Berea Makerspace Wiki - User contributions [en]

Fiber Laser

2026-10-05T16:29:29Z

Zapf: /* External Resources */

== General Information ==

The Fiber Laser can be found inside the [[Clean Room]].

The purpose of this page is to give a more in-depth look at the Fiber Laser, building on knowledge from the CO2 Laser orientation. If you have any issues with Clean Room equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-3d-printing, and #shop-laser.

== Orientation ==

Much of our orientation for the fiber laser is based off a base level of understanding gathered while taking our CO2 Laser orientation - we recommend you check out that page as well!

=== Laser Control Box ===

[[File:WiselyControllerFront.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Front Face]]

'''"Red Light" Button:''' Toggle Button that activates and deactivates the red dot pointer and framing from the laser head. '''This should always stay on.'''

'''Power Switch:''' Vertical is power off and should be turned off after use to conserve the laser. Turn the key to the right to turn the unit on. Do not remove the key; if key is removed, then it is out of service and a sign will be placed at the station.

'''E-Stop / Emergency Button:''' Immediately removes power to the laser head. Push in to activate and turn counterclockwise and pull out to deactivate.

[[File:WiselyControllerBack.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Back Face]]

'''Cooling Fans:''' Keeps controller cool during operation, you should hear these fans when you start and run the machine.

'''Fiber Optic and Communications Cable:''' Large cable at the bottom, this cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Rotary Port:''' Cable from rotary to controller is plugged into this port.

'''Foot Switch Port:''' Cable from foot switch to controller is plugged into this port.

=== Laser Head Assembly ===

[[File:WiselyHeadExterior.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Head Assembly (outside enclosure)]]

'''Laser Head Slide (1):''' Electrically driven slide that raises and lowers the laser head for focusing. Controlled by the handheld or foot switch controllers.

'''Laser Head Assembly (2):''' Moves vertically up and down to focus the laser head via the handheld or foot switch input devices.

'''Fiber Optic and Communication Cable (3):''' This cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Enclosure (4):''' Protects operator from reflected or scattered beam.

'''Base Plate (5):''' Support for machine and platform for your product to be lasered.

=== Focus Controller ===

[[File:WiselyFocusingController.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Focus Controller]]

'''Slide Up:''' Moves the laser head up and away from the base plate.

'''Slide Down:''' Moves the laser head down and closer to the base plate.

=== Enclosure Interior ===

[[File:WiselyFixture.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Fixture Bed]]

'''Fixturing Plate:''' Used for fixturing and aligning your material. Hardware available inside the enclosure - try designing your own for something specific!

'''Laser Head / Focusing Lens:''' Laser comes through this lens and is focused onto your material. Height controlled by handheld focusing controller and set by operator.

'''Red Dot:''' Shows where and what will be applied to your product when used with the framing tool in Lightburn.

'''Exhaust Port:''' Pulls dust and fume from the enclosure (and the clean room). '''Please turn on before running the laser!'''

=== Focusing the Laser ===

[[File:GalvoFocus.jpg|300px|center|border|Wisely Laser - setting Focus]]

* Manually hold the scale on the top of the material for focusing, ensuring you do not damage your material
* Refer to the '''Focusing Line''' labeled on the head of the laser. The bottom of this tag is the point you use on the scale for focusing purposes
* '''Focus Lengths:'''
** 100mm Lens - 285mm focus distance
** 200mm Lens - 436.5mm focus distance
* Make sure to choose your appropriate fixture method before focusing, as it may increase the height of the material from the laser bed!

'''Focusing Lens:''' The lenses can be removed to go to a different lens, or for periodic cleaning. Be careful, lens is heavy!

''Lefty loosens, righty tightens''

== Lightburn Notes ==

There are some important differences when using Lightburn with a fiber laser, when compared to use it with our CO2 Laser:

[[File:FiberLightburn1.png|600px|center|none|Lightburn Differences with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Origin (1):''' The fiber laser uses universal coordinates. Origin is in the center. Where you place it is where it will be on the plate.

'''Material Library (2):''' Crucial for setting your material settings correctly. Contains good starting points for supported materials. Material safety notes from CO2 Laser also apply.

'''Frame (3):''' Essential for checking where the engrave will occur. Engraving can be started from this dialog as well.

'''Device (4):''' Set to "Makerspace MOPA Laser"

=== Cut / Engrave Settings ===

[[File:LightburnFiber2.png|600px|center|none|Cut / engrave settings with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Power (%):''' The percentage of the laser's maximum output power being applied. Higher power = deeper/faster marks, but can cause excessive burning or distortion on sensitive materials. Starting point is typically determined by the material library.

'''Speed (mm/s):''' How fast the laser head moves across the material. Higher speed = faster processing but may require more power or multiple passes. Lower speed = more dwell time, creating deeper or darker marks.

'''Frequency (kHz):''' How many times per second the laser pulses the material. This affects the interaction between the laser and the material:
* Lower frequencies (20-50 kHz) = stronger, more aggressive pulses. Better for deep engraving and cutting.
* Higher frequencies (100-200 kHz) = gentler, more frequent pulses. Better for fine detail, clean marking, and lighter surface treatments.

'''Q-Pulse Width (ns):''' How long each individual pulse lasts. Measured in nanoseconds (ns). This dramatically affects the way energy is delivered to the material:
* Shorter pulses (1-5 ns) = very brief, high peak power. Creates minimal heat-affected zones. Excellent for delicate materials and high-contrast marking (like stainless steel jewelry).
* Medium pulses (5-100 ns) = balanced performance. Good for general-purpose marking.
* Longer pulses (100-500 ns) = longer energy delivery. Creates more heat-affected zones. Good for deep engraving, carbon migration, and marking certain plastics.

The combination of Frequency and Q-Pulse Width determines the actual "character" of the laser pulse. This is particularly important for achieving different colors on stainless steel and aluminum.

=== Material Test Generator ===

[[File:LightburnFiber3.png|600px|center|none|Material Tests with a Fiber Laser]]

To find the optimal settings for a new material, use the built-in Material Test Generator.

'''Accessing the Tool:'''
Lightburn > Laser Tools > Material Test

'''How It Works:'''
The generator creates a test grid that systematically varies Power, Speed, Frequency, and Q-Pulse Width across different sections of your material. After running the test, you can visually compare the results to determine which combination produces the best mark for your specific application.

'''What to Test:'''
* New or unfamiliar materials
* Different finishes on the same material (e.g., raw vs. coated metal)
* Materials that require specific color matching (e.g., achieving dark black on stainless steel or colored anodized markings)
* When testing new material suppliers or batches

'''Reading the Results:'''
* Look for the cleanest mark with the best contrast
* Check for edge sharpness and detail preservation
* Evaluate for any unwanted burning, melting, or distortion
* For color marking on metals, note which combinations produce the desired color

'''Saving Successful Settings:'''
Once you've identified a good combination, save it to the Material Library so other members can benefit from your testing.

== Material Library ==

The machine includes a built-in library of tested materials with recommended settings. These are excellent starting points for common materials:

* '''Stainless Steel''' - various finishes, colors achievable with different frequency/pulse width combinations
* '''Aluminum''' - raw, anodized, and coated variants
* '''Brass and Copper''' - marking and engraving settings
* '''Plastics''' - including acrylic, polycarbonate, and engineered plastics (always check material safety first!)
* '''Coated Metals''' - powder-coated, painted, or anodized surfaces

The library is accessible directly in Lightburn. Always start with the library settings, then use the Material Test Generator to fine-tune if needed.

== Rotary Tool ==

The Wisely MOPA Fiber Laser includes a rotary attachment for engraving cylindrical objects such as tumblers, pens, bottles, rings, and other round items. The rotary attachment holds the object and rotates it during engraving, allowing the laser to mark around the entire circumference.

[[File:RotaryAttachment.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Rotary Attachment]]

=== When to Use the Rotary ===

Use the rotary attachment when you need to engrave:
* Cylindrical objects (tumblers, bottles, cans)
* Round objects (rings, pen barrels, handles)
* Objects that cannot lie flat on the engraving bed

Do not use the rotary for flat objects – use the standard bed instead.

=== Installing the Rotary ===

[[File:RotaryConnection.jpg|200px|thumb|Rotary connection port on the controller]]

# Ensure the laser is powered off and the key is removed.
# Locate the rotary port on the back of the Wisely controller (labeled "Rotary").
# Connect the rotary cable to the port. The connector is keyed – do not force it.
# Secure the cable so it does not interfere with the laser head movement.
# Place the rotary attachment on the bed, with the chuck on the left side of the bed and the motor on the right. The object will extend along the X axis.

=== Securing Your Object ===

[[File:RotaryChuck.jpg|200px|thumb|Chuck jaws holding a tumbler]]

The Wisely rotary uses a chuck-style mechanism with adjustable jaws.

# Open the chuck jaws by rotating the outer ring counterclockwise.
# Insert your object, centering it in the jaws.
# Tighten the chuck by rotating the outer ring clockwise until the object is held firmly.
# Check that the object is centered and does not wobble when rotated.
# Do not overtighten – you can damage delicate objects or the chuck mechanism.

'''Important:''' The object must be centered on the rotary axis. If it wobbles during rotation, the engraving will be distorted or blurred.

=== LightBurn Setup ===

Configuring LightBurn for rotary use requires setting up the rotary parameters.

==== Enabling Rotary Mode ====

# Open LightBurn.
# Go to '''Laser Tools → Rotary Setup''' (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R), or click the rotary icon in the Modes Toolbar.[[File:RotarySetup.jpg|600px|center|none|LightBurn Rotary Setup from the September 2026 session, with Y Axis selected. Split, overlap, and diameter values shown are session examples.]]
# In the Rotary Setup window:
## '''Rotary Type:''' Select '''Chuck''' (for our chuck-style rotary).
## '''Enable Rotary:''' Check the box to enable rotary mode.
## '''Rotary Axis:''' Set to '''Y Axis''' in LightBurn. The rotary and object lie left-to-right along the bed's X direction; this is separate from LightBurn's rotary-axis selection.

The '''Steps Per Rotation''' value tells LightBurn how many motor steps are required for one full rotation of the chuck.

* Our rotary uses '''12,800 steps per rotation''' (this is the stepper motor driver setting).
* Enter this value in the '''Steps Per Rotation''' field.
* Click the '''Test''' button – the chuck should rotate exactly 360 degrees and return to the starting position.
** If it turns too far, reduce the steps per rotation.
** If it doesn't turn far enough, increase it.

'''Note:''' This value only needs to be set once and should not be changed unless the rotary hardware is modified.

==== Setting Object Diameter ====

For chuck-style rotaries, you must enter the diameter of the object you are engraving.


''Photo needed: measuring object diameter with calipers.''


# Measure the diameter of your object at the widest point using calipers.
# Enter the measured diameter in the '''Object Diameter''' field.
# If the object is tapered, use the largest diameter.

'''Why this matters:''' The object diameter tells LightBurn the circumference of your object, which determines how the engraving wraps around it. If this value is wrong, your engraving will be stretched or compressed.

'''Tip:''' Object Diameter and Circumference are linked – changing one automatically updates the other.

==== Split Size and Overlap ====

These settings affect how LightBurn divides the engraving into segments for rotary use:

* '''Split Size:''' Controls how much of the design is processed per rotation segment. Start with '''0.025-0.050 mm'''.
* '''Overlap:''' Controls how much adjacent segments overlap. Start with '''0.0'''.

=== Scan Angle ===

With the rotary set up along the X axis (chuck on the left, object pointing right), the scan angle should be set to '''0° or 180°''':

* '''Scan angle set to 0°''': The laser scans along the X axis (the length of the object), while the rotary rotates the object around the Y axis.
* '''Scan angle set to 180°''': The laser scans in the opposite direction along the X axis.

'''Why this matters:''' The object is laid along the X axis, so the scan angle must match this orientation. If the scan angle is set to 90° or 270°, the engraving will be distorted or stretched along the length of the object.

=== Creating Your Design ===

# Create your design in LightBurn as you normally would.
# For this Y Axis rotary setup, design width (X) runs along the length of the cup.
# Design height (Y) wraps around the circumference of the cup.
# To wrap a design around the full circumference, set its height equal to the circumference (diameter times pi).
# Use the preview function to check how the design will appear on the cylindrical surface.

[[File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Pattern_Design.jpg|600px|center|none|Full-wrap Celtic knot design for an 80.3 mm diameter cup. The design height wraps around the cup's approximately 252.27 mm circumference.]]

'''Session Example:''' The cup diameter was 80.3 mm, giving a circumference of approximately 252.27 mm (9.93 inches). The Celtic knot was sized to this full circumference along the design's Y direction. Its width controls the width of the band along the cup. The screenshot shows the Rotary Marking window during the job; the displayed split and overlap values are session settings, not universal defaults.

=== Running the Job ===

# Ensure the object is securely held in the chuck.
# Position the laser head over the starting point on the object.
# Use the red dot pointer to frame the engraving area.
# Run a test on a scrap piece or a small section first.
# Start the engraving job.

[[File:RotaryEngraving.jpg|300px|thumb|Rotary engraving in progress; remember to keep the door closed!]]

[[File:RotaryFinished.jpg|300px|thumb|Completed engraving using the rotary chuck.]]

=== Best Practices ===

* '''Clean the object''' before engraving – oils and debris can affect mark quality.
* '''Use the right settings''' – material test patterns work on rotary objects too! Use the Material Test Generator to find optimal power/speed/frequency/q-pulse combinations for cylindrical objects.
* '''Check balance''' – if the object is heavy or unbalanced, it may cause the rotary to skip steps.
* '''Start slow''' – begin with lower speeds and increase once you confirm good results.
* '''Watch the first pass''' – monitor the start of the engraving to catch issues early.
* '''Keep the laser focused''' – the focal distance remains constant across the object, but ensure the object is centered so the laser stays in focus.

=== Common Issues ===

'''Engraving is distorted or stretched'''
* Object diameter is incorrect – remeasure and update the value.
* Steps per rotation is incorrect – run the Test button and adjust.
* Scan angle is set incorrectly – should be 0° or 180°.

'''Object wobbles during rotation'''
* Chuck is not tightened enough – tighten the chuck.
* Object is not centered – reposition and retighten.
* Object is too heavy for the rotary – reduce speed or use a lighter object.

'''Engraving has banding or gaps'''
* Split size or overlap settings need adjustment.
* Try reducing split size or increasing overlap slightly.
* Check that the object is rotating smoothly without binding.

'''Rotary does not move'''
* Check that the cable is securely connected.
* Verify that Rotary Mode is enabled in LightBurn.
* Check that Rotary Axis is set to Y Axis in LightBurn.

'''Engraving is reversed or mirrored'''
* Enable the '''Mirror Output to Rotary''' option in Rotary Setup.

=== Maintenance ===

* Keep the chuck clean and free of debris.
* Periodically check the chuck jaws for wear.
* Do not force the chuck if it becomes stiff – clean and lubricate lightly with machine oil.
* Store the rotary attachment in a safe place when not in use.

== Session Examples ==

<gallery>
FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg|Makerspace logo engraved on the tumbler.|link=File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg
</gallery>

== Troubleshooting ==

=== Common Problems and Solutions ===

'''Laser doesn't fire'''
* Check that the key is in the ON position
* Verify the E-stop is not activated (pull out and rotate counterclockwise)
* Check that the laser is properly connected to the computer
* Verify that Lightburn is set to the correct device ("Makerspace MOPA Laser")

'''Poor marking quality'''
* Ensure the material is properly focused (use the focus scale)
* Check that the lens is clean and free of debris
* Run a material test to verify optimal settings
* Confirm that the material is compatible with fiber laser wavelengths

'''Inconsistent results'''
* Check that the material is securely fixtured and not moving during marking
* Verify that the lens is clean
* Ensure the material is level and at the correct focus distance

'''No red dot / framing pointer'''
* Press the "Red Light" button on the controller to toggle it on
* Verify that the framing is enabled in Lightburn

== External Resources ==

* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/ Lightburn Software]
* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/tutorials Lightburn Tutorials]
* [https://www.mopalasers.com/ MOPA Laser Resources]
* [https://fiberlaserignite.com/ Full MOPA Fiber Projects]

Fiber Laser

2026-09-20T16:33:57Z

Zapf:

Fiber Laser

2026-09-20T16:31:38Z

Zapf: moving a photo

== General Information ==

The Fiber Laser can be found inside the [[Clean Room]].

The purpose of this page is to give a more in-depth look at the Fiber Laser, building on knowledge from the CO2 Laser orientation. If you have any issues with Clean Room equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-3d-printing, and #shop-laser.

== Orientation ==

Much of our orientation for the fiber laser is based off a base level of understanding gathered while taking our CO2 Laser orientation - we recommend you check out that page as well!

=== Laser Control Box ===

[[File:WiselyControllerFront.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Front Face]]

'''"Red Light" Button:''' Toggle Button that activates and deactivates the red dot pointer and framing from the laser head. '''This should always stay on.'''

'''Power Switch:''' Vertical is power off and should be turned off after use to conserve the laser. Turn the key to the right to turn the unit on. Do not remove the key; if key is removed, then it is out of service and a sign will be placed at the station.

'''E-Stop / Emergency Button:''' Immediately removes power to the laser head. Push in to activate and turn counterclockwise and pull out to deactivate.

[[File:WiselyControllerBack.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Back Face]]

'''Cooling Fans:''' Keeps controller cool during operation, you should hear these fans when you start and run the machine.

'''Fiber Optic and Communications Cable:''' Large cable at the bottom, this cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Rotary Port:''' Cable from rotary to controller is plugged into this port.

'''Foot Switch Port:''' Cable from foot switch to controller is plugged into this port.

=== Laser Head Assembly ===

[[File:WiselyHeadExterior.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Head Assembly (outside enclosure)]]

'''Laser Head Slide (1):''' Electrically driven slide that raises and lowers the laser head for focusing. Controlled by the handheld or foot switch controllers.

'''Laser Head Assembly (2):''' Moves vertically up and down to focus the laser head via the handheld or foot switch input devices.

'''Fiber Optic and Communication Cable (3):''' This cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Enclosure (4):''' Protects operator from reflected or scattered beam.

'''Base Plate (5):''' Support for machine and platform for your product to be lasered.

=== Focus Controller ===

[[File:WiselyFocusingController.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Focus Controller]]

'''Slide Up:''' Moves the laser head up and away from the base plate.

'''Slide Down:''' Moves the laser head down and closer to the base plate.

=== Enclosure Interior ===

[[File:WiselyFixture.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Fixture Bed]]

'''Fixturing Plate:''' Used for fixturing and aligning your material. Hardware available inside the enclosure - try designing your own for something specific!

'''Laser Head / Focusing Lens:''' Laser comes through this lens and is focused onto your material. Height controlled by handheld focusing controller and set by operator.

'''Red Dot:''' Shows where and what will be applied to your product when used with the framing tool in Lightburn.

'''Exhaust Port:''' Pulls dust and fume from the enclosure (and the clean room). '''Please turn on before running the laser!'''

=== Focusing the Laser ===

[[File:GalvoFocus.jpg|300px|center|border|Wisely Laser - setting Focus]]

* Manually hold the scale on the top of the material for focusing, ensuring you do not damage your material
* Refer to the '''Focusing Line''' labeled on the head of the laser. The bottom of this tag is the point you use on the scale for focusing purposes
* '''Focus Lengths:'''
** 100mm Lens - 285mm focus distance
** 200mm Lens - 436.5mm focus distance
* Make sure to choose your appropriate fixture method before focusing, as it may increase the height of the material from the laser bed!

'''Focusing Lens:''' The lenses can be removed to go to a different lens, or for periodic cleaning. Be careful, lens is heavy!

''Lefty loosens, righty tightens''

== Lightburn Notes ==

There are some important differences when using Lightburn with a fiber laser, when compared to use it with our CO2 Laser:

[[File:FiberLightburn1.png|600px|center|none|Lightburn Differences with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Origin (1):''' The fiber laser uses universal coordinates. Origin is in the center. Where you place it is where it will be on the plate.

'''Material Library (2):''' Crucial for setting your material settings correctly. Contains good starting points for supported materials. Material safety notes from CO2 Laser also apply.

'''Frame (3):''' Essential for checking where the engrave will occur. Engraving can be started from this dialog as well.

'''Device (4):''' Set to "Makerspace MOPA Laser"

=== Cut / Engrave Settings ===

[[File:LightburnFiber2.png|600px|center|none|Cut / engrave settings with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Power (%):''' The percentage of the laser's maximum output power being applied. Higher power = deeper/faster marks, but can cause excessive burning or distortion on sensitive materials. Starting point is typically determined by the material library.

'''Speed (mm/s):''' How fast the laser head moves across the material. Higher speed = faster processing but may require more power or multiple passes. Lower speed = more dwell time, creating deeper or darker marks.

'''Frequency (kHz):''' How many times per second the laser pulses the material. This affects the interaction between the laser and the material:
* Lower frequencies (20-50 kHz) = stronger, more aggressive pulses. Better for deep engraving and cutting.
* Higher frequencies (100-200 kHz) = gentler, more frequent pulses. Better for fine detail, clean marking, and lighter surface treatments.

'''Q-Pulse Width (ns):''' How long each individual pulse lasts. Measured in nanoseconds (ns). This dramatically affects the way energy is delivered to the material:
* Shorter pulses (1-5 ns) = very brief, high peak power. Creates minimal heat-affected zones. Excellent for delicate materials and high-contrast marking (like stainless steel jewelry).
* Medium pulses (5-100 ns) = balanced performance. Good for general-purpose marking.
* Longer pulses (100-500 ns) = longer energy delivery. Creates more heat-affected zones. Good for deep engraving, carbon migration, and marking certain plastics.

The combination of Frequency and Q-Pulse Width determines the actual "character" of the laser pulse. This is particularly important for achieving different colors on stainless steel and aluminum.

=== Material Test Generator ===

[[File:LightburnFiber3.png|600px|center|none|Material Tests with a Fiber Laser]]

To find the optimal settings for a new material, use the built-in Material Test Generator.

'''Accessing the Tool:'''
Lightburn > Laser Tools > Material Test

'''How It Works:'''
The generator creates a test grid that systematically varies Power, Speed, Frequency, and Q-Pulse Width across different sections of your material. After running the test, you can visually compare the results to determine which combination produces the best mark for your specific application.

'''What to Test:'''
* New or unfamiliar materials
* Different finishes on the same material (e.g., raw vs. coated metal)
* Materials that require specific color matching (e.g., achieving dark black on stainless steel or colored anodized markings)
* When testing new material suppliers or batches

'''Reading the Results:'''
* Look for the cleanest mark with the best contrast
* Check for edge sharpness and detail preservation
* Evaluate for any unwanted burning, melting, or distortion
* For color marking on metals, note which combinations produce the desired color

'''Saving Successful Settings:'''
Once you've identified a good combination, save it to the Material Library so other members can benefit from your testing.

== Material Library ==

The machine includes a built-in library of tested materials with recommended settings. These are excellent starting points for common materials:

* '''Stainless Steel''' - various finishes, colors achievable with different frequency/pulse width combinations
* '''Aluminum''' - raw, anodized, and coated variants
* '''Brass and Copper''' - marking and engraving settings
* '''Plastics''' - including acrylic, polycarbonate, and engineered plastics (always check material safety first!)
* '''Coated Metals''' - powder-coated, painted, or anodized surfaces

The library is accessible directly in Lightburn. Always start with the library settings, then use the Material Test Generator to fine-tune if needed.

== Rotary Tool ==

The Wisely MOPA Fiber Laser includes a rotary attachment for engraving cylindrical objects such as tumblers, pens, bottles, rings, and other round items. The rotary attachment holds the object and rotates it during engraving, allowing the laser to mark around the entire circumference.

[[File:RotaryAttachment.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Rotary Attachment]]

=== When to Use the Rotary ===

Use the rotary attachment when you need to engrave:
* Cylindrical objects (tumblers, bottles, cans)
* Round objects (rings, pen barrels, handles)
* Objects that cannot lie flat on the engraving bed

Do not use the rotary for flat objects – use the standard bed instead.

=== Installing the Rotary ===

[[File:RotaryConnection.jpg|200px|thumb|Rotary connection port on the controller]]

# Ensure the laser is powered off and the key is removed.
# Locate the rotary port on the back of the Wisely controller (labeled "Rotary").
# Connect the rotary cable to the port. The connector is keyed – do not force it.
# Secure the cable so it does not interfere with the laser head movement.
# Place the rotary attachment on the bed, with the chuck on the left side of the bed and the motor on the right. The object will extend along the X axis.

=== Securing Your Object ===

[[File:RotaryChuck.jpg|200px|thumb|Chuck jaws holding a tumbler]]

The Wisely rotary uses a chuck-style mechanism with adjustable jaws.

# Open the chuck jaws by rotating the outer ring counterclockwise.
# Insert your object, centering it in the jaws.
# Tighten the chuck by rotating the outer ring clockwise until the object is held firmly.
# Check that the object is centered and does not wobble when rotated.
# Do not overtighten – you can damage delicate objects or the chuck mechanism.

'''Important:''' The object must be centered on the rotary axis. If it wobbles during rotation, the engraving will be distorted or blurred.

=== LightBurn Setup ===

Configuring LightBurn for rotary use requires setting up the rotary parameters.

==== Enabling Rotary Mode ====

# Open LightBurn.
# Go to '''Laser Tools → Rotary Setup''' (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R), or click the rotary icon in the Modes Toolbar.[[File:RotarySetup.jpg|600px|center|none|LightBurn Rotary Setup from the September 2026 session, with Y Axis selected. Split, overlap, and diameter values shown are session examples.]]
# In the Rotary Setup window:
## '''Rotary Type:''' Select '''Chuck''' (for our chuck-style rotary).
## '''Enable Rotary:''' Check the box to enable rotary mode.
## '''Rotary Axis:''' Set to '''Y Axis''' in LightBurn. The rotary and object lie left-to-right along the bed's X direction; this is separate from LightBurn's rotary-axis selection.

The '''Steps Per Rotation''' value tells LightBurn how many motor steps are required for one full rotation of the chuck.

* Our rotary uses '''12,800 steps per rotation''' (this is the stepper motor driver setting).
* Enter this value in the '''Steps Per Rotation''' field.
* Click the '''Test''' button – the chuck should rotate exactly 360 degrees and return to the starting position.
** If it turns too far, reduce the steps per rotation.
** If it doesn't turn far enough, increase it.

'''Note:''' This value only needs to be set once and should not be changed unless the rotary hardware is modified.

==== Setting Object Diameter ====

For chuck-style rotaries, you must enter the diameter of the object you are engraving.


''Photo needed: measuring object diameter with calipers.''


# Measure the diameter of your object at the widest point using calipers.
# Enter the measured diameter in the '''Object Diameter''' field.
# If the object is tapered, use the largest diameter.

'''Why this matters:''' The object diameter tells LightBurn the circumference of your object, which determines how the engraving wraps around it. If this value is wrong, your engraving will be stretched or compressed.

'''Tip:''' Object Diameter and Circumference are linked – changing one automatically updates the other.

==== Split Size and Overlap ====

These settings affect how LightBurn divides the engraving into segments for rotary use:

* '''Split Size:''' Controls how much of the design is processed per rotation segment. Start with '''0.025-0.050 mm'''.
* '''Overlap:''' Controls how much adjacent segments overlap. Start with '''0.0'''.

=== Scan Angle ===

With the rotary set up along the X axis (chuck on the left, object pointing right), the scan angle should be set to '''0° or 180°''':

* '''Scan angle set to 0°''': The laser scans along the X axis (the length of the object), while the rotary rotates the object around the Y axis.
* '''Scan angle set to 180°''': The laser scans in the opposite direction along the X axis.

'''Why this matters:''' The object is laid along the X axis, so the scan angle must match this orientation. If the scan angle is set to 90° or 270°, the engraving will be distorted or stretched along the length of the object.

=== Creating Your Design ===

# Create your design in LightBurn as you normally would.
# For this Y Axis rotary setup, design width (X) runs along the length of the cup.
# Design height (Y) wraps around the circumference of the cup.
# To wrap a design around the full circumference, set its height equal to the circumference (diameter times pi).
# Use the preview function to check how the design will appear on the cylindrical surface.

