|
__NOTOC__
<big><big>'''rLAB – Reading’s Hackspace / Makerspace
== Welcome to {{SITENAME}}! ==
This Main Page was created automatically and it seems it hasn't been replaced yet.
=== For the bureaucrat(s) of this wiki ===
<blockquote>For makers, menders, re-purposers, creators, sharers and teachers. Come join our group workshop with amazing equipment and members to match.</blockquote>'''</big></big>
Hello, and welcome to your new wiki! Thank you for choosing Miraheze for the hosting of your wiki, we hope you will enjoy our hosting.
You can immediately start working on your wiki or whenever you want.
[[File:Mainbuilding.JPG|thumb|400px|The rLab Hackspace]]
__TOC__
== About rLab ==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;width: 75%;"
|-
! style="background-color:#ccffcc;" | What rLab is
! style="background-color:#ffcccc;" | What rLab is '''not'''
|-
| style="width: 50%" |
* '''A place for people to work on projects they're interested in''' - We provide a space for members to work on almost any project that interests them and provide the tools to help them do so.
* '''A place to socialize with like-minded people''' - We have open evenings every Wednesday at 8pm which also provide a social venue for members to meet up and discuss what they're working on.
* '''A place to repair, improve or re-purpose things''' - We keep an extensive collection of tools that can be used to repair and hack equipment to make it last longer or be more useful and our members often help each other with repairs.
* '''A group to share knowledge and experience''' - We can find an expert on almost anything technical (and a lot of other things) within our membership, and most of them are very willing to share and teach
* '''A way to learn and teach new skills''' - Our members provide [[Induction|inductions]] and other training on most of our equipment, as well as [[workshops]] to demonstrate and teach new skills
* '''A place to work collaboratively on [[projects]] with friends''' - We provide a venue for groups of members to meet up and work on projects that would otherwise be hard to arrange.
* '''A way to get access to equipment that individuals normally can't''' - Because of our location in an industrial area and our wide membership we're often able to provide tools an equipment that can't be used in a domestic setting or which are too expensive for one person to buy.
||
* '''A pay-as-you-go workshop''' - Although we're very flexible on membership contributions and require no long term commitments, we do expect that being an rLab member is an ongoing process of contributing to the lab. Contributing only when you want to make use of the lab's facilities is discouraged.
* '''A laser cutting/CNC machining/etc service''' - We do not provide commercial services to the public and we will not take on commercial work for others (although some of our members might agree to do so in their own capacity, as an organisation we won't get involved)
* '''A charity''' - Although we very much welcome [[Donations|donations and assistance]], we are not a registered charity and are structured more like a social club.
* '''A storage area''' - We have a small amount of space to [[Policy/store|store ongoing member projects]] and we're happy to have tools that are being regularly used, however we are very space limited and do not provide long-term storage.
* '''A business incubator''' - We're happy to support local businesses where we can and people starting their own business are welcome to join (so long as they follow the [[Policy/commercial|commercial use policy]]) but we do not provide general business support services.
* '''A tool hire centre''' - Our tools are kept at the hackspace and are not loaned out to members.
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08l581p '''The Repair Shop'''] - Fixing things and avoiding waste is very much a part of our ethos, but we do not provide a repair service to the public outside of [[Events/repaircafe|repair cafe events]]. People wanting to repair stuff are very welcome to become members and get full access to all our facilities. If you join up, we'll help '''you''' fix it, but we won't fix it for you.
* '''A youth training or childcare center''' - Members are welcome to [[Policy/visitorsandchildren|bring one child or guest]] with them, but only legal adults over 18 years old can be members or take part in most activities at rLab. This is for insurance, data protection, and safeguarding reasons.
|}
=== History ===
The Hackspace started as two guys sitting in a shed in 2010, Tom and Ryan had seen other hackspaces in London and other countries and were keen to start their own. They found some like-minded people, and initially the group met in a range of temporary venues, such as the Rising Sun arts centre, before taking a couple of rooms at a storage company in Woodley, ultimately that did not work out, and in 2015 the group took the bold step of moving here to Weldale Street. The building is owned by one of members – Tom – who is not just understanding about our needs, but positively incites us to ‘hack the space’. We do not receive any regular grants, we are not a charity, and therefore we are masters of our own destiny – we can do what we want
Need help? No problem! We will help you with your wiki as needed. To start, try checking out these helpful links:
=== How to find us ===
* [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents|MediaWiki guide]] (e.g. navigation, editing, deleting pages, blocking users)
[[File:rlabmap.png|500px|thumb|rLab location map, data from [https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/51.45723/-0.97970 OpenStreetMap]]]
* [[meta:Special:MyLanguage/FAQ|Miraheze FAQ]]
We're located at Unit C1 on the Weldale Street industrial estate, the full address is
* [[meta:Special:MyLanguage/Request features|Request settings changes on your wiki]]. (Extensions, Skin and Logo/Favicon changes should be done through [[Special:ManageWiki]] on your wiki, see [[meta:Special:MyLanguage/ManageWiki|ManageWiki]] for more information.)
