About the project
Fob All The Things! (FATT) is an AMT project to add fob integration so members can use their accounts to charge laser time, buy vending machine items, use sensitive equipment and get access to the space.
While doors and the laser are currently fob accessible those system are starting to show their age. So we began looking for a solution that was :
- maintainable — documentation + language / platform that isn’t too specialized)
- repeatable — The results of the project should be able to be repeated down the line should a new thing need to be fobbed.
- scalable — simple = doors > complex = vending machine) .
- affordable — While it is true that you get what you pay for we need affordable solutions
- sustainable — As in modular enough to repair easily and with work arounds/redundancies built in when possible
FATT Products
FATT Products are centered around AMT initiatives that solve problems or allow for access to tools and system for making. This project is under development with a great team of folks but we need more help Here are the current initiative including the New Laser Fob box:
Laser Fob Box
We have a glorious new laser being worked on a few blocks away. 120watts of infrared glory with a more user friendly and safe interface/controller set up. In order to get this project into a ready to use state we need to build a fob box that:
- Talks to the controller and tracks firing time
- Allows a use to fob in, validate authorization and track that laser firing time
- Send various bits of use data back so that it can be used to bill and manage the queue for use
Our current laser as a similar fob box that was developed over time. So we know this can be done.
We have a nice crew of folks on the laser team but we urgently need somebody to take the lead on building the laser fob box if we are going to have a working laser in the space in the next 2-3 weeks.
Vending Machine
The vending machine is a true hackerspace project along the lines of what Nottingham Hackspace, NYC Resistor and ATX Hackerspace. We acquired an old vending machine we are hacking to hold things that facilitate making. The crew of folks working on this has made great progress with the machine hardware and the back end interface but now we need to join the two with FATT “product”.
This project is slightly more complex than the laser fob box but not by much.
Doors
The doors were the first fobbed project at AMT way back in the day (6+ years ago). Yeah… and also it is time to replace them as sensor are failing and technology has advanced.
Honor Bar
The honor bar is what you think it is. And assortment of snack products and coffee upstairs. The idea with this project is to be able to fob in, select your products and have it go to your account to be billed once a a month with the other billable things like laser time.
Keggerator
This is what you think it is. This will allow users with ID on file to get beer during meetings and work parties using there fob. We will not be selling beer though.
Wide Format Printer
We got a lovely donation of a wide format printer. It was awesome and now we need to be able to gate-keep it similarly to the laser and charge folks for their consumables.
How to sign up and join the team
Team players should have some or all of the following to offer:
- Leave a legacy (document)
- Sees project as product (not prototype)
- Experience microprocessors (Arduino, Rpi)
- Solid electronics knowledge including PCBs (custom and off the shelf)
- Python + Experience working with APIs
- Can start now and see the project through to at least the Laser Fob Box and the vending machine
Contact [email protected] or chime in on the #fob-all-the-things channel on the AMT Slack team.
The Reward of 25k minuets of laser time
AMT originally got the laser and had it up in running because a dedicated group of volunteers invested their time and money in the laser and were paid back in laser time as well as money. We are following in the footprints of that successful model to offer a reward to those that want to contribute to the next stage at AMT when it comes to not just laser use but automation in general.
The reward of team will be split amongst the core team members for this project.
Looks mighty pretty in it’s packaging, this was originally designed to be used with Apple products that had their original proprietary 30 pin socket. Now that Apple has switched to a different proprietary socket everyone had to go out and buy new powerbanks, cables, etc. Look on ebay for deals on stuff like this where time has moved on.
open up the nicer power bank. Grab a thin blade screwdriver and go to town. This is an external charger that is rare in that it has a built in USB cable, not a micro socket you plug a cord into. Designed to feed five volts into the original Apple proprietary socket it is out of favor as Apple has switched to a different proprietary socket. Still, five volts is five volts. After prying off the shell with a screwdriver we can see the output side has three different wires. five volts, ground and some strange Apple proprietary voltage.
and solder in our own red and black to the five volts and ground connections. At that point we have a portable, rechargeable power supply that outputs five volts a the push of a button. A little hot glue for strain relief on the USB charging cable and perhaps wrapping it in electrical tape so all the connections are covered.
you put a collection of PVC tubing to hold whatever you want to hold. The trick is to have an idea of the tools you want to have on it and lay those out before hand, so you know what kind of tubing and how much you need. Some #6 screws, a drill press, bandsaw and CNC up the wood bits and away you go. Rubber feet on the bottom make sure it doesn’t slide away from you as you reach for that next screwdriver. The tools selected for the rack are based on my own experience in doing electronics and detail work. Precision screwdrivers are a must but so is a regular #2 Phillips and flathead. The #2 and #1 Phillips are probably used more than anything. From there it all makes sense to have enough tools but not too many. You can go crazy on the tool rack but it starts to get too large and would take over the tabletop if you let it. Keep it basic and know what you use.
ed, Variable Box of Voltage is the newest and most complex Box of Voltage available in Electronics. You will note it has a Knob on it. This Knob is to turn and twist and adjust the voltage the box puts out, from one point five volts all the way up to over thirty volts. It’s a multiturn potentiometer and allows you to dial in the voltage you need to great precision. The Voltage meter at the top of the box will tell you what voltage are currently dialed into and the milliAmps meter is the old Box of Voltage standby. This box as well requires a USB power connection to turn on to the obvious USB port in the back. Luckily the Electronics Area has provided twenty USB power ports for the upstairs room for your general use to charge your phone or power a Box of Voltage.
