4 members at a time in a 1 hr session.

Introduction of main components
* Laser
* Cutting Mechanics
* Water Cooler System
* Filter
* PC
* Materials (what it can cut, supply)

Checks for everyone to do
* Check in use, looks ok
* Check water bath, temperature

Powering Up
* Turning on filter (Tick = ok, Warning = tell the owners, Cross = don't use it and tell the owners)
* Turning on Laser and warmup, what to do if doesn't power up
* Turning on PC and starting software

LaserCut Project walkthrough (using M+S+text keyring example)
* Package function, drawing, import file types
* Bed dimensions
* Paths, yellow dots, 'united' shapes
* Blue dot, Immediate mode
* Layers and colours
* Through cut, surface cut and engraving, speeds and strengths
* Various steps to build keyring design (shapes, text, uniting, layers, alignment, scaling, layers)
* Job ordering
* Saving
* Download as immediate, delete, download current

Laser Operation
* Lid
* Control panel, escape
* Moving head XY, indicator laser, datum
* Moving Z
* Focus
* Start position and test
* Start, pause and emergency stop function
* Do job, pause/open lid, restart

Laser Hazards
* Process and progression for normal operation failure (fire) - pause, open, move, CO2
* Process for abnormal operation failure (mechanical/jam) - emergency stop, open, move, CO2
* Ensure confident of process

Power Down
* Switch off laser
* Switch off filtration
* Clean any residue from the bed or bottom tray
* Close lid

== Individual Training Task ==

The individual task to get familiar, prompt questions and check understanding:

Task
* Make a personalised focus tool
* Square acrylic of appropriate size
* Member's name, "Focus Tool", keychain hole
* Should use full cut, surface cut, engrave
* Should demonstrate all steps, size, appropriate ordering, positioning

Steps
* Set individual to work, don't prompt but do answer questions (or pose if needed)
* Talk through design once done, question/check things etc
* Proceed to lasering (watch carefully all steps)
* Ask to stop job/restart, question escalation process

Assuming all ok:
* Get them to read the health and safety notes about operation and materials
* Add to the trained member list!

== Project Oversight ==

For next 2-3 projects, ensure member will find another more experienced trained user to support them (second pair of eyes)

Equipment/Laser Cutter/Training

2015-02-12T11:45:14Z

Martin de S: /* Trained Users */

[[Equipment|Equipment]] / [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter|Laser Cutter]] / Training

= Laser Cutter Training =

This page documents the process for being trained on the Laser Cutter, and the list of members who have completed that training.

== Summary ==

Training takes place in three main steps:
* Group Training of 1-4 members, going through the equipment and how to use it (~1hr)
* Individual Training Task, where an individual member is set a task to complete to prove and improve understanding (~30min each)
* Project Oversight, where more experienced users oversee the projects being undertaken when cutting (first 2-3 projects)

Training on the Laser Cutter is run by the Laser Cutter Owners. The Laser Cutter Owners are a group of people responsible for maintaining and training on the laser cutter, and hence have been trained to train, and trained to perform the weekly and monthly maintenance on the laser cutter.

== Booking ==

Sessions are advertised on '''http://meetup.makespace.org'''
* For discussing training, or requesting additional slots if needed, use the mailing list thread: [https://groups.google.com/d/topic/cammakespace/vNrS07zVuY0/discussion Training : Laser Cutter]

Notes:
* You can only be trained if you have your name allocated to a slot (groups will be restricted to four at a time, so please don't make up additional spaces)
* You must do the group and individual training on the same day

= Trained Users =

The following members of Makespace are owner/trainers of the laser cutter:
* Simon Ford
* David Barham
* Nick Johnson
* Toby Moncaster
* Martin de Selincourt
* Mat Cook
* [[User:stevancw|Stevan Wing]]

The following members of Makespace are trainers on the laser cutter:
* Brian Starkey

The following members of Makespace are owners on the laser cutter:
* Diane Probst

The following members of Makespace are trained and qualified to use the Laser Cutter (note, they are not qualified to train others however):
* Steve Upton (Simon Ford, 23/01/2013)
* Martin de Selincourt (Simon Ford, 23/01/2013)
* Oliver Jackson (Simon Ford, 23/01/2013)
* Simon Stirley (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Stephen Woolhead (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Martin Levine (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Uwe Borowski (Simon Ford, 01/02/2013)
* Peter Sewell (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* Steve Loughran (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* ST John (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* Henry Gomersall (Simon Ford, 03/02/2013)
* Brian Corteil (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* Wayne Keenan (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* Andrew Dunn (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* David Knell (Simon Ford, 05/02/2013)
* Tom Oinn (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Amir Chaudhry (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Anil Madhavapeddy (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Edward Imhagwe (David Barham, 12/02/2013)
* Michael Dales (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Laura James (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Robert Copcutt (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Phil Cowans (Simon Ford, 2/03/2013)
* Errol McMullen (Simon Ford, 9/03/2013)
* Gaye Soykok (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Mark Williamson (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Joe Tapply (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Dan Ros (Simon Ford, 19/03/2013)
* Paul Osborn (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* David Esteves (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* Zé Pinto Ferreira (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* Sharath (Simon Ford, 27/03/2013)
* Andy Jude (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Mark Mellors (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Chris Abri (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Tom Ingham (Simon Ford, 5/04/2013)
* Adrian van den Heever (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Chris Voth (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Archie Reid (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Rachel Rayns (David Barham, 11/04/2013)
* Giovanni Orlando (David Barham, 15/04/2013)
* Chunhe Yu (Nicholas Johnson, 04/04/2013)
* Marko Cosic (Nicholas Johnson, 04/04/2013)
* Mark Watson (Nicholas Johnson, 04/04/2013)
* Andy Fisher (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* David Bebb (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* Simon Haydn (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* Adrian Carr (Nicholas Johnson, 02/05/2013)
* John Clamp (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Maciek Piatek (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Antonio Barragan (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* John Sturdy (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Roeland Schumacher (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Mark Tillotson (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Ward Hills (Nicholas Johnson, 10/05/2013)
* Anne Harrison (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* William Morton (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* Ali (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* Rod Williams (Nicholas Johnson, 17/05/2013)
* Toby Moncaster (Simon Ford, 30/5/2013)
* Damien Guihen (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Ben Evan (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Jake Young (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Shareef Jalloq (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Renee Chow (David Barham, 08/06/2013)
* Dan Tidhar, (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Mat Cook, (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Toby Roberts (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Jonathan Austin (David Barham, 24/6/2013)
* Stacy Smith (David Barham, 13/8/2013)
* Matt Harvey (David Barham, 13/8/2013)
* Marcin (David Barham, 13/8/2013)
* James Waldmeyer (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Chris Wilson (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Kevin Maloney (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Harry Braviner (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Lee (David Barham, 18/9/2013)
* Jon Aas (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Armando Carlone (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Eckart Jack (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Pop Sharma (Toby Moncaster, 24/9/2013)
* Anthony Wainman (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Hazel Jenkins (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* James Hutton (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Jia Wei Lim (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Julius Schmidt (Toby Moncaster, 13/10/13)
* Riccardo Gherardi (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Anna Stoilova (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Glyn Knowles (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* James Cooke (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Jennifer Herbert (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Simon Birrell (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Theo Sanderson (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13)
* Indy Wilkhu (Toby Moncaster, 23/10/13 - practical to come)
* John Campbell (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Stephen Jeapes (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Chris Stanley (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Mat Greenwood (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Jonathon Brookfield (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Matt Grimes (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Richard Fosh (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Esther Leighton (Toby Moncaster, 30/10/13)
* Katia Dilks (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Tim Dilks (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Alexander MacFaden (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Brian Starkey (Toby Moncaster, 21/11/13)
* Dave Potts (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Andy Spencer (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Jon Green (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Danny Garden (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Steve Wiseman (Martin de Selincourt, 4/12/13)
* Patrick Wollner (David Barham, 18/2/14)
* Leonardo Impett (David Barham, 18/2/14)
* Diana Probst (Brian Starkey, 19/3/14)
* Hidde-Jan Lemstra (Brian Starkey, 19/3/14)
* Francisco Cordobes (Brian Starkey, 19/3/14)
* Peter Ferguson (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Tim Hayward (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Jason White (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Stuart Wilson (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Steve Harrison (Mat Cook March 5 2014)
* Alex Atkinson (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Kate Aston (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Sheila Shepherd (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Rachel Bow (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Emyr James (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Peter Knight (Mat Cook March 12 2014)
* Andy Gale (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Owen McAree (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Michal Stefenow (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Neil Tan (Mat Cook March 26 2014)
* Vaiva Kalmkaite? (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Alberto Santos (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Sonny Siree (sp?) (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Tim Ronsell (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Rob Voisey (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Mike Hunter (Mat Cook Apr 23 2014)
* Tony Bunting (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Eric Jones (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Carl Phillips (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Ed Ben (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Toby Norman (Brian Starkey 30/4/14)
* Marco Galardini (Mat Cook May 7 2014)
* Thomas Keller (Mat Cook May 7 2014)
* Martin Lenz (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* David Grech (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Rick Lupton (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Tim Regan (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Shashank Srinivasan (Mat Cook 28 May 2014)
* Al Napp (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Tom Roberts (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Matthew Taylor (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Milosz Wasilewski (Mat Cook 4 June 2014)
* Matt Grimes (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Brandon Invergo (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Simon West (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Kevin Rathbone (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Richard Gordon (Brian Starkey 11/06/14)
* Rob Yates (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Alex Gee (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Patrick Beigent (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Guilliame Tucker (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Jo Brook (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* David Taylor (Brian Starkey 12/07/14)
* Joe Watson (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Richard Armstrong (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Eric Gowland (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Paul Holland (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Craig Richardson (Brian Starkey 23/07/14)
* Stevan Wing (Mat Cook 11/08/2014)
* John Sidiropoulos (Mat Cook 11/08/2014)
* Greaham Douglas (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Joseph Gamble (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Robert Fryers (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Will Hartley (Stevan Wing 17/09/2014)
* Alistair Turnbull (Stevan Wing 24/09/2014)
* Tim Ramsdale (Stevan Wing 24/09/2014)
* Hugo Van Sansen (Stevan Wing 24/09/2014)
* Marco Aita (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* Rob Shore (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* Katy Marshall (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* John Clarke (David Barham 08/10/2014)
* Danny Farrant (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* John Ginger (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* Emilo Mont (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* Geoff Lunn (Stevan Wing 15/10/2014)
* Milosch Meriac (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Abhi Manyu (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Alba Rodriguez (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Stephen Paulger (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Erik Pickering (Stevan Wing 05/11/2014)
* Rob Meadows (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Chris Mayhurst (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Giovanni Orlando (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Chris Padbury (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Robin Sterling (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* Kristien De Clercq (Stevan Wing 03/12/2014)
* "Nevindep" (Mat Cook 11 Dec 2014)
* Jae Turner (Mat Cook 11 Dec 2014)
* Luke Twydell (Mat Cook 11 Dec 2014)
* Steph Tyszka (Mat Cook 20 Dec 2014)
* Jonny Waite (Brian Starkey 3/9/14)
* Toby Jaffey (Brian Starkey 3/9/14)
* Greg Matthews (Brian Starkey 3/9/14)
* Tom Parker (Brian Starkey 12/11/14)
* Ben Weeks (Brian Starkey 12/11/14)
* Clara Todd (Brian Starkey 17/12/14)
* Ian Mc (Brian Starkey 17/12/14)
* Timothy Baldock (Brian Starkey 17/12/14)
* Rob Rescrola (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Tariq Harris (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Ed Robertson (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Imogen Ford (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Dan Tidhar (Brian Starkey 7/1/15)
* Alex Judd (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Adam Mulligan (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Adam Nightingale (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Charlotte Harvey (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Adam Nightingale (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* Andrei R. (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)
* John Mead (Martin de Selincourt 11/02/2015)

= Training Cheatsheet =

The training structure and prompt sheet. Please note, this is used by the Laser Cutter Owners as a prompt to ensure training is executed in a consistent and complete fashion is included on this page; this does not constitute and is not a substitute for the training itself.