==== I still don't understand X! ====
rLab – Unit C1
Well, that's no problem. Even if something isn't explained in the documentation/FAQ, we are still happy to help you. You can find us here:
* [[meta:Special:MyLanguage/Help center|On our own Miraheze wiki]]
* On [[phab:|Phabricator]]
* On [https://miraheze.org/discord Discord]
* On IRC in #miraheze on irc.libera.chat ([irc://irc.libera.chat/%23miraheze direct link]; [https://web.libera.chat/?channel=#miraheze webchat])
=== For visitors of this wiki ===
Reading Small Business Centre
Hello, the default Main Page of this wiki (this page) has not yet been replaced by the bureaucrat(s) of this wiki. The bureaucrat(s) might still be working on a Main Page, so please check again later!
Weldale Street
READING
RG1 7BX
=== How to get in contact with us ===
* In Person - rLab is based at an industrial unit on Weldale Street in Reading, the full address is [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/rLab+-+Reading's+Hackspace/@51.457786,-0.9797709,18.75z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x48769b1065625da5:0xe1fad72d3d397c71!2sReading+RG1+7BX!3b1!8m2!3d51.4577547!4d-0.979558!3m4!1s0x48769b106d5205b5:0xfdaee590aa6d6754!8m2!3d51.4576838!4d-0.9799752 rLab – Unit C1], Weldale Street, READING, RG1 7BX, and you're very welcome to come along on a Wednesday open evening and speak to us
*eMail - The rLab directors can be emailed at [mailto:hello@rlab.org.uk Hello@rlab.org.uk] and our main [[mailing list]] is a good place to get in touch with members
*Twitter - Our Twitter feed is [https://twitter.com/rdghack here]
*Facebook - We can be reached on Facebook [https://en-gb.facebook.com/readinghackspace/ here]
=== How to sign up ===
Come along on a Wednesday open evening! We have open evenings every Wednesday from 7pm until 10:00pm so please feel free to come on down to the Hackspace and have a look around, we have tours running frequently throughout the evening, and whether you want to sign up or not you'll always be welcome to come see our facilities and discuss your interests with our members, tea and coffee are usually available. If you do want to sign up on the night then the last sign-up tour normally starts around 9pm, just make your intent known to any of members and they'll put you in touch with the right person. You can chat with some of the current members, see what we're working on, and take a look at the facilities we have available. We'll normally have at least 2 or 3 of our more experienced members around who can show you how our facilities and knowledge can help with your projects. If you feel you might like to sign up then please remember to bring photo-ID with you as it's required to complete the sign-up process.
If you're not able to make it to Wednesday evenings then you can [https://www.cognitoforms.com/ReadingMakerspaceLimited/RLABReadingMakerspaceTourAndSignup fill in the form] on our website and we'll try to get back to you to arrange another time, but be aware there might be a substantial wait-time involved with that. Alternatively you can join our [[mailing list]] and ask there and we can normally arrange a sign up or even just a tour within a few days.
If you decide to join up then you'll be able to get your [[Hackspaceinduction|Hackspace induction]], get signed up on our membership database, and be issued with a access card for the building. You may also want to sign up to our [[mailing list]], it's not compulsory but you'll miss out on a lot of what goes on at the space if you don't. If you feel you have something to contribute to this [[About this wiki|wiki]] (even if it's just proofreading, that's welcomed!) then please ask Steve, Rupert or Tony for a log-in so you can [[Editing the Wiki|edit]]!
=== Information for new members ===
==== Management ====
We are light on governance and have a level structure. There are no committees, no officers, and fundamentally no member is any more important than any other. Four of our members are directors of a limited company - [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07628386 Reading Makerspace Ltd] [[Media:Reading Maker Space Limited M&A.pdf|Articles of Association]] - that has been set up solely to provide us with sufficient legal identity to pay the rates, energy bills (which you can imagine are quite large), and buy things such as insurance. Our current directors are Andrew, Tony, Vance, and Mark. Members often describe our governance arrangements as a ‘do-ocracy’ – things get done by people on the basis of consensus, those who put in the effort to get things done tend to form small groups and agree how they should be done.
==== Getting your Hackspace Induction ====
Before you can use the Hackspace un-accompanied and have your own access card you'll need to receive your [[hackspaceinduction|Hackspace induction]] which provides important information about how the hackspace is organised and run and how to work safely in the space. These inductions are normally run on a Wednesday open evening as part of the sign-up process and generally take around an hour to do. We require this because there's a few things you need to know in order to work safely and smoothly around the lab that aren't instantly obvious. Photo-ID, usually driving license but any official ID with a picture is OK, is required to sign up
==== How to help ====
rLab survives almost entirely on the donations of people who share our ideals and goals, mostly this comes in the form of the regular monthly contributions from members so the most helpful thing you can do for rLab is to join up! From time to time we also get donations, of cash, equipment, materials etc. from rLab members, the public, businesses and organizations that support our activities. Our [[donations]] page will list items that we've recently received and anything that we're currently on the lookout for.
