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.
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.