== Group Training ==

The group training introduction structure, suitable for 1-4 members at a time in a 1 hr session.

Introduction of main components
* Laser
* Cutting Mechanics
* Water Cooler System
* Filter
* PC
* Materials (what it can cut, supply)

Checks for everyone to do
* Check in use, looks ok
* Check water bath, temperature

Powering Up
* Turning on filter (Tick = ok, Warning = tell the owners, Cross = don't use it and tell the owners)
* Turning on Laser and warmup, what to do if doesn't power up
* Turning on PC and starting software

LaserCut Project walkthrough (using M+S+text keyring example)
* Package function, drawing, import file types
* Bed dimensions
* Paths, yellow dots, 'united' shapes
* Blue dot, Immediate mode
* Layers and colours
* Through cut, surface cut and engraving, speeds and strengths
* Various steps to build keyring design (shapes, text, uniting, layers, alignment, scaling, layers)
* Job ordering
* Saving
* Download as immediate, delete, download current

Laser Operation
* Lid
* Control panel, escape
* Moving head XY, indicator laser, datum
* Moving Z
* Focus
* Start position and test
* Start, pause and emergency stop function
* Do job, pause/open lid, restart

Laser Hazards
* Process and progression for normal operation failure (fire) - pause, open, move, CO2
* Process for abnormal operation failure (mechanical/jam) - emergency stop, open, move, CO2
* Ensure confident of process

Power Down
* Switch off laser
* Switch off filtration
* Clean any residue from the bed or bottom tray
* Close lid

== Individual Training Task ==

The individual task to get familiar, prompt questions and check understanding:

Task
* Make a personalised focus tool
* Square acrylic of appropriate size
* Member's name, "Focus Tool", keychain hole
* Should use full cut, surface cut, engrave
* Should demonstrate all steps, size, appropriate ordering, positioning

Steps
* Set individual to work, don't prompt but do answer questions (or pose if needed)
* Talk through design once done, question/check things etc
* Proceed to lasering (watch carefully all steps)
* Ask to stop job/restart, question escalation process

Assuming all ok:
* Get them to read the health and safety notes about operation and materials
* Add to the trained member list!

== Project Oversight ==

For next 2-3 projects, ensure member will find another more experienced trained user to support them (second pair of eyes)

Meetings/Members2014-06-09

2014-06-16T09:47:14Z

Martin de S:

Since last meeting, action occured - survey team created & working on membership survey

== Stuff to decide: ==

*unclaimed capital
*hiring
*membership fees
*in general
*student deal
*how do we choose to buy kit
*cycle every few months, proposals etc
*laser cutter
*subcommittee for new premises
*purchasing process
*linux or microsoft for desktops
*Artists/Engineers event - 30th October, using main space (confirm okay)

== who’s here? ==

*Jonny (director)
*Kim
*Roger
*Peter
*Owen W
*Chris A (CNC router)
*Mat (laser, bandsaw)
*Robert (lathe etc)
*Laura (director)
*Mark M (CNC Router, listening remotely)

== Notes ==

=== unclaimed capital ===
No one has come forward to help organise/track activity. We need another 250 instances of 6 hour interactions on top of what we can count in this meeting.

What counts as interaction? Would a full day exhibition type event count? (yes with named people) 6h of anything
for which we get £15k.

Clearer events process could help! Also funds for events - like say £10k events budget & better process so it’s easy for people to run events

Survey question: have you brought a friend for 6h + of makespace? -- add to next survey

==== events committee / event owners ====
We should have one which works. Handle enquiries, match people wanting to run events and members who can host. Making an events plan. Also encouraging members who can do events to do them

We’ll call this a new decision -- survey question to ask if people want to join it

currently: Laura, Jonny, Martin, SteveU, OwenW (the last 3 added today)

Survey question: will you run a course

Event admin: publicity, tracking people

'''can we use meetup to track events?'''
*doesn’t have compulsory end time
*the grant doesn’t have a deadline? -- not a formal one but if we don’t present a plan very soon it will go away as an opportunity :) we are already a long time over original deadline

'''Makespace Hacking ideas'''
* Lost property conveyor belt

=== hiring ===
* cleaner
* events
* workshop management
* admin / first aid restocking / paperwork

==== cleaner ====
'''cleaner - there is a proposal. £10 hour, to clean twice a week.'''
what do we think?

useful because dirt accumulates over time

will make it easier to organise meetings - pre meeting cleaning is grim

or perhaps nature of space means dirt?/junk which would discourage meetings

difference between ‘cleaning up from project’ and ‘general cleaning’

but people who don’t clean up after their project aren’t thinking anyway

status quo - kinda fine? not super clean but it’s not terrible (It’s better than other hackerspaces)

is cleaning different from other stuff?
* dishwasher
* buying snacks
* tidying
* activating tokens and filing paperwork

'''alternative proposals :
'''
===== cleaning rota - DON’T LIKE THIS ONE =====

*monthly allocations
*enough people that if a few people don’t do it it’s not hte end of the world
*for some people the rota will be enough
*people not on the rota would not clean

===== could it be a list that people sign to say they cleaned on that day, everyone must sign against one day by the end of the year - SET THIS UP NOW =====

like snack buying, seems to work
could do this today to see if it works, and no cost!

===== more regular Big Cleans like we did before birthday party - WE LIKE THIS TOO =====

*we members can do cleaning AND tidying
*we can also make rearrangements if needed… thinking about use of space etc
*scheduled at regular frequency through the year? eg every 2m or every 3m
*party atmosphere
*great way for new members to get to know space
*what if we did this either before or after a hackathon???
*more motivating to clean before hackathons!
*eg clean one week, hackathon the next

SURVEY QUESTION: ask for people to coordinate

SURVEY: “here are jobs needing doing please volunteer” or “you must have a task” :)

we already push volunteering in inductions. we could push specific tasks there as well (emptying bins, publicity about finished projects, running events, buying snacks, sysadmin/web infrastructure)

require one to volunteer to complete induction??

does this all suggest a ‘getting up to speed with makespace culture’ issue?

push badges…

say ‘your induction isn’t complete until you have attended some thing’

say ‘your induction isn’t until you have signed up for some task’

'''newbie night''' - more awareness that folks there may be unsure… (that was goal of thursday maker night originally - maybe emphasise this more in induction)

what about focus at maker nights? eg 3d printing, router, whatever. help available on that kit. able to ask what kit might be useful for, ask about what you could do with a given bit of kit like a clinic.
A lot of members aren’t sure of the capabilities of equipment and want to talk to an owner (or someone else experienced on that kit)

events committee could schedule this sort of thing & push it along.

Owners could potentially delegate ‘helping at maker night’ to other folks they’ve inducted :)

'''can we contact all owners of kit? we need an email alias.'''
Could someone write up a list of owners, so we can create an alias, and run ‘owners club’, etc ??? this person would be active owner of kit. Who could that be? ACTION: we need someone!! EMAIL LIST to ask who is up for this. MM sent list of emails to Jonny to setup the mailing list.

==== DECISIONS: ====
'''
* try sign up list when you’ve cleaned
* try big cleans
* if not we’ll come back to cleaner hiring question'''

==== events ====
not to hire at this time - try last ditch events owners idea above

then if we want to get a coordinator/publicity person later we will come back to this

==== workshop management / admin / first aid restocking / paperwork ====

would do stuff like:

checking and restocking first aid kit

replacing small handtools etc

keeping consumables in stock (sellotape to nails)

making sure kit is pat tested and signage up to date and overall space in decent order

general caretaking stuff

general supplies purchase

remove small expenses claims etc

if there are people who would like to do this they might be happy to do it as a volunteer! can we find such a person? would they want to be around in makespace anyway

if someone would do it for ‘free membership’ let’s think instead about doing it for a £40/m honorarium! but it’s still goodwill basically ;) we don’t do free membership it is distorting.

if we pay people for stuff that isn’t working, we need to make sure it doesn’t become an argument about ‘well you get paid for X, i don’t fancy doing Y’

management of space, health and safety etc is not the same as community facilitation (printer paper etc). ‘technical’ vs ‘community/general’
also ‘management’ vs ‘admin’
also specialist skill vs generalist skill

Helpdesk ticketing system - so we share tasks around, see what’s taken, tag stuff that needs to be done in the space etc.

ACTION: LJ/JA to investigate set/up ticketing system

'''DECISION:
* we will see if we can share this work out in the community
* we will set up a ticketing system to make sharing easier
* we can talk more if this doesn’t work out about hiring

'''

Kim might be interseted in putative role … maybe in fundraising & new space set up
membership fees

'''should oaps pay less as they may be a prime volunteer resource?
'''

''we don’t have many/enough people at the meeting to make a decision on membership fees
''
is it OAP discount, or a general discount for oaps/unemployed/students?

when people say ‘i can’t afford it’ they mean one of:
* i have budgeted and i cannot afford
* i feel i will not get £40 value
* i am not willing to find the £40 because of other things

high cost means we have fewer very invested people. is that better than many less keen people? (or are keen people excluded?)

it’s tricky when you get into drawing lines. is an engineering oap more valuable to us than a media studes oap? how can we identify students or oaps or unemployeds, who validates id and on what basis

option: set up charity, which has aim to support membership for those with a good case. this should not be makespace. it is a charitable set up, takes donations. Would secure funds from donations, high net worth individuals, sponsors, etc.

Could have ‘when you sign up to makespace, option to donate funds to teh charity on top of membership fee if you want’

if turnover less than £40k per year you don’t need the hardcore charity commission audit.

we agreed this last year but ran out of energies. maybe we should blog the idea of the charity and see if anyone wants to make it happen? doesn’t have to be a makerspac member to make this happen.