If you do join rLab then the most helpful thing you can do is just to be there, to help out keeping the space clean and running smoothly, and to share your knowledge and experience. Members can also share information on [[projects]] they're working on to help inspire others, as well as running or taking part in [[workshops]] to help spread the skills we have so that we can all work together to make cool stuff. The projects page will also list internal projects that we're currently working on and which might be seeking help, anything from trained professionals to simple grunt-work moving and lifting, anything that you're able to do to move these projects forward will be much appreciated around the lab. If you have special skills or knowledge in a specific area that you think others will want to know then you could write a [[technique guides|technique guide]] that we'll keep here on the wiki to help and inspire others to take on more creative and interesting projects. rLab runs [[Events|events]] sometimes, most common of these are the repair cafe events that we host every 2 months but there's also a selection of others. Most events are only open to members but the repair cafe and selected others might be open to the public so long as numbers aren't too high. If you've got something to showcase that you feel might make a good event then please let us know as exciting and interesting events are an excellent way of encouraging participation, previous events have covered topics as wide-ranging as CAD and lock-picking.
==== rLab Rules ====
* Only use equipment that you have been trained on and are confident you can use safely. No solo use of high risk tools.
* Members must be over 18 years old. Anyone visiting who is under this age must be accompanied and supervised by a member at all times, supervising someone else is incompatible with working on your own projects. Please see [[Policy/visitorsandchildren|policy on visitors]] for more information
* Potentially dangerous or precious equipment should be labelled and members should seek [[Induction|induction]] before use.
* Dangerous [[Tools/chemicalstore|chemicals]] should be labelled with contents and hazard information.
* Performance of high risk activities should be communicated to other members and guests present if they might be affected. Other members may raise any concerns at that time and the activity cannot continue until those concerns have been addressed.
* No hazardous chemicals in the kitchen. It is a food preparation area and must be treated as such.
* Clean up after using the space, leave your work area AT LEAST as clean as when you arrived if not better
* Anything that is prohibited by our lease or insurance is really actually prohibited (No sleeping, no fissionable materials, etc.)
==== rLab Policies ====
* [[policy/bringingin|Bringing stuff into the space]]
* [[policy/gettingnewkit|Getting new equipment for the space]]
* [[policy/store|Keeping stuff at the space]]
* [[policy/commercial|Commercial use of the space]]
* [[policy/safeguarding|Safeguarding]]
* [[policy/visitorsandchildren|Bringing Visitors and Children into the space]]
* [[policy/GDPR|Data (GDPR) Statement]]
* [[policy/Money|Information on making payments to/from rLab]]
* [[policy/Directors|Directors' responsibilities and what to do if you want to become one]]
* [[policy/Spending|Spending approval limits and process]]
== Our resources ==
=== The Hackspace ===
The Reading Hackspace is an industrial unit on Weldale Street and internally is divided into 4 main spaces.
# The main room upstairs is where most electronics and software hacking takes place and also the main social area.
# The kitchen area and crafting table , which also has the consumer unit for the upstairs areas
# The small machine room upstairs houses our Laser cutter and the store of materials for use with it and is used for making activities that do not create any dust or mess.
# The downstairs space has most of the power tools and is where all metalwork and woodwork activities take place including anything that makes dust, noise, mess or nasty smells, it also has the [[Main Electrical Panel|main electrical panel]] for the space
All tools and equipment in the space are the property of the Hackspace unless clearly marked otherwise. You've paid for all the tools and equipment through your membership donations, so please take care of the kit as if it were your own as the cost of repairs or replacements comes out of your donations and reduces the budget for new toys! We understand that occasional breakages are inevitable in this environment and we don't mind that things sometimes get broken so long as no-one's hurt and we're informed when it happens so that they can be fixed promptly, you can email the maintainers listed for each tool directly if you prefer or just post on the mailing list and the relevant people will see it.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Large workshop 01.jpg|Upstairs main room and electronics workshop
File:Electronics bench 02.jpg|Our electronics benches
File:Large workshop 02.jpg|Main workshop with whiteboard, PCs and heat pump
File:Mainbuilding.JPG|Exterior of the Weldale St. Building
File:Breakout area.jpg|Kitchen and Crafts area and break room
File:Main workshop 01.jpg|Downstairs workshop for metal and woodwork
File:Main workshop 02.jpg|Metalworking and hand tools area
File:20210629_0012.jpg|Benches and hand-tool work area
File:Main workshop 03.jpg|Loading bay where we can work on large projects
File:Small workshop 01.jpg|The small machine room with the laser cutter
File:Small workshop 02.jpg|The crafting area in the small machine room
File:3D projects & Members work.jpg|thumb|3D and Other member projects
</gallery>
=== Tools ===
We have a wide variety of tools divided across the 3 main areas of the space and all members are welcome to use them on their projects. Some of the more hazardous or valuable tools do require [[induction]] before use both to protect members and the equipment!
