Board Meeting Minutes Summary: February 25th
Relocation and Facility Needs
Lease Overlap: The organization prefers not to pay two leases for extended periods, ideally for no more than two months of overlap, with one month needed for moving.
Location Preference: The preference is to stay in Richardson, ideally within the Innovation Quarter (IQ) area (roughly 75 to Jupiter and Campbell, back to Apollo), due to a good relationship with the city and accessibility to public transit and members from Plano.
Space Requirements:
The current space is a little over 3,000 sq ft, but the organization doesn't necessarily need that much.
The possibility of expanding the footprint over time is ideal; it's better to secure more space upfront than to relocate again for expansion.
The layout and usability of the space are crucial.
Classroom/Meeting Space: The organization needs a highly functional classroom space that can also accommodate tools along one wall when not in use for classes.
Currently, there are two “half spaces” (the main room and atrium) that can be used for classes, but neither is ideal, and they duplicate square footage without being used concurrently. A single, larger, functional space is preferred.
Financial and Operational Considerations for Relocation
Rent and Costs: The organization needs to understand the rent per square foot for potential new spaces.
Utilities: Information on electricity and water costs for potential spaces is needed.
Internet: Fiber internet access is a requirement, and the cost should be clarified.
Roll-up Door: A roll-up door is a preferred amenity.
Sublease Options: Inquire if the new landlord offers subleasing options.
Contact Persons: [email protected], Jordan's phone number, and the contact for the new rental are suggested contacts.
Electronic Signatures: Electronic signatures (DocuSign) are preferred.
Electronics Area and Classes
Mechatronics: The electronics area has been renamed “Mechatronics” to better reflect its scope, which includes hobby-grade robots and microcontrollers.
Electronics Classes: There is an emphasis on offering electronics classes, acknowledging that this area is essential for a makerspace but has lacked an active area host for a long time. The goal is to provide accessible, “project of the week/month” style classes that help beginners learn fundamental concepts, such as attaching components or understanding angles.
Skill Sharing: Experienced members are encouraged to share their skill sets, even if it's not their primary area of expertise.
EPICS Program and Access Control
Student Team Performance: The EPICS student team has performed well this semester.
Access Control System: The new class is focusing on the access control system due to previous COVID-related disruptions.
A custom access control board is being designed using RS485 communication, allowing up to 32 endpoints on a single pair of wires.
This system will support various authentication methods, including NFC, 125kHz chips, fingerprint readers, and phone-based access.
The integration between the software and hardware components seems robust, with the back-end system (likely Jordan's work) being well-configured to communicate with the access points.
The system should be able to integrate with existing badging (USB readers) and appears largely ready for deployment with some manual work required.
Digital Displays and Information Systems
Kiosks: The student-developed kiosks are functional.
External Feed Integration: The kiosks can point to any photo source and subscribe to multiple RSS feeds (currently up to five) for displaying information.