ACTION: blog post.

'''“Wednesday nights free” - public maker night (no red kit etc!!)''' . nice idea we should have this ;)

What about discounts if you don’t use red kit? it encourages sneakiness which is bad! You’d not get training to dodge costs and then people would use the kit at midnight and they injure themselves… bad idea.

Can we run the numbers and revisit membership fees? not really because the future lease cost is totally unknown!

=== how do we choose to buy kit ===
Proposal from last meeting -
*we gather proposals
*they are discussed on list
*at least 2 people per proposal!!
*final proposals are set out according to some template / form in advance of hte meeting
*there is a meeting every ?? months where proposals are reviewed
*only for proposals with complete info
*and therefore everything is closed.

'''agreed to do this!'''

steve U volunteered to draft forms.

If not done in 2w task released for someone else! (otherwise stuff blocks)

=== laser cutter ===

YES to another.

smaller/ same / bigger IN FORM FACTOR?

NOT SMALLER. do we have any evidence of need for a big job? no one has ever asked.

same kit - one set of training etc - makes life easier

smaller/ same / bigger IN POWER?

next step up becomes a totally different animal

are there better laser cutters lately?

Is HPC a pain? seemed ok by one anecdote on phone.
a laser that requires less ‘tuning’ would be nice. current one seems to constantly require attention

what about just add sharks? hackspace mentality, but would get a smaller one (they don’t have a bigger one yet). Need access to spares long term. unsure of JAS longevity

Lasercut5.3 - so horrid people don’t monopolise the PC for CAD!

second laser cutter - dependent on extraction to outside, as it would be a lot of lasers and smell etc. that also means 2 filters, 2 coolers etc… on no noisy! noise might be bad. could we locate coolers in the trove? small hole through wall

note that extraction on LEV systems - both laser and workshop - should be inspected. Who do we call? Chris Abri to look into this.

'''DECISION:
IF
a way is found to make space not too noisy with 2 systems running
and extraction is addressed
and we have checked USB set up (action Mat??) -- by testing with a new PC
THEN
we agree to buy another HPC laser exactly the same as the current one'''

=== subcommittee for new premises ===
there should be one but what’s the scope of the work?

maybe a questionnaire and / or open meeting to work out scope.

action of subcommittee: run questionnaire and open meeting???

A note: the most active bits of makespace today aren’t doing admin execution at a rate that means we’d ever get a new premises.

we should talk with IFM, computer museum, cambridge science centre - get their interests/sense of this.

newbuild appealing get exactly what we want!

so there will be more talking in the future :)

Note: if we want big new premises we need a clear vision of what we all want. There’s lots of angles - training, outreach, incubation, hacking. we’ll need to work out what we want first :)

it is much easier to make stuff now than it was a year ago
but a lot of folks aren’t making as much as they should.

was the original vision spread clearly to members? it’s in the guiding principles

'''ACTION: jonny to post original tinderbox paper on website.'''

=== purchasing process ===
some people concerned that expenses take a long time to pay out

need to publicise the expenses system a bit more! action: set up signs for how to buy stuff

need something seamless for small options - make it easy to buy simple things

steve will think about this in strawman purchasing approvals
'''
ACTION: make sure people don’t prepay in the honesty bxoes for a bunch of snacks! encourage people, mention in induction, make sign. borrow from a member not from the cash box
'''

=== linux or microsoft for desktops ===
we have PCs. lots of software donated or which we need needs microsoft but people want linux too.

do we have one or the other or VM it somehow or what?

We need Windows 8, we have XP licences.

could we get MSR who sponsor us to get cheap licences? well they might say they sponsored us already!

we should just buy licences

btu which way round should we do it? dual boot or what’s the default? windows needed native so the hardware drivers work

=== Artists/Engineers event - 30th October, using main space (confirm okay) ===
event approved
we should turn up!

Equipment/Laser Cutter/Training

2013-12-10T22:02:50Z

Martin de S: /* Trained Users */

Events

2013-09-20T10:24:19Z

Martin de S: Created page with "==Proposed Makespace events== ===Recurring events:=== *See the space *Inductions *Open makernight- a makernight for non-members where members will be available to provide help w..."

==Proposed Makespace events==

===Recurring events:===
*See the space
*Inductions
*Open makernight- a makernight for non-members where members will be available to provide help with green/yellow equipment
*Members makernight- an excuse to get inactive members into the space, with optional themes (halloween, valentine's day, etc)
*Family makers
*Arduinos and cake- an informal meetup for people who like baked goods and using or learning about microcontrollers
*RasPI/OpenDCU
*OCaml?
*"Beginners guide to..."- a set of introductory hands-on-ish sessions for people to teach how to do makespace-related stuff, whether that be using software like Inkscape or how to knit

===One-off events:===
*Lightning talks
*Project speed dating
*Chain reaction second making weekend
*Chain reaction actual event
*Basic woodwork/metalwork/electronics inductions
*Pre-christmas decorate the space, and making supplies for Make your own christmas decorations. Come and make a vacuum formed santa to hang from the ceiling, or premake supplies that the open "Make your own christmas decorations" event can use
*Make your own christmas decorations- an open event where we supply basic premade ingredients (laser cut snowflakes, CNCed christmas tree ornaments etc.) for people to customise.
*"Bring it, fix it"- if you have misbehaving appliances, bring them into the space where members with electrical knowhow will be on hand to help fix problems

The right job for the tool

2013-08-13T13:19:34Z

Martin de S: Created page with "== CNC router == The CNC router is for cutting and shaping large flat pieces of wood, metal or softer materials working from a 3D model or 2D design file. It can carve solid sh..."

== CNC router ==

The CNC router is for cutting and shaping large flat pieces of wood, metal or softer materials working from a 3D model or 2D design file. It can carve solid shapes, cut out outlines and engrave surface designs.

Use it if:
* You want to cut a large solid piece from a flattish piece of material

Don't use it if:
* You want very fine detail (use the Roland mill, or one of the CNC axminster mills once operational)
* You want a tall workpiece over 100mm (?) thick
* You need a flat piece cut from thin wood/plastic sheet with fine detail (the laser can do this better)
* You only need to drill round holes in a workpiece (use the pillar drill)

== Laser cutter ==

The laser cutter can quickly and accurately cut flat shapes from sheets of wood, acrylic, paper, leather and other flat materials by burning a narrow hole through the material.

Use it if:
* You want a 2D shape cut from a sheet of material less than 10mm thick

Don't use it if:
* Your material is overly flammable, or will release harmful gases when cut (this includes PVC and rubber)
* You need a three-dimensional form (use one of the CNC milling machines)
* You need to cut metal

== 3D printer (Makerbot, UP!) ==

The 3D printers can produce a plastic model from a 3D design file by forming successive layers of plastic on a flat bed. They can produce a variety of shapes but often take a long time to do it.

Use the 3D printer if:
* You want a plastic part produced to a complex shape which you can model using CAD software or download from the internet

Don't use if:
* You need a part made from a stronger material- our 3D printers only work with ABS and PLA
* You need to make something that wouldn't fit in a shoebox
* You need something made quickly, or particularly cheaply- expect to spend hours and several pounds on 3D prints
* You need very precise dimensions (use a CNC mill or hand tools)

Arduino and Cake

2013-08-13T11:25:24Z

Martin de S: /* Projects */

[[File:P1100161.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Cake!]]
[[File:P1100164.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Arduino!]]
[[File:P1100162.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Happy Hacking!]]
[[File:P1100160.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The temperature sensor, it lives!]]
[[File:P1100163.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Step step step...]]

= Arduino and Cake =

This is a page of information for the (hopefully) regular 'Arduino and Cake' event we run at Makespace. This is an evening where we get together in the space to learn and hack on projects involving the Arduino and similar microcontrollers. As the name suggests, there's also cake!

If you're a complete beginner to microcontrollers (tiny, very cheap computers without an operating system, files, display, keyboard...) this is a great opportunity to come and play with them. Experts also very welcome, in fact we need you to help the new people! Possible things you can do with an Arduino (a particularly easy to use microcontroller board) range from simple flashing lights up to acting as the brains of an autonomous flying robot, managing your hydroponic gardening project or tweeting the current temperature of your hot water tank. This get-together is intended to help those of us for whom imagination exceeds expertise (that is to say, pretty much everyone I know), let's build cool things together :)

== Sessions ==

The plan is to have this as regularly as possible, varying the day around in case people can't make a particular day of the week.

# Our first session, with all levels of experience from complete novices to expert embedded programmers. Everyone paired up, with beginners and experts working together; judging from the happy buzz of making noises (both the noise of making, and the making of noises - we had buzzers!) it worked pretty well. The meetup page for the first go is [http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/130569572/ on meetup here]
# The second one was on the 8th of August; meetup event [http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/132710342/ here], big copies of the photos (which are lurking on the right hand side of this very page) [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomoinn/sets/72157634991866826/ here] :) Some of the bits for the Big Box of Breakout Boards and Bits arrived, temperature and humidity sensors and stepper motor drivers yielded to sugar driven curiosity.

The next meeting will be on Friday 16th August - sign up on meetup.com [http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/134508292/ here]

== Helpful links ==

Arduino home page : [http://www.arduino.cc/ www.arduino.cc]<br/>
A bunch of useful little circuits to play with: [http://www.pighixxx.com/abc-arduino-basic-connections/ Arduino Basic Connections]

== Big Box of Breakout Boards and Bits (BBBBB) ==

We've had approval to buy some bits and pieces for people to play with at this event, and generally within Makespace so I've done an eBay dive and ordered the following, these will arrive sometime over the next month or so:

# {{Done|80 high brightness LEDs (20 each of orange, green, blue and pink!)}}
# 4 LED Dot matrix modules with drivers
# 2 Eight digit seven segment displays with drivers
# 2 Ethernet shields for the Arduino Nano
# 4 LCD 20x4 character displays
# 8 Motion sensors (6 degrees of freedom MPU6050 based with 3 axis gyro and 3 axis accelerometer)
# 6 Arduino Nano v3 boards (ATMega328, mounts on a breadboard)
# 12 Dual H-bridge modules, used to drive regular and stepper motors
# {{Done|3 Temperature / Relative humidity sensor modules}}
# {{Done|2 IR correlation sensor modules (the kind where you have a beam which outputs a signal when broken, good for detecting rotation etc)}}
# 10 Small servo motors (9g plastic type)
# 6 Ultrasonic rangefinder modules, detect bounce from around 20cm to 3m
# {{Done|4 Stepper motors with driver modules, 5v supply}}
# {{Done|1 Barometric pressure sensor module}}
# 10 Playstation style joysticks, the little analogue ones with a built in pushbutton on breakout boards
# {{Done|10 NRF24L01 radio modules, short (~100m) range radio modules capable of transmitting packets of 3 bytes at around 2Mbits/second under ideal conditions}}
# A lot of somewhat longer jumper leads (20cm and 30cm) both male to male and male to female, the latter being particularly useful for connecting to the radio modules as they have a non-breadboard-friendly pin layout (or we can make boards with the PCB mill)

Total budget for all the above including shipping is 270GBP (you get a lot of electronics for you money when buying from the far East!)