[[File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Pattern_Design.jpg|600px|center|none|Full-wrap Celtic knot design for an 80.3 mm diameter cup. The design height wraps around the cup's approximately 252.27 mm circumference.]]

'''Session Example:''' The cup diameter was 80.3 mm, giving a circumference of approximately 252.27 mm (9.93 inches). The Celtic knot was sized to this full circumference along the design's Y direction. Its width controls the width of the band along the cup. The screenshot shows the Rotary Marking window during the job; the displayed split and overlap values are session settings, not universal defaults.

=== Running the Job ===

# Ensure the object is securely held in the chuck.
# Position the laser head over the starting point on the object.
# Use the red dot pointer to frame the engraving area.
# Run a test on a scrap piece or a small section first.
# Start the engraving job.

[[File:RotaryEngraving.jpg|300px|thumb|Rotary engraving during the September 2026 session.]]

[[File:RotaryFinished.jpg|300px|thumb|Tumbler with rotary test engraving.]]

=== Best Practices ===

* '''Clean the object''' before engraving – oils and debris can affect mark quality.
* '''Use the right settings''' – material test patterns work on rotary objects too! Use the Material Test Generator to find optimal power/speed/frequency/q-pulse combinations for cylindrical objects.
* '''Check balance''' – if the object is heavy or unbalanced, it may cause the rotary to skip steps.
* '''Start slow''' – begin with lower speeds and increase once you confirm good results.
* '''Watch the first pass''' – monitor the start of the engraving to catch issues early.
* '''Keep the laser focused''' – the focal distance remains constant across the object, but ensure the object is centered so the laser stays in focus.

=== Common Issues ===

'''Engraving is distorted or stretched'''
* Object diameter is incorrect – remeasure and update the value.
* Steps per rotation is incorrect – run the Test button and adjust.
* Scan angle is set incorrectly – should be 0° or 180°.

'''Object wobbles during rotation'''
* Chuck is not tightened enough – tighten the chuck.
* Object is not centered – reposition and retighten.
* Object is too heavy for the rotary – reduce speed or use a lighter object.

'''Engraving has banding or gaps'''
* Split size or overlap settings need adjustment.
* Try reducing split size or increasing overlap slightly.
* Check that the object is rotating smoothly without binding.

'''Rotary does not move'''
* Check that the cable is securely connected.
* Verify that Rotary Mode is enabled in LightBurn.
* Check that Rotary Axis is set to Y Axis in LightBurn.

'''Engraving is reversed or mirrored'''
* Enable the '''Mirror Output to Rotary''' option in Rotary Setup.

=== Maintenance ===

* Keep the chuck clean and free of debris.
* Periodically check the chuck jaws for wear.
* Do not force the chuck if it becomes stiff – clean and lubricate lightly with machine oil.
* Store the rotary attachment in a safe place when not in use.

== Session Examples ==

<gallery>
FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg|Makerspace logo engraved on the tumbler.|link=File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg
</gallery>

== Troubleshooting ==

=== Common Problems and Solutions ===

'''Laser doesn't fire'''
* Check that the key is in the ON position
* Verify the E-stop is not activated (pull out and rotate counterclockwise)
* Check that the laser is properly connected to the computer
* Verify that Lightburn is set to the correct device ("Makerspace MOPA Laser")

'''Poor marking quality'''
* Ensure the material is properly focused (use the focus scale)
* Check that the lens is clean and free of debris
* Run a material test to verify optimal settings
* Confirm that the material is compatible with fiber laser wavelengths

'''Inconsistent results'''
* Check that the material is securely fixtured and not moving during marking
* Verify that the lens is clean
* Ensure the material is level and at the correct focus distance

'''No red dot / framing pointer'''
* Press the "Red Light" button on the controller to toggle it on
* Verify that the framing is enabled in Lightburn

== External Resources ==

* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/ Lightburn Software]
* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/tutorials Lightburn Tutorials]
* [https://www.mopalasers.com/ MOPA Laser Resources]

Fiber Laser

2026-09-20T16:29:49Z

Zapf: removing stuff

== General Information ==

The Fiber Laser can be found inside the [[Clean Room]].

The purpose of this page is to give a more in-depth look at the Fiber Laser, building on knowledge from the CO2 Laser orientation. If you have any issues with Clean Room equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-3d-printing, and #shop-laser.

== Orientation ==

Much of our orientation for the fiber laser is based off a base level of understanding gathered while taking our CO2 Laser orientation - we recommend you check out that page as well!

=== Laser Control Box ===

[[File:WiselyControllerFront.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Front Face]]

'''"Red Light" Button:''' Toggle Button that activates and deactivates the red dot pointer and framing from the laser head. '''This should always stay on.'''

'''Power Switch:''' Vertical is power off and should be turned off after use to conserve the laser. Turn the key to the right to turn the unit on. Do not remove the key; if key is removed, then it is out of service and a sign will be placed at the station.

'''E-Stop / Emergency Button:''' Immediately removes power to the laser head. Push in to activate and turn counterclockwise and pull out to deactivate.

[[File:WiselyControllerBack.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Back Face]]

'''Cooling Fans:''' Keeps controller cool during operation, you should hear these fans when you start and run the machine.

'''Fiber Optic and Communications Cable:''' Large cable at the bottom, this cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Rotary Port:''' Cable from rotary to controller is plugged into this port.

'''Foot Switch Port:''' Cable from foot switch to controller is plugged into this port.

=== Laser Head Assembly ===

[[File:WiselyHeadExterior.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Head Assembly (outside enclosure)]]

'''Laser Head Slide (1):''' Electrically driven slide that raises and lowers the laser head for focusing. Controlled by the handheld or foot switch controllers.

'''Laser Head Assembly (2):''' Moves vertically up and down to focus the laser head via the handheld or foot switch input devices.

'''Fiber Optic and Communication Cable (3):''' This cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Enclosure (4):''' Protects operator from reflected or scattered beam.

'''Base Plate (5):''' Support for machine and platform for your product to be lasered.

=== Focus Controller ===

[[File:WiselyFocusingController.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Focus Controller]]

'''Slide Up:''' Moves the laser head up and away from the base plate.

'''Slide Down:''' Moves the laser head down and closer to the base plate.

=== Enclosure Interior ===

[[File:WiselyFixture.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Fixture Bed]]

'''Fixturing Plate:''' Used for fixturing and aligning your material. Hardware available inside the enclosure - try designing your own for something specific!

'''Laser Head / Focusing Lens:''' Laser comes through this lens and is focused onto your material. Height controlled by handheld focusing controller and set by operator.

'''Red Dot:''' Shows where and what will be applied to your product when used with the framing tool in Lightburn.

'''Exhaust Port:''' Pulls dust and fume from the enclosure (and the clean room). '''Please turn on before running the laser!'''

=== Focusing the Laser ===

[[File:GalvoFocus.jpg|300px|center|border|Wisely Laser - setting Focus]]

* Manually hold the scale on the top of the material for focusing, ensuring you do not damage your material
* Refer to the '''Focusing Line''' labeled on the head of the laser. The bottom of this tag is the point you use on the scale for focusing purposes
* '''Focus Lengths:'''
** 100mm Lens - 285mm focus distance
** 200mm Lens - 436.5mm focus distance
* Make sure to choose your appropriate fixture method before focusing, as it may increase the height of the material from the laser bed!

'''Focusing Lens:''' The lenses can be removed to go to a different lens, or for periodic cleaning. Be careful, lens is heavy!

''Lefty loosens, righty tightens''

== Lightburn Notes ==

There are some important differences when using Lightburn with a fiber laser, when compared to use it with our CO2 Laser:

[[File:FiberLightburn1.png|600px|center|none|Lightburn Differences with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Origin (1):''' The fiber laser uses universal coordinates. Origin is in the center. Where you place it is where it will be on the plate.

'''Material Library (2):''' Crucial for setting your material settings correctly. Contains good starting points for supported materials. Material safety notes from CO2 Laser also apply.

'''Frame (3):''' Essential for checking where the engrave will occur. Engraving can be started from this dialog as well.

'''Device (4):''' Set to "Makerspace MOPA Laser"

=== Cut / Engrave Settings ===

[[File:LightburnFiber2.png|600px|center|none|Cut / engrave settings with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Power (%):''' The percentage of the laser's maximum output power being applied. Higher power = deeper/faster marks, but can cause excessive burning or distortion on sensitive materials. Starting point is typically determined by the material library.

'''Speed (mm/s):''' How fast the laser head moves across the material. Higher speed = faster processing but may require more power or multiple passes. Lower speed = more dwell time, creating deeper or darker marks.

'''Frequency (kHz):''' How many times per second the laser pulses the material. This affects the interaction between the laser and the material:
* Lower frequencies (20-50 kHz) = stronger, more aggressive pulses. Better for deep engraving and cutting.
* Higher frequencies (100-200 kHz) = gentler, more frequent pulses. Better for fine detail, clean marking, and lighter surface treatments.

'''Q-Pulse Width (ns):''' How long each individual pulse lasts. Measured in nanoseconds (ns). This dramatically affects the way energy is delivered to the material:
* Shorter pulses (1-5 ns) = very brief, high peak power. Creates minimal heat-affected zones. Excellent for delicate materials and high-contrast marking (like stainless steel jewelry).
* Medium pulses (5-100 ns) = balanced performance. Good for general-purpose marking.
* Longer pulses (100-500 ns) = longer energy delivery. Creates more heat-affected zones. Good for deep engraving, carbon migration, and marking certain plastics.

The combination of Frequency and Q-Pulse Width determines the actual "character" of the laser pulse. This is particularly important for achieving different colors on stainless steel and aluminum.

=== Material Test Generator ===

[[File:LightburnFiber3.png|600px|center|none|Material Tests with a Fiber Laser]]

To find the optimal settings for a new material, use the built-in Material Test Generator.

'''Accessing the Tool:'''
Lightburn > Laser Tools > Material Test

'''How It Works:'''
The generator creates a test grid that systematically varies Power, Speed, Frequency, and Q-Pulse Width across different sections of your material. After running the test, you can visually compare the results to determine which combination produces the best mark for your specific application.

'''What to Test:'''
* New or unfamiliar materials
* Different finishes on the same material (e.g., raw vs. coated metal)
* Materials that require specific color matching (e.g., achieving dark black on stainless steel or colored anodized markings)
* When testing new material suppliers or batches

'''Reading the Results:'''
* Look for the cleanest mark with the best contrast
* Check for edge sharpness and detail preservation
* Evaluate for any unwanted burning, melting, or distortion
* For color marking on metals, note which combinations produce the desired color

'''Saving Successful Settings:'''
Once you've identified a good combination, save it to the Material Library so other members can benefit from your testing.

== Material Library ==

The machine includes a built-in library of tested materials with recommended settings. These are excellent starting points for common materials:

* '''Stainless Steel''' - various finishes, colors achievable with different frequency/pulse width combinations
* '''Aluminum''' - raw, anodized, and coated variants
* '''Brass and Copper''' - marking and engraving settings
* '''Plastics''' - including acrylic, polycarbonate, and engineered plastics (always check material safety first!)
* '''Coated Metals''' - powder-coated, painted, or anodized surfaces

The library is accessible directly in Lightburn. Always start with the library settings, then use the Material Test Generator to fine-tune if needed.

== Rotary Tool ==

The Wisely MOPA Fiber Laser includes a rotary attachment for engraving cylindrical objects such as tumblers, pens, bottles, rings, and other round items. The rotary attachment holds the object and rotates it during engraving, allowing the laser to mark around the entire circumference.

[[File:RotaryAttachment.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Rotary Attachment]]

=== When to Use the Rotary ===

Use the rotary attachment when you need to engrave:
* Cylindrical objects (tumblers, bottles, cans)
* Round objects (rings, pen barrels, handles)
* Objects that cannot lie flat on the engraving bed

Do not use the rotary for flat objects – use the standard bed instead.

=== Installing the Rotary ===

[[File:RotaryConnection.jpg|200px|thumb|Rotary connection port on the controller]]

# Ensure the laser is powered off and the key is removed.
# Locate the rotary port on the back of the Wisely controller (labeled "Rotary").
# Connect the rotary cable to the port. The connector is keyed – do not force it.
# Secure the cable so it does not interfere with the laser head movement.
# Place the rotary attachment on the bed, with the chuck on the left side of the bed and the motor on the right. The object will extend along the X axis.

=== Securing Your Object ===

[[File:RotaryChuck.jpg|200px|thumb|Chuck jaws holding a tumbler]]

The Wisely rotary uses a chuck-style mechanism with adjustable jaws.

# Open the chuck jaws by rotating the outer ring counterclockwise.
# Insert your object, centering it in the jaws.
# Tighten the chuck by rotating the outer ring clockwise until the object is held firmly.
# Check that the object is centered and does not wobble when rotated.
# Do not overtighten – you can damage delicate objects or the chuck mechanism.

'''Important:''' The object must be centered on the rotary axis. If it wobbles during rotation, the engraving will be distorted or blurred.

=== LightBurn Setup ===

Configuring LightBurn for rotary use requires setting up the rotary parameters.

==== Enabling Rotary Mode ====

# Open LightBurn.
# Go to '''Laser Tools → Rotary Setup''' (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R), or click the rotary icon in the Modes Toolbar.
# In the Rotary Setup window:
## '''Rotary Type:''' Select '''Chuck''' (for our chuck-style rotary).
## '''Enable Rotary:''' Check the box to enable rotary mode.
## '''Rotary Axis:''' Set to '''Y Axis''' in LightBurn. The rotary and object lie left-to-right along the bed's X direction; this is separate from LightBurn's rotary-axis selection.

==== Setting Steps Per Rotation ====

[[File:RotarySetup.jpg|600px|center|none|LightBurn Rotary Setup from the September 2026 session, with Y Axis selected. Split, overlap, and diameter values shown are session examples.]]

The '''Steps Per Rotation''' value tells LightBurn how many motor steps are required for one full rotation of the chuck.

* Our rotary uses '''12,800 steps per rotation''' (this is the stepper motor driver setting).
* Enter this value in the '''Steps Per Rotation''' field.
* Click the '''Test''' button – the chuck should rotate exactly 360 degrees and return to the starting position.
** If it turns too far, reduce the steps per rotation.
** If it doesn't turn far enough, increase it.

'''Note:''' This value only needs to be set once and should not be changed unless the rotary hardware is modified.

==== Setting Object Diameter ====

For chuck-style rotaries, you must enter the diameter of the object you are engraving.


''Photo needed: measuring object diameter with calipers.''


# Measure the diameter of your object at the widest point using calipers.
# Enter the measured diameter in the '''Object Diameter''' field.
# If the object is tapered, use the largest diameter.

'''Why this matters:''' The object diameter tells LightBurn the circumference of your object, which determines how the engraving wraps around it. If this value is wrong, your engraving will be stretched or compressed.

'''Tip:''' Object Diameter and Circumference are linked – changing one automatically updates the other.

==== Split Size and Overlap ====

These settings affect how LightBurn divides the engraving into segments for rotary use:

* '''Split Size:''' Controls how much of the design is processed per rotation segment. Start with '''0.025-0.050 mm'''.
* '''Overlap:''' Controls how much adjacent segments overlap. Start with '''0.0'''.

=== Scan Angle ===

With the rotary set up along the X axis (chuck on the left, object pointing right), the scan angle should be set to '''0° or 180°''':

* '''Scan angle set to 0°''': The laser scans along the X axis (the length of the object), while the rotary rotates the object around the Y axis.
* '''Scan angle set to 180°''': The laser scans in the opposite direction along the X axis.

'''Why this matters:''' The object is laid along the X axis, so the scan angle must match this orientation. If the scan angle is set to 90° or 270°, the engraving will be distorted or stretched along the length of the object.

=== Creating Your Design ===

# Create your design in LightBurn as you normally would.
# For this Y Axis rotary setup, design width (X) runs along the length of the cup.
# Design height (Y) wraps around the circumference of the cup.
# To wrap a design around the full circumference, set its height equal to the circumference (diameter times pi).
# Use the preview function to check how the design will appear on the cylindrical surface.

[[File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Pattern_Design.jpg|600px|center|none|Full-wrap Celtic knot design for an 80.3 mm diameter cup. The design height wraps around the cup's approximately 252.27 mm circumference.]]

'''Session Example:''' The cup diameter was 80.3 mm, giving a circumference of approximately 252.27 mm (9.93 inches). The Celtic knot was sized to this full circumference along the design's Y direction. Its width controls the width of the band along the cup. The screenshot shows the Rotary Marking window during the job; the displayed split and overlap values are session settings, not universal defaults.

=== Running the Job ===

# Ensure the object is securely held in the chuck.
# Position the laser head over the starting point on the object.
# Use the red dot pointer to frame the engraving area.
# Run a test on a scrap piece or a small section first.
# Start the engraving job.

[[File:RotaryEngraving.jpg|300px|thumb|Rotary engraving during the September 2026 session.]]

[[File:RotaryFinished.jpg|300px|thumb|Tumbler with rotary test engraving.]]

=== Best Practices ===

* '''Clean the object''' before engraving – oils and debris can affect mark quality.
* '''Use the right settings''' – material test patterns work on rotary objects too! Use the Material Test Generator to find optimal power/speed/frequency/q-pulse combinations for cylindrical objects.
* '''Check balance''' – if the object is heavy or unbalanced, it may cause the rotary to skip steps.
* '''Start slow''' – begin with lower speeds and increase once you confirm good results.
* '''Watch the first pass''' – monitor the start of the engraving to catch issues early.
* '''Keep the laser focused''' – the focal distance remains constant across the object, but ensure the object is centered so the laser stays in focus.

=== Common Issues ===

'''Engraving is distorted or stretched'''
* Object diameter is incorrect – remeasure and update the value.
* Steps per rotation is incorrect – run the Test button and adjust.
* Scan angle is set incorrectly – should be 0° or 180°.

'''Object wobbles during rotation'''
* Chuck is not tightened enough – tighten the chuck.
* Object is not centered – reposition and retighten.
* Object is too heavy for the rotary – reduce speed or use a lighter object.

'''Engraving has banding or gaps'''
* Split size or overlap settings need adjustment.
* Try reducing split size or increasing overlap slightly.
* Check that the object is rotating smoothly without binding.

'''Rotary does not move'''
* Check that the cable is securely connected.
* Verify that Rotary Mode is enabled in LightBurn.
* Check that Rotary Axis is set to Y Axis in LightBurn.

'''Engraving is reversed or mirrored'''
* Enable the '''Mirror Output to Rotary''' option in Rotary Setup.

=== Maintenance ===

* Keep the chuck clean and free of debris.
* Periodically check the chuck jaws for wear.
* Do not force the chuck if it becomes stiff – clean and lubricate lightly with machine oil.
* Store the rotary attachment in a safe place when not in use.

== Session Examples ==

<gallery>
FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg|Makerspace logo engraved on the tumbler.|link=File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg
</gallery>

== Troubleshooting ==

=== Common Problems and Solutions ===

'''Laser doesn't fire'''
* Check that the key is in the ON position
* Verify the E-stop is not activated (pull out and rotate counterclockwise)
* Check that the laser is properly connected to the computer
* Verify that Lightburn is set to the correct device ("Makerspace MOPA Laser")

'''Poor marking quality'''
* Ensure the material is properly focused (use the focus scale)
* Check that the lens is clean and free of debris
* Run a material test to verify optimal settings
* Confirm that the material is compatible with fiber laser wavelengths

'''Inconsistent results'''
* Check that the material is securely fixtured and not moving during marking
* Verify that the lens is clean
* Ensure the material is level and at the correct focus distance

'''No red dot / framing pointer'''
* Press the "Red Light" button on the controller to toggle it on
* Verify that the framing is enabled in Lightburn

== External Resources ==

* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/ Lightburn Software]
* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/tutorials Lightburn Tutorials]
* [https://www.mopalasers.com/ MOPA Laser Resources]

Fiber Laser

2026-09-20T16:26:24Z

Zapf: Add rotary session photos and full-wrap example; clarify Y Axis setup and design dimensions

== General Information ==

The Fiber Laser can be found inside the [[Clean Room]].

The purpose of this page is to give a more in-depth look at the Fiber Laser, building on knowledge from the CO2 Laser orientation. If you have any issues with Clean Room equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-3d-printing, and #shop-laser.

== Orientation ==

Much of our orientation for the fiber laser is based off a base level of understanding gathered while taking our CO2 Laser orientation - we recommend you check out that page as well!

=== Laser Control Box ===

[[File:WiselyControllerFront.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Front Face]]

'''"Red Light" Button:''' Toggle Button that activates and deactivates the red dot pointer and framing from the laser head. '''This should always stay on.'''

'''Power Switch:''' Vertical is power off and should be turned off after use to conserve the laser. Turn the key to the right to turn the unit on. Do not remove the key; if key is removed, then it is out of service and a sign will be placed at the station.

'''E-Stop / Emergency Button:''' Immediately removes power to the laser head. Push in to activate and turn counterclockwise and pull out to deactivate.

[[File:WiselyControllerBack.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Controller - Back Face]]

'''Cooling Fans:''' Keeps controller cool during operation, you should hear these fans when you start and run the machine.

'''Fiber Optic and Communications Cable:''' Large cable at the bottom, this cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Rotary Port:''' Cable from rotary to controller is plugged into this port.

'''Foot Switch Port:''' Cable from foot switch to controller is plugged into this port.

=== Laser Head Assembly ===

[[File:WiselyHeadExterior.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Head Assembly (outside enclosure)]]

'''Laser Head Slide (1):''' Electrically driven slide that raises and lowers the laser head for focusing. Controlled by the handheld or foot switch controllers.

'''Laser Head Assembly (2):''' Moves vertically up and down to focus the laser head via the handheld or foot switch input devices.

'''Fiber Optic and Communication Cable (3):''' This cable houses the fiber optics and communication from the controller to the laser head. <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''DO NOT bend, pinch or damage this cable in any way!'''</span>

'''Enclosure (4):''' Protects operator from reflected or scattered beam.

'''Base Plate (5):''' Support for machine and platform for your product to be lasered.

=== Focus Controller ===

[[File:WiselyFocusingController.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Focus Controller]]

'''Slide Up:''' Moves the laser head up and away from the base plate.

'''Slide Down:''' Moves the laser head down and closer to the base plate.

=== Enclosure Interior ===

[[File:WiselyFixture.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Laser - Fixture Bed]]

'''Fixturing Plate:''' Used for fixturing and aligning your material. Hardware available inside the enclosure - try designing your own for something specific!

'''Laser Head / Focusing Lens:''' Laser comes through this lens and is focused onto your material. Height controlled by handheld focusing controller and set by operator.

'''Red Dot:''' Shows where and what will be applied to your product when used with the framing tool in Lightburn.

'''Exhaust Port:''' Pulls dust and fume from the enclosure (and the clean room). '''Please turn on before running the laser!'''

=== Focusing the Laser ===

[[File:GalvoFocus.jpg|300px|center|border|Wisely Laser - setting Focus]]

* Manually hold the scale on the top of the material for focusing, ensuring you do not damage your material
* Refer to the '''Focusing Line''' labeled on the head of the laser. The bottom of this tag is the point you use on the scale for focusing purposes
* '''Focus Lengths:'''
** 100mm Lens - 285mm focus distance
** 200mm Lens - 436.5mm focus distance
* Make sure to choose your appropriate fixture method before focusing, as it may increase the height of the material from the laser bed!

'''Focusing Lens:''' The lenses can be removed to go to a different lens, or for periodic cleaning. Be careful, lens is heavy!

''Lefty loosens, righty tightens''

== Lightburn Notes ==

There are some important differences when using Lightburn with a fiber laser, when compared to use it with our CO2 Laser:

[[File:FiberLightburn1.png|600px|center|none|Lightburn Differences with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Origin (1):''' The fiber laser uses universal coordinates. Origin is in the center. Where you place it is where it will be on the plate.

'''Material Library (2):''' Crucial for setting your material settings correctly. Contains good starting points for supported materials. Material safety notes from CO2 Laser also apply.

'''Frame (3):''' Essential for checking where the engrave will occur. Engraving can be started from this dialog as well.

'''Device (4):''' Set to "Makerspace MOPA Laser"

=== Cut / Engrave Settings ===

[[File:LightburnFiber2.png|600px|center|none|Cut / engrave settings with a Fiber Laser]]

'''Power (%):''' The percentage of the laser's maximum output power being applied. Higher power = deeper/faster marks, but can cause excessive burning or distortion on sensitive materials. Starting point is typically determined by the material library.

'''Speed (mm/s):''' How fast the laser head moves across the material. Higher speed = faster processing but may require more power or multiple passes. Lower speed = more dwell time, creating deeper or darker marks.

'''Frequency (kHz):''' How many times per second the laser pulses the material. This affects the interaction between the laser and the material:
* Lower frequencies (20-50 kHz) = stronger, more aggressive pulses. Better for deep engraving and cutting.
* Higher frequencies (100-200 kHz) = gentler, more frequent pulses. Better for fine detail, clean marking, and lighter surface treatments.

'''Q-Pulse Width (ns):''' How long each individual pulse lasts. Measured in nanoseconds (ns). This dramatically affects the way energy is delivered to the material:
* Shorter pulses (1-5 ns) = very brief, high peak power. Creates minimal heat-affected zones. Excellent for delicate materials and high-contrast marking (like stainless steel jewelry).
* Medium pulses (5-100 ns) = balanced performance. Good for general-purpose marking.
* Longer pulses (100-500 ns) = longer energy delivery. Creates more heat-affected zones. Good for deep engraving, carbon migration, and marking certain plastics.

The combination of Frequency and Q-Pulse Width determines the actual "character" of the laser pulse. This is particularly important for achieving different colors on stainless steel and aluminum.

=== Material Test Generator ===

[[File:LightburnFiber3.png|600px|center|none|Material Tests with a Fiber Laser]]

To find the optimal settings for a new material, use the built-in Material Test Generator.

'''Accessing the Tool:'''
Lightburn > Laser Tools > Material Test

'''How It Works:'''
The generator creates a test grid that systematically varies Power, Speed, Frequency, and Q-Pulse Width across different sections of your material. After running the test, you can visually compare the results to determine which combination produces the best mark for your specific application.

'''What to Test:'''
* New or unfamiliar materials
* Different finishes on the same material (e.g., raw vs. coated metal)
* Materials that require specific color matching (e.g., achieving dark black on stainless steel or colored anodized markings)
* When testing new material suppliers or batches

'''Reading the Results:'''
* Look for the cleanest mark with the best contrast
* Check for edge sharpness and detail preservation
* Evaluate for any unwanted burning, melting, or distortion
* For color marking on metals, note which combinations produce the desired color

'''Saving Successful Settings:'''
Once you've identified a good combination, save it to the Material Library so other members can benefit from your testing.

== Material Library ==

The machine includes a built-in library of tested materials with recommended settings. These are excellent starting points for common materials:

* '''Stainless Steel''' - various finishes, colors achievable with different frequency/pulse width combinations
* '''Aluminum''' - raw, anodized, and coated variants
* '''Brass and Copper''' - marking and engraving settings
* '''Plastics''' - including acrylic, polycarbonate, and engineered plastics (always check material safety first!)
* '''Coated Metals''' - powder-coated, painted, or anodized surfaces

The library is accessible directly in Lightburn. Always start with the library settings, then use the Material Test Generator to fine-tune if needed.

== Rotary Tool ==

The Wisely MOPA Fiber Laser includes a rotary attachment for engraving cylindrical objects such as tumblers, pens, bottles, rings, and other round items. The rotary attachment holds the object and rotates it during engraving, allowing the laser to mark around the entire circumference.

[[File:RotaryAttachment.jpg|200px|thumb|Wisely Rotary Attachment]]

=== When to Use the Rotary ===

Use the rotary attachment when you need to engrave:
* Cylindrical objects (tumblers, bottles, cans)
* Round objects (rings, pen barrels, handles)
* Objects that cannot lie flat on the engraving bed

Do not use the rotary for flat objects – use the standard bed instead.

