Regular Member Meeting 2013 05 14

Time and Location

May 14, 2013

Called to order at 2006 by Ben.

Members present: 13

Others present: 2

Quorum?

Quorum not met.

Approval of Previous Meeting's Minutes

Regular Member Meeting 2013 04 09

Recognition

Thanks to Matthew Hines (mirage335) for overhauling the PrusaMendel.

Thanks to haxwithaxe and itg for installing new hardware in the server closet.

Director Reports

President's Report

DC Day of Civic Hacking is coming up on June 1st. More details on Blabber (or email me). Come do good stuff for the community. http://dchackforchange.eventbrite.com/

Checked out Robotfest, lots of Hackerspaces represented there... except for HacDC. :(

CA Cert has offered to come do a presentation. If anyone is interested in hearing them talk about the world of X.509 Certificates then let me know.

Vice President's Report

Installed NAS type servers in downstairs area.

Treasurer's Report

Here is the financial summary spreadsheet for April 2013: File:HacDC Financials 2013 04.pdf. We gained five new members, Shawn W., Shawn N. (one of our at-large directors!), Kevin, George, and non-pyrate Ben. We lost four members, Tim S. (will be a "Friend of HacDC" donor for the time being), Bradford, Paul, and Andy Ta.

I have filed our 990-N with the IRS.

Quorum remains at 14.

Project Awesome

We had a surplus so I am able to declare a $500 Project Awesome dividend and add $131.52 to our reserves. Here is the Project Awesome spreadsheet for April: File:HacDC PA Projects-2013 04.pdf. There are now 16 votes total.

There is a new Project Awesome project, Project SPACECAM, with the aim of purchasing webcams to broadcast space activities on Ustream/website. Project 3DP transitioned to Project SUPPLIES as discussed at the previous monthly meeting.

As a reminder, a project contact must be a member of HacDC; this person is the go-to for status updates and spending decisions (up to $250 without prior approval). They don't have to do all the work, but they must consent to being the contact. That said, Project KITBUILD needs a contact person. Alberto? Nocko?

Secretary's Report

Working on making sure we have the rules in place we think we have.. in place. Nothing else.

Director-at-Large Reports

Shawn Nock (unable to attend)

More (hypothetical) Free stuff:

5x Neurosky MindWave Single-channel EEG headsets
Nordic Semiconductor Eval kit for Cortex-M0/BLE SoC

On-going projects:

I am working with a local firm, Trimech, to get a few educational licences for Solidworks and see if there are any other collaboration oportunities.
A local biotech startup, [Imagus Biomedical], is interested in outsourcing some R&D work on an IV infusion pump to the space in exchange for royalties on sales of the product. The company seems pretty flexible with licensing. Possible long-term revenue source for the space. Looking for project coordinator. Details available, will send recruitment email to blabber with further info.
GrindDC is more active than ever. Current projects: [Biosignal amp],[Northstar], [HELEDD] (Pittsburgh Collaboration / Implant), building a northpaw implementation, iOS software for MindWave EEG headsets, electrophysiology work in labs at Georgetown (and hopefully soon) Howard U., EEG video game from hacked [Star Wars Science - Force Trainer] game, and much more.

Upcoming Events:

Neurosky MindWave EEG Hack-a-thon. GrindDC (Biohacker Night @ HacDC); May 30th, 7p. The company is sending us 5 units to hack on. Come learn and get some hands on time with these consumer BCI products. Planned projects include: 2 games (one multiplayer), some data visualization, and a detailed hardware tear-down including discovering the sensitivity limits of the device.

Project Awesome Reports

Project LASER

Looked at options, made specification call. Upgrading the source, cost a few hundred more but lifetime is 5x. Exploring safety concerns... air handling, etc. Also it will have a method to keep both the lens and the target area relatively clear of debris and smoke.

Project BYZANTIUM

Second milestone reached; support for Apple products. (!) Mini-field days coming up. Interested parties please come and play.

Project KITBUILD

No report.

Project SUPPLIES

Mirage defers to notes below.

Special Thanks

Major credits to Julia Longtin (aka. juri) for advice and speedy replacement parts on multiple occasions. Prusa Mendel would not be operational without that assistance. In particular, replacement makergear hot end was provided within a single day.

3D Printers

Prusa Mendel Repairs

Multiple disabling failures occurred in quick succession, partly provoked by high room temperature. Repairs factored in more robust replacements, and preemptively addressed future problems. Details at the operators log.

Cupcake Makerbot

Since the motor driving board was removed, this machine is merely taking up space. A representative from a Pittsburg hackerspace is willing to donate $100 for it. Alternatives include return to original owner, or crating it.

Outlook

Printer uptime and costs 50% split between maintenance and production. More robust printer may be needed. Also, FlexReplicator based on OpenRail is in development, and may become available to HacDC.

Costs

About $80 in receipts are planned for submission to the supplies fund. M3/M4 hardware, LM8UU bearings, PLA plastic. My (mirage335's) own costs are about $70 higher, plus time spent.

Project SPACECAM