As and when these appear at my house I'll bring them in and add them to the BBBBB - I'm planning to buy a decent size box with compartments to keep these in, both as convenient access and as a way to monitor attrition (these are cheap, but the cheapness comes with long lead times). These bits will be for use at Makespace, rather than for consumption but as long as we have enough items we can be flexible on that; I think if someone has ordered a Nano, say, there's no reason we can't lend them one of the kit ones while they wait for it to turn up.

'''Update''' - we now have the box and some of the bits, I'm marking bits which have arrived and are now in the box in {{Done|this colour}} in the list above. At the moment the box is waiting to be documented and have the components properly marked, it'll then be left in Makespace and hopefully its contents won't evaporate too fast!

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 12:55, 9 August 2013 (BST)

== Projects ==

Got an interesting project or a project idea? Add it here.

=== Vehicle monitor / heating controller ===

I've re-wired my Land Rover, using a star topology, with a big central "ganglion" which almost all the wires run to and from. There's an extra wire coming from each connection, that will go to a board of LEDs and voltage dividers, the latter feeding into an Arduino Mega, which will monitor just about everything, and display information on a small LCD panel.

I'm also planning to make a motorized heater control system (moving flaps to direct air from an Eberspacher) and the valve motors will be driven from relays on the Arduino.

And there'll be a GPS/GSM security unit, and eventually a Linux board (probably Pandaboard) running navigation software. And later on, I hope, an electric motor to drive the extra axle I added. The Arduino Mega will route data between all these points, with its multiple hardware UARTS, as well as sending out information it converts locally from its own inputs.

I expect the software will be a main loop that polls all UARTs for incoming information, all wiring lines for changes from their previous state, all heating valve position sensors for whether they've reached the right position, all pedals for information to send to the traction motor controller when fitted, and does the associated actions (for example, NMEA sentences from the GPS get forwarded to the Linux board for navigation and are also used to display the time on the LCD, heating switches update the desired positions for flap valves).

[[User:JCGS|JCGS]] 15:00, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Quadcopter ===

Because everyone loves autonomous flying robots surrounded by razor sharp rotating propellers, right?

A friend and I are working on a full self build of a quad rotor, we have the airframe, motors, props, speed controllers and an arduino with a combined gyro / accelerometer mounted. We just need to add batteries, wireless comms and software. I don't know whether I can persuade Si to come along to this meeting, he's not a member, but that's one of the things I'm playing with at the moment. I'm using the MPU6050 and PID libraries to manage the feedback between the accelerometer and the speed controllers in an attempt to get a stable hover mode, and the NRF24L01 as the radio module.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Bottle rocket telemetry ===

The family makers are making bottle rockets, I thought it'd be cool to try to make a telemetry module that would tell them how high they'd gone and render a 3d trace of the trajectory using either Processing or WebGL. The main challenge here is to get the circuitry small enough and tough enough to be carried by the rockets and then survive the return to ground level! The second issue is power, I have a LiPo battery and charger so should just be a case of a 3.3v regulator but maybe it needs a boost converter, not really my area of expertise so I'd really like some help there.

At the moment I'm interested in using an ATTiny85 (8 pin dip package MCU) as an Arduino, using the MPU6050 gyro / accelerometer and an XBee v2 radio - I'd use the NRF24 radio but I think it needs more pins than I have available on the ATTiny. Another option would be to use a rather more sophisticated Arduino pro mini, more pins means the NRF radio would be an option which is much cheaper than the XBee modules.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== I2C plant moisture sensors ===

Program an ATTiny85 as an I2C slave, embedding it onto a circuit board etched to work as a capacitive moisture sensor. Use Arduino nano with ethernet shield as an I2C master to then monitor the moisture levels in my various outdoor plant pots and tweet when they're getting too dry.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Breadboard prototype of a 1D Pong Game ===

The idea is to prototype a simple 1D pong game (see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgQg1DVY4Xc YouTube]) on Arduino or other microcontroller.

Features:
*Some kind of startup animation (similar to the YouTube video)
*A scoreboard or something similar. Based maybe on a segmented display or LCD.
*SOUNDS! :-)
*Perhaps some different game modes, maybe "powerups" of some kind?

Eventually I would like this to be the start of a '''MUCH''' larger version of the game (but that's for the future ;-))

--[[User:DannyG|DannyG]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Self-levelling camera gimbal ===

One popular use of quadcopters is aerial photography/videography, but for this you ideally need a stabilised camera mounting. It's relatively easy to fabricate a two-axis gimbal for a small camera like a GoPro, driven by servos, which can hold itself level using readings from a gyro/accelerometer board.

[[User:Martin de S|Martin de S]] 12:25, 13 August 2013 (BST)

=== Barn door sky tracker ===
* Goal: take long exposure photos of the sky.
* Problem: the sky rotates over the course of a long exposure.
* Solution: make a motorised mount which rotates your camera at the same rate.

I'm aiming to build a simple "barn door" mount (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_door_tracker) to enable me to take long exposure sky photos. At its simplest this is two hinged pieces of wood connected by a threaded rod which you turn slowly to increase the angle at the hinge. I'd like to drive this with a stepper motor so it can be left running, and ideally let the Arduino do some of the maths to compensate for the changing geometry of the mount.

[[User:Martin de S|Martin de S]] 12:25, 13 August 2013 (BST)

Equipment/Laser Cutter

2013-08-08T10:57:17Z

Martin de S: /* Tips & Tricks */

{{RedTool}}

[[Equipment|Equipment]] / Laser Cutter

[[File:Makespace-laser-cutter.JPG|thumb|460px|right|Our LS6090 PRO Laser Cutter]]

= Summary =

This is our LS 6090 PRO Laser Cutter. It has a working area of 900mm by 600mm, and is powered by a 60w CO2 Water Cooled Laser Tube that can engrave and cut through materials such as wood, plastic, card, leather, fabrics, up to about 10-15mm thick (note, it can not cut metal). The laser cut is approximately 0.15mm wide, and a job can take a few seconds through to tens of minutes depending on material thickness and design complexity.

We have a dedicated PC running LaserCut 5.3 software to import, prepare and download jobs to the Laser Cutter. It can import various formats, with DXF being the most commonly used, so various software packages can be used to create your designs.

Here are some examples of laser jobs we've run (please add a photo of yours any time you do a job!)

<gallery>
File:Laser-cut-focus-tool.JPG
File:Laser-cut-front-panels.JPG
File:Laser-cut-lizards.JPG
File:Laser-cut-m-and-s.JPG
File:Laser-cut-model-building.JPG
File:Laser-cut-ply-m.JPG
File:Laser_output_-_makespace_arrow.JPG
File:Laser_box.jpg
File:Croc-small.jpg
File:LaserCutter_Jobs_1.jpg
File:LaserCutterGallery_20130328.jpg
File:LasercutSettlers.jpg
</gallery>

= Using the Laser Cutter =

The laser cutter is a great way to easily produce accurate and complex 2D forms in various materials, and can be designed for with limited experience in various drawing or CAD applications. At the same time, it is an expensive tool with real risk of injury and fire, so is very important you know how to use it to avoid damaging yourself and the machine. '''You must only use the laser cutter if you have been trained, and if you are ever in any doubt about something, please ask for assistance.'''

== Owners ==

The Owners are those who have volunteered to be in charge of the equipment, organising maintenance, training others to use it, and generally being a point of contact. The current Owners of the Laser Cutter are:

* [[User:Simon|Simon Ford]]
* [[User:Barhamd|David Barham]]
* [[User:Nickcadsoftuk|Nick Johnson]]

If you have any questions, problems or concerns around the laser cutter, please use the mailing list thread:
* [https://groups.google.com/d/topic/cammakespace/Tmce2iKVzD8/discussion Log : Laser Cutter]

== Training ==

<div style="background:#FADADD; border:1px solid #FFC0CB; padding:5px">
<b>YOU CAN ONLY USE THE LASER CUTTER IF YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED</b><br>
and have been added to the [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter/Training#Trained_Users|Trained Users]] list by one of the Owners
</div>

To get trained on the laser cutter and be added to the qualified user list, you will need to arrange for a training session with one of the Laser Cutter Owners.

If you'd like to arrange training, please see:
* [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter/Training|Laser Cutter Training]]

== Health and Safety ==

The laser cutter is a potentially dangerous piece of equipment which must only be operated by members who have received appropriate training and who take due care. The top things to always remember when using the laser cutter are:
* '''ONLY USE THE LASER CUTTER IF YOU ARE ON THE LIST OF TRAINED USERS'''
* '''NEVER LEAVE THE LASER CUTTER RUNNING UNATTENDED'''
* '''KNOW WHAT TO DO IF A FIRE BREAKS OUT'''
* '''NEVER CUT MATERIALS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ARE SAFE'''

As a trained user, you should be very aware of the following risks and how to deal with them:

'''FIRE (under normal operation)''' - Cutting at the wrong speed or the wrong power can result in the material igniting
* You must watch the cutter at all times and be prepared to abort the job if problems occur
* Small flashes of flame that don't hang around for a fraction of a second are acceptable, but any more is rare and not acceptable
* If a fire does take, this is the process you should follow (from minor to major):
** Press "pause" (the same button you started the job with) - This will turn the laser off so no more heat enters, and assuming the flame goes out, you can press "start" for the job to continue where it left of
** Open the lid - With the job paused, you can open the lid to blow out the flame. Again, it is possible to re-close the lid and continue where you left off
** Move the material from under the laser head assuming safe to do so (so it doesn't damage the optics; alternatively send the laser to home/datum), and smother with a spare sheet of material or blow out
** Use the workshop CO2 extinguisher to extinguish the flame
* You should also make a note in the log if any of this happens with associated materials and settings so we can keep track of any particular materials/settings we should look at

'''FIRE (abnormal operation)''' - If the head gets stuck or something else goes wrong, ignition could happen much more suddenly or intensely
* You must watch the cutter at all times and be prepared to abort the job if problems occur
* If the head gets trapped (e.g. tomb-stoning of a piece, mechanical failure) or any other problem occurs that causes or could cause fire, this is the process you should follow:
** Hit the emergency stop
** Open the lid and move the material from under the laser head assuming safe to do so (so it doesn't damage the optics)
** Blow out, smother with a spare sheet of material, or use the CO2 extinguisher to extinguish the flame as appropriate
* Ensure a Maintainer looks at the machine before it is brought back in to action if it is not obvious what went wrong and all is ok
* You should also make a note in the log if any of this happens with associated materials and settings so we can keep track of any particular materials/settings we should look at

'''FUMES''' - The laser cutting process will release different smoke and fumes depending on the material.
* Never cut PVC or a material you are not sure is safe. When PVC is heated it releases chlorine gas, this mixes with the moisture in the air and the result is hydrochloric acid which is toxic to humans and corrosive to machines.
* Ensure the filter is on and the cutter lid stays closed for a while after a job to allow the fumes to clear.
* If you are feeling strange, think the fume build up is too much, or for any other reason you are unsure, stop the job.