=== Installing the Rotary ===

[[File:RotaryConnection.jpg|200px|thumb|Rotary connection port on the controller]]

# Ensure the laser is powered off and the key is removed.
# Locate the rotary port on the back of the Wisely controller (labeled "Rotary").
# Connect the rotary cable to the port. The connector is keyed – do not force it.
# Secure the cable so it does not interfere with the laser head movement.
# Place the rotary attachment on the bed, with the chuck on the left side of the bed and the motor on the right. The object will extend along the X axis.

=== Securing Your Object ===

[[File:RotaryChuck.jpg|200px|thumb|Chuck jaws holding a tumbler]]

The Wisely rotary uses a chuck-style mechanism with adjustable jaws.

# Open the chuck jaws by rotating the outer ring counterclockwise.
# Insert your object, centering it in the jaws.
# Tighten the chuck by rotating the outer ring clockwise until the object is held firmly.
# Check that the object is centered and does not wobble when rotated.
# Do not overtighten – you can damage delicate objects or the chuck mechanism.

'''Important:''' The object must be centered on the rotary axis. If it wobbles during rotation, the engraving will be distorted or blurred.

=== LightBurn Setup ===

Configuring LightBurn for rotary use requires setting up the rotary parameters.

==== Enabling Rotary Mode ====

# Open LightBurn.
# Go to '''Laser Tools → Rotary Setup''' (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R), or click the rotary icon in the Modes Toolbar.
# In the Rotary Setup window:
## '''Rotary Type:''' Select '''Chuck''' (for our chuck-style rotary).
## '''Enable Rotary:''' Check the box to enable rotary mode.
## '''Rotary Axis:''' Set to '''Y Axis''' in LightBurn. The rotary and object lie left-to-right along the bed's X direction; this is separate from LightBurn's rotary-axis selection.

==== Setting Steps Per Rotation ====

[[File:RotarySetup.jpg|600px|center|none|LightBurn Rotary Setup from the September 2026 session, with Y Axis selected. Split, overlap, and diameter values shown are session examples.]]

The '''Steps Per Rotation''' value tells LightBurn how many motor steps are required for one full rotation of the chuck.

* Our rotary uses '''12,800 steps per rotation''' (this is the stepper motor driver setting).
* Enter this value in the '''Steps Per Rotation''' field.
* Click the '''Test''' button – the chuck should rotate exactly 360 degrees and return to the starting position.
** If it turns too far, reduce the steps per rotation.
** If it doesn't turn far enough, increase it.

'''Note:''' This value only needs to be set once and should not be changed unless the rotary hardware is modified.

==== Setting Object Diameter ====

For chuck-style rotaries, you must enter the diameter of the object you are engraving.


''Photo needed: measuring object diameter with calipers.''


# Measure the diameter of your object at the widest point using calipers.
# Enter the measured diameter in the '''Object Diameter''' field.
# If the object is tapered, use the largest diameter.

'''Why this matters:''' The object diameter tells LightBurn the circumference of your object, which determines how the engraving wraps around it. If this value is wrong, your engraving will be stretched or compressed.

'''Tip:''' Object Diameter and Circumference are linked – changing one automatically updates the other.

==== Split Size and Overlap ====

These settings affect how LightBurn divides the engraving into segments for rotary use:

* '''Split Size:''' Controls how much of the design is processed per rotation segment. Start with '''0.025-0.050 mm'''.
* '''Overlap:''' Controls how much adjacent segments overlap. Start with '''0.0'''.

=== Scan Angle ===

With the rotary set up along the X axis (chuck on the left, object pointing right), the scan angle should be set to '''0° or 180°''':

* '''Scan angle set to 0°''': The laser scans along the X axis (the length of the object), while the rotary rotates the object around the Y axis.
* '''Scan angle set to 180°''': The laser scans in the opposite direction along the X axis.

'''Why this matters:''' The object is laid along the X axis, so the scan angle must match this orientation. If the scan angle is set to 90° or 270°, the engraving will be distorted or stretched along the length of the object.

=== Creating Your Design ===

[[File:RotaryDesign.jpg|600px|center|none|Makerspace logo laid out in LightBurn.]]

# Create your design in LightBurn as you normally would.
# For this Y Axis rotary setup, design width (X) runs along the length of the cup.
# Design height (Y) wraps around the circumference of the cup.
# To wrap a design around the full circumference, set its height equal to the circumference (diameter times pi).
# Use the preview function to check how the design will appear on the cylindrical surface.

[[File:FiberLaser_Rotary_Pattern_Design.jpg|600px|center|none|Full-wrap Celtic knot design for an 80.3 mm diameter cup. The design height wraps around the cup's approximately 252.27 mm circumference.]]

'''Session Example:''' The cup diameter was 80.3 mm, giving a circumference of approximately 252.27 mm (9.93 inches). The Celtic knot was sized to this full circumference along the design's Y direction. Its width controls the width of the band along the cup. The screenshot shows the Rotary Marking window during the job; the displayed split and overlap values are session settings, not universal defaults.

=== Running the Job ===

# Ensure the object is securely held in the chuck.
# Position the laser head over the starting point on the object.
# Use the red dot pointer to frame the engraving area.
# Run a test on a scrap piece or a small section first.
# Start the engraving job.

[[File:RotaryEngraving.jpg|300px|thumb|Rotary engraving during the September 2026 session.]]

[[File:RotaryFinished.jpg|300px|thumb|Tumbler with rotary test engraving.]]

=== Best Practices ===

* '''Clean the object''' before engraving – oils and debris can affect mark quality.
* '''Use the right settings''' – material test patterns work on rotary objects too! Use the Material Test Generator to find optimal power/speed/frequency/q-pulse combinations for cylindrical objects.
* '''Check balance''' – if the object is heavy or unbalanced, it may cause the rotary to skip steps.
* '''Start slow''' – begin with lower speeds and increase once you confirm good results.
* '''Watch the first pass''' – monitor the start of the engraving to catch issues early.
* '''Keep the laser focused''' – the focal distance remains constant across the object, but ensure the object is centered so the laser stays in focus.

=== Common Issues ===

'''Engraving is distorted or stretched'''
* Object diameter is incorrect – remeasure and update the value.
* Steps per rotation is incorrect – run the Test button and adjust.
* Scan angle is set incorrectly – should be 0° or 180°.

'''Object wobbles during rotation'''
* Chuck is not tightened enough – tighten the chuck.
* Object is not centered – reposition and retighten.
* Object is too heavy for the rotary – reduce speed or use a lighter object.

'''Engraving has banding or gaps'''
* Split size or overlap settings need adjustment.
* Try reducing split size or increasing overlap slightly.
* Check that the object is rotating smoothly without binding.

'''Rotary does not move'''
* Check that the cable is securely connected.
* Verify that Rotary Mode is enabled in LightBurn.
* Check that Rotary Axis is set to Y Axis in LightBurn.

'''Engraving is reversed or mirrored'''
* Enable the '''Mirror Output to Rotary''' option in Rotary Setup.

=== Maintenance ===

* Keep the chuck clean and free of debris.
* Periodically check the chuck jaws for wear.
* Do not force the chuck if it becomes stiff – clean and lubricate lightly with machine oil.
* Store the rotary attachment in a safe place when not in use.

== Session Examples ==

<gallery>
FiberLaser_Rotary_Makerspace_Logo.jpg|Makerspace logo engraved on the tumbler.
</gallery>

== Troubleshooting ==

=== Common Problems and Solutions ===

'''Laser doesn't fire'''
* Check that the key is in the ON position
* Verify the E-stop is not activated (pull out and rotate counterclockwise)
* Check that the laser is properly connected to the computer
* Verify that Lightburn is set to the correct device ("Makerspace MOPA Laser")

'''Poor marking quality'''
* Ensure the material is properly focused (use the focus scale)
* Check that the lens is clean and free of debris
* Run a material test to verify optimal settings
* Confirm that the material is compatible with fiber laser wavelengths

'''Inconsistent results'''
* Check that the material is securely fixtured and not moving during marking
* Verify that the lens is clean
* Ensure the material is level and at the correct focus distance

'''No red dot / framing pointer'''
* Press the "Red Light" button on the controller to toggle it on
* Verify that the framing is enabled in Lightburn

== External Resources ==

* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/ Lightburn Software]
* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/tutorials Lightburn Tutorials]
* [https://www.mopalasers.com/ MOPA Laser Resources]

File:RotaryAttachment.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:37Z

Zapf: Zapf uploaded a new version of File:RotaryAttachment.jpg

Rotary attachment holding a tumbler; supplied by Berea Makerspace, September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Pattern Design.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:21Z

Zapf: Pattern design and rotary settings in LightBurn; September 2026 session

Pattern design and rotary settings in LightBurn; September 2026 session

File:RotaryDesign.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:19Z

Zapf: Makerspace logo design in LightBurn; September 2026 session

Makerspace logo design in LightBurn; September 2026 session

File:RotarySetup.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:17Z

Zapf: LightBurn rotary setup from session; Y Axis selected; settings require confirmation; September 2026 session

LightBurn rotary setup from session; Y Axis selected; settings require confirmation; September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Setup Alternate.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:15Z

Zapf: Alternate rotary setup screenshot from session; settings require confirmation; September 2026 session

Alternate rotary setup screenshot from session; settings require confirmation; September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Pattern Result.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:13Z

Zapf: Pattern and test text on mounted tumbler; September 2026 session

Pattern and test text on mounted tumbler; September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Enclosure View.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:11Z

Zapf: Rotary setup viewed through enclosure window; September 2026 session

Rotary setup viewed through enclosure window; September 2026 session

File:RotaryEngraving.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:08Z

Zapf: Rotary engraving in progress; September 2026 session

Rotary engraving in progress; September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Test Text.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:05Z

Zapf: Rotary test text on mounted tumbler; September 2026 session

Rotary test text on mounted tumbler; September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Makerspace Logo.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:03Z

Zapf: Makerspace logo engraved on tumbler; September 2026 session

Makerspace logo engraved on tumbler; September 2026 session

File:RotaryFinished.jpg

2026-09-20T16:20:00Z

Zapf: Engraved tumbler standing upright; September 2026 session

Engraved tumbler standing upright; September 2026 session

File:FiberLaser Rotary Engraving Detail.jpg

2026-09-20T16:19:58Z

Zapf: Close-up of test engraving; September 2026 session

Close-up of test engraving; September 2026 session

File:RotaryChuck.jpg

2026-09-20T16:19:55Z

Zapf: Chuck holding a tumbler; September 2026 session

Chuck holding a tumbler; September 2026 session

File:RotaryConnection.jpg

2026-09-20T16:19:53Z

Zapf: Rotary connection port on the controller; September 2026 session

Rotary connection port on the controller; September 2026 session

File:RotaryAttachment.jpg

2026-09-20T16:18:28Z

Zapf: Rotary attachment holding a tumbler; supplied by Berea Makerspace, September 2026 session

Rotary attachment holding a tumbler; supplied by Berea Makerspace, September 2026 session

Metal Shop

2026-09-17T01:16:39Z

Zapf: Use JPEG finger brake photo for compatible thumbnail rendering

== General Information ==

The Metal Shop contains a variety of tools and machinery that do not fit in the [[Clean Room]] or [[Wood Shop]]. A large worktable is available for equipment setup, classes, and workshops.

Report equipment issues in [[Slack]] in #general or #shop-metal.

== Orientation and Access ==

Training is required to use Metal Shop equipment. Check the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar] for upcoming orientations.

* See [[Gas and Induction forge]] for forge orientation requirements.
* See [[Metal Fabrication]] for metal fabrication orientation requirements.
* See [[Oxy-acetylene torch]] for torch orientation requirements.

== Safety ==

* Do not use any machine you are not trained on and comfortable using. If you are unsure at any time, stop immediately and ask for help on Berea Makerspace Slack or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].
* Do not use any machine that is not in good working order. Stop, unplug, leave a note on the machine, and notify [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org Makerspace leadership].
* Never assume a tool is properly adjusted; always check the tool before use.
* Wear closed-toe shoes.
* Tie back long hair and secure loose clothing.
* Wear a welding helmet when operating a welder.
* Wear gloves and a welding jacket when welding.
* Create adequate ventilation when operating the welder – open the garage door and turn on the exhaust in the metal shop.
* Inspect your work area for flammable materials and remove them.
* Never touch the electrode or metal parts of the electrode holder with bare skin or wet clothing.
* Insulate yourself from the work and ground – no bare feet, no wet clothing.
* Inspect all electrode holders and cabling for damage.
* Do not modify equipment. Discuss proposed improvements on Slack.

== Equipment List ==

<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%"
|-
! Picture
! Equipment
! Manufacturer
! Model
! Status
! Resources
|-
| [[File:CNC Plasma Table.jpg|200px]]
| [[CNC Plasma Table|CNC Plasma Cutter]]
| Langmuir Systems Crossfire
| [[Plasma CNC|XR]]
| Operational
| [https://www.langmuirsystems.com/xr/assembly Langmuir XR Assembly Guide]
|-
| [[File:Lotos CNC.jpg|200px]]
| [[Lotos Plasma Cutter|Plasma Cutter]]
| Lotos
| [[Lotos Plasma Cutter|LTP5500D]]
| Operational
| [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0852/8422/5313/files/LTP5000D.pdf LTP5000D Manual]
|-
| [[File:AC-DC Welder.jpg|200px]]
| [[AC-DC Welder|AC/DC TIG Welder]]
| Primeweld
| [[AC-DC Welder|225X]]
| Operational
| [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0015/9829/2056/files/TIG225X_AC_DC_TIG_Welder_With_Pulse_Manual-min.pdf Primeweld 225X Manual]
|-
| [[File:Green MIG Welder.jpg|200px]]
| [[MIG Welder]]
| Titanium Unlimited
| [[MIG Welder|200]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1441795/Titanium-Unlimited-200.html Titanium Unlimited 200 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Metal Cutting Mitering Chop Saw.jpg|200px]]
| [[Metal Mitering Chop Saw|Metal Cutting Mitering Chop Saw]]
| Evolution Tool
| [[Metal Mitering Chop Saw|S355]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2643798/Evolution-S355-Cpsl.html Evolution S355 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Metal Drill Press.jpg|200px]]
| [[Metal Drill Press]]
| Sears
| [[Metal Drill Press|S-4390]]
| Operational
|
|-
| [[File:Benchtop Grinder.jpg|200px]]
| [[Benchtop Grinder]]
| Hercules
| [[Benchtop Grinder|HE0511]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2182434/Hercules-He0511.html Hercules HE0511 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Knife Grinder, Sander & Buffer.jpg|200px]]
| [[Knife Grinder, Sander & Buffer]]
| Grizzly
| [[Knife Grinder, Sander & Buffer|G1015]]
| Operational
| [https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g1015_m.pdf Grizzly G1015 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Manual Milling Machine Metal.jpg|200px]]
| [[Manual Milling Machine]]
| Precision Matthews
| [[Manual Milling Machine|PM-739M]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/3152699/Precision-Matthews-Pm-739m.html PM-739M Manual]
|-
| [[File:Induction Forge.jpg|200px]]
| [[Gas and Induction forge|Induction Forge]]
| Coal Iron Works
| 15 kW Induction Forge
| Operational
| [https://coaliron.com/products/induction-forge Coal Iron Works Product Page] 
|-
| [[File:Gas Forge.jpg|200px]]
| [[Gas and Induction forge|Gas Forge]]
| Housemade
| [[Gas and Induction forge|Apollo Forge]]
| Operational
| See [[Gas and Induction forge|Apollo Forge]] page.
|-
| [[File:Metal_Shop_Finger_Brake.jpg|200px|alt=Hydraulic press fitted with a SWAG Off Road finger brake.]]
| Metal Brake (Press-Mounted Finger Brake)
| Harbor Freight / SWAG Off Road
| 50-ton press with SWAG Off Road 30" Finger Brake DIY Builder Kit
| Operational
| [https://www.swagoffroad.com/products/swag-30-finger-press-brake-diy-builder-kit SWAG Finger Brake Product and Assembly Information]
|}
</onlyinclude>

File:Metal Shop Finger Brake.jpg

2026-09-17T01:16:38Z

Zapf: JPEG version of finger brake image for compatible thumbnail rendering

JPEG version of finger brake image for compatible thumbnail rendering

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2026-09-17T01:12:41Z

Zapf:

Projects

2026-09-17T01:10:33Z

Zapf: Clean up project descriptions and table formatting

== General Information ==

This page documents projects that Berea Makerspace members have worked on. Projects are split into two categories: makerspace-wide initiatives and individual member projects.

If you have a project you'd like to add to this page, or if you'd like to create a detailed page for an existing project, ask in [[Slack]] or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].

== Makerspace Projects ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project
! Years
! Description
! Status
! Details
|-
| Crochetmas Tree
| 2021, 2022
| Members created a large Christmas tree display from handmade yarn ornaments and decorations. The project brought together crocheters of different skill levels.
| Completed
| [[Crochetmas Tree|Project Page]]
|-
| Purpose in Action
| 2022 - 2023
| A partnership with Parker Hannifin and the Kentucky Department of Education to design accessible manufacturing work cells for employees with disabilities. Berea Community High School and Woodford County High School students developed prototypes addressing color blindness, wheelchair accessibility, dyslexia, blindness, and cognitive disabilities. The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan's ESSER fund and featured a final competition at Eastern Kentucky University.
| Completed
| [https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2023/04/woodford-county-and-berea-independent-high-school-students-changing-the-landscape-of-accessibility/ Kentucky Teacher Article]
|-
| Kentucky School for the Deaf Partnership
| 2024 - 2027
| Ongoing partnership helping the Kentucky School for the Deaf build out a makerspace for their students. The project provides access to fabrication tools and processes used in local business, with a focus on job training, STEAM learning, and preparing students for future careers.
| Ongoing
| [[Kentucky School for the Deaf|Project Page]]
|-
| Interdependence Day
| 2025, 2026
| A community event celebrating interdependence through making, sharing skills, and collaborative projects. Featured hands-on activities, demonstrations, and skill-sharing workshops.
| Ongoing
| [[Interdependence Day|Project Page]]
|-
| Withered Tech
| 2026
| A project with makerspace partner agk. It uses laptops obtained through the Berea College recycling system.
| Ongoing
| [[Withered-Tech|Project Page]]
|}

== Member Projects ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project
! Years
! Description
! Status
! Details
|-
| Chimney Swift Project
| 2024 - 2026
| Jess and other members are working with the Berea Forestry Outreach Center to build and install a chimney swift tower. The project supports local bird conservation.
| Ongoing
| [[Chimney Swift Project|Project Page]]
|-
| Raised Beds at Berea Kids Eat
| 2024
| Jess, Ed Clautice, and other members designed and built raised garden beds for Berea Kids Eat. The project supports community food access and education.
| Ongoing
| [[Raised Beds - Berea Kids Eat|Project Page]]
|-
| Homeschool STEAM Camps
| 2024, 2025
| June and Brian lead weekly camps for homeschool students covering science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). Activities include making and collaborative projects.
| Ongoing
| [[Homeschool STEAM Camps|Project Page]]
|}

== Adding a Project ==

Before creating a page, check whether the project already has one.

# Write a brief description with the project dates, people involved, and current status.
# Link to an existing project page or relevant external coverage. If more detail is needed, create a project page with its background, timeline, participants, outcomes, and photos.
# Add a row to the appropriate table using the same columns. Keep descriptions to two to four sentences and order entries by the year the project started.

Ask in [[Slack]] if you need help adding or formatting an entry.

== External Resources ==

* [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar Upcoming Events and Workshops]
* [https://bereamakerspace.org/ Berea Makerspace Website]

Metal Shop

2026-09-17T01:10:31Z

Zapf: Clean up Metal Shop and add operational finger brake with photo

== General Information ==

The Metal Shop contains a variety of tools and machinery that do not fit in the [[Clean Room]] or [[Wood Shop]]. A large worktable is available for equipment setup, classes, and workshops.

Report equipment issues in [[Slack]] in #general or #shop-metal.

== Orientation and Access ==

Training is required to use Metal Shop equipment. Check the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar] for upcoming orientations.

* See [[Gas and Induction forge]] for forge orientation requirements.
* See [[Metal Fabrication]] for metal fabrication orientation requirements.
* See [[Oxy-acetylene torch]] for torch orientation requirements.

== Safety ==

* Do not use any machine you are not trained on and comfortable using. If you are unsure at any time, stop immediately and ask for help on Berea Makerspace Slack or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].
* Do not use any machine that is not in good working order. Stop, unplug, leave a note on the machine, and notify [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org Makerspace leadership].
* Never assume a tool is properly adjusted; always check the tool before use.
* Wear closed-toe shoes.
* Tie back long hair and secure loose clothing.
* Wear a welding helmet when operating a welder.
* Wear gloves and a welding jacket when welding.
* Create adequate ventilation when operating the welder – open the garage door and turn on the exhaust in the metal shop.
* Inspect your work area for flammable materials and remove them.
* Never touch the electrode or metal parts of the electrode holder with bare skin or wet clothing.
* Insulate yourself from the work and ground – no bare feet, no wet clothing.
* Inspect all electrode holders and cabling for damage.
* Do not modify equipment. Discuss proposed improvements on Slack.

== Equipment List ==

<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%"
|-
! Picture
! Equipment
! Manufacturer
! Model
! Status
! Resources
|-
| [[File:CNC Plasma Table.jpg|200px]]
| [[CNC Plasma Table|CNC Plasma Cutter]]
| Langmuir Systems Crossfire
| [[Plasma CNC|XR]]
| Operational
| [https://www.langmuirsystems.com/xr/assembly Langmuir XR Assembly Guide]
|-
| [[File:Lotos CNC.jpg|200px]]
| [[Lotos Plasma Cutter|Plasma Cutter]]
| Lotos
| [[Lotos Plasma Cutter|LTP5500D]]
| Operational
| [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0852/8422/5313/files/LTP5000D.pdf LTP5000D Manual]
|-
| [[File:AC-DC Welder.jpg|200px]]
| [[AC-DC Welder|AC/DC TIG Welder]]
| Primeweld
| [[AC-DC Welder|225X]]
| Operational
| [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0015/9829/2056/files/TIG225X_AC_DC_TIG_Welder_With_Pulse_Manual-min.pdf Primeweld 225X Manual]
|-
| [[File:Green MIG Welder.jpg|200px]]
| [[MIG Welder]]
| Titanium Unlimited
| [[MIG Welder|200]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1441795/Titanium-Unlimited-200.html Titanium Unlimited 200 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Metal Cutting Mitering Chop Saw.jpg|200px]]
| [[Metal Mitering Chop Saw|Metal Cutting Mitering Chop Saw]]
| Evolution Tool
| [[Metal Mitering Chop Saw|S355]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2643798/Evolution-S355-Cpsl.html Evolution S355 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Metal Drill Press.jpg|200px]]
| [[Metal Drill Press]]
| Sears
| [[Metal Drill Press|S-4390]]
| Operational
|
|-
| [[File:Benchtop Grinder.jpg|200px]]
| [[Benchtop Grinder]]
| Hercules
| [[Benchtop Grinder|HE0511]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2182434/Hercules-He0511.html Hercules HE0511 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Knife Grinder, Sander & Buffer.jpg|200px]]
| [[Knife Grinder, Sander & Buffer]]
| Grizzly
| [[Knife Grinder, Sander & Buffer|G1015]]
| Operational
| [https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g1015_m.pdf Grizzly G1015 Manual]
|-
| [[File:Manual Milling Machine Metal.jpg|200px]]
| [[Manual Milling Machine]]
| Precision Matthews
| [[Manual Milling Machine|PM-739M]]
| Operational
| [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/3152699/Precision-Matthews-Pm-739m.html PM-739M Manual]
|-
| [[File:Induction Forge.jpg|200px]]
| [[Gas and Induction forge|Induction Forge]]
| Coal Iron Works
| 15 kW Induction Forge
| Operational
| [https://coaliron.com/products/induction-forge Coal Iron Works Product Page] 
|-
| [[File:Gas Forge.jpg|200px]]
| [[Gas and Induction forge|Gas Forge]]
| Housemade
| [[Gas and Induction forge|Apollo Forge]]
| Operational
| See [[Gas and Induction forge|Apollo Forge]] page.
|-
| [[File:Metal_Shop_Finger_Brake.webp|200px|alt=Hydraulic press fitted with a SWAG Off Road finger brake.]]
| Metal Brake (Press-Mounted Finger Brake)
| Harbor Freight / SWAG Off Road
| 50-ton press with SWAG Off Road 30" Finger Brake DIY Builder Kit
| Operational
| [https://www.swagoffroad.com/products/swag-30-finger-press-brake-diy-builder-kit SWAG Finger Brake Product and Assembly Information]
|}
</onlyinclude>

Embroidery Machine

2026-09-17T01:07:36Z

Zapf: Correct Brother embroidery machine to PE-540D; update specifications, manuals and equipment links

== General Information ==

The Berea Makerspace has two embroidery machines available for member use. Both machines can be found inside the [[Clean Room]] near the sewing area.

If you have any issues with this equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general and #shop-fabric-arts.

== Available Machines ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Machine
! Key Features
! Status
! Documentation
|-
| '''[[Dream Machine 2|Brother Dream Machine 2 Innov-ís XV8550D]]'''
|
* Embroidery area: up to 9.5" x 14" (36cm x 24cm)
* Built-in designs: 982 total, including 166 Disney designs
* Embroidery lettering fonts: 22
* Display: 10.1" LCD touchscreen
* Camera: InnovEye 2 for positioning
| Operational
| [[Dream Machine 2|Machine Page]]
|-
| '''[[Brother PE-540D]]'''
|
* Embroidery area: 4" x 4" (100mm x 100mm)
* Built-in designs: 70 total, including 35 Disney designs
* Font styles: 5
* Display: monochrome LCD touchscreen (2.7" x 1.4")
* Connectivity: USB port for design import
| Operational
| [[Brother PE-540D|Machine Page]]
|}

== Orientation and Access ==

'''Use of either embroidery machine requires authorization by an approved instructor.''' Check the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar makerspace event calendar] for upcoming workshops and training sessions.

'''Training Note:''' While the Dream Machine 2 and PE-540D have different feature sets, their basic operation is similar. Training on the [[Dream Machine 2]] covers the fundamentals needed for both machines. See the individual machine pages for detailed workflows.

== Software and Design ==

=== Primary Software: Embrilliance ===
The makerspace uses [[Embrilliance]] embroidery software on the computers in the Clean Room.

Embrilliance allows you to:
* Merge multiple designs into one file
* Add and edit text
* Resize designs while maintaining stitch quality
* Color sort to reduce thread changes
* Create appliqué designs

For tutorials, documentation, and detailed feature information, see the [[Embrilliance]] page.

=== Supported File Formats ===
Check each machine's manual for supported file formats and design limits before exporting from [[Embrilliance]]. Software import support does not mean a machine can read the same format directly.

=== Design Transfer Methods ===
* '''USB Drive''' - Works with both machines
* '''Wi-Fi''' - Dream Machine 2 only (wireless transfer with optional software)
* '''Cloud Connectivity''' - Dream Machine 2 only
* '''Built-in Camera''' - Dream Machine 2 only

=== Alternative Software ===
Other embroidery software options members may use include:
* '''Brother PE-Design''' - Professional digitizing software
* '''InkStitch (Inkscape plugin)''' - Free open-source digitizing option
* '''Embroidery software pre-loaded on Brother machines''' - Basic editing functions available directly on machine touchscreens

== Needles, Thread, and Stabilizers ==

These items are considered consumables. Basic supplies may be available during orientation, but you should plan to provide your own for ongoing projects.

=== Needles ===
Both machines use standard home sewing machine needles (130/705H system). For embroidery, needle size 75/11 is recommended for most projects. Use 90/14 for heavyweight fabrics or stabilizers.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Needle Type
! Best For
|-
| Embroidery (75/11, 90/14)
| Machine embroidery, has a slightly rounded tip
|-
| Ball Point (75/11, 90/14)
| Knits and stretch fabrics, embroidering patterns with short jump stitches
|-
| Universal (75/11, 90/14)
| General sewing, woven fabrics
|-
| Metallic (80/12)
| Metallic threads
|-
| Topstitch (90/14)
| Heavy fabrics, multiple layers
|}

'''Important:''' Change your needle regularly - every 8-10 hours of sewing or after every major project.

