[hackerspaces] Floating community equipment sets?

[Arclight]

I can fit a mostly-complete EE lab in a milk crate.  We also do the
same with lockpicking.  I think "can be carried by one person into an
elevator" is a good target for each module's size.  I've seen a few
setups where big, custom wood crates or large Pelican boxes were built
for school/etc use.  They almost never left, since they required a van
and 2-3 people to move.

Arclight

On Sat, May 7, 2016 at 9:48 AM, Joshua Pritt <ramgarden at gmail.com> wrote:
> So you're talking about a hackerspace in a box?  I think there has been
> several ideas for a project like this.
>
> On May 7, 2016 11:44 AM, "William Macfarlane" <wmacfarl at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> How many?  I have a lot of thoughts, but my first is that the differences
>> between a set of 12, a set of 40 and a set of 100 are big enough to make
>> them different problems...
>>
>> On Sat, May 7, 2016 at 10:40 AM, Shirley Hicks
>> <shirley at velochicdesign.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey everyone,
>>>
>>> We have an unaddressed need in the greater Birmingham, AL metro area for
>>> a floating set of laptops, arduinos/inventor’s kits that could be loaned out
>>> to multiple community groups already working with kids, teens and adults,
>>> but who are having difficulties finding budget room for instructional kits,
>>> or bureaucratic room (IT security concerns) regarding adding additional IDEs
>>> and other software tools to their networked computers.
>>>
>>> The few community groups who have attempted this haven’t been the most
>>> tech savvy and have run into problems with budgeting maintenance and
>>> eventual replacement into their programs, as well as instruction. They also
>>> haven’t scaled - lack of communication between different parts of the
>>> community (black/white, urban/suburban/exurban, no one regional school
>>> system, biggest library system underfunded).
>>>
>>> Our makerspace is in the unique position of knowing most of the people
>>> who want to do more of this stuff within their individual community groups -
>>> and having the technical and financial background to get this rolling for
>>> the long-term.
>>>
>>> I’m planning to write a grant application in June, but need some help
>>> finding financial models from other community groups and makerspace who have
>>> gone down this road. I’m specifically looking for experiences with kit
>>> durability, need for replacement parts, laptop maintenance needs, any paid
>>> staff costs that need to be allowed for, and the financial planning required
>>> to do it all.
>>>
>>> Any pointers would be appreciated.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Shirley Hicks
>>> Red Mountain Makers
>>> Birmingham, AL
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Discuss mailing list
>>> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
>>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> -Will
>> www.partsandcrafts.org
>>
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>
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