'''TRAPPING''' - The head and bed of the cutter can be moved by the front panel menu or programs in the machines memory.
* Be careful when working inside the cutting area or with the lid open not to trap hands, hair, clothing or anything else.
* Always check the machine for unexpected items that may have fallen in before closing the lid.
* Do not attempt to climb into the machine!

'''LASER BURNS/LIGHT''' - A 60W laser can do real damage.
* The laser should be safe within the confines of the machine, and cut-off automatically when the lid is open (although this should not be relied upon). The top window is safe to look through during a job, but do not attempt to interfere with these windows or the laser or in any way invent some way to look at the laser.
* Do not tamper with the laser cutter, or any interlocks. All side panels of the laser should always be closed and locked whilst the machine is plugged in.
* Do not put metal in the laser cutter.

== Instructions ==

To use the laser cutter, you must have been trained and have had your name added to the trained user list; these instructions are not a substitute for this training. See the training section to understand how you can become qualified to use the laser cutter.

Although not a requirement, it is recommended someone else trained is also present when using the laser cutter. Having two pairs of eyes helps avoid forgotten steps, allows for double checking, clarifications and discussions, and ensures a greater pool of experience is both present and being built up as the laser is used.

'''Power Up'''

Give the machine a quick visual check. Make sure that there is nothing left on the bed, the water reservoir of the chiller looks normal, and that the equipment has no obvious damage or signs of being out-of-action. If the bed looks like it has residue on it, give it a wipe with IPA and a cloth.

Turn on primary switch on the trunking marked 'Laser'. The air filter system to the right of the laser cutter should start as should the air pump and the chiller. It should power up, make a decent amount of noise, and the lights should indicate the filter is in good condition (i.e. no need for replacement).

Make sure the lid is closed. Turn on the laser using the key on the right hand side. The inspection lamp should come on, a satisfying hum start up, and the cutter go into doing its self-checks.

Before doing any job, the laser should be left to warm up for 4-5 mins. While the machine warms up, power on the adjacent PC and start the LaserCut application from the desktop. During this time the water temperature shown on the chiller should drop from ambient temperature to the usual setting of 18C.

'''Load your Design'''

The PC software has an import facility which seems to be happy taking AutoCAD 2004 DXF files and other formats. The workspace of the laser bed is represented as the workarea in the LaserCut software. If the import doesn't do what you want size-wise, you can select the whole image and then use the 'size' command from the drop down menu to set the dimension you want. Clicking on the three dots ... symbol will adjust the other axis in the same proportion (keeping the aspect ratio fixed). Selecting the 'centre on bed' option will locate your imported drawing on the centre of the machine's cutting bed.

'''Assign Settings to Colours'''

Each part of your drawing that is assigned a different colour can have a different cut action assigned. Each colour will appear on the menu on the right hand side of the screen with numbers related to power and speed of the laser which will be used for the colour.

The main options are to Cut (line) or Engrave (raster fill). A marking on the material is a Cut. For each material and cutting depth required, a corresponding speed and power must be entered. The handbook provided with the machine gives suggested values for various materials but these should be considered as a starting point for a test. See the '''Power and Speed Settings''' section for our guidelines and experiences for these settings.

'''Download to the Cutter'''

Your drawing will feature a blue dot which represents the starting point of the laser; this is by default on the top right corner. In general, you will want to use "immediate" mode, which means this point represents wherever the laser is positioned when you start the job. You can also run the job in absolute mode by unchecking the box, making the job use absolute positioning on the workspace.

To download, select Download and Download Current; the download option will by default call the file on the laser cutter 'LASER'.

'''Set the Focus'''

Before each job, the focus needs to be checked and set by adjusting the height of the bed, and thus the work piece, from the lens. The critical dimension here is 41mm and several gauges made of perspex will be left around the machine. This gauge needs to be a fit between the top surface of the material you intend to cut and the white plastic 'flap' on the lens piece. The height of the table is adjusted using the UP and DOWN buttons. Failure to set the distance correctly will result in an out of focus laser and much bigger (but lower powered) cut line. Always ensure there is clearance between the material and laser head before the head moves.

'''Aligning and Testing the Job'''

The cutter's menu will show the most recent downloaded file highlighted. Pressing the 'test' button will make the head travel along the square maximum extends of the cuts. This shows you that you have the material in the right place, and you have enough of it! You can do this repeatedly, moving the work piece by hand or the laser head using the arrow keys (after hitting ESC), until you are confident you have things where you want them.

'''Cut the Job'''

When happy with the location of the material, close the lid and press 'start' to start the cutter. Watch the head and at least at first be prepared to press the 'stop' button immediately if you find you are burning massive holes in your work piece! This goes back to doing some tests on a sample of your material and making sure you are happy with the cut speeds and power you have selected. You should stay near the cutter at all times and be prepared to pause it or stop it in the event of fire.

<span style="color:red">'''DO NOT EVER LEAVE THE CUTTER UNATTENDED'''</span>

'''Finishing'''

The end of the job is signified by a beep. Waiting a few moments for the exhaust pump to clear any remaining smoke is a good idea, especially with wood, and will limit the build up of smells in the rest of the workshop. Remove your work piece, ensuring that all parts are cleared from the bed of the machine.

'''Power Down'''

The cutter is turned off using the key switch, then the air filtering system with the green rocker switch. Shut down the PC and double check that everything is left in a safe state for the next user.

'''Clean the bed of debris using the soft brush, then wipe down the bed using IPA and a cloth.'''

If you have been cutting particularly 'dirty' materials, most notable MDF and Ply which leave a sticky residue then you will need to use the course side of one of the oven pads and lots of 'elbow grease'. Residue on the bed can impact the next persons' job so please make the effort to clean up and leave the cutter as you would wish to find it.

Go away excited by what you can make and come back with lots more drawings!

== Power and Speed Settings ==

In due time we will try to build up a large sample stock of materials and record the values which work best. Here are the sample material tests we have so far:

<gallery>
File:Laser-schmoo-3mm-acrylic.JPG|3mm Acrylic
File:Laser-schmoo-10mm-acrylic.JPG|10mm Acrylic
File:Laser-schmoo-9mm-mdf.JPG|9mm MDF
</gallery>

== Tips & Tricks ==

* If the laser cutter's user interface does not seem to respond/do what you want, hit "ESC" to return to 'normal mode'.
* The opaque white acrylic needs slightly stronger settings for surface cuts as they are not as visible as in the transparent acrylic (i.e., for similar effect you need a deeper cut). Otherwise seems to cut equivalently to transparent acrylics.
* If you want a tight fit of pieces or very accurate sizing, keep in mind that the laser beam has a width of just over 0.1 mm (maybe 0.11 or 0.12 mm). So all exterior cut lines should be offset by 0.05 mm; you can do this very easily in the LaserCutter Software with the "Offset" tool (units are in mm, so enter '0.05' and select 'Outer').
* The DXF file format stores values only (not values and units). The internal units in the LaserCutter are in mm. If you set your document's units to mm in the exporting CAD system it should work fine, but generally it is a good idea to have a piece of geometry of known length, e.g. a line 100mm long, or a box of known size around your design. This makes adjusting the scaling a lot easier.
* If you want to export a DXF from Inkscape (which is a great, free vector drawing package), then make sure you do "Object to path" from the Path menu for the whole object and then during the export stage, enable "use ROBO-Master type of spline output". This should make sure all the curves and so on work.
* There's now a page to help with Inkscape and our laser at [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter_Inkscape]]
* If the jog buttons (arrow keys moving the laser head around) are only moving the head in small single steps rather than moving it continuously, make sure that the jog step size is set to 0.0mm in the Jog Settings section of the menu.

== Material Stock ==
If you have any requests for material stock, please add them the [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter_Stock|Laser cutter stock]] page.

= Maintenance =

The maintenance of the Laser Cutter is carried out by the Owners, with some basic maintenance being carried out by Users on every job.

== Maintenance Schedule ==

Continuous Maintenance ('''Every job, done by all Laser Cutter Users''')
* Clean the laser bed with IPA and cloth
* Clean any debris off laser bed and surround using soft brush

Basic Maintenance (Every week, done by Laser Cutter Maintainers)
* Clean the laser lens with IPA and cotton buds
* Oil the 3 runners with 3-in-one light oil
* Thoroughly clean the laser bed with IPA and cloth
* Check the water level in the cooling tank
* Clean and remove debris from the machine base and catchment drawer

Full Maintenance (Every 4 weeks, done by Laser Cutter Maintainers)
* Check the water is clean in the cooling tank (i.e. no contamination/organic build up)
* Check filter unit for filter renewal
* Oil the 4 rise and fall lead screws with 3-in-one light oil
* Check mirrors and clean with a disposable sachet lens cleaner cloth (only if needed, mirror coatings are delicate)
* Work through mirror alignment procedure to check alignment of mirrors

== Maintenance Log ==

'''Reactive Maintenance'''
* 15th Jan 2013, Simon Ford: Laser cutter not powering up, with switching on via key gives no activity whatsoever. No recollection of it cutting out during a job (Alexis), so assume it just stopped turning on at some point. Filter box and power sockets confirmed OK. Diagnosis: RCD in right back panel of Laser reset to off, no obvious reason why. Switching back on brought everything back to life OK.
* 22nd, Simon Ford; 29th, Nicholas - same again.