=== Thread Recommendations ===
* Use embroidery thread intended for machine embroidery
* For bobbin work (Dream Machine 2 only), use No.5 or finer hand embroidery thread or flexible woven ribbon

=== Stabilizers ===
Proper stabilization is critical for good embroidery results:

* '''Cut-Away''' - Best for knits and unstable fabrics
* '''Tear-Away''' - Good for stable wovens
* '''Wash-Away''' - For freestanding lace and projects where no stabilizer should remain
* '''Heat-Away''' - Dissolves with heat from an iron

== General Troubleshooting ==

These solutions apply to both machines. For machine-specific issues, refer to the individual machine pages.

'''Thread breaks frequently'''
* Re-thread the machine carefully
* Check needle for burrs or damage - replace if needed
* Verify tension settings are appropriate
* Check for lint buildup in tension discs or thread path
* Ensure bobbin is correctly installed

'''Design doesn't stitch correctly'''
* Verify hoop size matches design size
* Check that fabric is hooped tightly without distortion
* Ensure stabilizer is appropriate for fabric type
* Re-import the design file

'''Bobbin thread shows on top'''
* Upper tension is too tight - decrease tension setting
* Bobbin is incorrectly threaded - reinsert bobbin

'''Machine makes unusual noises'''
* '''STOP IMMEDIATELY''' and investigate
* Check for thread tangles in the bobbin area
* Ensure needle is properly inserted and not bent
* Clean the race area

'''Fabric puckers during embroidery'''
* Stabilizer may be insufficient for fabric type
* Hoop tension may be too loose
* Thread tension may need adjustment

== Maintenance ==

=== After Each Use ===
* Remove bobbin and clean bobbin case area with included brush
* Wipe down machine exterior
* Cover machine when not in use

=== Regular Maintenance ===
* Oil only as directed in manual - these machines should not be oiled by the user except as specified
* Change needles regularly
* Have machine professionally serviced annually
* Clean the race frequently to prevent lint buildup

=== Cleaning ===
* Use the included brush and cleaning tools
* Never use compressed air - it forces lint deeper into mechanisms
* Keep screens clean with a soft, dry cloth
* Do not use organic solvents or detergents on the machine casing

== External Resources ==

=== Brother Support ===
* [https://support.brother.com/g/b/sp/manualtop.aspx?c=us_ot&lang=en&prod=hf_inovxv8550deus Dream Machine 2 Manuals]
* [https://support.brother.com/g/b/manualtop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hf_pe540deus PE-540D Manuals]
* [https://www.brother-usa.com/support/embroidery Brother Embroidery Support Center]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/BrotherSews Brother Sews YouTube Channel]

Clean Room

2026-09-17T01:07:35Z

Zapf: Correct Brother embroidery machine to PE-540D; update specifications, manuals and equipment links

== General Information ==
The Clean Room is our "catch-all" room, encompassing tools and processes that don't fit well in either the [[Wood Shop|Wood Shop]] or [[Metal Shop|Metal Shop]]. Several work tables are available here to set up equipment, gather for classes or workshops, or just hang out!

If you have any issues with Clean Room equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-3d-printing, and #shop-laser.

== Access Policy ==
=== 3D Printers ===
* Use of the [[3D Printers|3D printers]] require an orientation. Visit the [[3D Printers|3D Printing]] page for details.

=== Laser Cutter ===
* Use of the [[Laser Cutter]] requires authorization by an approved instructor. Visit the [[Laser Cutter]] page for details.

=== Sewing Equipment ===
* Use of the [[Sewing Equipment]] requires authorization by an approved instructor. Visit the [[Sewing Equipment]] page for details.

=== Vinyl Cutter ===
* Use of the [[Cricut]] requires authorization by an approved instructor. Visit the [[Cricut]] page for details.

=== Printmaking Equipment ===
* Use of the [[Printmaking Equipment|Printmaking Equipment]] requires authorization by an approved instructor. Visit the [[Printmaking Equipment|Printmaking Equipment]] page for details.

=== All Equipment ===
* Equipment requiring authorization may be operated by an unauthorized user only under the '''direct''' supervision of an authorized user.

== Clean Room Area Safety ==
# Do not use any machine you are not trained on and comfortable using. If at any time you are unsure of what you are doing, stop immediately and ask for help on Berea Makerspace slack, or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].
# Do not use any machine that is not in good working order. Stop, unplug and leave a note on the machine and notify [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org Makerspace leadership].
# Never assume a tool is properly adjusted; always check the tool prior to use.
# Never modify or hack any equipment. If you think an improvement can be made, discuss it on slack!

== Equipment List ==
<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%"
|-
! Picture
! What
! Manufacturer
! Model
! Status
! Resources
|-
| [[File:ThunderNova51.png|200px]]
| [[Laser Cutter|CO2 Large Bed Laser]]
| Thunder Laser
| [[Thunder Nova Laser|Nova 51]]
| Operational
| External resources:<br>* [https://support.thunderlaserusa.com/portal/en/kb/articles/nova-series-users-manual Nova Series User Manual]
|-
| [[File:WiselyMOPA.jpg|200px]]
| [[Laser Cutter|Fiber Laser]]
| Wisely Laser
| [[Fiber Laser|MY-M20F-III]]
| Operational
| External resources:<br>* [https://www.wiselylaser.com/en/Download-Manual.html Wisely Laser Manuals]
|-
| [[File:BambuX1C.png|200px]]
| [[3D Printer]]
| Bambu Lab
| [[Bambu 3D Printer|X1C]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>See Below
|-
| [[File:BambuX1C.png|200px]]
| [[3D Printer]]
| Bambu Lab
| [[Bambu 3D Printer|X1-With AMS]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>
* [https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/studio-quick-start Quick Start for Bambu studio]<br>
* [https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/project-based-workflow The Project Based Workflow for Bambu Studios]<br>
* [https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/multi-color-printing Multicolor Printing]<br>
* [https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/high-speed-print-at-quality High Speed Printing at Quality]<br>
* [https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/studio-pages-outline Bambu Studio - More Information]<br>
Manual: [https://cdn1.bambulab.com/documentation/quick-start-e254168f69145/X1C/English%20version-Quick%20Start%20Guide%20for%20X1-Carbon.pdf X1C Quick Start Guide]
|-
| [[File:BambuH2D.png|200px]]
| [[3D Printer]]
| Bambu Lab
| [[Bambu 3D Printer|H2D]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>See Above
|-
| [[File:orangestormgiga.webp|200px]]
| [[3D Printer]]
| Elegoo
| [[Elegoo_Orangestorm_Giga_3d_Printer|Elegoo OrangeStorm Giga]]
| Pre-Operational (Special Clearance)
| External Resources:<br>
Manual: [https://download.elegoo.com/06%20FDM%20Printer/03%20OrangeStorm%20Giga/1.User%20Manual/OrangeStorm%20Giga-User%20Manual-V1.5-20240604.pdf OrangeStorm Giga User Manual]
|-
| [[File:CricutExploreAir2.jpg|200px]]
| [[Cricut|Vinyl Cutter]]
| Cricut
| [[Cricut|Explore Air 2]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>
Manuals: [https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055603134-Cricut-User-Manuals Cricut User Manuals]
|-
| [[File:Activa230.jpg|200px]]
| [[Sewing Equipment|Sewing Machine]]
| Bernina
| [[Sewing Machine|Activa230]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>
Manual: [https://www.bernina.com/BERNINA/media/Support/Sewing_Quilting_Embroidery/activa/activa_230/Documents/EN/activa_220_230_240_EN.pdf Activa 230 Manual]
|-
| [[File:XV8550D.jpg|200px]]
| [[Embroidery Machine]]
| Brother
| [[Dream Machine 2|Dream Machine 2 Innov-ís XV8550D]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>
* [https://support.brother.com/g/b/sp/manualtop.aspx?c=us_ot&lang=en&prod=hf_inovxv8550deus User Manuals & Guides]<br>
* [[Dream Machine 2|Machine Page]]
|-
| 
''Photo needed: Brother PE-540D.''

| [[Embroidery Machine]]
| Brother
| [[Brother PE-540D|PE-540D]]
| Operational
| External Resources:<br>
* [https://support.brother.com/g/b/manualtop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hf_pe540deus User Manuals & Guides]<br>
* [[Brother PE-540D|Machine Page]]
|-
| [[File:etchingpress.png|200px]]
| [[Printmaking Equipment|Etching Press]]
| Bernina
| [[Etching Press A3|EtchingPressshop Etching Press A3]]
| Operational
| External Resources:
|}
</onlyinclude>

== Retired Equipment ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%"
|-
! Picture
! What
! Manufacturer
! Model
! Status
! Resources
|-
| [[File:Ender5Plus.jpg|200px]]
| [[3D Printer]]
| Creality3D
| [[Ender_5_Plus_3d_Printer|Ender 5 Plus]]
| Retired
| External Resources:<br>
Manual: [https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1957735/Creality-Ender-5-Plus.html Ender 5 Plus Manual]
|-
| [[File:CR10Max.jpg|200px]]
| [[3D Printer]]
| Creality3D
| CR-10 Max
| Retired
| External Resources:<br>
Manual: [https://www.creality.com/download CR-10 Max Resources]
|}

Brother PE-540D

2026-09-17T01:07:34Z

Zapf: Correct Brother embroidery machine to PE-540D; update specifications, manuals and equipment links

== General Information ==

The Brother PE-540D is an embroidery machine in the [[Clean Room]] near the sewing area. It is used for designs up to 4" x 4" (100 mm x 100 mm).


''Photo needed: the Brother PE-540D in the Clean Room.''


For questions or equipment problems, ask in #general or #shop-fabric-arts on Slack. See [[Embroidery Machine]] for the other embroidery machine and shared software information.

== Equipment Specifications ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Specification
! Details
|-
| Model
| Brother PE-540D
|-
| Embroidery Area
| 4" x 4" (100 mm x 100 mm)
|-
| Built-in Designs
| 70, including 35 Disney designs
|-
| Lettering Fonts
| 5
|-
| Frame Pattern Combinations
| 120
|-
| Display
| 2.7" x 1.4" monochrome LCD touchscreen
|-
| Maximum Embroidery Speed
| 400 stitches per minute
|-
| Design Import
| USB memory stick
|-
| Needle Threading
| Needle-threading lever
|}

== Orientation and Access ==

'''Use requires authorization by an approved instructor.''' Check the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar makerspace event calendar] for tool orientations. Ask in Slack if no embroidery orientation is listed.

Training on the [[Dream Machine 2]] covers shared embroidery fundamentals. Ask your instructor to explain the PE-540D's controls and threading before using this machine.

== Safety ==

* Keep fingers clear of the needle and moving embroidery frame.
* Keep the frame's travel area clear of tools, fabric folds, and other objects.
* Turn off the machine before changing the needle. Turn off and unplug it before cleaning.
* Stop if the needle strikes the frame, thread jams, or the machine makes an unusual noise. Ask for help before continuing.

== Setup and Operation ==

Use the [https://download.brother.com/welcome/doch100170/pe540d_om01en.pdf PE-540D operation manual] for the threading diagrams, screen controls, and detailed procedures.

# Inspect the needle, embroidery frame, and thread path. Check that the embroidery unit is attached and its travel area is clear.
# Select a built-in design or prepare a compatible design for USB import. Keep it within the 4" x 4" embroidery area. Check the manual's data requirements before exporting from [[Embrilliance]].
# Choose stabilizer for your fabric and design. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer without wrinkles or stretching the fabric out of shape.
# Attach the frame using the manual's instructions. Check that it is secure.
# Install the bobbin and thread the machine using the PE-540D threading diagrams. Do not use another model's control sequence.
# Select the design and check its position and clearance before stitching. Test on scrap fabric with the same stabilizer first.
# Lower the presser foot and start embroidery. Stay with the machine and keep hands clear of moving parts.
# Change the upper thread when prompted for the next color. Stop the machine before correcting thread problems or replacing the bobbin.
# When finished, remove the frame, trim thread tails, and remove stabilizer as appropriate for the project.

== Maintenance ==

* Remove scraps and thread after each use. Return the hoop and accessories to their storage location.
* Turn off and unplug the machine before cleaning the bobbin area. Follow the manual for removing and reinstalling parts.
* Replace bent or damaged needles before use.
* Report damage, persistent thread jams, or unusual noises in Slack.

== Troubleshooting ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Problem
! What to Check
|-
| Thread breaks or stitches are skipped
| Stop and check threading, bobbin installation, and needle condition against the manual.
|-
| Fabric puckers or the design shifts
| Check stabilization, hoop tension, and clearance around the moving frame. Test again on scrap fabric.
|-
| Imported design does not appear
| Check the file format, design size, and USB requirements in the PE-540D manual.
|-
| Needle strikes the frame or the machine makes unusual noises
| Stop using the machine and ask for help. Do not keep running it to finish the design.
|}

== Consumables ==

Bring fabric, stabilizer, and machine embroidery thread for your project. Check the PE-540D manual or ask your instructor for compatible needles, bobbins, and bobbin thread before buying supplies. Basic supplies may be available during orientation.

== External Resources ==

* [https://support.brother.com/g/b/manualtop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hf_pe540deus Brother PE-540D Manuals and Guides]
* [https://download.brother.com/welcome/doch100170/pe540d_om01en.pdf PE-540D Operation Manual]
* [https://download.brother.com/welcome/doch100171/pe540d_qg01enesfr.pdf PE-540D Quick Reference Guide]
* [https://www.brother-usa.com/-/media/brother/product-catalog-media/documents/2020/09/24/19/30/brochure-all-product-lineup-2015-lr.pdf Brother Product Guide: PE-540D Specifications]

Brother PE-540D

2026-09-17T01:07:33Z

Zapf: Zapf moved page Brother PE-550D to Brother PE-540D without leaving a redirect: Correct machine model: makerspace has a Brother PE-540D, not PE-550D

== General Information ==

[INSERT PHOTO: PE-550D front view showing the machine]

The Brother PE-550D is an embroidery machine located in the [[Clean Room]] near the sewing area.

'''Specifications:'''
* Embroidery area: 4" x 4" (100mm x 100mm)
* Built-in designs: 125 total, including 45 Disney designs (Mickey Mouse & Friends)
* Font styles: 9 (6 English, 3 Japanese)
* Display: color touch LCD (3.2" x 1.8")
* Connectivity: USB port for design import
* Needle threading: automatic

If you have any issues with this equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-fabric-arts.

== Equipment Specifications ==

[INSERT PHOTO: Close-up of the machine's control panel and LCD screen]

Brother PE-550D

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Category
! Specification
! Details
|-
| '''Embroidery Area'''
| Maximum Embroidery Size
| 4" × 4" (100mm × 100mm)
|-
| rowspan="3" | '''Built-in Content'''
| Embroidery Designs
| 125 total, including '''45 Disney designs''' (Mickey Mouse & Friends)
|-
| Font Styles
| 9 (6 English, 3 Japanese)
|-
| Built-in Tutorials
| Yes
|-
| rowspan="4" | '''Machine Specifications'''
| Display
| Large color touch LCD screen (3.2" × 1.8")
|-
| Connectivity
| USB port for importing designs
|-
| Memory
| Built-in memory for storing designs
|-
| Needle Threading
| Automatic needle threader
|-
| '''Features'''
| On-Screen Editing
| Curved text, multi-line placement, letter spacing adjustment
|-
| Realistic Preview
| View designs in alternate colors before stitching
|-
| '''Physical Specifications'''
| Unit Dimensions
| 16.5" (W) × 12.08" (D) × 7.76" (H)
|-
| Unit Weight
| 14.99 lbs
|-
| '''Warranty'''
| Limited Warranty
| 25-year limited warranty
|}

== Orientation and Access ==

'''Use of the PE-550D requires authorization by an approved instructor.''' Visit the [[Embroidery Machine]] page for details on upcoming workshops and training sessions.

'''Training Note:''' While the Dream Machine 2 has more advanced features, the basic embroidery workflow is similar. Training on the [[Dream Machine 2]] covers the fundamentals needed for both machines. This page covers PE-550D specific instructions.

=== First Steps ===

[INSERT PHOTO: The right side of the machine showing the main power switch]

* Power on the machine using the main power switch located on the right side
* Allow the machine to initialize and the touchscreen to load
* Visually inspect the needle, bobbin, and thread paths for any obstructions
* Ensure the embroidery unit is properly attached and the carriage moves freely

== Basic Embroidery Workflow ==

=== 1. Design Selection ===
* Press the Embroidery key on the operation panel
* Choose from built-in designs (including Disney designs), alphabet characters, frame patterns, or import via USB
* Use the touchscreen to position and resize the design on the virtual hoop
* You can preview designs in alternate colors before stitching

[INSERT PHOTO: The LCD screen showing the design selection menu]

=== 2. Hoop the Fabric ===
* Use the included 4" × 4" embroidery hoop
* Loosen the frame adjustment screw and separate the inner and outer frames
* Cut a piece of stabilizer larger than your hoop
* Place stabilizer on the '''back''' of your fabric (the side that won't show in the finished project)
* Lay the fabric right side up (the side you want to see) on the outer frame, with stabilizer underneath
* Press the inner frame into place, making sure the fabric is taut with no wrinkles or sagging
* Tighten the frame adjustment screw

[INSERT PHOTO: Close-up of hooped fabric in the embroidery frame, showing proper tension]

=== 3. Attach the Hoop ===
* Raise the presser foot lever
* Slide the embroidery frame into the frame holder, aligning the guides
* Push until it clicks into place
* The machine will detect the hoop

=== 4. Threading the Machine ===

==== Winding the Bobbin ====
* Place the bobbin on the bobbin winder shaft, aligning the notch with the spring
* Slide the bobbin winder shaft to the right until it snaps into place (the "Start/Stop" button lights up orange)
* Place the thread spool on the spool pin (thread unwinds from the front)
* Pass the thread under the thread guide, then under the thread guide cover
* Pass the thread under the hook on the bobbin winding thread guide and under the pretension disk
* Wind the thread clockwise around the bobbin 5-6 times
* Pass the thread through the guide slit and pull to cut
* Press the "Start/Stop" button to start winding
* When winding slows, press "Start/Stop" to stop, then remove the bobbin

[INSERT PHOTO: The bobbin winding area showing proper thread path]

==== Installing the Bobbin ====
* Press the Needle position button to raise the needle
* Press the Presser foot/Needle exchange key to lock all buttons
* Slide the bobbin cover latch to the right and remove the cover
* Insert the bobbin so the thread unwinds to the left
* Hold the bobbin down and guide the thread around the tab of the needle plate cover
* Guide the thread through the slit and pull lightly
* Cut the thread with the cutter
* Replace the bobbin cover and press the lock key to unlock

==== Upper Threading ====
* Raise the presser foot lever
* Press the Needle position button to raise the needle
* Place thread on spool pin with thread unwinding from the front
* Pass thread under the thread guide and thread guide cover
* Follow the numbered thread path on the machine
* Pass thread through the needle bar thread guide
* Lower the presser foot lever
* Lower the needle threader lever as far as possible
* Raise the lever slowly
* Carefully pull the thread end through the needle
* Pull out about 2 inches of thread toward the rear

[INSERT PHOTO: The threading path on the machine]

=== 5. Position Confirmation ===
* Use the arrow keys on screen to move the pattern if needed
* Press the Trial key to move the frame and verify the design fits in the desired location
* Check that the design is within the 4" × 4" embroidery area

=== 6. Adjusting Thread Tension ===
The upper thread tension is adjusted using the thread tension dial on the front of the machine.

* For most embroidery, set the tension dial between 2 and 6
* '''Correct tension:''' Upper thread is just visible on the wrong side (bottom) of the fabric
* '''Too tight:''' Bobbin thread visible on the top of fabric → decrease tension (lower number)
* '''Too loose:''' Upper thread has slack or loops on top → increase tension (higher number)

[INSERT PHOTO: Close-up of the thread tension dial]

=== 7. Start Embroidering ===
* Thread the machine with the first color
* Lower the presser foot
* Press the "Start/Stop" button to begin
* After 5-6 stitches, press "Stop" and trim excess thread tails
* Press "Start/Stop" to continue
* The machine will automatically stop when the first color is complete

=== 8. Color Changes ===
* When the first color finishes, the machine stops
* Remove the first thread
* Thread the next color
* Press "Start/Stop" to continue
* Repeat for all colors in the design

=== 9. Finishing ===
* Remove the hoop carefully when all colors are complete
* Cut excess threads
* Remove stabilizer according to project needs
* Trim any jump stitches between design elements

=== If Thread Breaks or Bobbin Runs Out ===
* Press "Start/Stop" to stop the machine
* Rethread upper thread or replace bobbin as needed
* Press the back arrow keys to move back a few stitches before the break
* Lower presser foot and continue embroidering

== Advanced Features ==

These features are available for more complex projects.

=== On-Screen Editing ===
* '''Curved Text:''' Arrange text in arcs or curves
* '''Multi-line Text:''' Place text on multiple lines
* '''Letter Spacing:''' Increase or decrease space between letters
* '''Color Preview:''' View designs in alternate colors before stitching

=== Appliqué ===
The machine includes patterns that support appliqué techniques:

* Select an appliqué pattern (indicated by APPLIQUE MATERIAL, APPLIQUE POSITION, or APPLIQUE in the color order)
* Sew the cutting line on appliqué fabric and cut out
* Sew the placement line on base fabric
* Attach the appliqué piece with fabric glue or basting
* Sew the final appliqué stitching

[INSERT PHOTO: Example of a completed appliqué project]

=== Split Embroidery Patterns ===
For designs larger than 4" × 4", split embroidery patterns can be used:

* Create split patterns with PE-DESIGN software (Ver.7 or later)
* Load the pattern from USB
* Embroider sections in alphabetical order
* Reposition fabric between sections

== Needles, Thread, and Stabilizers ==

These items are considered consumables. Basic supplies may be available during orientation, but you should plan to provide your own for ongoing projects.

=== Needles ===
The PE-550D uses standard home sewing machine needles (130/705H system). For embroidery:

* '''Standard Embroidery:''' Needle size 75/11 is recommended
* '''Heavyweight Fabrics:''' Needle size 90/14 may be used if needed

'''Important:''' Change your needle regularly - after using three full bobbins of thread, or if you notice:
* Skipped stitches
* The needle may be bent (check by placing flat side on a level surface)

[INSERT PHOTO: Checking a needle for straightness]

=== Thread Recommendations ===
* '''Upper thread:''' Use embroidery thread intended for machine embroidery
* '''Bobbin thread:''' Use 90 weight embroidery bobbin thread (included or optional)

When using metallic thread, place the spool net over the spool to prevent tangling.

=== Stabilizers ===
Proper stabilization is critical for good embroidery results:

* Always use stabilizer material for embroidery
* For thin fabrics (organdy, lawn) or napped fabrics (terry cloth, corduroy), use water-soluble stabilizer
* Use a piece of stabilizer larger than your embroidery frame
* Iron-on stabilizer can be fused to the wrong side of fabric
* For fabrics that cannot be ironed, position stabilizer under fabric without fusing

== Troubleshooting ==

=== Common Problems and Solutions ===

'''Thread breaks frequently'''
* Re-thread the machine carefully, ensuring the thread follows all guides
* Check needle for burrs or damage - replace if needed
* Verify tension setting is appropriate (2-6 range)
* Check for lint buildup in tension discs or thread path
* Ensure bobbin is correctly installed

'''Design doesn't stitch correctly or is misaligned'''
* Verify design fits within 4" × 4" embroidery area
* Check that fabric is hooped tightly without distortion
* Ensure stabilizer is appropriate for fabric type
* Check that the embroidery unit is properly attached
* Ensure nothing is obstructing the carriage movement

'''Bobbin thread shows on top (upper thread too tight)'''
* Decrease upper thread tension (lower number on tension dial)
* Bobbin may be incorrectly threaded - reinsert correctly

'''Upper thread shows on bottom (upper thread too loose)'''
* Increase upper thread tension (higher number on tension dial)
* Upper threading may be incorrect - rethread carefully

'''Machine makes unusual noises'''
* '''STOP IMMEDIATELY''' and investigate
* Check for thread tangles in the bobbin area
* Ensure needle is properly inserted and not bent
* Clean the race area (see Maintenance section)

'''Fabric puckers during embroidery'''
* Stabilizer may be insufficient for fabric type
* Hoop tension may be too loose - rehoop fabric more tightly
* Thread tension may need adjustment

'''Bobbin thread does not wind neatly'''
* Thread not correctly passed through bobbin winding thread guide
* Thread not wound clockwise around bobbin 5-6 times before starting
* Bobbin not set on shaft properly

'''Machine does not operate'''
* "Start/Stop" button not pressed
* Bobbin winder shaft may be pushed to the right
* No pattern selected
* Presser foot not lowered

'''LCD screen is fogged up'''
* Condensation has formed - this is normal and will clear after a while

== Maintenance ==

=== After Each Use ===
* Remove bobbin and clean bobbin case area with included brush
* Wipe down machine exterior with soft, dry cloth
* Cover machine when not in use
* Clean the race to remove lint and dust

=== Cleaning the Race ===
* Press Needle position button to raise needle
* Turn off and unplug machine
* Remove needle and embroidery foot
* Remove embroidery unit
* Remove needle plate cover (slide toward you)
* Remove bobbin case
* Use cleaning brush or vacuum to remove lint from race and bobbin thread sensor
* Reinsert bobbin case (align the ● marks)
* Replace needle plate cover

[INSERT PHOTO: Cleaning the race area with the brush]

=== Regular Maintenance ===
* '''Oil:''' This machine was manufactured with the necessary oil and should NOT be oiled by the user. If you hear unusual noises or the handwheel becomes difficult to turn, contact an authorized Brother dealer.
* '''Needles:''' Change regularly (after approximately three full bobbins of thread)
* '''Professional Service:''' Have machine professionally serviced annually

=== Cleaning ===
* Use the included brush and cleaning tools
* Never use compressed air - it forces lint deeper into mechanisms
* Keep the touchscreen clean with a soft, dry cloth
* Clean machine casing with a cloth lightly dampened in neutral detergent, then wipe dry

== External Resources ==

* [https://support.brother.com/g/b/sp/manualtop.aspx?c=us_ot&lang=en&prod=pe550d_us Official PE-550D Manuals & Guides]
* [https://www.brother-usa.com/products/pe550d Brother USA Product Information]
* [https://www.brother-usa.com/support/embroidery Brother Embroidery Support Center]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/BrotherSews Brother Sews YouTube Channel] - Official tutorials and tips

File:Metal Shop Finger Brake.webp

2026-09-17T00:56:32Z

Zapf: Image of a press fitted with the SWAG Off Road finger brake for the Metal Shop equipment table

Image of a press fitted with the SWAG Off Road finger brake for the Metal Shop equipment table

Projects

2026-09-17T00:48:40Z

Zapf: updated dates

== General Information ==

This page documents notable projects that Berea Makerspace members have worked on. Projects are split into two categories: makerspace-wide initiatives and individual member projects.

If you have a project you'd like to add to this page, or if you'd like to create a detailed page for an existing project, reach out on Slack or email info@bereamakerspace.org.

