Member Meeting Minutes Summary: August 2024

General Updates

* **New Bank Account:** A new bank account is being set up. Funds will be transferred, and external donation processes will be updated. This is considered the biggest news of the last month from a leadership perspective.
* **COVID-19 Impact:** Some officers are experiencing cyclical COVID, but are mostly recovering.
* **Women Leading Technology Group:** The president is working with the "Women Leading Technology Group" to teach a 3D printing course on November 9th and 16th. This course is primarily intended to drive new memberships.
    * The 3D printing area will be kept stable during this course to avoid "moving their cheese" (disrupting their setup).

Projects and Initiatives

* **EPICS Team:** The EPICS team has performed well this semester.
    * Due to COVID, a previous class was not fully able to participate. The new class will focus on the access control system.
    * A custom access control board is being designed using RS485 communication, allowing up to 32 endpoints on a single pair of wires. This will support various authentication methods (NFC, 125kHz chips, fingerprint readers, phone-based access).
    * Randall and the president are teaching the EPICS course.
* **Clean-up and Organization:**
    * A large clean-up day was very successful, with 15-20 people participating, moving 1.5 to 2 tons of material.
    * Heavy equipment (Bridgeport, laser, new CNC) was moved.
    * The laser table is now perfectly flat.
    * The electronics area has been reorganized.
    * A guest check-in area and a showcase area are being established.
    * The "robot fund" activity from Fin Con will be updated for ongoing use in the building as a "get to know your local makerspace" activity this fall.
* **Trogdor (Laser Cutter):** Trogdor is working well for vector cutting. The 32-bit controller and "gerbil howl" (firmware) are planned for implementation by next month to improve rastering speed. An automated Z-probe is also planned.
* **X-Tool:** The X-Tool is functioning well.
* **Exhaust:** The exhaust problem in the front of the laser is still being resolved.
* **Signage:** The organization is looking into acquiring proper signage.
* **Website:** Work is ongoing to improve the website's functionality and visual appeal.

Financials

* The current balance is $19,300.
* Last month, there was $1,100 in new member income, but higher expenses, including $2,500 for insurance.
* The goal is financial stability with $25,000 in the bank and a $5,000-$10,000 reserve for large purchases or repairs.

Membership and Community

* **Tours:** A very good week for tours resulted in several new members, including two large donation members. Thanks were extended to those learning to give tours.
* **Area Hosts:** Nicole has taken over as the area host for Fiber Lab (Stitch Lab).
* **Assistance Needed:** Doug and Chris are continuing to clear out items from the yard sale and reorganize the space. Members are encouraged to offer assistance.
* **Voting:** Elections are ongoing. The secretary has published the election form.

Other Discussions

* **Maker's Market:** Participation in the Maker's Market is being considered as a potential opportunity, even with an unknown outcome.
* **Booth Game:** A booth game created for external events could be repurposed for internal use (e.g., QR codes in rooms for a "robot parts" scavenger hunt).
* **"Ten Commandments":** There are no current plans to implement or discuss the "Ten Commandments" (likely a set of internal rules or guidelines).
* **Red-tagged Items:** Resolution for every red-tagged item is the system of red-tagging itself until a new resolution occurs.