'''Regular Maintenance'''
* Week Number, Date, Type, Owner (Notes)

2013
* January 7, Full, Chris @ HPCLaser'''
* January 14, Basic, Simon Ford
* January 21, Full, Simon Ford (running better than new :)'''
* ...various maintenance events happened...
* April 5th, Full, Simon Ford
* July 1st, Full, David Barham (realigned mirrors)
* July 15th, installed chiller

== Maintenance Shopping List ==

* 3-in-one light oil
* Cotton Buds
* Lens cleaner sachets
* Soft paint/cleaning brush
* Thermometer for water tank
* Hand held CO2 extinguisher

= Further Information =

* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11 LS 6090 PRO Laser Product Page]
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page&id=5&chapter=2 HPCLaser Technical Info]
* [http://www.laserscript.co.uk/phpBB3/ Laserscript Forum]

LaserCut 5.3
* [http://www.leetro.com/english/sale/35.html Homepage]
* [http://www.leetro.com/english/down/LaserCut5.3%20Manual%20V1.6.pdf Manual]

== Installation ==

<gallery>
File:Laser_-_van.JPG
File:Makespace-laser-install-02.JPG
File:Laser_-_building_2.JPG
File:Laser_-_building.JPG
</gallery>

== Purchase ==

Full Purchase, Delivery and Installation (£6865.00+vat = £8238.00)
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11 LS 6090 PRO Laser engraving and cutting machine, 600mm by 900mm 60W] (£5250.00+vat)
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=34 Laser Fume Filter] (£1250.00+vat)
* Delivery (£190+vat)
* Installation/Training (£175+vat)

== Repairs ==

We expect to have to change the following parts for general maintenance:
* The laser tube (guess every 6-12 months)
* The filter (guess every 3-6 months)
* The optics (guess every 6-12 months)

Maintenance and Spares:
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=3 60 watt C02 laser tube] (£275.00+vat)
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=12 50 mm Focus Meniscus Lens] (£75.00+vat)
* Estimate for Call Out (£200.00)

User:Martin de S

2013-01-30T18:36:42Z

Martin de S:

[[File:Martin_de_S_pic.jpg|200px|thumb]]

=== Things I do for money ===

Software development- various amounts of C, C++, Python, Perl, Javascript, VBA and Linux scripting, and I'll happily teach anyone to the extent of my ability in these.

=== Things I do for fun ===

* Make! Mostly lamps, silly Arduino projects, bike-related stuff, mechanical junk and optics/electronics
* Photography / Astrophotography / photo editing
* Restore broken things that people give me

=== Things that interest me ===

* Sustainable construction
* Renewable energy
* Stirling engines
* Any kind of robotics

=== Things I'd like to be better at ===

* Welding
* Machining

=== Things I've made in Makespace ===
==== Tab and slot box ====
<gallery>
File:Laser_box.jpg
File:Laser_box_open.jpg
</gallery>

Equipment/Laser Cutter

2013-01-30T18:35:32Z

Martin de S: /* Summary */

[[Equipment|Equipment]] / Laser Cutter

[[File:Makespace-laser-cutter.JPG|thumb|500px|none]]

= Summary =

This is our LS 6090 PRO Laser Cutter. It has a working area of 900mm by 600mm, and is powered by a 60w CO2 Water Cooled Laser Tube that can engrave and cut through materials such as wood, plastic, card, leather, fabrics, up to about 10-15mm thick (note, it can not cut metal). The laser cut is approximately 0.15mm wide, and a job can take a few seconds through to tens of minutes depending on material thickness and design complexity.

We have a dedicated PC running LaserCut 5.3 software to import, prepare and download jobs to the Laser Cutter. It can import various formats, with DXF being the most commonly used, so various software packages can be used to create your designs.

Here are some examples of laser jobs we've run (please add a photo of yours any time you do a job!)

<gallery>
File:Laser-cut-focus-tool.JPG
File:Laser-cut-front-panels.JPG
File:Laser-cut-lizards.JPG
File:Laser-cut-m-and-s.JPG
File:Laser-cut-model-building.JPG
File:Laser-cut-ply-m.JPG
File:Laser_output_-_makespace_arrow.JPG
File:Laser_box.jpg
</gallery>

= Using the Laser Cutter =

The laser cutter is a great way to easily produce accurate and complex 2D forms in various materials, and can be designed for with limited experience in various drawing or CAD applications. At the same time, it is an expensive tool with real risk of injury and fire, so is very important you know how to use it to avoid damaging yourself and the machine. You must only use the laser cutter if you have been trained, and if you are ever in any doubt about something, please ask for assistance.

== Owners ==

The Owners are those nominally in charge of the equipment, organising its maintenance, training others to use it, and generally being a point of contact.

The current Owners of the Laser Cutter are:

* [[User:Simon|Simon Ford]]
* [[User:Barhamd|David Barham]]

If you have any questions, problems or concerns around the laser cutter, these are the people to contact.

== Training ==

<div style="background:#FADADD; border:1px solid #FFC0CB; padding:5px">
<b>YOU CAN ONLY USE THE LASER CUTTER IF YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED AND ARE ON THE [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter/Training|TRAINED USER LIST]]!</b>
</div>

To get trained on the laser cutter and be added to the qualified user list, you will need to arrange for a training session with one of the Laser Cutter Owners.

If you'd like to arrange training, please see:
* [[Equipment/Laser_Cutter/Training|Laser Cutter Training]]

== Health and Safety ==

The laser cutter is a potentially dangerous piece of equipment which must only be operated by members who have received appropriate training and who take due care. The top things to always remember when using the laser cutter are:
* '''ONLY USE THE LASER CUTTER IF YOU ARE ON THE LIST OF TRAINED USERS'''
* '''NEVER LEAVE THE LASER CUTTER RUNNING UNATTENDED'''
* '''KNOW WHAT TO DO IF A FIRE BREAKS OUT'''
* '''NEVER CUT MATERIALS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ARE SAFE'''

As a trained user, you should be very aware of the following risks and how to deal with them:

'''FIRE (under normal operation)''' - Cutting at the wrong speed or the wrong power can result in the material igniting
* You must watch the cutter at all times and be prepared to abort the job if problems occur
* Small flashes of flame that don't hand around for a fraction of a second are acceptable, but any more is rare and not
* If a fire does take, this is the process you should follow (from minor to major):
** Press "pause" (the same button you started the job with) - This will turn the laser off so no more heat enters, and assuming the flame goes out, you can press "start" for the job to continue where it left of
** Open the lid - With the job paused, you can open the lid to blow out the flame. Again, it is possible to re-close the lid and continue where you left off
** Move the material from under the laser head assuming safe to do so (so it doesn't damage the optics; alternatively send the laser to home/datum), and smother with a spare sheet of material or blow out
** Use the workshop CO2 extinguisher to extinguish the flame
* You should also make a note in the log if any of this happens with associated materials and settings so we can keep track of any particular materials/settings we should look at

'''FIRE (abnormal operation)''' - If the head gets stuck or something else goes wrong, ignition could happen much more suddenly or intensely
* You must watch the cutter at all times and be prepared to abort the job if problems occur
* If the head gets trapped (e.g. tomb-stoning of a piece, mechanical failure) or any other problem occurs that causes or could cause fire, this is the process you should follow:
** Hit the emergency stop
** Open the lid and move the material from under the laser head assuming safe to do so (so it doesn't damage the optics)
** Blow out, smother with a spare sheet of material, or use the CO2 extinguisher to extinguish the flame as appropriate
* Ensure a Maintainer looks at the machine before it is brought back in to action if it is not obvious what went wrong and all is ok
* You should also make a note in the log if any of this happens with associated materials and settings so we can keep track of any particular materials/settings we should look at

'''FUMES''' - The laser cutting process will release different smoke and fumes depending on the material.
* Never cut PVC or a material you are not sure is safe. When PVC is heated it releases chlorine gas, this mixes with the moisture in the air and the result is hydrochloric acid which is toxic to humans and corrosive to machines.
* Ensure the filter is on and the cutter lid stays closed for a while after a job to allow the fumes to clear.
* If you are feeling strange, think the fume build up is too much, or for any other reason you are unsure, stop the job.

'''TRAPPING''' - The head and bed of the cutter can be moved by the front panel menu or programs in the machines memory.
* Be careful when working inside the cutting area or with the lid open not to trap hands, hair, clothing or anything else.
* Always check the machine for unexpected items that may have fallen in before closing the lid.
* Do not attempt to climb into the machine!

'''LASER BURNS/LIGHT''' - A 60W laser can do real damage.
* The laser should be safe within the confines of the machine, and cut-off automatically when the lid is open (although this should not be relied upon). The top window is safe to look through during a job, but do not attempt to interfere with these windows or the laser or in any way invent some way to look at the laser.
* Do not tamper with the laser cutter, or any interlocks. All side panels of the laser should always be closed and locked whilst the machine is plugged in.
* Do not put metal in the laser cutter.

== Instructions ==

To use the laser cutter, you must have been trained and have had your name added to the trained user list; these instructions are not a substitute for this training. See the training section to understand how you can become qualified to use the laser cutter.

Although not a requirement, it is recommended someone else trained is also present when using the laser cutter. Having two pairs of eyes helps avoid forgotten steps, allows for double checking, clarifications and discussions, and ensures a greater pool of experience is both present and being built up as the laser is used.

'''Power Up'''

Give the machine a quick visual check. Make sure that there is nothing left on the bed, the water reservoir is normal, and that the equipment has no obvious damage or signs of being out-of-action. If the bed lloks like it has residue on it, give it a wipe with IPA and a cloth.

Turn on the air filter system to the right of the laser cutter using the green rocker switch. It should power up, make a decent amount of noise, and the lights should indicate the filter is in good condition (i.e. no need for replacement).

Make sure the lid is closed. Turn on the laser using the key on the right hand side. The inspection lamp should come on, a satisfying hum start up, and the cutter go into doing its self-checks and start the cooling water feed pump.

Before doing any job, the laser should be left to warm up for 4-5 mins. While the machine warms up, power on the adjacent PC and start the LaserCut application from the desktop.

'''Load your Design'''

The PC software has an import facility which seems to be happy taking AutoCAD 2004 DXF files and other formats. The workspace of the laser bed is represented as the workarea in the LaserCut software. If the import doesn't do what you want size-wise, you can then select the whole image and the use the 'size' command from the drop down menu to set the dimension you want. Clicking on the three dots ... symbol will adjust the other axis in the same proportion. Selecting the 'centre on bed' option will locate your imported drawing on the centre of the machines cutting bed.

'''Assign Settings to Colours'''

Each part of your drawing that is assigned a different colour can have a different cut action assigned. Each colour will appear on the menu on the right hand side of the screen with numbers related to power and speed of the laser which will be used for the colour.

The main options are to Cut (line) or Engrave (raster fill). A marking on the material is a Cut. For each material and cutting depth required, a corresponding speed and power must be entered. The handbook provided with the machine gives suggested values for various materials but these should be considered as a starting point for a test. See the '''Power and Speed Settings''' section for our guidelines and experiences for these settings.

'''Download to the Cutter'''

Your drawing will feature a blue dot which represents the starting point of the laser, this is by default on the top right corner. In general, you will want to use "immediate" mode, which means this points represents wherever the laser is positioned when you start the job. You can also run the job in absolute mode by unchecking the box, making the job use absolute positioning on the workspace.

To download, select Download and Download Current; the download option will by default call the file on the laser cutter 'LASER'.

'''Set the Focus'''

Before each job, the focus needs to be checked and set by adjusting the height of the bed, and thus the work piece, from the lens. The critical dimension here is 41mm and several gauges made of perspex will be left around the machine. This gauge needs to be a fit between the top surface of the material you intend to cut and the white plastic 'flap' on the lens piece. The height of the table is adjusted using the UP and DOWN buttons. Failure to set the distance correctly will result in an out of focus laser and much bigger (put lower powered) cut line. Always ensure there is clearance between the material and laser head before the head moves.