== Makerspace Projects ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project
! Years
! Description
! Status
! Details
|-
| Crochetmas Tree
| 2021, 2022
| A community crochet project creating a large Christmas tree display from handmade yarn ornaments and decorations. Brought together crocheters of all skill levels to create a unique holiday display.
| Completed
| [[Crochetmas Tree|Project Page]]
|-
| Purpose in Action
| 2022 - 2023
| A partnership with Parker Hannifin and the Kentucky Department of Education to design accessible manufacturing work cells for employees with disabilities. Berea Community High School and Woodford County High School students developed prototypes addressing color blindness, wheelchair accessibility, dyslexia, blindness, and cognitive disabilities. The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan's ESSER fund and featured a final competition at Eastern Kentucky University.
| Completed
| [https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2023/04/woodford-county-and-berea-independent-high-school-students-changing-the-landscape-of-accessibility/ Kentucky Teacher Article]
|-
| Kentucky School for the Deaf Partnership
| 2024 - 2027
| Ongoing partnership helping the Kentucky School for the Deaf build out a makerspace for their students. The project provides access to fabrication tools and processes used in local business, with a focus on job training, STEAM learning, and preparing students for future careers.
| Ongoing
| [[Kentucky School for the Deaf|Project Page]]
|-
| Interdependence Day
| 2025, 2026
| A community event celebrating interdependence through making, sharing skills, and collaborative projects. Featured hands-on activities, demonstrations, and skill-sharing workshops.
| Ongoing
| [[Interdependence Day|Project Page]]
|-
| Withered Tech
| 2026
| Special Project involving Makerspace Partner agk. Multiple laptops obtained through the Berea College recycling system are being used in this project.
| Ongoing
| [[Withered-Tech|Project Page]]
|}

== Member Projects ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project
! Lead Member(s)
! Years
! Description
! Status
! Details
|-
| Chimney Swift Project
| Jess (and other members)
| 2024 - 2026
| A collaborative project with the Berea Forestry Outreach Center to build and install a large chimney swift tower, supporting local bird populations through conservation efforts.
| Ongoing
| [[Chimney Swift Project|Project Page]]
|-
| Raised Beds at Berea Kids Eat
| Jess, Ed Clautice, (and other members)
| 2024
| Design and construction of raised garden beds for Berea Kids Eat, supporting community food access and education.
| Ongoing
| [[Raised Beds - Berea Kids Eat|Project Page]]
|-
| Homeschool STEAM Camps
| June, Brian
| 2024, 2025
| Weekly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) extracurricular camps for homeschool students, featuring hands-on making and collaborative projects.
| Ongoing
| [[Homeschool STEAM Camps|Project Page]]
|}

== Adding a Project ==

To add a project to this page:

# Create a new page for your project using the format [[Project Name]].
# Write a brief description of the project, including:
** Background and motivation
** Timeline
** People involved
** Key outcomes or impact
** Photos or media
# Add an entry to the appropriate table above with a link to your project page.

If you need help formatting your project page, reach out on Slack or check the [[Help]] page.

== External Resources ==

* [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar Upcoming events and workshops]
* [https://bereamakerspace.org/ Media and press coverage of Makerspace projects]

Wishlist

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Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== Textiles ==
* Leatherworking Tools
* Mannequin

== Printmaking and Crafts ==
* Button Maker and Accessories
* Screen Printing Tools

== Fabrication ==
* Foam Cutter
* Vacuum Former
* Waterjet Cutter
* Sandblasting Cabinet
* Large Format Printer
* Color Laser Printer
* Resin 3D Printer

== Woodworking ==
* Larger Jointer
* Drum Sander (Pass-Through)
* Lathe for Bowl Turning
* Additional Woodturning Tools

== Metalworking ==
* Shear/Brake/Roll
* Additional MIG, TIG, and Stick Welders
* Additional Blacksmithing Tongs and Tools

== Jewelry ==
* Jeweler's Anvil
* Casting Kiln and Crucible
* Propane Torch

Structure

2026-09-16T13:52:56Z

Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== General Information ==

Berea Makerspace is a member-run community workshop organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our vision is for members to share responsibility for the space: shaping its direction, maintaining equipment, teaching skills, and helping others participate.

The board carries the organizational responsibilities described in our bylaws. Members contribute to decisions and the work that keeps the space running. Cooperative management means sharing that work and giving members a meaningful voice in how it is done.

== Member Participation ==

You can help shape and maintain the space by:

* Proposing improvements to equipment, shared areas, policies, or programs.
* Organizing classes, workshops, and other activities.
* Helping with cleaning, documentation, and equipment maintenance within your training and authorization.
* Sharing skills and helping new members find training and ways to contribute.
* Participating in member discussions, votes, and board elections.

Ask in [[Slack]] or bring an idea to a [[Meetings|member meeting]] if you want to get involved. Contributions can be small or ongoing; you do not need a board position to help.

== Board and Member Responsibilities ==

Members help set the direction of the space and elect its directors. The [https://bereamakerspace.org/about/ board] is responsible for keeping the organization operating and in good standing.

The [https://bereamakerspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Signed-Makerspace-Bylaws.pdf linked bylaws, adopted in 2020], assign management of the corporation's business and affairs to the board. They also require written board permission for anyone to make a contract or other commitment that binds the organization.

Taking initiative does not by itself authorize spending makerspace funds, changing access or safety rules, or making commitments on the organization's behalf. Check the relevant policy or ask the board when authority is unclear.

See [[Board-roles|Board and Officer Roles]] for individual responsibilities. Formal authority and procedures are governed by the current bylaws and adopted policies; this page describes our structure and cooperative vision.

== Decisions Affecting the Membership ==

Members make decisions about the use and direction of the space. Decisions affecting the whole membership are put to a vote no sooner than one week after the subject is introduced. Members are informed of an upcoming vote.

The [[General-policies#Consensus|General Policies]] describe the makerspace's approach to consensus. This page does not establish a different voting threshold or a new decision-making process. The notice rule for membership-wide decisions should not be confused with the separate board meeting procedures in the bylaws.

=== Bringing a Proposal ===

To help members consider an idea, include:

* What you want to change and why.
* Who would be affected and how they can contribute to the discussion.
* Expected costs, space requirements, and maintenance or safety implications.
* Who is willing to do the work and what help they need.
* How you would tell whether the change is working.

Start the discussion in [[Slack]] or at a member meeting. Ask which decision process applies before treating a discussion as approval.

== Sharing the Work ==

Our aim is to distribute ongoing work so the space does not depend indefinitely on the same few volunteers. Cooperative management works best when people understand both their responsibilities and the limits of their authority.

As we develop volunteer roles and teams, we should:

* Describe each role's purpose, tasks, and decisions it is authorized to make.
* Make it clear how members can join, help, or take over a role.
* Agree on any budget or approval requirements before work begins.
* Document procedures and provide handoffs when volunteers step back.
* Review workloads and make room for different skills, availability, and levels of participation.

These are principles for developing shared management, not a declaration that new teams or delegated powers have already been established.

== Transparency and Accountability ==

Our goal is for members to be able to understand how decisions were made, who is carrying them out, and how to raise concerns.

The bylaws provide for board meeting records and member inspection of corporate records. As a shared-management practice, proposals and decisions should also have an accessible written record of the outcome, the next steps, and who has agreed to follow through. Keep personal or sensitive information out of public records where appropriate.

See [[Meetings]] for meeting information and [[Financials]] for financial information. If you cannot find a decision or need clarification, ask the board.

== Questions and Concerns ==

* Use [[Slack]] or member meetings for questions about proposals, responsibilities, and the operation of the space.
* Follow [[Safety]] for equipment hazards and safety concerns.
* Follow the [[Anti-harassment-policy|anti-harassment policy]] for harassment concerns.
* See [[General-policies|General Policies]] for the existing approach to member conflicts and board mediation.

== Further Reading ==

These resources offer ideas for shared governance. Linking them does not mean Berea Makerspace has adopted sociocracy or another complete governance system.

* [https://www.sociocracyforall.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DG-for-Nonprofits-v1-11-14.pdf Dynamic Governance for Nonprofit Organizations] - John A. Buck and Jerry Koch-Gonzalez, 2014. A practical discussion paper on volunteer participation, defined responsibilities, and shared decision-making within nonprofits.
* [https://www.makersmill.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GALA-StratBusPlan-by-ESC-Final-9-4-19.pdf Makers Mill / GALA Strategic Business Plan] - 2019. A makerspace example of shared governance. The Governance section on printed page 21 describes committees, consent decisions, and governance training as practiced and planned at that time.
* [https://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlcrest/api/core/bitstreams/28e75858-baf3-4cf8-917b-da51a1053b11/content Design Principles for Local and Global Commons] - Michael McGinnis and Elinor Ostrom, 1992. Research on sustaining shared resources through participant involvement, accountable oversight, and conflict resolution. Applying these principles to a makerspace requires adapting them to the local community.

== Governing Documents ==

* [https://bereamakerspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Signed-Makerspace-Bylaws.pdf Berea Makerspace Bylaws (2020)]
* [[General-policies|General Policies]]
* [[Rights-and-responsibilities|Rights and Responsibilities]]
* [[Board-roles|Board and Officer Roles]]

Safety

2026-09-16T13:52:55Z

Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== General Information ==

This page covers safety throughout Berea Makerspace. Read the relevant room and tool pages for equipment-specific hazards, protective equipment, materials, and operating procedures. Follow posted instructions and the [[General-policies#Health and Safety|general health and safety policies]].

== Training and Orientation ==

Safety training is part of tool orientations. Complete the required orientation before using equipment. Upcoming orientations appear on the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar].

If you cannot find the orientation you need, ask in [[Slack]] in #general or the relevant shop channel. Reading a wiki page or watching a video does not replace required training.

== Reporting Safety Concerns ==

[[Slack]] is the preferred place to report safety concerns. Post in #general or the relevant shop channel, such as #shop-wood, #shop-metal, or #shop-cnc. You can also email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].

* Report damaged equipment, unsafe conditions, injuries, and near misses, even if no one was hurt.
* Include the tool or location, what happened, and whether the hazard is still present. Add a photo if you can take one safely.
* If equipment appears unsafe, stop using it. Warn anyone nearby and leave a clear note on the equipment so someone else does not use it unknowingly. Report it on Slack or by email as well.
* If you are uncomfortable or uncertain, '''stop and ask for help'''.

'''Do not wait for a Slack or email reply in an emergency.'''

== General Safety Practices ==

* Do not bypass guards, safety devices, or safety procedures.
* Do not operate equipment while impaired, overly tired, rushed, or otherwise unable to work safely.
* Inspect equipment before use. Do not use damaged equipment or equipment marked out of service.
* Use the protective equipment and dust collection or ventilation required by the room, tool, and material.
* Keep walkways, exits, and access to emergency equipment clear. Clean up your work area and address spills promptly when it is safe to do so.
* Be aware of people around you. Avoid distracting someone who is operating equipment.
* Follow the [[General-policies#Health and Safety|rules for working alone]] and any additional requirements on the tool's page.
* Follow the [[General-policies#Guests and Children|guest and child supervision, waiver, and equipment-use rules]]. Supervision alone does not grant permission to use equipment.

== Emergencies ==

'''Address:''' 116 Spring Circle Drive, Suite 3, Berea, KY 40403.

First aid supplies are located in the [[Wood Shop]] and the bathroom.

* Before starting work, locate the exits, fire extinguishers, and first aid supplies. Ask during orientation if you do not know where they are.
* For a fire, serious injury, or other immediate emergency, '''call 911'''. Give the makerspace's address and describe the emergency.
* If there is a fire or the space is unsafe, alert others and leave the building. Do not put yourself at risk to retrieve tools or belongings.
* Notify makerspace leadership once you are safe and emergency help has been requested.

New-member-orientation

2026-09-16T13:52:54Z

Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== General Information ==

New member orientation introduces you to Berea Makerspace, its policies, and the shared space. Use this checklist with the member leading your orientation.

Tool safety training is provided through separate tool orientations. Complete the required training before using equipment. Upcoming tool orientations appear on the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar].

== Paperwork ==

* Sign the required waiver and review your [[Rights-and-responsibilities|rights and responsibilities]].
* Review the [[Policies|policy documents]] and make sure you have access to copies.
* Read the [[Anti-harassment-policy|anti-harassment policy]].

== Community ==

* Berea Makerspace is a member-run community workshop.
* The board oversees the organization. Members help shape its rules and day-to-day operation.
* Be excellent to each other.
* Take initiative to help care for the space and support other members.

== Membership and Guests ==

* You must be 18 or older and current on your dues to be a member. See [[Membership]] for membership details.
* Membership provides 24/7 access to the space and a voice in decisions about its direction.
* Complete tool training before using equipment. General membership access does not replace tool orientation.
* Follow the [[General-policies#Guests and Children|rules for guests and children]], including waivers, supervision, and restrictions on equipment use.
* If you host an event, you are responsible for your guests. Remain in the space for the event and handle cleanup and lock-up afterward.

== Safety and Access ==

* Review [[Safety]] and the safety instructions on the relevant room and tool pages.
* Report safety concerns through [[Slack]], preferably in #general or the relevant shop channel. You can also email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org]. Do not wait for a message reply in an emergency.
* Locate the exits, fire extinguishers, eyewash, and first aid supplies during the tour. First aid supplies are in the [[Wood Shop]] and the bathroom.
* Review the [[General-policies#Health and Safety|rules for working alone]] before using equipment.
* Do not lend your key fob to anyone.
* You are not obligated to admit someone without an access card or give an unscheduled tour.

== Shared Space ==

* Use the [[Library|book library]] in the space. Do not take its books home.
* Bring the consumables you need for your projects.
* Clean up after yourself and leave equipment ready for the next person.
* Lockers are available at no charge. Ask during orientation if you need one.
* Keep stored projects out of walkways and away from equipment access. Label them with your name and the date, and follow the [[General-policies#Project Storage|project storage policy]].
* Empty trash bins when they are full.
* Locate the toilet paper, paper towels, and trash bags during the tour.

== Lock-Up ==

When you are the last person leaving:

# Walk through the space to check that no one else is inside.
# Check that the back door is shut and locked. It locks automatically when closed.
# Turn off the thermostat.
# Turn off the lights.

== Before You Finish ==

* Learn how to use [[Slack]] to ask questions and communicate with other members.
* Find the room and tool orientation pages on the wiki.
* Have your RFID key fob set up for access.

Membership

2026-09-16T13:52:53Z

Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== General Information ==

Berea Makerspace offers individual, family, student, trial, and supporter membership options. Review the terms of your selected option when signing up.

Membership provides access to the shared space and a voice in its direction. '''Complete the required tool orientation before using equipment.''' Access to the space does not authorize you to use every tool.

== Membership Options ==

The following options are listed on the [https://bereamakerspace.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=440327 ClubExpress signup page]. Check that page for current prices, eligibility, payment terms, and what each option includes.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Membership Option
! Available Terms
|-
| Student
| See signup page.
|-
| Individual - 3 Month Trial
| 3-month trial.
|-
| Individual
| Standard option; 6 months (5% off); 12 months (10% off).
|-
| Family
| Standard option; 6 months (5% off); 12 months (10% off).
|-
| Space Supporter
| See signup page for terms and access details.
|-
| Super Space Supporter
| See signup page for terms and access details.
|}

== Joining ==

# Choose an option and complete the [https://bereamakerspace.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=440327 membership signup].
# Review and agree to the [[Policies|makerspace policies]] and sign the required waiver.
# Attend a [[New-member-orientation|new member orientation session]] before beginning to use the space.
# Complete the required tool orientations before using equipment. Upcoming tool orientations appear on the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar].

Members must be 18 or older. See the [[General-policies#Membership|membership policy]] for membership requirements.

== Guests and Children ==

Follow the [[General-policies#Guests and Children|guest and child policies]], including waiver, supervision, and equipment-use requirements. Supervision alone does not grant permission to use equipment.

== Questions and Payments ==

For questions about membership options or payments, ask in [[Slack]] or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].

Cash payments are not currently available.

Library

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Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== General Information ==

Books and magazines are available to use while you are in the makerspace. '''Keep them in the space; they are not available for checkout.'''

== Catalog ==

Browse the [https://www.librarycat.org/lib/BereaMakerspace library catalog] to see the collection.

== Library Photo ==


''Photo needed: an overview of the library shelves.''

Files

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Zapf: Update member information, safety, governance, resources, and wishlist; clean up formatting

== General Information ==

This page collects links to shared documents, software downloads, and project files.

== Shared Documents ==

* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YMm_qjPQ-jGZFS6wUbdrP0NZyYWM_859/view Rights and Responsibilities Document]
* [[Rights-and-responsibilities|Rights and Responsibilities on the Wiki]]

If you cannot find a file or access a shared document, ask in [[Slack]].

== VCarve Pro ==

=== Download and Makerspace Access ===

# Visit [https://www.vectric.com/free-trial/ Vectric's trial download page] and select the latest '''VCarve Pro''' trial.
# Install the software.
# Sign in with the makerspace username and password to link your installation to our makerspace license. Ask in [[Slack]] or during class for the login details.

Use Vectric's download page for the current installer. See [[VCarve]] for more information about using the software.

=== Tool Databases ===

[https://www.amanatool.com/view-amana-tool-vectric-library Amana Tool Databases for VCarve]

=== Project Files ===

[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4855729 Bowl Blank STL for VCarve Pro Makerspace Edition], designed by Jess. You can scale the model along each axis to suit your project.

Membership

2026-09-16T13:31:02Z

Zapf:

Membership in our space includes 24/7 access to all [[equipment|shared equipment]] and a voice in the direction of the space.

Individual membership is $35 per month.
Family membership is $55 per month, and includes all adults in your household.

Both membership levels allow you to bring a guest or children, provided they remain under your supervision. All members and guests must have a signed waiver on file.

Members must be 18, agree to our [[policies]], attend an [[orientation|orientation session]], and sign a waiver before starting use of the space.

To sign up, go to https://bereamakerspace.org/join-us

Cash Payments:
There is currently no cash option available. In the future, we may be able to accommodate this.

Withered-Tech

2026-09-16T13:24:22Z

Zapf:

Project notes for agk's withered tech project. Goals include - reusing old technology, deploying an offline (not internet, specifically) focused environment, while also creating tools to communicate over novel methods.

Tech involved includes: DOS, LoRa, Reticulum, Bootable USB environments. 10 laptops were passed on to agk for use in this project in September of 2026.

Most information will be contained in agk's phlog (gopher://sdf.org:70/1/users/agk/wither), but initial documents shared this year will be attached. Relevant photographs will be shared here in the future.

From solderpunk (https://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space/~solderpunk/)

More on withered technology, part I
-----------------------------------

Back in April I wrote about Gunpei Yokoi's philosophy of "Lateral
Thinking with Withered Technology"[1], with prompted Anna (agk)[2]
and The Free Thinker (freet)[3] to write responses of their own.
I have been meaning to write them both responses ever since but got
distracted writing about other things first. It's taken me much
longer than I wanted to get responses out, and I'm still struggling,
so I'm switching to an instalment plan strategy rather than trying
to find the time to get one giant response that covers everything
into a state I'm happy with. This post will just be my response to
freet's post. It's not so much a detailed point-by-point response
as it is my long musings on aspects of this whole permacomputing
thing which have arisen as a consequence of my reading their posts,
and that'll be true for my response to Anna (hopefully next weekend)
as well.

Of the two responses, freet's was the one with the most with
concrete instances of using various particular withered computing
devices in novel ways. Specifically, video game consoles (a PS2
and the Nintendo DS) were mentioned, as were routers and other home
networking devices which can (or could) run OpenWRT. I think both of
these categories of withered device warrant serious thinking about.
They have historically been kind of off my radar but now are very
much on it.

All the way back in 2020, I wrote a post about the so-called
"standard salvage computing platform"[4], arguing that we ought to
think of Android smartphones as constituting this. My reasoning was
simply that these were absolutely ubiquitous, approximately free
(most people, if they really tried, could probably score an old
and somewhat-out-of-shape but functional smartphone off a friend of
family member who has it sitting in a drawer somewhere, for free or
in exchange to buying them a drink or whatever), had integrated I/O
(the touchscreen being built right into the device serving as the
primary channel for both), had lower power requirements and also
very well standardised physical connections for power.

All of these advantages remain true, but in the intervening years I
have come to think I probably down-played some obvious downsides
as well. Probably the biggest of these is radical hardware
variability. There's some sense in which "Android smartphones"
is a meaningful device category to talk about, but it's also
undeniably true that at the level of chipsets and bootloaders, we
are actually talking about easily hundreds and probably thousands
of distinct and incompatible devices. These devices are able to
run a Linux-derived operating system at time of launch only due to
extensive phone-specific porting efforts carried out by engineers
employed by the phone's manufacturers. Those engineers have full
access to all the details of how the phone are built and they don't
have to worry at all about bootloader security or anything like that.
Volunteer communities trying to revitalise those devices after they
have abandoned by their manufacturers are working in the dark and
against obstacles. The effort involved in porting later versions
of Android, or alternative operating systems like PostmarketOS,
to those devices is substantial. The workload is multiplied by
the total number of distinct hardware designs in circulation.
The total is, realistically, impossible for a niche movement.

The video game consoles landscape looks radically different to this.
These devices are manufactured at very large scale (the PS2, Nintendo
Switch and Nintendo DS each sold over 150 million units worldwide)
but the hardware variation, while non-zero (you don't just have
things like the "fat" vs thin PS2, but there are a few different
generations of fat PS2 hardware, as I found out recently I when I
naively thought I could transplant an optical drive from one to the
other), is negligible. All 150 million of the devices branded with
the same name are 100% binary compatible - customers would riot if
the expensive discs and cartridges they bought stopped working on
later generations of the same hardware or after a firmware update
was installed. Figuring out how to repurpose the five most popular
consoles of this century is guaranteed to net you many, many more
repurposed devices than targetting the five most popular makes and
models of Anrdoid phone would, no question.

Not only is the amount of reverse engineering work required to
revitalise all those devices less than that required to revitalise
all the smartphones, the incentives for doing so are very different.
People jailbreak phones for idealistic reasons around freedom and
privacy and environmentalism (as well, of course for the fun of the
technical challenge). People do the same to video game consoles
to save money or make money by pirating games, which is something
that appeals to many orders of magnitude more people than casting
off corporate shackles does. When many more people are working on
far fewer devices, the work naturally gets done faster. In fact, an
awful lot of the work is already done! Many of these platforms have
had their security systems broken and can now run arbitrary code,
including non-game homebrew software. Did you know you can even
install the Libreboot Open BIOS on the original Sony Playstation?
It's not necessarily easy, it's a hardware hack[5], but still!

Note only are there homebrew development kits out there for a lot
of these platforms, the aftermarket hardware care and support is
surprisingly well-developed, too. There are a lot of videogamers out
there who like old machines but are not themselves hardware hackers,
and this makes it commercially viable for folks who *are* hardware
savvy to operate online stores selling refurbished devices which have
had e.g. new batteries installed in them. There are people making
and selling replacement plastic shells for all the handheld devices.
You can buy kits to upgrade the display in original GameBoys to be
brighter and clearer! I was really surprised when I discovered
all this earlier this year. This is real permacomputing praxis,
breathing new life into old machines, including machines from last
century, and it's being done for entirely non-ideological reasons,
by people who just wanna play old games and enjoy them on original
hardware.

If it's not already clear, I have become *very* interested in
old game devices as salvage computing platforms. The real turning
point was being shocked at just how low the barriers to entry are in
some cases. Specifically, I bought a Nintendo DSi (a device which
has a (stylus) touch screen, WiFi, front and rear-facing cameras,
a microphone, an SD card reader and a Real Time Clock, so not one
million miles away from a rudimentary smartphone) much earlier
this year (before making any of these withered tech posts) after I
learned there there's an open-source C library[6] which easily exposes
just about all the important functionality. You can compile your
homebrew DS software on a Linux machine using GCC and make, it's the
most conventional development experience imaginable. You do need a
so-called "flashcart" to be able to get the resulting binary running
on hardware, but still. The contrast with developing for Android
is tremendous, with the consequence that I've actually *done* some
DS development using libnds, whereas every time I've even thought
about developing for Android I've noped out after doing a little
research and not wanting to go through the hassle of even getting
set up for it. I'll be writing more about DS homebrew in the future!

It's not all necessarily totally smooth sailing, of course.
The DS and DS-Lite support WiFi but not WPA2 networks. There's an
off-the-shelf web browser for the DS but it can't do modern HTTPS
due to expired CA certificates (there's an open source browser
which can[7], but it's extremely rough and ready). These are hardly
insurmountable obstacles, though. A headless RPi or even an ESP32
device can provide a very low-power short-range WEP or open WiFi
network, possibly locked to MAC addresses, and can use HTTP to serve
crusty old CSS-renderings of RSS feeds, Gopher and Gemini content,
for example. Old smartphones and tablets, naturally, could take
advantage of such a facility as well, this being much safer than
connecting them directly to the public internet.

Of course, RPis and ESP32s are not exactly in the "withered
tech" category, and indeed I'm encouraging permacomputing folk
to explore lateral thinking with withered technology instead of
building new widgets based around these dirt cheap and abundant
modern devices precisely because all these dirt cheap DIY-friendly
modern devices are powerful vectors for the "hardware grows on
trees and lil' computers are so cheap you can totally buy some
just for fun!" mentality which permacomputing needs to actually
oppose if it's to have any kind of coherence. There is surely some
"breaking eggs to make omelettes" rationality in using such devices
if you already have them lying around, or can buy them cheaply used
from consumerist makers who have upgraded to a later version, and
apply them to breathing new life into yet older things which would
otherwise be hard to utilise, but the philosophical tension is there.
This bring us nicely to the other category freet mentioned, which
is consumer networking tech.

Things like modems, routers, NASes etc feel to me like they are
probably situated somewhere between game consoles and smart phones in
terms of how much hardware variability there is. Like smartphones,
many of them are sold running something Linux-derived under the
hood, and as such it is unsurprising that many of these devices
are or were supported by OpenWRT. I am far from an expert here,
but I *think* it's probably true that the proportion of popular
devices which are or were well-supported by OpenWRT is greater than
the proportion of popular smartphones which are well-supported by
PostmarketOS or LineageOS or anything like that. Some very quick
research on this front revealed to me that a popular Linksys NAS
device, the NSLU2[8], manufactured between 2004 and 2008, was able to
run mainline or close-to-mainline Linux and *BSD, and seems to at
one point have had a pretty active and dedicated community of folks
doing such, affectionately referring to the device as the "Slug"
and sometimes even bestowing memory upgrades upon it. Some really
quick poking around on eBay and my local Craigslist equivalent
suggests these Slugs are still not hard to find and dirt cheap.
There are probably plenty of other devices like this, too. Many of
them probably have wireless hardware in them, meaning they could
also act as gateways for things like DSes, getting them easily into
Gopher- or Geminispace, bridging them to alternative networks like
Yggdrasil, etc.

Some of you might be wondering quite what the point of all this
is, when there are also still countless millions of "real" computer
devices out there waiting to be reused for even less effort. This is
a fair question (one for which "fun" is a perfectly permissible
answer, of course), and one I will try to say something about when I
write my response to Anna, whose post got me thinking more about big
picture "why?"/"what for?" type questions than specific categories
of device type.

[1] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/lateral-thinking-with-withered-technology.txt</nowiki>
[2] <nowiki>gopher://sdf.org:70/0/users/agk/2026-04-14-lat.txt</nowiki>
[3] <nowiki>gopher://aussies.space:70/0/~freet/phlog/2026-04-17RE_Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology.txt</nowiki>
[4] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/the-standard-salvaged-computing-platform.txt</nowiki>
[5] <nowiki>https://libreboot.org/docs/install/playstation.html</nowiki>
[6] <nowiki>https://blocksds.skylyrac.net/libnds/index.html</nowiki>
[7] <nowiki>https://codeberg.org/SkyLyrac/bunjalloo</nowiki>
[8] <nowiki>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSLU2</nowiki>

!More lateral thinking with withered tech
---
agk's diary
9 June 2026 @ 03:52 UTC
---
on ThinkPad x61, 1024x768 VGA screen, Model M keys
in the garage
---
Peter, a retired electrical engineer, came over
today to look at my cyber scrapheap and decide what
potential projects interest him.

Solderpunk, two days ago, responded to the Free
Thinker's reflections on lateral thinking with
(salvaged) withered tech. Solderpunk specifically
noted the community/industry that repairs, hacks,
modifies, and repurposes gaming consoles into PCs,
terminals, or entertainment systems, and potential
of old routers as smol servers.

INDUSTRIAL/SCIENTIFIC SALVAGE CONSIDERED

Peter used to repair hardware in industrial and
scientific settings, and threw out a lot of the
durable, embedded, low-power kinds of things I like.
The hardware that controls industrial manufacturing
and test equipment often runs for decades with
minimal maintainence, until one day it breaks, and
someone has to open up that Ship of Theseus and
replace a part so the line can start back up.

I'm sure there are more video game system owners
than factories, particularly when considered, not as
a snapshot, but as a bucket of time from 1985 or
1990 to present. The cast-off console/router combo
may prove a better target for this kind of thinking
than my industrial special interest on any scale
beyond personal/hobbyist. I'm curious to learn more.

