Two Proposals
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jasont...@gmail.com
Apr 9, 2014, 8:51:07 PM4/9/14
to makersa...@googlegroups.com
I have a few ideas for projects we should consider tackling as a group this spring and summer. The first proposal is probably the most important, nothing else we do will be practical without at least some progress on it.
Project Proposal #1: "Cruft Busters!"
Cleveland Makers Alliance has a problem, and that problem is a kipple infestation. Cruft, doorstops, krutz, gonkulators, boat anchors, trash, e-waste, junk, whatever you call it, we're slowly drowning in it. Not only are members experiencing noticeable difficulty in finding useable work areas, they're also struggling with finding useable equipment. This is not a desirable condition. Clutter implies that most the items in the disorder are useable, and what we have right now isn't clutter.
This is the process we have to go through this spring and summer with everything currently in our workspace:
A) Does it work?
B) Can it be used?
C) Do we need it, and if not, would someone else want it?
D) Can we strip it for useful parts? Can we sell/donate some of the parts?
E) How do we junk it in a responsible manner, and how much is this going to cost Makers Alliance?
To reduce subsequent cruft generation:
1) Put stuff away when you're done so people can find it, especially tools.
2) Try to donate stuff that works or is practical to repair. Don't use Makers Alliance as a dump.
3) Complain about conditions that destroy functional gear, such as the water trickling down the back wall of our workspace or blocked floor drains so we can get projects in motion to repair it.
4) We have shop vacs somewhere under the kipple. If we clean up the plastic shavings, sawdust, and other leavings when we're done, everything stays cleaner and more pleasant to work with.
5) If you abandon a project, junk it.
Our work area needs to be functional and navigable. Without at least some pretense of presentability, it's going to scare off the public and prospective members.
Project Proposal #2: "Electronics Workspace"
We need to see about acquiring an indoor workspace for our electrical test bench and hardware. The dust, temperature swings, and water trickling down the back wall of the garage bay aren't healthy for the working electronics hardware that Makers Alliance has, and as equipment succumbs, the mountain of toxic cruft in need of disposal grows. In addition, there's not much comfortable workspace for sitting down and hacking away at gear for a few hours.
This workspace needs:
1) Climate Control. (Air conditioning in the summer, heating in the winter. Possibly a HEPA filter to help with dust.)
2) Soldering snorkels/fume hoods. (The rosin fumes and magic smoke can't be good for you.)
3) Suitable fittings and equipment (component bins, work benches, antistatic matting)
4) Test equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, etc.)
5) Tools (smaller tools suitable for electronics work, task lighting, etc.)
6) If needed, a closet or storage area for component bins and seldom-used equipment.
Ideally, this would involve the acquisition and conversion of an existing office and storage closet in the LaunchHouse itself, but if there are any other possible ideas, fire away. Luckily, we have most of the equipment needed to populate the lab. It's underneath the junk that "Cruft Busters!" is intended to clear out, and probably just needs cleaning and calibration.
Do you think these two goals (Cruft Busters! and Electronics Workspace) should be on the project tracker? I know that these proposals come off as a bit demanding from the mouth of a guest, but I'd be willing to donate my time and skills on weekends to help accomplish these projects. I'm also willing to start paying dues if we can get this stuff off the ground.
Project Proposal #1: "Cruft Busters!"
Cleveland Makers Alliance has a problem, and that problem is a kipple infestation. Cruft, doorstops, krutz, gonkulators, boat anchors, trash, e-waste, junk, whatever you call it, we're slowly drowning in it. Not only are members experiencing noticeable difficulty in finding useable work areas, they're also struggling with finding useable equipment. This is not a desirable condition. Clutter implies that most the items in the disorder are useable, and what we have right now isn't clutter.
This is the process we have to go through this spring and summer with everything currently in our workspace:
A) Does it work?
B) Can it be used?
C) Do we need it, and if not, would someone else want it?
D) Can we strip it for useful parts? Can we sell/donate some of the parts?
E) How do we junk it in a responsible manner, and how much is this going to cost Makers Alliance?
To reduce subsequent cruft generation:
1) Put stuff away when you're done so people can find it, especially tools.
2) Try to donate stuff that works or is practical to repair. Don't use Makers Alliance as a dump.
3) Complain about conditions that destroy functional gear, such as the water trickling down the back wall of our workspace or blocked floor drains so we can get projects in motion to repair it.
4) We have shop vacs somewhere under the kipple. If we clean up the plastic shavings, sawdust, and other leavings when we're done, everything stays cleaner and more pleasant to work with.
5) If you abandon a project, junk it.
Our work area needs to be functional and navigable. Without at least some pretense of presentability, it's going to scare off the public and prospective members.
Project Proposal #2: "Electronics Workspace"
We need to see about acquiring an indoor workspace for our electrical test bench and hardware. The dust, temperature swings, and water trickling down the back wall of the garage bay aren't healthy for the working electronics hardware that Makers Alliance has, and as equipment succumbs, the mountain of toxic cruft in need of disposal grows. In addition, there's not much comfortable workspace for sitting down and hacking away at gear for a few hours.
This workspace needs:
1) Climate Control. (Air conditioning in the summer, heating in the winter. Possibly a HEPA filter to help with dust.)
2) Soldering snorkels/fume hoods. (The rosin fumes and magic smoke can't be good for you.)
3) Suitable fittings and equipment (component bins, work benches, antistatic matting)
4) Test equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, etc.)
5) Tools (smaller tools suitable for electronics work, task lighting, etc.)
6) If needed, a closet or storage area for component bins and seldom-used equipment.
Ideally, this would involve the acquisition and conversion of an existing office and storage closet in the LaunchHouse itself, but if there are any other possible ideas, fire away. Luckily, we have most of the equipment needed to populate the lab. It's underneath the junk that "Cruft Busters!" is intended to clear out, and probably just needs cleaning and calibration.
Do you think these two goals (Cruft Busters! and Electronics Workspace) should be on the project tracker? I know that these proposals come off as a bit demanding from the mouth of a guest, but I'd be willing to donate my time and skills on weekends to help accomplish these projects. I'm also willing to start paying dues if we can get this stuff off the ground.
Kendall Smith
Apr 9, 2014, 10:00:18 PM4/9/14
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Well said. We should do both of these.
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Kendall Smith
Adam Shands
Apr 10, 2014, 10:31:06 AM4/10/14
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Thanks, Kendall. I want to see these projects get off the ground.
If class gets cancelled again (or I can come up with a good justification for skipping class) I'll come in next Tuesday, wave the proposal around, and see about getting some stuff that we know is functional wrapped in plastic to protect it and launch an assault on another segment of storage rack.
Once we get these projects done, we'll be able to see if that monstrous Tektronix 535A and its solid state 7000-series siblings are worth refurbishing in-house (or if we should just blow the dust out, clean them up, and sell them to someone who can make better use of them.)
-Adam Shands
If class gets cancelled again (or I can come up with a good justification for skipping class) I'll come in next Tuesday, wave the proposal around, and see about getting some stuff that we know is functional wrapped in plastic to protect it and launch an assault on another segment of storage rack.
Once we get these projects done, we'll be able to see if that monstrous Tektronix 535A and its solid state 7000-series siblings are worth refurbishing in-house (or if we should just blow the dust out, clean them up, and sell them to someone who can make better use of them.)
-Adam Shands
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