'''Aligning and Testing the Job'''

The cutter's menu will show the most recent downloaded file highlighted. Pressing the 'test' button will make the head travel along the square maximum extends of the cuts. This shows you that you have the material in the right place, and you have enough of it! You can do this repeatedly, moving the work place, until you are confident you have things where you want them.

'''Cut the Job'''

When happy with the location of the material, close the lid and press 'start' to start the cutter. Watch the head and at least at first be prepared to press the 'stop' button immediately if you find you are burning massive holes in you work piece! This goes back to doing some tests on a sample of your material and making sure you are happy with the cut speeds and power you have selected. You should stay near the cutter at all times and be prepared to pause it or stop it in the event of fire.

'''DO NOT EVER LEAVE THE CUTTER UNATTENDED'''

'''Finishing'''

The end of the job is signified by a beep. Waiting a few moments for the exhaust pump to clear any remaining smoke is a good idea, especially with wood, and will limit the build up of smells in the rest of the workshop. Remove your work piece, ensuring that all parts are cleared from the bed of the machine.

'''Power Down'''

The cutter is turned off using the key switch, then the air filtering system with the green rocker switch. Shut down the PC and double check that everything is left in save state for the next user.

Clean the bed of debris using the soft brush, then wipe down the bed using IPA and a cloth.

Go away excited by what you can make and come back with lots more drawings!

== Power and Speed Settings ==

In due time we will try to build up a large sample stock of materials and record the values which work best. Here are the sample material tests we have so far:

<gallery>
File:Laser-schmoo-3mm-acrylic.JPG|3mm Acrylic
File:Laser-schmoo-10mm-acrylic.JPG|10mm Acrylic
File:Laser-schmoo-9mm-mdf.JPG|9mm MDF
</gallery>

= Maintenance =

The maintenance of the Laser Cutter is carried out by the Owners, with some basic maintenance being carried out by Users on every job.

== Maintenance Schedule ==

Continuous Maintenance (Every job, done by all Laser Cutter Users)
* Clean the laser bed with IPA and cloth
* Clean any debris off laser bed and surround using soft brush

Basic Maintenance (Every week, done by Laser Cutter Maintainers)
* Clean the laser lens with IPA and cotton buds
* Oil the 3 runners with 3-in-one light oil
* Thoroughly clean the laser bed with IPA and cloth
* Check the water level in the cooling tank
* Clean and remove debris from the machine base and catchment drawer

Full Maintenance (Every 4 weeks, done by Laser Cutter Maintainers)
* Check the water is clean in the cooling tank (i.e. no contamination/organic build up)
* Check filter unit for filter renewal
* Oil the 4 rise and fall lead screws with 3-in-one light oil
* Check mirrors and clean with a disposable sachet lens cleaner cloth (only if needed, mirror coatings are delicate)
* Work through mirror alignment procedure to check alignment of mirrors

== Maintenance Log ==

'''Reactive Maintenance'''
* 15th Jan 2013, Simon Ford: Laser cutter not powering up, with switching on via key gives no activity whatsoever. No recollection of it cutting out during a job (Alexis), so assume it just stopped turning on at some point. Filter box and power sockets confirmed OK. Diagnosis: RCD in right back panel of Laser reset to off, no obvious reason why. Switching back on brought everything back to life OK.
* 22nd, Simon Ford; 29th, Nicholas - same again.

'''Regular Maintenance'''
* Week Number, Date, Type, Owner (Notes)

2013
* '''Week 02, January 7, Full, Chris @ HPCLaser'''
* Week 03, January 14, Basic, Simon Ford
* '''Week 04, January 21, Full, Simon Ford (running better than new :)'''
* Week 05, January 28,
* '''Week 06, February 4, '''
* Week 07, February 11,
* Week 08, February 18,
* Week 09, February 25,
* '''Week 10, March 4, '''
* Week 11, March 11,
* Week 12, March 18,
* Week 13, March 25,
* '''Week 14, April 1,'''



== Maintenance Shopping List ==

* 3-in-one light oil
* Cotton Buds
* Lens cleaner sachets
* Soft paint/cleaning brush
* Thermometer for water tank
* Hand held CO2 extinguisher

= Further Information =

* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11 LS 6090 PRO Laser Product Page]
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page&id=5&chapter=2 HPCLaser Technical Info]
* [http://www.laserscript.co.uk/phpBB3/ Laserscript Forum]

LaserCut 5.3
* [http://www.leetro.com/english/sale/35.html Homepage]
* [http://www.leetro.com/english/down/LaserCut5.3%20Manual%20V1.6.pdf Manual]

== Installation ==

<gallery>
File:Laser_-_van.JPG
File:Makespace-laser-install-02.JPG
File:Laser_-_building_2.JPG
File:Laser_-_building.JPG
</gallery>

== Purchase ==

Full Purchase, Delivery and Installation (£6865.00+vat = £8238.00)
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11 LS 6090 PRO Laser engraving and cutting machine, 600mm by 900mm 60W] (£5250.00+vat)
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=34 Laser Fume Filter] (£1250.00+vat)
* Delivery (£190+vat)
* Installation/Training (£175+vat)

== Repairs ==

We expect to have to change the following parts for general maintenance:
* The laser tube (guess every 6-12 months)
* The filter (guess every 3-6 months)
* The optics (guess every 6-12 months)

Maintenance and Spares:
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=3 60 watt C02 laser tube] (£275.00+vat)
* [http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=12 50 mm Focus Meniscus Lens] (£75.00+vat)
* Estimate for Call Out (£200.00)

== Laser cutters used by other spaces ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Model !! Owner !! Cost !! Bed size !! URL
|-
| HPC LS3060 || London Hackspace || 3250 || 290x570 || http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=39
|-
| HPC LS3020 || Nottinghack || 1125 || 300x210 || http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=40
|-
| Epilog Mini 24 40W || FabLab Manchester || (Estimated) 11450 || 300x600 || http://www.epiloglaser.co.uk/legend_mini24.htm
|}

For comparison, a 1200x900 laser cutter from Shenhui (who appear to be the internet's Chinese supplier of choice) comes in at US$4000 + US$250 seafreight + 4.5% import duty + delivery (or collection) from Felixstowe - that's roughly £2775 ex VAT.

Replacement tubes cost £195 ex VAT for a 40W HPC tube (LS3020/LS3060) and £350 ex VAT for an 80W (LS1290). They are rated at 1000 hours, although this is heavily dependent on careful calibration of the machine and will be much lower if it's misconfigured.

== Questions and Requirements ==

* Cambridge Science Centre
** 600 x 900mm would allow use for exhibit units
* Thickness of materials?
** 25mm acrylic, 10-12mm ply (depending on ply)
* Do we need a cooler unit?
** No. More needed for continuous use (we expect regular but intermittent use)
* What are the power supply requirements?
** 240 V 50hz

How much power does the laser and the fume filter, require? I have looked on their website and it's not clear, I also had a looked on the Bofa Website for information about the fume filter, and there are too many models to be able select the correct model. When you next contact the supplier. Can you ask the following.

What size supply will each item require?
* TBC (nothing out of the ordinary)

I did read somewhere on the site, that the laser and the fume filter would be interlocked, is this correct? If so, this would suggest that only single supply would be required for both items.
and one more question,
* The pumps are powered from the back of the laser cutter, but the filter is a separate supply

Does the laser need a assigned PC?
* Yes

* [User:Barhamd] I'm wanting to cut thin 1mm and .5mm ABS or perspex for model buildings. Would like something that can cut and half-cut a fine ~.25mm line. Not so concerned about massive size. Is this some kind of work something that could be done on a large cutter or do we need a smaller unit too?
** It states "Resetting position accuracy: 0.015mm"
* How often do the lasers need replacing?
** It depends on lots of things like care, use level, how much degradation is acceptable, luck - "could be 1 year or 5 years"; we will assume every year for now

What (if anything) can this do on metals?
* Possibly mark using a paste, but certainly can't cut

What sort of line thickness does it give?
* Laser width is approx 0.15mm

The bare minimum for me would be something capable of cutting an A3 sheet, which probably means 600x450mm. A 1200x900mm[1] machine from Laserscript comes in at about £6.5K; a used one went on eBay recently for something like £4.5K. The factory gate price for a similar unit from Shenhui, who are a well-regarded Chinese manufacturer, is $4K -sea-freight would come in at $250, and import duty appears to be 4.5%.

I (Dave from the science centre) would be really keen to be able to cut at least A1 on it (840x594mm) As this is the biggest module we are using at the moment.

File:Laser box open.jpg

2013-01-30T18:33:03Z

Martin de S: A laser cut tab and slot box with one side open to show structure. 9mm MDF

A laser cut tab and slot box with one side open to show structure. 9mm MDF

File:Laser box.jpg

2013-01-30T18:32:21Z

Martin de S: A laser cut tab and slot box in 9mm MDF

A laser cut tab and slot box in 9mm MDF

Makespace

2012-10-17T13:41:47Z

Martin de S: /* Who should be involved? */

[[File:makespace2.png|frameless|center|322x298px|Makespace Logo]]

== What is Makespace? ==

<div style="float: right; width: 300px; border: 1px dashed gray; padding: 4px; ">
<span style="font-size: 1.5em">Current status</span>

For the most recent update, see our [http://makespace.org/index.php/blog/ blog].

Funding has been secured to help bootstrap Makespace, and a lease has been signed for 16 Mill Lane, Cambridge!''
'''This means it is all going ahead, so get involved now to help create this thing!'''

We have a [[Currently_active_and_interesting|list of the '''most important current discussions''']] going on in this wiki. Or check the [[Special:RecentChanges|"Recent changes"]].
</div>
Makespace is a community workshop in Cambridge, UK, for people to come and meet, learn and building (almost) anything.

It is currently being built up by its founder members, and is a 4k sqft workshop space in the city that will eventually be:
* A space with flexible access control and facilities
* A home for equipment like a 2D laser cutter, 3D printer, CNC Router, Soldering stations, etc
* A meeting and training area including a projector, chairs, etc
* The surroundings to meet, work, build, socialise and do amazing things

And as a community resource, it'll bring together a network of enthusiasts and innovators, the prototyping industry, consultants, businesses and educational communities in a mutually beneficial way. It is aiming to reach people from all across the East of England, using Cambridge as the initial hub.

If this sounds interesting, you should join our Meetup group. You can also contact the founders through this group. The group can be found at

''' http://www.meetup.com/makespace '''

We're something between a FabLab/hackspace/TechShop-type place: [[WhatIsMakespace|help us figure out what we want to be]]!

== Who should be involved? ==

The space will be great for individuals wanting to experiment, startups or companies wanting access to prototyping equipment, companies in the business who can come and do training and provide services beyond Makespace, and groups that want space to meet. Anyone who could benefit from a shared space focused on making things.