DOS ON SALVAGED THINGS FOR KIDS

Talking to Peter for a few hours as we opened up
various boxen of yesteryear (starting with an old
friend's IBM 5155 PC Portable from 1985 with a bad
power supply, ending with a girlfriend's 2010
netbook that just needs a charging cable) helped me
clarify thoughts on lateral thinking with salvaged
tech.

I have cast-off laptops intended for business or
educational use and cast-off routers. When the
laptops are gone, I'd like to start working on cast-
off thin clients or game consoles.

What I'll do to them:
- Remove wifi/bluetooth module
- Remove hard drive
- Remove or disconnect any camera
- Potentially remove some RAM
- Configure to boot from removable media
- Underclock/undervolt CPU
- Write FreeDOS, appropriate software collection,
and menu/launcher batch file to bootable medium
(SD card, low-profile USB)
- Test and give to kids

Upgrade path:
- Parents trade me old removable media for remova-
ble media with new software collection, or DIY

Security:
- Airgapped
- Save files and documents on different removable
media, system disk is ROM

Use:
- Put in system card/drive (SD card/USB drive)
- (Optional) Put in drive for documents/save files
- Press power button to boot
- Study, play. write
- Press power button to turn off

RESEARCH QUESTION: DUMB TTY ON SALVAGE

What's the curresponding way to turn $OLD_LAPTOP
into something like a dumb terminal? Goal: push
power button, help text/menu and user prompt appear
nearly instantly. Ssh and maybe telnet (maybe in a
sandboxed network or overlay network) are possible,
but not much else.

RFC "tty dumb console mode":
- Plug in ethernet or serial cable, or LORA device
- Put in system card/drive with stripped-down,
nearly instantly-booting UNIX livesystem
(like OpenWRT, Alpine, or FuguIta). If possible,
it should be ROM, boot into RAM, single-user,
tty only, with everything not required for I/O,
networking, and ssh/telnet/serial terminal
stripped out or locked down.
- Press power button. It should autologin to a non-
root account and display an options menu or
short help file on how to connect to something.
- Connect to something. Login if whatever you're
connecting to requires it. Logout or break the
connection.
- Press power button to turn off

I haven't built a livesystem USB drive to do this
with OpenWRT or FuguIta yet, but wasted about five
hours trying to achieve it with Alpine before
pausing this research project for now. I don't have
deep knowledge of Linux/UNIX internals; someone who
does could probably either suggest a path or tell me
to abandon this.

The computer hosting the dumb terminal kiosk could
obviously have its wifi board and antenna reinstall-
ed if desired. It could possibly be locked into an
overlay network like Reticulum. Fun/useful services
to access could include a BBS with unfederated email,
chat, bulletin boards, and door games; or a multi-
user unix system.

FUN

At least I think these things are fun. All the kids
I've allowed to play on the family computer think a
DOS system with an appropriate software library is
super fun. My only experience with kids on a tty
console was in a small poor community in the South
Carolina lowcountry after a catastrophic flood more
than ten years ago.

My friends had a stack of retired thin clients. A
small business owner donated a c.2004 laptop from
her storage unit. Friends had yagi antennas. We
built an 8-machine computer lab in the community
center/youth center/distribution hub, originally for
FEMA benefits registration, then for kids who were
out of their destroyed schools.

The storage-unit laptop was the server in a LTSP
(Linux terminal-server project) system, and the thin
clients and even older laptops were the terminals.
They ran edubuntu educational software (most of it
not as good as the DOS stuff I've since discovered)
in an X GUI. Each kid had their own login, and of
course it worked on any computer they sat at.
Updates only needed to be run on the server.

Internet access was over a wireless broadband link
through those yagi antennas to the home internet
connection of a willing neighbor a half-mile away.
Filtered through a cacheing squid proxy, the
computer lab caused her no trouble, and her rural
telephone cooperative ISP said it was fine.

One of the boys got really into a computer programm-
ing game that was like LOGO or Scratch, learning C
while commanding a critter to run around the screen.
One of the girls wanted to learn to write a resume
in LibreOffice to help her mom get a job. But hands-
down the most popular thing was when the kids
learned to ctrl-alt-F2 into a tty and use ancient
social unix tools like wall(1), talk(1), and
write(1) (all available on sdf, if you're using it)
after checking to see who(1) was online.

If they had more previous computer/tablet experience,
maybe the web access would have appealed to them
more. But instead, all these "computer-illiterate"
8-year-olds were sitting in the same lab as each
other, snickering as they switched back and forth
from GUI to tty to chat with each other about who
stank etc., on machines that were previously e-waste.

Over the years, when I put little Linuxes on old
laptops for not particularly computer-literate
friends, they generally only used the web browser.
That's specifically what I'm trying to avoid now.

CHALLENGES OTHER THAN THE RESEARCH QUESTION

Obviously, on older computers, substitute a boot CD,
DVD, or floppy, and on gaming consoles substitute a
CD, DVD, or ROM cartridge.

One challenge I've had with using older laptops this
way is that they're damaged (particularly screen or
keyboard) or unergonomic. I don't like laptops much.
When I use them, I like to plug in an external key-
board, monitor, and sometimes mouse or joystick.

Junkyard computing the way I do it generally doesn't
involve sourcing, buying, shipping, and installing
expensive device-specific components, potentially
damaging other aging stuff along the way. I like to
turn a laptop into a desktop or a server. It stays
plugged in to mains power and has peripherals.

I want the machine to recognize the peripherals. I
want it render at the resolution of the external
display, not the laptop screen, and I want it to
turn off the laptop screen.

On the 2006ish ThinkPad I'm using that way now, in
X, I turned off the laptop screen with arandr(1),
but when I switch to the tty like those kids did,
it comes back on. I hope to fix that before this
laptop's hard drive is decommissioned and it
starts only booting (DOS or dumb terminal) from
low-profile thumb drives, like the rest of the fleet
on the shelf behind me, silently awaiting their
children.

I also wish I could find low-profile thumb drives
with less than 16GB of memory. FUZOMA's less than
2MB. My DOS system with the biggest pile of office
software, utilities, REPLs, documentation, text and
spreadsheet files, and games saved in its director-
ies for me to test is less than 100MB. Where are the
500MB low-profile USB drives and SD cards?

MY LEARNING

Next week Peter comes back over. I should have my
first bench-top power supply, I'll finally learn how
to use the variable-temperature soldering iron I
inherited, some torx screws will be removed from
something that doesn't currently power up, and more
will be revealed.

Withered-Tech

2026-09-16T13:20:42Z

Zapf: Attributed solderpunk

Project notes for agk's withered tech project. Goals include - reusing old technology, deploying an offline (not internet, specifically) focused environment, while also creating tools to communicate over novel methods.

Tech involved includes: DOS, LoRa, Reticulum, Bootable USB environments.

Most information will be contained in agk's phlog (gopher://sdf.org:70/1/users/agk/wither), but initial documents shared this year will be attached. Relevant photographs will be shared here in the future.

From solderpunk (https://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space/~solderpunk/)

More on withered technology, part I
-----------------------------------

Back in April I wrote about Gunpei Yokoi's philosophy of "Lateral
Thinking with Withered Technology"[1], with prompted Anna (agk)[2]
and The Free Thinker (freet)[3] to write responses of their own.
I have been meaning to write them both responses ever since but got
distracted writing about other things first. It's taken me much
longer than I wanted to get responses out, and I'm still struggling,
so I'm switching to an instalment plan strategy rather than trying
to find the time to get one giant response that covers everything
into a state I'm happy with. This post will just be my response to
freet's post. It's not so much a detailed point-by-point response
as it is my long musings on aspects of this whole permacomputing
thing which have arisen as a consequence of my reading their posts,
and that'll be true for my response to Anna (hopefully next weekend)
as well.

Of the two responses, freet's was the one with the most with
concrete instances of using various particular withered computing
devices in novel ways. Specifically, video game consoles (a PS2
and the Nintendo DS) were mentioned, as were routers and other home
networking devices which can (or could) run OpenWRT. I think both of
these categories of withered device warrant serious thinking about.
They have historically been kind of off my radar but now are very
much on it.

All the way back in 2020, I wrote a post about the so-called
"standard salvage computing platform"[4], arguing that we ought to
think of Android smartphones as constituting this. My reasoning was
simply that these were absolutely ubiquitous, approximately free
(most people, if they really tried, could probably score an old
and somewhat-out-of-shape but functional smartphone off a friend of
family member who has it sitting in a drawer somewhere, for free or
in exchange to buying them a drink or whatever), had integrated I/O
(the touchscreen being built right into the device serving as the
primary channel for both), had lower power requirements and also
very well standardised physical connections for power.

All of these advantages remain true, but in the intervening years I
have come to think I probably down-played some obvious downsides
as well. Probably the biggest of these is radical hardware
variability. There's some sense in which "Android smartphones"
is a meaningful device category to talk about, but it's also
undeniably true that at the level of chipsets and bootloaders, we
are actually talking about easily hundreds and probably thousands
of distinct and incompatible devices. These devices are able to
run a Linux-derived operating system at time of launch only due to
extensive phone-specific porting efforts carried out by engineers
employed by the phone's manufacturers. Those engineers have full
access to all the details of how the phone are built and they don't
have to worry at all about bootloader security or anything like that.
Volunteer communities trying to revitalise those devices after they
have abandoned by their manufacturers are working in the dark and
against obstacles. The effort involved in porting later versions
of Android, or alternative operating systems like PostmarketOS,
to those devices is substantial. The workload is multiplied by
the total number of distinct hardware designs in circulation.
The total is, realistically, impossible for a niche movement.

The video game consoles landscape looks radically different to this.
These devices are manufactured at very large scale (the PS2, Nintendo
Switch and Nintendo DS each sold over 150 million units worldwide)
but the hardware variation, while non-zero (you don't just have
things like the "fat" vs thin PS2, but there are a few different
generations of fat PS2 hardware, as I found out recently I when I
naively thought I could transplant an optical drive from one to the
other), is negligible. All 150 million of the devices branded with
the same name are 100% binary compatible - customers would riot if
the expensive discs and cartridges they bought stopped working on
later generations of the same hardware or after a firmware update
was installed. Figuring out how to repurpose the five most popular
consoles of this century is guaranteed to net you many, many more
repurposed devices than targetting the five most popular makes and
models of Anrdoid phone would, no question.

Not only is the amount of reverse engineering work required to
revitalise all those devices less than that required to revitalise
all the smartphones, the incentives for doing so are very different.
People jailbreak phones for idealistic reasons around freedom and
privacy and environmentalism (as well, of course for the fun of the
technical challenge). People do the same to video game consoles
to save money or make money by pirating games, which is something
that appeals to many orders of magnitude more people than casting
off corporate shackles does. When many more people are working on
far fewer devices, the work naturally gets done faster. In fact, an
awful lot of the work is already done! Many of these platforms have
had their security systems broken and can now run arbitrary code,
including non-game homebrew software. Did you know you can even
install the Libreboot Open BIOS on the original Sony Playstation?
It's not necessarily easy, it's a hardware hack[5], but still!

Note only are there homebrew development kits out there for a lot
of these platforms, the aftermarket hardware care and support is
surprisingly well-developed, too. There are a lot of videogamers out
there who like old machines but are not themselves hardware hackers,
and this makes it commercially viable for folks who *are* hardware
savvy to operate online stores selling refurbished devices which have
had e.g. new batteries installed in them. There are people making
and selling replacement plastic shells for all the handheld devices.
You can buy kits to upgrade the display in original GameBoys to be
brighter and clearer! I was really surprised when I discovered
all this earlier this year. This is real permacomputing praxis,
breathing new life into old machines, including machines from last
century, and it's being done for entirely non-ideological reasons,
by people who just wanna play old games and enjoy them on original
hardware.

If it's not already clear, I have become *very* interested in
old game devices as salvage computing platforms. The real turning
point was being shocked at just how low the barriers to entry are in
some cases. Specifically, I bought a Nintendo DSi (a device which
has a (stylus) touch screen, WiFi, front and rear-facing cameras,
a microphone, an SD card reader and a Real Time Clock, so not one
million miles away from a rudimentary smartphone) much earlier
this year (before making any of these withered tech posts) after I
learned there there's an open-source C library[6] which easily exposes
just about all the important functionality. You can compile your
homebrew DS software on a Linux machine using GCC and make, it's the
most conventional development experience imaginable. You do need a
so-called "flashcart" to be able to get the resulting binary running
on hardware, but still. The contrast with developing for Android
is tremendous, with the consequence that I've actually *done* some
DS development using libnds, whereas every time I've even thought
about developing for Android I've noped out after doing a little
research and not wanting to go through the hassle of even getting
set up for it. I'll be writing more about DS homebrew in the future!

It's not all necessarily totally smooth sailing, of course.
The DS and DS-Lite support WiFi but not WPA2 networks. There's an
off-the-shelf web browser for the DS but it can't do modern HTTPS
due to expired CA certificates (there's an open source browser
which can[7], but it's extremely rough and ready). These are hardly
insurmountable obstacles, though. A headless RPi or even an ESP32
device can provide a very low-power short-range WEP or open WiFi
network, possibly locked to MAC addresses, and can use HTTP to serve
crusty old CSS-renderings of RSS feeds, Gopher and Gemini content,
for example. Old smartphones and tablets, naturally, could take
advantage of such a facility as well, this being much safer than
connecting them directly to the public internet.

Of course, RPis and ESP32s are not exactly in the "withered
tech" category, and indeed I'm encouraging permacomputing folk
to explore lateral thinking with withered technology instead of
building new widgets based around these dirt cheap and abundant
modern devices precisely because all these dirt cheap DIY-friendly
modern devices are powerful vectors for the "hardware grows on
trees and lil' computers are so cheap you can totally buy some
just for fun!" mentality which permacomputing needs to actually
oppose if it's to have any kind of coherence. There is surely some
"breaking eggs to make omelettes" rationality in using such devices
if you already have them lying around, or can buy them cheaply used
from consumerist makers who have upgraded to a later version, and
apply them to breathing new life into yet older things which would
otherwise be hard to utilise, but the philosophical tension is there.
This bring us nicely to the other category freet mentioned, which
is consumer networking tech.

Things like modems, routers, NASes etc feel to me like they are
probably situated somewhere between game consoles and smart phones in
terms of how much hardware variability there is. Like smartphones,
many of them are sold running something Linux-derived under the
hood, and as such it is unsurprising that many of these devices
are or were supported by OpenWRT. I am far from an expert here,
but I *think* it's probably true that the proportion of popular
devices which are or were well-supported by OpenWRT is greater than
the proportion of popular smartphones which are well-supported by
PostmarketOS or LineageOS or anything like that. Some very quick
research on this front revealed to me that a popular Linksys NAS
device, the NSLU2[8], manufactured between 2004 and 2008, was able to
run mainline or close-to-mainline Linux and *BSD, and seems to at
one point have had a pretty active and dedicated community of folks
doing such, affectionately referring to the device as the "Slug"
and sometimes even bestowing memory upgrades upon it. Some really
quick poking around on eBay and my local Craigslist equivalent
suggests these Slugs are still not hard to find and dirt cheap.
There are probably plenty of other devices like this, too. Many of
them probably have wireless hardware in them, meaning they could
also act as gateways for things like DSes, getting them easily into
Gopher- or Geminispace, bridging them to alternative networks like
Yggdrasil, etc.

Some of you might be wondering quite what the point of all this
is, when there are also still countless millions of "real" computer
devices out there waiting to be reused for even less effort. This is
a fair question (one for which "fun" is a perfectly permissible
answer, of course), and one I will try to say something about when I
write my response to Anna, whose post got me thinking more about big
picture "why?"/"what for?" type questions than specific categories
of device type.

[1] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/lateral-thinking-with-withered-technology.txt</nowiki>
[2] <nowiki>gopher://sdf.org:70/0/users/agk/2026-04-14-lat.txt</nowiki>
[3] <nowiki>gopher://aussies.space:70/0/~freet/phlog/2026-04-17RE_Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology.txt</nowiki>
[4] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/the-standard-salvaged-computing-platform.txt</nowiki>
[5] <nowiki>https://libreboot.org/docs/install/playstation.html</nowiki>
[6] <nowiki>https://blocksds.skylyrac.net/libnds/index.html</nowiki>
[7] <nowiki>https://codeberg.org/SkyLyrac/bunjalloo</nowiki>
[8] <nowiki>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSLU2</nowiki>

!More lateral thinking with withered tech
---
agk's diary
9 June 2026 @ 03:52 UTC
---
on ThinkPad x61, 1024x768 VGA screen, Model M keys
in the garage
---
Peter, a retired electrical engineer, came over
today to look at my cyber scrapheap and decide what
potential projects interest him.

Solderpunk, two days ago, responded to the Free
Thinker's reflections on lateral thinking with
(salvaged) withered tech. Solderpunk specifically
noted the community/industry that repairs, hacks,
modifies, and repurposes gaming consoles into PCs,
terminals, or entertainment systems, and potential
of old routers as smol servers.

INDUSTRIAL/SCIENTIFIC SALVAGE CONSIDERED

Peter used to repair hardware in industrial and
scientific settings, and threw out a lot of the
durable, embedded, low-power kinds of things I like.
The hardware that controls industrial manufacturing
and test equipment often runs for decades with
minimal maintainence, until one day it breaks, and
someone has to open up that Ship of Theseus and
replace a part so the line can start back up.

I'm sure there are more video game system owners
than factories, particularly when considered, not as
a snapshot, but as a bucket of time from 1985 or
1990 to present. The cast-off console/router combo
may prove a better target for this kind of thinking
than my industrial special interest on any scale
beyond personal/hobbyist. I'm curious to learn more.

DOS ON SALVAGED THINGS FOR KIDS

Talking to Peter for a few hours as we opened up
various boxen of yesteryear (starting with an old
friend's IBM 5155 PC Portable from 1985 with a bad
power supply, ending with a girlfriend's 2010
netbook that just needs a charging cable) helped me
clarify thoughts on lateral thinking with salvaged
tech.

I have cast-off laptops intended for business or
educational use and cast-off routers. When the
laptops are gone, I'd like to start working on cast-
off thin clients or game consoles.

What I'll do to them:
- Remove wifi/bluetooth module
- Remove hard drive
- Remove or disconnect any camera
- Potentially remove some RAM
- Configure to boot from removable media
- Underclock/undervolt CPU
- Write FreeDOS, appropriate software collection,
and menu/launcher batch file to bootable medium
(SD card, low-profile USB)
- Test and give to kids

Upgrade path:
- Parents trade me old removable media for remova-
ble media with new software collection, or DIY

Security:
- Airgapped
- Save files and documents on different removable
media, system disk is ROM

Use:
- Put in system card/drive (SD card/USB drive)
- (Optional) Put in drive for documents/save files
- Press power button to boot
- Study, play. write
- Press power button to turn off

RESEARCH QUESTION: DUMB TTY ON SALVAGE

What's the curresponding way to turn $OLD_LAPTOP
into something like a dumb terminal? Goal: push
power button, help text/menu and user prompt appear
nearly instantly. Ssh and maybe telnet (maybe in a
sandboxed network or overlay network) are possible,
but not much else.

RFC "tty dumb console mode":
- Plug in ethernet or serial cable, or LORA device
- Put in system card/drive with stripped-down,
nearly instantly-booting UNIX livesystem
(like OpenWRT, Alpine, or FuguIta). If possible,
it should be ROM, boot into RAM, single-user,
tty only, with everything not required for I/O,
networking, and ssh/telnet/serial terminal
stripped out or locked down.
- Press power button. It should autologin to a non-
root account and display an options menu or
short help file on how to connect to something.
- Connect to something. Login if whatever you're
connecting to requires it. Logout or break the
connection.
- Press power button to turn off

I haven't built a livesystem USB drive to do this
with OpenWRT or FuguIta yet, but wasted about five
hours trying to achieve it with Alpine before
pausing this research project for now. I don't have
deep knowledge of Linux/UNIX internals; someone who
does could probably either suggest a path or tell me
to abandon this.

The computer hosting the dumb terminal kiosk could
obviously have its wifi board and antenna reinstall-
ed if desired. It could possibly be locked into an
overlay network like Reticulum. Fun/useful services
to access could include a BBS with unfederated email,
chat, bulletin boards, and door games; or a multi-
user unix system.

FUN

At least I think these things are fun. All the kids
I've allowed to play on the family computer think a
DOS system with an appropriate software library is
super fun. My only experience with kids on a tty
console was in a small poor community in the South
Carolina lowcountry after a catastrophic flood more
than ten years ago.

My friends had a stack of retired thin clients. A
small business owner donated a c.2004 laptop from
her storage unit. Friends had yagi antennas. We
built an 8-machine computer lab in the community
center/youth center/distribution hub, originally for
FEMA benefits registration, then for kids who were
out of their destroyed schools.

The storage-unit laptop was the server in a LTSP
(Linux terminal-server project) system, and the thin
clients and even older laptops were the terminals.
They ran edubuntu educational software (most of it
not as good as the DOS stuff I've since discovered)
in an X GUI. Each kid had their own login, and of
course it worked on any computer they sat at.
Updates only needed to be run on the server.

Internet access was over a wireless broadband link
through those yagi antennas to the home internet
connection of a willing neighbor a half-mile away.
Filtered through a cacheing squid proxy, the
computer lab caused her no trouble, and her rural
telephone cooperative ISP said it was fine.

One of the boys got really into a computer programm-
ing game that was like LOGO or Scratch, learning C
while commanding a critter to run around the screen.
One of the girls wanted to learn to write a resume
in LibreOffice to help her mom get a job. But hands-
down the most popular thing was when the kids
learned to ctrl-alt-F2 into a tty and use ancient
social unix tools like wall(1), talk(1), and
write(1) (all available on sdf, if you're using it)
after checking to see who(1) was online.

If they had more previous computer/tablet experience,
maybe the web access would have appealed to them
more. But instead, all these "computer-illiterate"
8-year-olds were sitting in the same lab as each
other, snickering as they switched back and forth
from GUI to tty to chat with each other about who
stank etc., on machines that were previously e-waste.

Over the years, when I put little Linuxes on old
laptops for not particularly computer-literate
friends, they generally only used the web browser.
That's specifically what I'm trying to avoid now.

CHALLENGES OTHER THAN THE RESEARCH QUESTION

Obviously, on older computers, substitute a boot CD,
DVD, or floppy, and on gaming consoles substitute a
CD, DVD, or ROM cartridge.

One challenge I've had with using older laptops this
way is that they're damaged (particularly screen or
keyboard) or unergonomic. I don't like laptops much.
When I use them, I like to plug in an external key-
board, monitor, and sometimes mouse or joystick.

Junkyard computing the way I do it generally doesn't
involve sourcing, buying, shipping, and installing
expensive device-specific components, potentially
damaging other aging stuff along the way. I like to
turn a laptop into a desktop or a server. It stays
plugged in to mains power and has peripherals.

I want the machine to recognize the peripherals. I
want it render at the resolution of the external
display, not the laptop screen, and I want it to
turn off the laptop screen.

On the 2006ish ThinkPad I'm using that way now, in
X, I turned off the laptop screen with arandr(1),
but when I switch to the tty like those kids did,
it comes back on. I hope to fix that before this
laptop's hard drive is decommissioned and it
starts only booting (DOS or dumb terminal) from
low-profile thumb drives, like the rest of the fleet
on the shelf behind me, silently awaiting their
children.

I also wish I could find low-profile thumb drives
with less than 16GB of memory. FUZOMA's less than
2MB. My DOS system with the biggest pile of office
software, utilities, REPLs, documentation, text and
spreadsheet files, and games saved in its director-
ies for me to test is less than 100MB. Where are the
500MB low-profile USB drives and SD cards?

MY LEARNING

Next week Peter comes back over. I should have my
first bench-top power supply, I'll finally learn how
to use the variable-temperature soldering iron I
inherited, some torx screws will be removed from
something that doesn't currently power up, and more
will be revealed.

Surfacing and Sanding Equipment

2026-09-14T14:26:48Z

Zapf: Clean up orientation formatting and add planer sled and edge-jointing videos

== General Information ==

The planer, jointer, and spindle sander are located in the [[Wood Shop]]. They are used to prepare board faces and edges, reduce boards to thickness, and sand curves and details. This page covers their orientation.

Report equipment issues on Slack in #general, #shop-cnc, or #shop-wood.

== Orientation and Access ==

Training is required to use this equipment. Complete the [[New-member-orientation|general space orientation]] before attending this orientation. Check the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar] for upcoming training.

During orientation, you will demonstrate a test pass on the planer and jointer and demonstrate how to use the spindle sander.

== Safety ==

Follow the [[Wood Shop#Safety|Wood Shop safety requirements]].

* Do not operate power equipment while impaired, rushed, tired, or unwell.
* Inspect the equipment before using it.
* Wear hearing protection when using the planer or jointer.
* Use dust collection when operating the planer.

== Equipment ==

=== Planer ===

[[File:Planer.jpg|200px|thumb|Planer in the Wood Shop.]]

The [[Planer|DeWalt DW735X planer]] mills boards to a desired thickness. A planer alone will not correct a warped board. A planer sled can help correct warp and twist as an alternative to using the jointer.

==== Preparation ====

* Check that the board contains no metal.
* Remove dirt and dust from the board before milling.
* Take small cuts over multiple passes.
* Support the ends of long boards to help avoid snipe, a deeper cut near the ends of a board.
* '''Wear hearing protection and use dust collection.''' The planer is loud and produces a lot of dust.
* Make sure there is enough outfeed space for the board.

==== Operation ====

# Unlock the carriage and adjust the height so that the workpiece moves the rollers.
# Lock the height.
# Adjust the dust collection gates and turn on the dust collector.
# Turn on the planer.
# Feed the board into the planer with the grain at a slight angle. Keep it flat on the table.
# Let the board pass through and slide free.
# Turn off the planer and dust collector.

During orientation, demonstrate a test pass for the instructor.

==== Planer Sleds ====

The following video explains using a planer sled for twisted boards and other board-flattening issues.

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR-f4d3cS8</youtube>

=== Jointer ===

[[File:Less Sawdust Jointer.jpg|200px|thumb|Jointer in the Wood Shop.]]

The [[Jointer|Central Machinery 31849 jointer]] is used to square a board's face and edge.

* '''Wear hearing protection.'''
* Use push sticks for thin pieces.
* You should not need to adjust the table. Do not adjust it unless you know how to do so.
* Guide the board against the fence.
* '''Apply downward pressure on the outfeed table only.''' Do not apply it over the blade or on the infeed table.
* Do not leave a hand pushing on the back of the board.
* Learn how to correct the board's specific defects before starting.
* Once one corner is square, use the [[Table Saw|table saw]] and [[Planer|planer]] to produce a board with four square sides.

During orientation, demonstrate a test pass for the instructor.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwbVIqOVMDk Using the Jointer]

==== Matching Board Edges ====

The following video covers jointing mating board edges so they fit together even when the fence is slightly out of square.

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nok83lU9ofQ</youtube>

=== Spindle Sander ===

[[File:Spindle Sander.jpg|200px|thumb|Spindle sander in the Wood Shop.]]

The [[Spindle Sander|Ridgid EB44243 spindle sander]] smooths curves and other details in wood.

* Apply pressure at the area of the workpiece you want to sand.
* Keep other parts of the workpiece clear of the spindle. Accidental contact can leave scratches that require hand sanding.

During orientation, demonstrate how to use the spindle sander for the instructor.

Wood Shop

2026-09-13T23:26:05Z

Zapf: Clean up layout and link to Surfacing and Sanding Equipment

== General Information ==

The Wood Shop contains tools and machinery that are not suited to the [[Clean Room]] or [[Metal Shop]]. It has one large worktable for equipment setup, classes, and workshops.

Report equipment issues on Slack in #general, #shop-cnc, or #shop-wood.

== Orientation and Access ==

Training is required to use Wood Shop equipment. Check the [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar event calendar] for upcoming orientations.

* See [[Saws]] for saw orientation requirements.
* See [[Surfacing and Sanding Equipment]] for orientation requirements for the planer, jointer, and spindle sander.
* See [[CNC Router]] for CNC router orientation requirements.
* If you are not authorized to use a machine that requires orientation or authorization, you may use it only under the '''direct supervision''' of an authorized member. See [[All Woodworking Equipment]] for the equipment list.

