Equipment
Contents
Our equipment and how we manage it
Open Source Ecology has a huge mix of equipment for all manner of purposes, and it grows depending on the demands of the project. It is usually owned by Open Source Ecology itself or occasionally on extended loan from our network of supporters and marked as such.
Using equipment
Assumption of competence
Most basic items of equipment do not have a training requirement, and as part of your membership it is assumed that if you're using one of these tools then you have enough skill to use it without damaging yourself, others or the tool.
Basic ability does not always imply skilled use however, so it is still recommended you look into the "proper" way to use a tool. You may learn some nifty expert tricks in the process!
Training requirements
The larger, more complex or expensive pieces of equipment will generally have training requirements to use them. This is usually at least a primer; enough to get basic use from the equipment without harming you or it. The wiki page for each piece of equipment should list the training requirements and any schedule or sign-up procedure for acquiring the training. As such you may not be able to get training on demand (e.g. at the last minute), so it's always advisable to get trained as soon as you're able for future use.
Maintaining equipment
Maintenance
A lot of tools, particularly the more expensive or complex ones, will have one or more nominated maintainers. A piece of equipment will usually have an associated wiki page listing it. If a piece of equipment has a maintainer, do not attempt to repair or maintain it yourself without their express permission. Having a maintainer usually means the equipment has special requirements for it's upkeep that may not be obvious to even a trained user. If a piece of equipment has no maintainer, it means Open Source Ecology assumes those capable of using it are also capable of doing the running maintenance to it.
Hacking and modding equipment
In general this is not encouraged, it is better to invent an improved opensource version instead! Equipment is there for everyone to use, and they expect it to be left in a standard reliable state.
Consumables
A lot of equipment has some element that is used up in use. Basic consumables are often bought by the Open Source Ecology itself, but more specialised consumables (EG; liquid nitrogen, biological reagents, laser tubes) are both infrequently purchased and expensive, so will normally require a pledge to gather funds. There are also fairly regular group-purchases arranged through the mailing list.
Damage and replacement
Open Source Ecology assumes that unless there's an explicit training requirement that you are skilled enough to use the equipment you wish to use. If you damage or destroy a tool through misuse it is polite to contribute to it's replacement or repair cost, either in full or in part depending on the situation. Damage or destruction through normal use can be considered wear & tear and will not usually be directed at the last user, though a contribution to replacement is normal.
E.g: A chisel handle breaking when being used to carve wood with a wood-mallet would likely be considered the tool wearing out and the space deciding on replacement. A chisel handle breaking because you used it as a crowbar to tear open a toaster is your fault and you'll be expected to replace it yourself.
Rule of thumb
If you're not sure about using or maintaining a piece of equipment; ask. Check the wiki, check with the maintainer, check the IRC, check the mailing list, check with a Open Source Ecology Staff member.
Getting new equipment
Pledges
Please see the Pledges page for more in-depth information.
The most reliable method for getting new equipment for the farm is the collective enthusiasm of it's members and supporters. If you think we need a piece of equipment, make a proposal on the mailing list to gauge interest. If there is interest then you create a pledge page here on the wiki and encourage people to back it with an amount toward the cost.
When the pledge goal is met, the pledging members pay their money to the Open Source Ecology and the item is usually purchased by a trustee unless someone else has negotiated the purchase.
Gifts and loans
We have a wish list of items that would be very nice but haven't had enough support to purchase yet. Usually upgrades to equipment we are getting by with fine so far or sundries that don't usually necessitate a pledge.
Some people are kind enough to offer equipment to the Open Source Ecology for free, either on loan (whether for a particular length of time or long-term) or entirely gifting it. Sadly we will only ever have a finite amount of storage space, and likewise only a finite demand for a tool, so not every item will be accepted. This may seem ungracious, but please check with the mailing list or if we have space and demand for it before bringing it to the farm.
For more in-depth information on this, see Bringing_items_to_FeF.
If you're thinking about donating equipment, please contact us.
Current equipment
Creating an equipment page
Don't see a piece of equipment we have in the lists below? Maybe no one's created a wiki page for it yet!
If you create a page using the equipment template it will automatically create it an entry on this page. Use one of the existing sub-categories though or it won't appear. (HINT: They're the names of all the section-heading below!)
There is now a page generating template so you don't have to worry about getting the code right. You go to this link and fill in the boxes.
Don't be afraid to name the page very specifically (EG; full make & model name) as the form includes a "common name" option that will display it as such on this page.
If you're building equipment to be for or used by the space, please create it in the Equipment namespace and just include the secondary Projects infobox (link to come).
Please mark any and all former equipment as subcategory "Defunct".
All boxes should contain text information. Dark red boxes however mean that information is missing from the page in question, so unable to be displayed.
Fabrication
{{#ask: subcat::Fabrication
| format = template | template = EquipDisplay | link = none | ?name # | ?location # | ?maintainers # | ?reqtraining | ?status | ?Modification date | ?Last editor is
}}
CNC
{{#ask: subcat::CNC
| format = template | template = EquipDisplay | link = none | ?name # | ?location # | ?maintainers # | ?reqtraining | ?status | ?Modification date | ?Last editor is
}}
Woodworking
{{#ask: subcat::Woodworking
| format = template | template = EquipDisplay | link = none | ?name # | ?location # | ?maintainers # | ?reqtraining | ?status | ?Modification date | ?Last editor is
}}
Metalworking
{{#ask: subcat::Metalworking
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}}
Hand tools
{{#ask: subcat::Hand tools
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}}
Power tools
{{#ask: subcat::Power tools
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Electronics
{{#ask: subcat::Electronics
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Test equipment
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Robotics
{{#ask: subcat::Robotics
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Scientific
Biology
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Chemistry
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High voltage
{{#ask: subcat::High voltage
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Physics
{{#ask: subcat::Physics
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Kitchen
{{#ask: subcat::Kitchen
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Crafts
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Maintainance
{{#ask: subcat::Maintainance
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Bike tools
{{#ask: subcat::Bike tools
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Cleaning
{{#ask: subcat::Cleaning
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Gardening
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Office equipment
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Computing
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Systems
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Networking
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Audio/Visual
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Safety
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Brewing
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General
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