At its core will be a membership-based structure; the price of membership will be £40/month inc vat for full membership, with more details to follow.

See here for a non-exhaustive [[People|list of people]] currently involved.

== Getting involved ==

If you'd like to express interest in Makespace, keep up to date with how things are going, or find out about upcoming real-world meetings, please join our [http://www.meetup.com/makespace Meetup] group.

This is our main community list and you can see archive update posts on meetup, or [[Updates|here]].

We also have a mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/cammakespace. You can email the list at cammakespace@googlegroups.com. Posts from new users may be held for moderation.

We are also present on IRC. Join #makespace on Freenode. You can also access this via your browser at http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=makespace

And it doesn't just have to be electronic; here are some extra resources to help you spread the word in the real world:
* [http://files.meetup.com/1669256/a5poster.pdf A5 Flyer]
* [http://files.meetup.com/1669256/makespace-poster.pdf A4 Poster]
Please post them in offices, clubs, related shops, and anywhere you think will catch the eye of an interested person! (we'll make up to date ones soon!)

If you'd like to contribute to plans on the wiki, go for it. The [[Currently active and interesting]] page will show you where the action is at the moment.

Help make sure everyone who should know about Makespace knows about Makespace!

== Progress so far ==

For a detailed look at the progress so far, see our blog [http://makespace.org/index.php/blog/ here] (in the past we used to post on the [[Updates]] page).

Funding has been secured to help bootstrap Makespace, and we have secured a lease for our premises in Mill Lane, Cambridge. We are now in a building phase with our founder members creating the space for general opening.

''This means it is all going ahead, so get involved now to help create this thing! Founding Members have the chance to get involved now in return for their financial support with bootstrapping Makespace. Indicate your interest [http://bit.ly/MakespaceFounderDetails on our short form] if you are able to support us with £250 for the first 6 month's Founder membership upfront. (Other membership types will be available once we are ready to open, so don't worry if this option doesn't appeal!) ''

Here are the working specification documents:
* [[Structure]]

Founder members are meeting weekly to work through questions about space usage, layout, rules, community, kit and fit out, and more. Read more about [[Makespace planning meetings]].

== Building Makespace Projects ==

The founder members are now working on '''how the space should be used''' and the '''projects to make it happen''':
* [[Space layout ideas]]
* [[Storage]]
* [[Kit wishlist]]
* [[Equipment status database]]
* [[Makespace member guidelines]]

== Personal and Other Projects ==

* [[Projects|Makespace projects]]

We are also working on outreach activities as follows:
* [[Engineering Festival 2011]]

== Social Meetings ==
While we wait for the space proper to open, MakeSpace meets regularly to do some hacking in the pub. The canonical means of arranging these is via Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Makespace

At the moment, these tend to be every other Thursday, at the Anchor pub near the space.

== Formal Meetings ==
There are brief write-ups of relevant meetings provided at [[Makespace/Meetings | Meetings]], committee meeting minutes are also listed below:

* [[Minutes21-10-10|Founder Member Meeting, 21 October 2010]]

== Sponsorship and Donations! ==

Makespace is made possible by membership fees and sponsorship, and also support from Ideaspace. We gratefully receive any donations, however small, that can help with developing, running and improving Makespace for everyone.

* [https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=R9GWU9BP9XBMC Donate to Makespace via Credit Card or Paypal]

Also, we accept donations-in-kind. Head over to [[DonationsWelcome]], where we're tracking the things we need and the things people have that we might need.

Thanks!

==Links==
Some information about other groups around the world that may be of interest can be found on the [[Links|Links page]].

AutomatedStorageProposals

2012-10-06T11:41:39Z

Martin de S:

These proposal are for a storage/retrieval system for the undermezzanine spaces, which are too low to walk into.

See [[Under mezzanine 1]] for a rough diagram of one of the rooms.

==General thoughts==

A overhead system allows the whole floor area to be used for storage, while a floor-based one will take up some space for aisles.

Assuming we stack boxes more than one high, we'll want to keep empty stack slots in reach for "hanoi-ing" to get the lower boxes out. These empty slots need not be in fixed locations.

Interface to the door RFID would allow the system to start fetching your stuff while you're still arriving (even when you don't want it to).

===Proposal 1: Gantry crane===

A gantry runs along rails at the edges of the room, and a trolley runs along the gantry.

Advantages:

* Can be made from generic off-the-shelf hardware (angle iron, skateboard wheels/bearings)
* Floor is unmodified, apart from rails if using ground rails
* Nothing suspended from rafters, unless using overhead rails
* Potentially most efficient use of floor space so highest capacity
* Looks cool and industrial :)

Disadvantages:

* Complex control scheme will need lots of programming
* Many points of failure

===Proposal 2: Serpentine suspended railway===

A track runs in a serpentine or spiral pattern, slung under the ceiling, and a trolley runs along it. Mechanically simpler than the gantry, but needs more track, and will probably be slower. Could run out into the main room and bring things to workbenches.

Advantages:

* Simple control scheme
* Potentially fewer points of failure than gantry

Disadvantages:

* Needs strong curved track, may be difficult to source
* Less efficient use of floor space
* Lots of non-static load on rafters

===Proposal 3: Floor-based carousel ===

A floor-mounted monorail or two-rail system in an oval layout. The railway is fully occupied with trolleys, so pushing one way will bring the next trolley around.

[[File:Storage-rail.png]]

There are no aisles, so to get to your box, you need to push the carousel around until you get to your box. I'm imagining it manually powered.

A set of points next to the entrance allow removing the whole train out into the main G24 room. The main room won't have rails, so the trolleys will have to be able to run on a smooth floor.

Because of the step in the floor, we'll have to either make a false floor or run the rails up and down slopes.

Advantages:

* Mechanically very simple
* Safe in the event of power failure, nothing being lifted and can be manually operated
* No load on rafters

Disadvantages:

* Very inefficient use of floor space
* Requires one trolley per box, rather than just the crane

User:Martin de S

2012-10-04T15:40:46Z

Martin de S: Created page with "thumb === Things I do for money === Software development- various amounts of C, C++, Python, Perl, Javascript, VBA and Linux scripting, and I..."

Member's Skills

2012-10-04T14:43:07Z

Martin de S:

People of makespace. Note that this list might not be comprehensive

<div class="memberslist">
{| style="border-spacing: 0px; width: 75%; height: 300px"
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=dadabit|wikiusername=dadabit|realname=gaye dadabit|imagefile=gayedadabit.jpg }}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=srimech|wikiusername=JimM|realname=Jim MacArthur|imagefile=Jim3-scaled.jpeg }}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=LaurieJ|wikiusername=Laura|realname=Laura James <br \>(Co-founder <br \>and director)|imagefile=LJ-square2.jpg}}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=Brice|wikiusername=Brice|realname=Brice Fernandes|imagefile=Brice_stripes.jpg }}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=rjw57|wikiusername=Rjw57|realname=Rich Wareham|imagefile=rjw57_profile.jpg }}
|-
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=benjymous|wikiusername=Benjymous|realname=Richard Munn|imagefile=benjymous.jpg }}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=elsmorian|wikiusername=Elsmorian|realname=Chris Elsmore|imagefile=ElsmorianProfileSmall.jpg }}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=Phil|wikiusername=Phil|realname=Phil Cowans|imagefile=Phil.jpg }}
| {{MemberDetails|nickname=Martin|wikiusername=Martin_de_S|realname=Martin de Selincourt|imagefile=Martin_de_S_pic.jpg }}
|
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|}
</div>

= Skills =

If you have knowledge to share with others, or are looking for expertise, check out the [[SkillsKnowhow|skills exchange]].

2012-10-03T11:40:38Z

Martin de S: Created page with "For founders who couldn't make it: you didn't miss a whole lot in terms of new news or champagne corks popping. The meeting mostly consisted of the directors going back over the ..."

For founders who couldn't make it: you didn't miss a whole lot in terms of new news or champagne corks popping. The meeting mostly consisted of the directors going back over the presentation from last time, but with more focus on the future of the space and what the next few meetings will be, and then a sounding out exercise to get founders' opinions on some issues that will need attention in the future.

Outcome of previous meeting:
* meta-position on rules: from talking to Jim (long time london hackspace member) and Simon, it sounds like we run the risk of writing too many rules for things that aren't issues yet. The intended general ethos sounds like '''"permissive, subject to approval from the community side, but without setting a precedent for the future"'''. If you want to store a large project in the space for now, or have a beer, then see if the other people who have a stake in the space will object. If the consensus is "that's fine", then it's probably OK for now but as the space develops we make no guarantee that it will stay that way.
* putting thirty people in a room and asking "what should we do about this" results in unfocused discussion, hence the need for threads on the google group/mailing list and a proper agenda for future real-space meetings.

=== Agenda ===
Agenda items for next meeting- these can be thrashed out online, to keep tangents away from the important core items that need consultation/discussion in the real space meetings.

* storage, especially policy on large items or projects. What do we allow in the space, and what are the criteria for continued permission to leave things there?
* alcohol policy
* presentation of the space- where do we draw the line on "too much mess"?
* volunteer expertise- if you can build furniture and need some willing pairs of hands to help build workbenches for the space, great. At some point in the future we will probably want competent 3d printer users, laser-ers, welders and machinists to teach other members so if you have a skill that's worth sharing, we need a list on the wiki to collate these.

Laura has written up the meeting in more detail on the blog.

Also raised was the desire for a list of the various communication media we use to keep in touch: [[Communications]].

Meetings

2012-10-03T11:35:49Z

Martin de S:

= Committee Meetings =

* [[Minutes21-10-10|21st October 2010]]

= Company/Structure Meetings =

* [[Meetings/CCVS| CCVS]]

* [[Meetings/Business Link | Business Link]]

* [[Meetings/Structure | Tim, Jonny, Stew about Company]]

Also see [[AdviceOnBanking]]

= Law/Trademark =

* [[Meetings/Taylor_Vinters | Taylor Vinters]]

* [[Meetings/Hepworth_Browne]]

= Space Meetings =

* [[Meetings/AndySlaymaker101103| CityLife]]

* [[Meetings/Prager | Richard Prager, CUED]]

= General Advisory Meetings =

* [[Meetings/MikeGregory| IfM]]

* [[Meetings/RobHP101103 | IfM Communications Officer]]

* [[Meetings/FabLab | Fab Lab]]

* [[Meetings/Stew | Many meetings with Stew McTavish at ideaSpace]]

* [[Meetings/Jeremy | Update/advice meeting with Jeremy Parsons]]

= Fundraising =

* [[Meetings/Ingenious | Ingenious]]

* [[Meetings/CUDO | Cambridge Uni Development Office]]

= Outreach =

* [[Meetings/GeoffParks | Geoff Parks at CUED]]

= Founder meetings =

* [[Meetings/Founders02-10-2012 | Founders meeting 2nd Oct 2012]]