== Safety ==

=== Before Using Equipment ===

* Use only machines you have been trained to operate and feel comfortable using. If you are unsure what to do, '''stop and ask for help''' on Slack or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].
* Do not use a machine that is not in good working order. Stop, unplug it, leave a note on the machine, and notify [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org Makerspace leadership].
* Check each tool's adjustments before use. Do not assume it is set up correctly.
* Do not modify equipment. Discuss proposed improvements on Slack.

=== Clothing and Protective Equipment ===

* Wear closed-toe shoes and safety glasses.
* Tie back long hair and secure loose clothing.
* Remove rings.
* Do not wear gloves when operating power tools.
* Wear respiratory protection when appropriate for the work.
* Wear hearing protection for loud equipment or extended use.

=== Shared Work Area ===

* Keep floors clean, clear, and dry.
* Keep extension cords off the floor when they are not in use.
* Be aware of people around you while operating equipment. Do not approach someone while they are using equipment.
* Do not eat or drink around power tools.
* '''Do not put drinks or other liquids on cast iron surfaces.'''

=== Finishes and Waste ===

* '''Dispose of rags and paper towels used with oil-based or potentially flammable finishes in the oily waste can.'''
* Store finishes in the yellow fire cabinet.

== Equipment ==

<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%"
|-
!Picture
!Equipment
!Manufacturer
!Model
!Status
!Resources
|-
|[[File:Planer.jpg|200px]]
|[[Planer]]
|Dewalt
|[[Planer|DW735x]]
|Operational
|

[https://www.dewalt.com/GLOBALBOM/QU/DW735X/1/Instruction_Manual/EN/N486408_DW735_NA.pdf Manual]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3-mI0ScY20&t=666s How-To Video]

|-
|[[File:Floor Drill Press2.jpg|200px]]
|[[Drill Press|Floor Drill Press]]
|Grizzly
|[[Drill Press|G7945]]
|Operational
|

[https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g7945_m.pdf Manual]

|-
|[[File:Less Sawdust Jointer.jpg|200px]]
|[[Jointer]]
|Central Machinery
|[[Jointer|31849]]
|Operational
|

[https://www.manualslib.com/manual/65115/Central-Machinery-31849.html Manual]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwbVIqOVMDk How to Use a Jointer]

|-
|[[File:CNC Machine.jpg|200px]]
|[[CNC Router]]
|AVID CNC PRO
|[[CNC Router|60120]]
|Operational
|

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTHGEK6T6M Vectric V10 Tutorial: Getting Started]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdQ-_hllmKY&t=1s CNC Router Bits - Tutorial and Review]

|-
|[[File:Router Table.jpg|200px]]
|[[Router Table]]
|JessEm
|[[Router Table|5625-20 3.5HP]]
|Operational
|

[https://jessem.com/pages/product-manuals Manual]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3kCRkqsKG0 How-To Video]

|-
|[[File:Small Lathe.jpg|200px]]
|[[Small Lathe]]
|JWL
|[[Small Lathe|1015]]
|Operational
|

[https://jettools.com/media/akeneo_connector/asset_files/M/_/M_719100_JWL_1015_1015VS__Manual___Rev_B_abc0.pdf Manual]

|-
|[[File:Spindle Sander.jpg|200px]]
|[[Spindle Sander]]
|Ridgid
|[[Spindle Sander|EB44243]]
|Operational
|

[https://manuals.ttigroupna.com/system/files/162/original/EB44241_42_43_482_eng_05.pdf?2018 Manual]

|-
|[[File:Table Saw.jpg|200px]]
|[[Table Saw]]
|Sawstop PCS
|[[Table Saw|31230]]
|Operational
|

[https://www.sawstop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Owners-Manual-Professional-Cabinet-Saw-175.pdf Manual]

|-
|[[File:Bandsaw.jpg|200px]]
|[[Bandsaw]]
|Rikon
|[[Bandsaw|10-325]]
|Operational
|

[https://homeimprovementsupply.com/images/Rikon/PDFs/10-325_Manual.pdf Manual]

|-
|[[File:Miter Saw.jpg|200px]]
|[[Miter Saw]]
|Bosch
|[[Miter Saw|GCM12SD]]
|Operational
|

[https://www.bosch-professional.com/binary/manualsmedia/o198341v21_160992A0XM_1412.pdf Manual]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fjHvYy5lkg Miter Saw for Beginners]

|-
|[[File:Lathe.jpg|200px]]
|[[Lathe]]
|Jet JWL
|[[Lathe|1015]]
|Operational; slated for removal
|

[https://jettools.com/media/akeneo_connector/asset_files/M/_/M_719100_JWL_1015_1015VS__Manual___Rev_B_abc0.pdf Manual]

|}
</onlyinclude>

Finishing Machines

2026-09-13T23:25:26Z

Zapf: Zapf moved page Finishing Machines to Surfacing and Sanding Equipment: Clarity

#REDIRECT [[Surfacing and Sanding Equipment]]

Surfacing and Sanding Equipment

2026-09-13T23:25:26Z

Zapf: Zapf moved page Finishing Machines to Surfacing and Sanding Equipment: Clarity

== General Information ==

The planer, jointer, and spindle sander are located in the [[Wood Shop]]. They are used to prepare board faces and edges, reduce boards to thickness, and sand curves and details. This page covers their orientation.

Follow the [[Wood Shop#Safety|Wood Shop safety requirements]] when using this equipment. Report equipment issues on Slack in #general, #shop-cnc, or #shop-wood.

== Orientation ==
The order of this document is to give some basic information of what will happen in the woodshop during the training. This orientation assumes that they have gone through our general space orientation.<p>Do not operate any power equipment if you are under the influence of anything, in a hurry, are tired, or are not feeling well.</p>
<p>Inspect the equipment before using it.</p>

== <span>Equipment</span> ==

== Planer ==
<div class="level2">[[File:Planer.jpg|200px|right|middle]]
*<div class="li">The planer is used for milling boards to a desired thickness. This is often referred to as a 'flattening' board, but it's not quite that simple. A planer won't fix warped boards.</div>
*<div class="li">You can use a jig to correct warp and twist in boards if you don't want to use the jointer.</div>
*<div class="li">Ensure there is no metal in the board you are milling</div>
*<div class="li">Scrub dirt and dust off of the board before milling</div>
*<div class="li">Patience is important - make small cuts over multiple passes.</div>
*<div class="li">Support the ends of long pieces to avoid snipe.</div>
*<div class="li">The planer is loud and produces a lot of dust. Wear hearing protection and use dust collection.</div>
*<div class="li">Make sure you have enough outfeed space for your board.</div>
#<div class="li">Unlock the carriage and adjust the height so that the workpiece moves the rollers.</div>
#<div class="li">Lock the height</div>
#<div class="li">Adjust the gates and turn on the dust collector</div>
#<div class="li">Turn on planer</div>
#<div class="li">Feed the board into the planer with the grain at a slight angle. Make sure it is flat on the table.</div>
#<div class="li">Let board come through and slide free.</div>
#<div class="li">Turn off planer and dust collector.</div>
<p>''Have user demonstrate a test pass''</p></div>

== Jointer ==
<div class="level2">[[File:Less Sawdust Jointer.jpg|200px|right|middle]]
*<div class="li">The other part of milling lumber. Jointers are for squaring a board's face and edge.</div>
*<div class="li">Use hearing protection.</div>
*<div class="li">Use push sticks for thin pieces.</div>
*<div class="li">You shouldn't need to adjust the table. Don't unless you know what you are doing.</div>
*<div class="li">Guide board against the fence,</div>
*<div class="li">'''Apply downward pressure on the outfeed table only.''' Not over the blade, not on infeed.</div>
*<div class="li">Don't leave a hand pushing on the back of the board.</div>
*<div class="li">Do research about how to correct different board defects.</div>
*<div class="li">Once one corner is square, use the tablesaw and planer to create a four square board</div>
<p>''Have user demonstrate a test pass''</p>
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwbVIqOVMDk Using the jointer]<br></div>

== Spindle Sander ==
<div class="level2">[[File:Spindle Sander.jpg|200px|right|middle]]

*<div class="li">A spindle sander is used to help get a smooth finish on curves, and other detail work on wood<br></div>
*<div class="li">Using what you are trying to sand, apply pressure on that spot using the spindle sander. </div>
*Try not to let the spindle sander touch anything but what you are sanding, as it can leave scratch marks on your piece, that have to be sanded out manually later.
<p>''Have user demonstrate ability to use spindle sander''</p></div>

Surfacing and Sanding Equipment

2026-09-13T23:22:24Z

Zapf: Clarify surfacing and sanding equipment covered

== General Information ==

The planer, jointer, and spindle sander are located in the [[Wood Shop]]. They are used to prepare board faces and edges, reduce boards to thickness, and sand curves and details. This page covers their orientation.

Follow the [[Wood Shop#Safety|Wood Shop safety requirements]] when using this equipment. Report equipment issues on Slack in #general, #shop-cnc, or #shop-wood.

== Orientation ==
The order of this document is to give some basic information of what will happen in the woodshop during the training. This orientation assumes that they have gone through our general space orientation.<p>Do not operate any power equipment if you are under the influence of anything, in a hurry, are tired, or are not feeling well.</p>
<p>Inspect the equipment before using it.</p>

== <span>Equipment</span> ==

== Planer ==
<div class="level2">[[File:Planer.jpg|200px|right|middle]]
*<div class="li">The planer is used for milling boards to a desired thickness. This is often referred to as a 'flattening' board, but it's not quite that simple. A planer won't fix warped boards.</div>
*<div class="li">You can use a jig to correct warp and twist in boards if you don't want to use the jointer.</div>
*<div class="li">Ensure there is no metal in the board you are milling</div>
*<div class="li">Scrub dirt and dust off of the board before milling</div>
*<div class="li">Patience is important - make small cuts over multiple passes.</div>
*<div class="li">Support the ends of long pieces to avoid snipe.</div>
*<div class="li">The planer is loud and produces a lot of dust. Wear hearing protection and use dust collection.</div>
*<div class="li">Make sure you have enough outfeed space for your board.</div>
#<div class="li">Unlock the carriage and adjust the height so that the workpiece moves the rollers.</div>
#<div class="li">Lock the height</div>
#<div class="li">Adjust the gates and turn on the dust collector</div>
#<div class="li">Turn on planer</div>
#<div class="li">Feed the board into the planer with the grain at a slight angle. Make sure it is flat on the table.</div>
#<div class="li">Let board come through and slide free.</div>
#<div class="li">Turn off planer and dust collector.</div>
<p>''Have user demonstrate a test pass''</p></div>

== Jointer ==
<div class="level2">[[File:Less Sawdust Jointer.jpg|200px|right|middle]]
*<div class="li">The other part of milling lumber. Jointers are for squaring a board's face and edge.</div>
*<div class="li">Use hearing protection.</div>
*<div class="li">Use push sticks for thin pieces.</div>
*<div class="li">You shouldn't need to adjust the table. Don't unless you know what you are doing.</div>
*<div class="li">Guide board against the fence,</div>
*<div class="li">'''Apply downward pressure on the outfeed table only.''' Not over the blade, not on infeed.</div>
*<div class="li">Don't leave a hand pushing on the back of the board.</div>
*<div class="li">Do research about how to correct different board defects.</div>
*<div class="li">Once one corner is square, use the tablesaw and planer to create a four square board</div>
<p>''Have user demonstrate a test pass''</p>
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwbVIqOVMDk Using the jointer]<br></div>

== Spindle Sander ==
<div class="level2">[[File:Spindle Sander.jpg|200px|right|middle]]

*<div class="li">A spindle sander is used to help get a smooth finish on curves, and other detail work on wood<br></div>
*<div class="li">Using what you are trying to sand, apply pressure on that spot using the spindle sander. </div>
*Try not to let the spindle sander touch anything but what you are sanding, as it can leave scratch marks on your piece, that have to be sanded out manually later.
<p>''Have user demonstrate ability to use spindle sander''</p></div>

Withered-Tech

2026-09-13T15:22:17Z

Zapf: Added project Link

Project notes for agk's withered tech project. Goals include - reusing old technology, deploying an offline (not internet, specifically) focused environment, while also creating tools to communicate over novel methods.

Tech involved includes: DOS, LoRa, Reticulum, Bootable USB environments.

Most information will be contained in agk's phlog (gopher://sdf.org:70/1/users/agk/wither), but initial documents shared this year will be attached. Relevant photographs will be shared here in the future.

More on withered technology, part I
-----------------------------------

Back in April I wrote about Gunpei Yokoi's philosophy of "Lateral
Thinking with Withered Technology"[1], with prompted Anna (agk)[2]
and The Free Thinker (freet)[3] to write responses of their own.
I have been meaning to write them both responses ever since but got
distracted writing about other things first. It's taken me much
longer than I wanted to get responses out, and I'm still struggling,
so I'm switching to an instalment plan strategy rather than trying
to find the time to get one giant response that covers everything
into a state I'm happy with. This post will just be my response to
freet's post. It's not so much a detailed point-by-point response
as it is my long musings on aspects of this whole permacomputing
thing which have arisen as a consequence of my reading their posts,
and that'll be true for my response to Anna (hopefully next weekend)
as well.

Of the two responses, freet's was the one with the most with
concrete instances of using various particular withered computing
devices in novel ways. Specifically, video game consoles (a PS2
and the Nintendo DS) were mentioned, as were routers and other home
networking devices which can (or could) run OpenWRT. I think both of
these categories of withered device warrant serious thinking about.
They have historically been kind of off my radar but now are very
much on it.

All the way back in 2020, I wrote a post about the so-called
"standard salvage computing platform"[4], arguing that we ought to
think of Android smartphones as constituting this. My reasoning was
simply that these were absolutely ubiquitous, approximately free
(most people, if they really tried, could probably score an old
and somewhat-out-of-shape but functional smartphone off a friend of
family member who has it sitting in a drawer somewhere, for free or
in exchange to buying them a drink or whatever), had integrated I/O
(the touchscreen being built right into the device serving as the
primary channel for both), had lower power requirements and also
very well standardised physical connections for power.

All of these advantages remain true, but in the intervening years I
have come to think I probably down-played some obvious downsides
as well. Probably the biggest of these is radical hardware
variability. There's some sense in which "Android smartphones"
is a meaningful device category to talk about, but it's also
undeniably true that at the level of chipsets and bootloaders, we
are actually talking about easily hundreds and probably thousands
of distinct and incompatible devices. These devices are able to
run a Linux-derived operating system at time of launch only due to
extensive phone-specific porting efforts carried out by engineers
employed by the phone's manufacturers. Those engineers have full
access to all the details of how the phone are built and they don't
have to worry at all about bootloader security or anything like that.
Volunteer communities trying to revitalise those devices after they
have abandoned by their manufacturers are working in the dark and
against obstacles. The effort involved in porting later versions
of Android, or alternative operating systems like PostmarketOS,
to those devices is substantial. The workload is multiplied by
the total number of distinct hardware designs in circulation.
The total is, realistically, impossible for a niche movement.

The video game consoles landscape looks radically different to this.
These devices are manufactured at very large scale (the PS2, Nintendo
Switch and Nintendo DS each sold over 150 million units worldwide)
but the hardware variation, while non-zero (you don't just have
things like the "fat" vs thin PS2, but there are a few different
generations of fat PS2 hardware, as I found out recently I when I
naively thought I could transplant an optical drive from one to the
other), is negligible. All 150 million of the devices branded with
the same name are 100% binary compatible - customers would riot if
the expensive discs and cartridges they bought stopped working on
later generations of the same hardware or after a firmware update
was installed. Figuring out how to repurpose the five most popular
consoles of this century is guaranteed to net you many, many more
repurposed devices than targetting the five most popular makes and
models of Anrdoid phone would, no question.

Not only is the amount of reverse engineering work required to
revitalise all those devices less than that required to revitalise
all the smartphones, the incentives for doing so are very different.
People jailbreak phones for idealistic reasons around freedom and
privacy and environmentalism (as well, of course for the fun of the
technical challenge). People do the same to video game consoles
to save money or make money by pirating games, which is something
that appeals to many orders of magnitude more people than casting
off corporate shackles does. When many more people are working on
far fewer devices, the work naturally gets done faster. In fact, an
awful lot of the work is already done! Many of these platforms have
had their security systems broken and can now run arbitrary code,
including non-game homebrew software. Did you know you can even
install the Libreboot Open BIOS on the original Sony Playstation?
It's not necessarily easy, it's a hardware hack[5], but still!

Note only are there homebrew development kits out there for a lot
of these platforms, the aftermarket hardware care and support is
surprisingly well-developed, too. There are a lot of videogamers out
there who like old machines but are not themselves hardware hackers,
and this makes it commercially viable for folks who *are* hardware
savvy to operate online stores selling refurbished devices which have
had e.g. new batteries installed in them. There are people making
and selling replacement plastic shells for all the handheld devices.
You can buy kits to upgrade the display in original GameBoys to be
brighter and clearer! I was really surprised when I discovered
all this earlier this year. This is real permacomputing praxis,
breathing new life into old machines, including machines from last
century, and it's being done for entirely non-ideological reasons,
by people who just wanna play old games and enjoy them on original
hardware.

If it's not already clear, I have become *very* interested in
old game devices as salvage computing platforms. The real turning
point was being shocked at just how low the barriers to entry are in
some cases. Specifically, I bought a Nintendo DSi (a device which
has a (stylus) touch screen, WiFi, front and rear-facing cameras,
a microphone, an SD card reader and a Real Time Clock, so not one
million miles away from a rudimentary smartphone) much earlier
this year (before making any of these withered tech posts) after I
learned there there's an open-source C library[6] which easily exposes
just about all the important functionality. You can compile your
homebrew DS software on a Linux machine using GCC and make, it's the
most conventional development experience imaginable. You do need a
so-called "flashcart" to be able to get the resulting binary running
on hardware, but still. The contrast with developing for Android
is tremendous, with the consequence that I've actually *done* some
DS development using libnds, whereas every time I've even thought
about developing for Android I've noped out after doing a little
research and not wanting to go through the hassle of even getting
set up for it. I'll be writing more about DS homebrew in the future!

It's not all necessarily totally smooth sailing, of course.
The DS and DS-Lite support WiFi but not WPA2 networks. There's an
off-the-shelf web browser for the DS but it can't do modern HTTPS
due to expired CA certificates (there's an open source browser
which can[7], but it's extremely rough and ready). These are hardly
insurmountable obstacles, though. A headless RPi or even an ESP32
device can provide a very low-power short-range WEP or open WiFi
network, possibly locked to MAC addresses, and can use HTTP to serve
crusty old CSS-renderings of RSS feeds, Gopher and Gemini content,
for example. Old smartphones and tablets, naturally, could take
advantage of such a facility as well, this being much safer than
connecting them directly to the public internet.

Of course, RPis and ESP32s are not exactly in the "withered
tech" category, and indeed I'm encouraging permacomputing folk
to explore lateral thinking with withered technology instead of
building new widgets based around these dirt cheap and abundant
modern devices precisely because all these dirt cheap DIY-friendly
modern devices are powerful vectors for the "hardware grows on
trees and lil' computers are so cheap you can totally buy some
just for fun!" mentality which permacomputing needs to actually
oppose if it's to have any kind of coherence. There is surely some
"breaking eggs to make omelettes" rationality in using such devices
if you already have them lying around, or can buy them cheaply used
from consumerist makers who have upgraded to a later version, and
apply them to breathing new life into yet older things which would
otherwise be hard to utilise, but the philosophical tension is there.
This bring us nicely to the other category freet mentioned, which
is consumer networking tech.

Things like modems, routers, NASes etc feel to me like they are
probably situated somewhere between game consoles and smart phones in
terms of how much hardware variability there is. Like smartphones,
many of them are sold running something Linux-derived under the
hood, and as such it is unsurprising that many of these devices
are or were supported by OpenWRT. I am far from an expert here,
but I *think* it's probably true that the proportion of popular
devices which are or were well-supported by OpenWRT is greater than
the proportion of popular smartphones which are well-supported by
PostmarketOS or LineageOS or anything like that. Some very quick
research on this front revealed to me that a popular Linksys NAS
device, the NSLU2[8], manufactured between 2004 and 2008, was able to
run mainline or close-to-mainline Linux and *BSD, and seems to at
one point have had a pretty active and dedicated community of folks
doing such, affectionately referring to the device as the "Slug"
and sometimes even bestowing memory upgrades upon it. Some really
quick poking around on eBay and my local Craigslist equivalent
suggests these Slugs are still not hard to find and dirt cheap.
There are probably plenty of other devices like this, too. Many of
them probably have wireless hardware in them, meaning they could
also act as gateways for things like DSes, getting them easily into
Gopher- or Geminispace, bridging them to alternative networks like
Yggdrasil, etc.

Some of you might be wondering quite what the point of all this
is, when there are also still countless millions of "real" computer
devices out there waiting to be reused for even less effort. This is
a fair question (one for which "fun" is a perfectly permissible
answer, of course), and one I will try to say something about when I
write my response to Anna, whose post got me thinking more about big
picture "why?"/"what for?" type questions than specific categories
of device type.

[1] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/lateral-thinking-with-withered-technology.txt</nowiki>
[2] <nowiki>gopher://sdf.org:70/0/users/agk/2026-04-14-lat.txt</nowiki>
[3] <nowiki>gopher://aussies.space:70/0/~freet/phlog/2026-04-17RE_Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology.txt</nowiki>
[4] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/the-standard-salvaged-computing-platform.txt</nowiki>
[5] <nowiki>https://libreboot.org/docs/install/playstation.html</nowiki>
[6] <nowiki>https://blocksds.skylyrac.net/libnds/index.html</nowiki>
[7] <nowiki>https://codeberg.org/SkyLyrac/bunjalloo</nowiki>
[8] <nowiki>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSLU2</nowiki>

!More lateral thinking with withered tech
---
agk's diary
9 June 2026 @ 03:52 UTC
---
on ThinkPad x61, 1024x768 VGA screen, Model M keys
in the garage
---
Peter, a retired electrical engineer, came over
today to look at my cyber scrapheap and decide what
potential projects interest him.

Solderpunk, two days ago, responded to the Free
Thinker's reflections on lateral thinking with
(salvaged) withered tech. Solderpunk specifically
noted the community/industry that repairs, hacks,
modifies, and repurposes gaming consoles into PCs,
terminals, or entertainment systems, and potential
of old routers as smol servers.

INDUSTRIAL/SCIENTIFIC SALVAGE CONSIDERED

Peter used to repair hardware in industrial and
scientific settings, and threw out a lot of the
durable, embedded, low-power kinds of things I like.
The hardware that controls industrial manufacturing
and test equipment often runs for decades with
minimal maintainence, until one day it breaks, and
someone has to open up that Ship of Theseus and
replace a part so the line can start back up.

I'm sure there are more video game system owners
than factories, particularly when considered, not as
a snapshot, but as a bucket of time from 1985 or
1990 to present. The cast-off console/router combo
may prove a better target for this kind of thinking
than my industrial special interest on any scale
beyond personal/hobbyist. I'm curious to learn more.

DOS ON SALVAGED THINGS FOR KIDS

Talking to Peter for a few hours as we opened up
various boxen of yesteryear (starting with an old
friend's IBM 5155 PC Portable from 1985 with a bad
power supply, ending with a girlfriend's 2010
netbook that just needs a charging cable) helped me
clarify thoughts on lateral thinking with salvaged
tech.

I have cast-off laptops intended for business or
educational use and cast-off routers. When the
laptops are gone, I'd like to start working on cast-
off thin clients or game consoles.

What I'll do to them:
- Remove wifi/bluetooth module
- Remove hard drive
- Remove or disconnect any camera
- Potentially remove some RAM
- Configure to boot from removable media
- Underclock/undervolt CPU
- Write FreeDOS, appropriate software collection,
and menu/launcher batch file to bootable medium
(SD card, low-profile USB)
- Test and give to kids

Upgrade path:
- Parents trade me old removable media for remova-
ble media with new software collection, or DIY

Security:
- Airgapped
- Save files and documents on different removable
media, system disk is ROM

Use:
- Put in system card/drive (SD card/USB drive)
- (Optional) Put in drive for documents/save files
- Press power button to boot
- Study, play. write
- Press power button to turn off

RESEARCH QUESTION: DUMB TTY ON SALVAGE

What's the curresponding way to turn $OLD_LAPTOP
into something like a dumb terminal? Goal: push
power button, help text/menu and user prompt appear
nearly instantly. Ssh and maybe telnet (maybe in a
sandboxed network or overlay network) are possible,
but not much else.

RFC "tty dumb console mode":
- Plug in ethernet or serial cable, or LORA device
- Put in system card/drive with stripped-down,
nearly instantly-booting UNIX livesystem
(like OpenWRT, Alpine, or FuguIta). If possible,
it should be ROM, boot into RAM, single-user,
tty only, with everything not required for I/O,
networking, and ssh/telnet/serial terminal
stripped out or locked down.
- Press power button. It should autologin to a non-
root account and display an options menu or
short help file on how to connect to something.
- Connect to something. Login if whatever you're
connecting to requires it. Logout or break the
connection.
- Press power button to turn off

I haven't built a livesystem USB drive to do this
with OpenWRT or FuguIta yet, but wasted about five
hours trying to achieve it with Alpine before
pausing this research project for now. I don't have
deep knowledge of Linux/UNIX internals; someone who
does could probably either suggest a path or tell me
to abandon this.

The computer hosting the dumb terminal kiosk could
obviously have its wifi board and antenna reinstall-
ed if desired. It could possibly be locked into an
overlay network like Reticulum. Fun/useful services
to access could include a BBS with unfederated email,
chat, bulletin boards, and door games; or a multi-
user unix system.

FUN

At least I think these things are fun. All the kids
I've allowed to play on the family computer think a
DOS system with an appropriate software library is
super fun. My only experience with kids on a tty
console was in a small poor community in the South
Carolina lowcountry after a catastrophic flood more
than ten years ago.

My friends had a stack of retired thin clients. A
small business owner donated a c.2004 laptop from
her storage unit. Friends had yagi antennas. We
built an 8-machine computer lab in the community
center/youth center/distribution hub, originally for
FEMA benefits registration, then for kids who were
out of their destroyed schools.

The storage-unit laptop was the server in a LTSP
(Linux terminal-server project) system, and the thin
clients and even older laptops were the terminals.
They ran edubuntu educational software (most of it
not as good as the DOS stuff I've since discovered)
in an X GUI. Each kid had their own login, and of
course it worked on any computer they sat at.
Updates only needed to be run on the server.

Internet access was over a wireless broadband link
through those yagi antennas to the home internet
connection of a willing neighbor a half-mile away.
Filtered through a cacheing squid proxy, the
computer lab caused her no trouble, and her rural
telephone cooperative ISP said it was fine.

One of the boys got really into a computer programm-
ing game that was like LOGO or Scratch, learning C
while commanding a critter to run around the screen.
One of the girls wanted to learn to write a resume
in LibreOffice to help her mom get a job. But hands-
down the most popular thing was when the kids
learned to ctrl-alt-F2 into a tty and use ancient
social unix tools like wall(1), talk(1), and
write(1) (all available on sdf, if you're using it)
after checking to see who(1) was online.

If they had more previous computer/tablet experience,
maybe the web access would have appealed to them
more. But instead, all these "computer-illiterate"
8-year-olds were sitting in the same lab as each
other, snickering as they switched back and forth
from GUI to tty to chat with each other about who
stank etc., on machines that were previously e-waste.

Over the years, when I put little Linuxes on old
laptops for not particularly computer-literate
friends, they generally only used the web browser.
That's specifically what I'm trying to avoid now.

CHALLENGES OTHER THAN THE RESEARCH QUESTION

Obviously, on older computers, substitute a boot CD,
DVD, or floppy, and on gaming consoles substitute a
CD, DVD, or ROM cartridge.

One challenge I've had with using older laptops this
way is that they're damaged (particularly screen or
keyboard) or unergonomic. I don't like laptops much.
When I use them, I like to plug in an external key-
board, monitor, and sometimes mouse or joystick.

Junkyard computing the way I do it generally doesn't
involve sourcing, buying, shipping, and installing
expensive device-specific components, potentially
damaging other aging stuff along the way. I like to
turn a laptop into a desktop or a server. It stays
plugged in to mains power and has peripherals.

I want the machine to recognize the peripherals. I
want it render at the resolution of the external
display, not the laptop screen, and I want it to
turn off the laptop screen.

On the 2006ish ThinkPad I'm using that way now, in
X, I turned off the laptop screen with arandr(1),
but when I switch to the tty like those kids did,
it comes back on. I hope to fix that before this
laptop's hard drive is decommissioned and it
starts only booting (DOS or dumb terminal) from
low-profile thumb drives, like the rest of the fleet
on the shelf behind me, silently awaiting their
children.

I also wish I could find low-profile thumb drives
with less than 16GB of memory. FUZOMA's less than
2MB. My DOS system with the biggest pile of office
software, utilities, REPLs, documentation, text and
spreadsheet files, and games saved in its director-
ies for me to test is less than 100MB. Where are the
500MB low-profile USB drives and SD cards?

MY LEARNING

Next week Peter comes back over. I should have my
first bench-top power supply, I'll finally learn how
to use the variable-temperature soldering iron I
inherited, some torx screws will be removed from
something that doesn't currently power up, and more
will be revealed.

Withered-Tech

2026-09-13T15:19:56Z

Zapf: Initial Commit

Project notes for agk's withered tech project. Goals include - reusing old technology, deploying an offline (not internet, specifically) focused environment, while also creating tools to communicate over novel methods. Tech involved includes: DOS, LoRa, Reticulum, Bootable USB environments. Most information will be contained in agk's phlogs, but initial documents shared this year will be attached. Relevant photographs will be shared here in the future.

More on withered technology, part I
-----------------------------------

Back in April I wrote about Gunpei Yokoi's philosophy of "Lateral
Thinking with Withered Technology"[1], with prompted Anna (agk)[2]
and The Free Thinker (freet)[3] to write responses of their own.
I have been meaning to write them both responses ever since but got
distracted writing about other things first. It's taken me much
longer than I wanted to get responses out, and I'm still struggling,
so I'm switching to an instalment plan strategy rather than trying
to find the time to get one giant response that covers everything
into a state I'm happy with. This post will just be my response to
freet's post. It's not so much a detailed point-by-point response
as it is my long musings on aspects of this whole permacomputing
thing which have arisen as a consequence of my reading their posts,
and that'll be true for my response to Anna (hopefully next weekend)
as well.

Of the two responses, freet's was the one with the most with
concrete instances of using various particular withered computing
devices in novel ways. Specifically, video game consoles (a PS2
and the Nintendo DS) were mentioned, as were routers and other home
networking devices which can (or could) run OpenWRT. I think both of
these categories of withered device warrant serious thinking about.
They have historically been kind of off my radar but now are very
much on it.

All the way back in 2020, I wrote a post about the so-called
"standard salvage computing platform"[4], arguing that we ought to
think of Android smartphones as constituting this. My reasoning was
simply that these were absolutely ubiquitous, approximately free
(most people, if they really tried, could probably score an old
and somewhat-out-of-shape but functional smartphone off a friend of
family member who has it sitting in a drawer somewhere, for free or
in exchange to buying them a drink or whatever), had integrated I/O
(the touchscreen being built right into the device serving as the
primary channel for both), had lower power requirements and also
very well standardised physical connections for power.

All of these advantages remain true, but in the intervening years I
have come to think I probably down-played some obvious downsides
as well. Probably the biggest of these is radical hardware
variability. There's some sense in which "Android smartphones"
is a meaningful device category to talk about, but it's also
undeniably true that at the level of chipsets and bootloaders, we
are actually talking about easily hundreds and probably thousands
of distinct and incompatible devices. These devices are able to
run a Linux-derived operating system at time of launch only due to
extensive phone-specific porting efforts carried out by engineers
employed by the phone's manufacturers. Those engineers have full
access to all the details of how the phone are built and they don't
have to worry at all about bootloader security or anything like that.
Volunteer communities trying to revitalise those devices after they
have abandoned by their manufacturers are working in the dark and
against obstacles. The effort involved in porting later versions
of Android, or alternative operating systems like PostmarketOS,
to those devices is substantial. The workload is multiplied by
the total number of distinct hardware designs in circulation.
The total is, realistically, impossible for a niche movement.

The video game consoles landscape looks radically different to this.
These devices are manufactured at very large scale (the PS2, Nintendo
Switch and Nintendo DS each sold over 150 million units worldwide)
but the hardware variation, while non-zero (you don't just have
things like the "fat" vs thin PS2, but there are a few different
generations of fat PS2 hardware, as I found out recently I when I
naively thought I could transplant an optical drive from one to the
other), is negligible. All 150 million of the devices branded with
the same name are 100% binary compatible - customers would riot if
the expensive discs and cartridges they bought stopped working on
later generations of the same hardware or after a firmware update
was installed. Figuring out how to repurpose the five most popular
consoles of this century is guaranteed to net you many, many more
repurposed devices than targetting the five most popular makes and
models of Anrdoid phone would, no question.

Not only is the amount of reverse engineering work required to
revitalise all those devices less than that required to revitalise
all the smartphones, the incentives for doing so are very different.
People jailbreak phones for idealistic reasons around freedom and
privacy and environmentalism (as well, of course for the fun of the
technical challenge). People do the same to video game consoles
to save money or make money by pirating games, which is something
that appeals to many orders of magnitude more people than casting
off corporate shackles does. When many more people are working on
far fewer devices, the work naturally gets done faster. In fact, an
awful lot of the work is already done! Many of these platforms have
had their security systems broken and can now run arbitrary code,
including non-game homebrew software. Did you know you can even
install the Libreboot Open BIOS on the original Sony Playstation?
It's not necessarily easy, it's a hardware hack[5], but still!

Note only are there homebrew development kits out there for a lot
of these platforms, the aftermarket hardware care and support is
surprisingly well-developed, too. There are a lot of videogamers out
there who like old machines but are not themselves hardware hackers,
and this makes it commercially viable for folks who *are* hardware
savvy to operate online stores selling refurbished devices which have
had e.g. new batteries installed in them. There are people making
and selling replacement plastic shells for all the handheld devices.
You can buy kits to upgrade the display in original GameBoys to be
brighter and clearer! I was really surprised when I discovered
all this earlier this year. This is real permacomputing praxis,
breathing new life into old machines, including machines from last
century, and it's being done for entirely non-ideological reasons,
by people who just wanna play old games and enjoy them on original
hardware.

If it's not already clear, I have become *very* interested in
old game devices as salvage computing platforms. The real turning
point was being shocked at just how low the barriers to entry are in
some cases. Specifically, I bought a Nintendo DSi (a device which
has a (stylus) touch screen, WiFi, front and rear-facing cameras,
a microphone, an SD card reader and a Real Time Clock, so not one
million miles away from a rudimentary smartphone) much earlier
this year (before making any of these withered tech posts) after I
learned there there's an open-source C library[6] which easily exposes
just about all the important functionality. You can compile your
homebrew DS software on a Linux machine using GCC and make, it's the
most conventional development experience imaginable. You do need a
so-called "flashcart" to be able to get the resulting binary running
on hardware, but still. The contrast with developing for Android
is tremendous, with the consequence that I've actually *done* some
DS development using libnds, whereas every time I've even thought
about developing for Android I've noped out after doing a little
research and not wanting to go through the hassle of even getting
set up for it. I'll be writing more about DS homebrew in the future!

It's not all necessarily totally smooth sailing, of course.
The DS and DS-Lite support WiFi but not WPA2 networks. There's an
off-the-shelf web browser for the DS but it can't do modern HTTPS
due to expired CA certificates (there's an open source browser
which can[7], but it's extremely rough and ready). These are hardly
insurmountable obstacles, though. A headless RPi or even an ESP32
device can provide a very low-power short-range WEP or open WiFi
network, possibly locked to MAC addresses, and can use HTTP to serve
crusty old CSS-renderings of RSS feeds, Gopher and Gemini content,
for example. Old smartphones and tablets, naturally, could take
advantage of such a facility as well, this being much safer than
connecting them directly to the public internet.

Of course, RPis and ESP32s are not exactly in the "withered
tech" category, and indeed I'm encouraging permacomputing folk
to explore lateral thinking with withered technology instead of
building new widgets based around these dirt cheap and abundant
modern devices precisely because all these dirt cheap DIY-friendly
modern devices are powerful vectors for the "hardware grows on
trees and lil' computers are so cheap you can totally buy some
just for fun!" mentality which permacomputing needs to actually
oppose if it's to have any kind of coherence. There is surely some
"breaking eggs to make omelettes" rationality in using such devices
if you already have them lying around, or can buy them cheaply used
from consumerist makers who have upgraded to a later version, and
apply them to breathing new life into yet older things which would
otherwise be hard to utilise, but the philosophical tension is there.
This bring us nicely to the other category freet mentioned, which
is consumer networking tech.

Things like modems, routers, NASes etc feel to me like they are
probably situated somewhere between game consoles and smart phones in
terms of how much hardware variability there is. Like smartphones,
many of them are sold running something Linux-derived under the
hood, and as such it is unsurprising that many of these devices
are or were supported by OpenWRT. I am far from an expert here,
but I *think* it's probably true that the proportion of popular
devices which are or were well-supported by OpenWRT is greater than
the proportion of popular smartphones which are well-supported by
PostmarketOS or LineageOS or anything like that. Some very quick
research on this front revealed to me that a popular Linksys NAS
device, the NSLU2[8], manufactured between 2004 and 2008, was able to
run mainline or close-to-mainline Linux and *BSD, and seems to at
one point have had a pretty active and dedicated community of folks
doing such, affectionately referring to the device as the "Slug"
and sometimes even bestowing memory upgrades upon it. Some really
quick poking around on eBay and my local Craigslist equivalent
suggests these Slugs are still not hard to find and dirt cheap.
There are probably plenty of other devices like this, too. Many of
them probably have wireless hardware in them, meaning they could
also act as gateways for things like DSes, getting them easily into
Gopher- or Geminispace, bridging them to alternative networks like
Yggdrasil, etc.

Some of you might be wondering quite what the point of all this
is, when there are also still countless millions of "real" computer
devices out there waiting to be reused for even less effort. This is
a fair question (one for which "fun" is a perfectly permissible
answer, of course), and one I will try to say something about when I
write my response to Anna, whose post got me thinking more about big
picture "why?"/"what for?" type questions than specific categories
of device type.

[1] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/lateral-thinking-with-withered-technology.txt</nowiki>
[2] <nowiki>gopher://sdf.org:70/0/users/agk/2026-04-14-lat.txt</nowiki>
[3] <nowiki>gopher://aussies.space:70/0/~freet/phlog/2026-04-17RE_Lateral_Thinking_with_Withered_Technology.txt</nowiki>
[4] <nowiki>gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space:70/0/~solderpunk/phlog/the-standard-salvaged-computing-platform.txt</nowiki>
[5] <nowiki>https://libreboot.org/docs/install/playstation.html</nowiki>
[6] <nowiki>https://blocksds.skylyrac.net/libnds/index.html</nowiki>
[7] <nowiki>https://codeberg.org/SkyLyrac/bunjalloo</nowiki>
[8] <nowiki>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSLU2</nowiki>

!More lateral thinking with withered tech
---
agk's diary
9 June 2026 @ 03:52 UTC
---
on ThinkPad x61, 1024x768 VGA screen, Model M keys
in the garage
---
Peter, a retired electrical engineer, came over
today to look at my cyber scrapheap and decide what
potential projects interest him.

Solderpunk, two days ago, responded to the Free
Thinker's reflections on lateral thinking with
(salvaged) withered tech. Solderpunk specifically
noted the community/industry that repairs, hacks,
modifies, and repurposes gaming consoles into PCs,
terminals, or entertainment systems, and potential
of old routers as smol servers.

INDUSTRIAL/SCIENTIFIC SALVAGE CONSIDERED

Peter used to repair hardware in industrial and
scientific settings, and threw out a lot of the
durable, embedded, low-power kinds of things I like.
The hardware that controls industrial manufacturing
and test equipment often runs for decades with
minimal maintainence, until one day it breaks, and
someone has to open up that Ship of Theseus and
replace a part so the line can start back up.

I'm sure there are more video game system owners
than factories, particularly when considered, not as
a snapshot, but as a bucket of time from 1985 or
1990 to present. The cast-off console/router combo
may prove a better target for this kind of thinking
than my industrial special interest on any scale
beyond personal/hobbyist. I'm curious to learn more.

DOS ON SALVAGED THINGS FOR KIDS

Talking to Peter for a few hours as we opened up
various boxen of yesteryear (starting with an old
friend's IBM 5155 PC Portable from 1985 with a bad
power supply, ending with a girlfriend's 2010
netbook that just needs a charging cable) helped me
clarify thoughts on lateral thinking with salvaged
tech.

I have cast-off laptops intended for business or
educational use and cast-off routers. When the
laptops are gone, I'd like to start working on cast-
off thin clients or game consoles.

What I'll do to them:
- Remove wifi/bluetooth module
- Remove hard drive
- Remove or disconnect any camera
- Potentially remove some RAM
- Configure to boot from removable media
- Underclock/undervolt CPU
- Write FreeDOS, appropriate software collection,
and menu/launcher batch file to bootable medium
(SD card, low-profile USB)
- Test and give to kids

Upgrade path:
- Parents trade me old removable media for remova-
ble media with new software collection, or DIY

Security:
- Airgapped
- Save files and documents on different removable
media, system disk is ROM

Use:
- Put in system card/drive (SD card/USB drive)
- (Optional) Put in drive for documents/save files
- Press power button to boot
- Study, play. write
- Press power button to turn off

RESEARCH QUESTION: DUMB TTY ON SALVAGE

What's the curresponding way to turn $OLD_LAPTOP
into something like a dumb terminal? Goal: push
power button, help text/menu and user prompt appear
nearly instantly. Ssh and maybe telnet (maybe in a
sandboxed network or overlay network) are possible,
but not much else.

RFC "tty dumb console mode":
- Plug in ethernet or serial cable, or LORA device
- Put in system card/drive with stripped-down,
nearly instantly-booting UNIX livesystem
(like OpenWRT, Alpine, or FuguIta). If possible,
it should be ROM, boot into RAM, single-user,
tty only, with everything not required for I/O,
networking, and ssh/telnet/serial terminal
stripped out or locked down.
- Press power button. It should autologin to a non-
root account and display an options menu or
short help file on how to connect to something.
- Connect to something. Login if whatever you're
connecting to requires it. Logout or break the
connection.
- Press power button to turn off

I haven't built a livesystem USB drive to do this
with OpenWRT or FuguIta yet, but wasted about five
hours trying to achieve it with Alpine before
pausing this research project for now. I don't have
deep knowledge of Linux/UNIX internals; someone who
does could probably either suggest a path or tell me
to abandon this.

The computer hosting the dumb terminal kiosk could
obviously have its wifi board and antenna reinstall-
ed if desired. It could possibly be locked into an
overlay network like Reticulum. Fun/useful services
to access could include a BBS with unfederated email,
chat, bulletin boards, and door games; or a multi-
user unix system.

FUN

At least I think these things are fun. All the kids
I've allowed to play on the family computer think a
DOS system with an appropriate software library is
super fun. My only experience with kids on a tty
console was in a small poor community in the South
Carolina lowcountry after a catastrophic flood more
than ten years ago.

My friends had a stack of retired thin clients. A
small business owner donated a c.2004 laptop from
her storage unit. Friends had yagi antennas. We
built an 8-machine computer lab in the community
center/youth center/distribution hub, originally for
FEMA benefits registration, then for kids who were
out of their destroyed schools.

The storage-unit laptop was the server in a LTSP
(Linux terminal-server project) system, and the thin
clients and even older laptops were the terminals.
They ran edubuntu educational software (most of it
not as good as the DOS stuff I've since discovered)
in an X GUI. Each kid had their own login, and of
course it worked on any computer they sat at.
Updates only needed to be run on the server.

Internet access was over a wireless broadband link
through those yagi antennas to the home internet
connection of a willing neighbor a half-mile away.
Filtered through a cacheing squid proxy, the
computer lab caused her no trouble, and her rural
telephone cooperative ISP said it was fine.

One of the boys got really into a computer programm-
ing game that was like LOGO or Scratch, learning C
while commanding a critter to run around the screen.
One of the girls wanted to learn to write a resume
in LibreOffice to help her mom get a job. But hands-
down the most popular thing was when the kids
learned to ctrl-alt-F2 into a tty and use ancient
social unix tools like wall(1), talk(1), and
write(1) (all available on sdf, if you're using it)
after checking to see who(1) was online.

If they had more previous computer/tablet experience,
maybe the web access would have appealed to them
more. But instead, all these "computer-illiterate"
8-year-olds were sitting in the same lab as each
other, snickering as they switched back and forth
from GUI to tty to chat with each other about who
stank etc., on machines that were previously e-waste.

Over the years, when I put little Linuxes on old
laptops for not particularly computer-literate
friends, they generally only used the web browser.
That's specifically what I'm trying to avoid now.

CHALLENGES OTHER THAN THE RESEARCH QUESTION

Obviously, on older computers, substitute a boot CD,
DVD, or floppy, and on gaming consoles substitute a
CD, DVD, or ROM cartridge.

One challenge I've had with using older laptops this
way is that they're damaged (particularly screen or
keyboard) or unergonomic. I don't like laptops much.
When I use them, I like to plug in an external key-
board, monitor, and sometimes mouse or joystick.

Junkyard computing the way I do it generally doesn't
involve sourcing, buying, shipping, and installing
expensive device-specific components, potentially
damaging other aging stuff along the way. I like to
turn a laptop into a desktop or a server. It stays
plugged in to mains power and has peripherals.

I want the machine to recognize the peripherals. I
want it render at the resolution of the external
display, not the laptop screen, and I want it to
turn off the laptop screen.

On the 2006ish ThinkPad I'm using that way now, in
X, I turned off the laptop screen with arandr(1),
but when I switch to the tty like those kids did,
it comes back on. I hope to fix that before this
laptop's hard drive is decommissioned and it
starts only booting (DOS or dumb terminal) from
low-profile thumb drives, like the rest of the fleet
on the shelf behind me, silently awaiting their
children.

I also wish I could find low-profile thumb drives
with less than 16GB of memory. FUZOMA's less than
2MB. My DOS system with the biggest pile of office
software, utilities, REPLs, documentation, text and
spreadsheet files, and games saved in its director-
ies for me to test is less than 100MB. Where are the
500MB low-profile USB drives and SD cards?

MY LEARNING

Next week Peter comes back over. I should have my
first bench-top power supply, I'll finally learn how
to use the variable-temperature soldering iron I
inherited, some torx screws will be removed from
something that doesn't currently power up, and more
will be revealed.

Projects

2026-09-13T15:11:08Z

Zapf: /* Makerspace Projects */

== General Information ==

This page documents notable projects that Berea Makerspace members have worked on. Projects are split into two categories: makerspace-wide initiatives and individual member projects.

If you have a project you'd like to add to this page, or if you'd like to create a detailed page for an existing project, reach out on Slack or email info@bereamakerspace.org.

== Makerspace Projects ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project
! Years
! Description
! Status
! Details
|-
| Crochetmas Tree
| 2021, 2022
| A community crochet project creating a large Christmas tree display from handmade yarn ornaments and decorations. Brought together crocheters of all skill levels to create a unique holiday display.
| Completed
| [[Crochetmas Tree|Project Page]]
|-
| Purpose in Action
| 2022-2023
| A partnership with Parker Hannifin and the Kentucky Department of Education to design accessible manufacturing work cells for employees with disabilities. Berea Community High School and Woodford County High School students developed prototypes addressing color blindness, wheelchair accessibility, dyslexia, blindness, and cognitive disabilities. The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan's ESSER fund and featured a final competition at Eastern Kentucky University.
| Completed
| [https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2023/04/woodford-county-and-berea-independent-high-school-students-changing-the-landscape-of-accessibility/ Kentucky Teacher Article]
|-
| Kentucky School for the Deaf Partnership
| 2024-Present
| Ongoing partnership helping the Kentucky School for the Deaf build out a makerspace for their students. The project provides access to fabrication tools and processes used in local business, with a focus on job training, STEAM learning, and preparing students for future careers.
| Ongoing
| [[Kentucky School for the Deaf|Project Page]]
|-
| Interdependence Day
| 2025, 2026
| A community event celebrating interdependence through making, sharing skills, and collaborative projects. Featured hands-on activities, demonstrations, and skill-sharing workshops.
| Ongoing
| [[Interdependence Day|Project Page]]
|-
| Withered Tech
| 2026
| Special Project involving Makerspace Partner agk. Multiple laptops obtained through the Berea College recycling system are being used in this project.
| Ongoing
| [[Withered-Tech|Project Page]]
|}

== Member Projects ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project
! Lead Member(s)
! Years
! Description
! Status
! Details
|-
| Chimney Swift Project
| Jess (and other members)
| 2024-Present
| A collaborative project with the Berea Forestry Outreach Center to build and install a large chimney swift tower, supporting local bird populations through conservation efforts.
| Ongoing
| [[Chimney Swift Project|Project Page]]
|-
| Raised Beds at Berea Kids Eat
| Jess, Ed Clautice, (and other members)
| 2024-Present
| Design and construction of raised garden beds for Berea Kids Eat, supporting community food access and education.
| Ongoing
| [[Raised Beds - Berea Kids Eat|Project Page]]
|-
| Homeschool STEAM Camps
| June, Brian
| 2024-Present
| Weekly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) extracurricular camps for homeschool students, featuring hands-on making and collaborative projects.
| Ongoing
| [[Homeschool STEAM Camps|Project Page]]
|}

== Adding a Project ==

To add a project to this page:

# Create a new page for your project using the format [[Project Name]].
# Write a brief description of the project, including:
** Background and motivation
** Timeline
** People involved
** Key outcomes or impact
** Photos or media
# Add an entry to the appropriate table above with a link to your project page.

If you need help formatting your project page, reach out on Slack or check the [[Help]] page.

== External Resources ==

* [https://bereamakerspace.org/calendar Upcoming events and workshops]
* [https://bereamakerspace.org/ Media and press coverage of Makerspace projects]

Wood Shop

2026-09-01T13:55:08Z

Zapf: /* Equipment List */

<div>

== General Information ==

<div>The Wood Shop has a variety of tools and machinery that aren't suited for the [[Clean Room|Clean Room]] or [[Metal Shop|Metal Shop]]. The Woodshop has one big worktable to set up equipment and/or gather for classes/workshops. 

<div>If you have any issues with Wood Shop equipment, the slack channels associated with this space include: #general, #shop-cnc, and #shop-wood</div></div>

== Access Policy ==
=== Saws ===
* Use of the [[Saws|Saws]] requires an orientation. Visit the [[Saws|Saws]] page for details.

=== Finishing Machines ===
* Use of the finishing and surface preparation machines requires an orientation. Visit the [[Finishing Machines |Finishing Machines]] page for details.

=== CNC Router ===
* Use of the [[CNC Router]] requires an orientation. Visit the [[CNC Router]] page for details.

=== All Equipment ===
<br></div>
* [[All Woodworking Equipment|Equipment]] requires an orientation or authorization may be operated by an unauthorized user only under the '''direct''' supervision of an authorized user.

== Wood Shop Area Safety ==

#Do not use any machine you are not trained on and are comfortable using. If at any time you are unsure of what you are doing, stop immediately and ask for help on Berea Makerspace Slack, or email [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org info@bereamakerspace.org].
#Do not use any machine that is not in good working order. Stop, unplug, and leave a note on the machine and notify [mailto:info@bereamakerspace.org Makerspace leadership].
#Never assume a tool is properly adjusted; always check the tool before use.
#Make sure to wear closed-toe shoes.
#If you have long hair or loose clothing, make sure to tie it up before using any machinery.<br>
#Never modify or hack any equipment. If you think an improvement can be made, discuss it on Slack!<br>
#Attire
##*Avoid loose clothes and hair
##*Remove rings
##*Wear close-toed shoes
##*Don't wear gloves when operating power tools
##*Wear Safety Glasses
##*Wear respiratory protection when appropriate
##*Wear hearing protection for loud equipment or extended use
#Keep floors clean, clear, and dry.
#Keep extension cords off of the floor when not in use.
#Any rag or paper towel with used with oil-based or potentially flammable finishes '''MUST BE DISPOSED OF IN THE OILY WASTE CAN.'''<br>
#Store finishes in the yellow fire cabinet.<br>
#Don't eat and drink around power tools.
'''DO NOT PUT DRINKS OR OTHER LIQUIDS ON CAST IRON SURFACES.'''       

 13. Be aware of people around you when using equipment, and don't approach others while they are using equipment

== Equipment List ==
<br>
<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Picture
!What
!Manufacturer
!Model
!Status
!Resources
|-
|[[File:Planer.jpg|200px]]
|[[ Finishing Machines|Planer]]
|Dewalt
|[[Planer|DW735x]]
|Operational
|

External resources

Manual: https://www.dewalt.com/GLOBALBOM/QU/DW735X/1/Instruction_Manual/EN/N486408_DW735_NA.pdf

How-To Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3-mI0ScY20&t=666s

|-
|[[File:Floor Drill Press2.jpg|200px]]
|[[All Woodworking Equipment|Floor Drill Press2]]
|Grizzly
|[[Drill Press|G7945]]
|Operational
|

External resources

Manual: https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g7945_m.pdf

|-
|[[File:Less Sawdust Jointer.jpg|200px]]
|[[Finishing Machines|Jointer]]
|Central Machinery
|[[Jointer|31849]]
|Operational
|

External resources:

Manual:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/65115/Central-Machinery-31849.html

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwbVIqOVMDk How to Use a Jointer]

|-
|[[File:CNC Machine.jpg|200px]]
|[[CNC Router]]
|AVID CNC PRO
|[[CNC Router|60120]]
|Operational
|
External resources:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTHGEK6T6M Vetric V10 Tutorial | Getting Started]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdQ-_hllmKY&t=1s CNC Router Bits - Tutorial and Review]

|-
|[[File:Router Table.jpg|200xpx]]
|[[All Woodworking Equipment|Router Table]]
|JessEm
|[[Router Table|5625-20 3.5HP]]
|Operational
|
External resources:

Manuals:
https://jessem.com/pages/product-manuals
How-To Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3kCRkqsKG0

|-
|[[File:Small Lathe.jpg|200px]]
|[[All Woodworking Equipment|Small Lathe]]
|JWL
|[[Small Lathe|1015]]
|Operational
|
External resources

Manual:
https://jettools.com/media/akeneo_connector/asset_files/M/_/M_719100_JWL_1015_1015VS__Manual___Rev_B_abc0.pdf

|-
|[[File:Spindle Sander.jpg|200px]]
|[[ Finishing Machines|Spindle Sander]]
|Ridgid
|[[Spindle Sander|EB44243]]
|Operational
|
External resources

Manual: https://manuals.ttigroupna.com/system/files/162/original/EB44241_42_43_482_eng_05.pdf?2018

|-
|[[File: Table Saw.jpg|200px]]
|[[Saws| Table Saw]]
| Sawstop PCS
|[[Table Saw|31230]]
|Operational
|
External resources

Manual:
https://www.sawstop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Owners-Manual-Professional-Cabinet-Saw-175.pdf

|-
|[[File:Bandsaw.jpg|200px]]
|[[Saws|Bandsaw]]
|Rikon
|[[Bandsaw|10-325 ]]
|Operational
|
External resources

Manual:
https://homeimprovementsupply.com/images/Rikon/PDFs/10-325_Manual.pdf

|-
|[[File:Miter Saw.jpg|200px]]
|[[Saws|Miter Saw]]
|Bosch
|[[Miter Saw|GCM12SD]]
|Operational
|
External resources:

Manual:
https://www.bosch-professional.com/binary/manualsmedia/o198341v21_160992A0XM_1412.pdf

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fjHvYy5lkg Miter Saw for Beginners ]

|-
|[[File:Lathe.jpg|200px]]
|[[All Woodworking Equipment |Lathe]]
|Jet JWL
|[[Lathe|1015]]
|Operational. Slated for removal
|
External resources

Manual:
https://jettools.com/media/akeneo_connector/asset_files/M/_/M_719100_JWL_1015_1015VS__Manual___Rev_B_abc0.pdf

|}
</onlyinclude>