Here's a listing of many of the tools that we have. The electronics tools and the smaller hand tools are split out onto their own pages, with the larger tools presented here. If you know of a tool that's missing from this list then please create its [[tools/toolpages|page]] and add it.
==== Upstairs ====
{| style="margin: auto;text-align: center;" cellpadding="5"
|-
| [[tools/laser|Pirahna 1060 Laser Cutter/Engraver]] || [[tools/ultimaker|Ultimaker 2+ 3D Printers]] || [[tools/vinylcut|Craft "ROBO" Vinyl Cutter]]
|-
| [[tools/smallsewingmachine|Small Sewing Machine]] || [[tools/formbox|Mayku Formbox Vacuum Former]] || [[tools/microscope|SZM7045TR Binocular inspection microscope]]
|-
| [[tools/hardnesstester|Ultrasonic Hardness Tester]] || [[tools/A3laserprinter|A3 Colour Laser printer ]] || [[Kevin|Kevin]]
|-
| [[tools/projector|Projector and Screen]] || [[tools/workstations|Design Stations 1&2]] || [[Tools/silhouettecameo4|Silhouette Cameo 4 Vinyl Cutter]]
|-
| [[tools/largesewingmachine|Large Sewing Machine]] || [[tools/miniairbrush|Miniature Airbrush]] ||
|}
=====Upstairs - Electronics Benches=====
We have an extensive collection of electronics tools and test equipment. More information can be found on the dedicated [[tools/electronicsbench|Electronics Benches Page]]
==== Downstairs ====
{| style="margin: auto;text-align: center;" cellpadding="5"
|-
| [[tools/metallathe|Harrison M300 Metal Lathe]] || [[tools/plasma|CUT-50 Plasma cutter]] || [[Tools/EMP235ic|ESAB EMP235ic MIG Welder]]
|-
| [[tools/TIG|ThermalArc 202AC/DC TIG Welder]] || [[tools/woodlathe|Record Power Coronet Wood Lathe]] || [[tools/chemicalstore|Chemical Storage]]
|-
| [[tools/bandsaw|JET VBS-18MW Bandsaw]] || [[tools/pedgrinder|Viceroy TDS Pedestal Grinder]] || [[tools/morticer|DK2096 Morticer]]
|-
| [[tools/compressor|Wolf Dakota 100 Air Compressor]] || [[tools/boxford|Boxford 260VMC CNC Milling machine]] || [[tools/castingcrucible|CM450PB Casting Crucible]]
|-
| [[tools/forge|Propane Forge]] || [[tools/router|Hand-held Router]] || [[Tools/InductionHeater|Hand-Held Induction Heater]]
|-
| [[tools/aircleaner|Laguna Air Cleaner]]|| [[tools/metalchopsaw|DeWalt DW872 Metal Chop-Saw]] || [[tools/mitresaw|SIP Sliding Mitre Saw]]
|-
| [[tools/largelinisher|Clarke CS6-9C 6" Belt Linisher]] || [[tools/smalllinisher|Chester MM493A 1" Belt Linisher]] || [[tools/routertable|Router Table]]
|-
| [[tools/tablesaw|Record Power TS250-C Table Saw]] || [[Tools/AT260SPTPlanner|Axminster AT260SPT Planer-Thicknesser]] || [[tools/oven|R302-A Material test oven]]
|-
| [[tools/pillardrill|Nu-Way CF-25 Drill Press]] || [[tools/scrollsaw|Record Power SS16V Scroll Saw]] || [[tools/minimill|Chester Cobra Mini Mill]]
|-
| [[tools/blastcabinet|Blasting Cabinet]] || [[tools/fumehood|Fume Hood]] || [[tools/ultrasound| Kemet Gem-25D Ultrasound Cleaner]]
|-
| [[tools/hv128|HV-128 Horizontal Bandsaw]] || [[tools/wg250|Record WG-250 Water stone]] || [[tools/polishingwheel|8" Polishing/Buffing Wheel]]
|-
| [[tools/inspectionmicroscope|Tool inspection microscope]] ||
|}
=====Downstairs - Small Tools=====
We also have a selection of smaller standard hand tools downstairs which are listed on the [[tools/smalltools|small tools page]]
=== Suppliers ===
We keep a list of local and national suppliers who are good for various materials on the [[suppliers|suppliers page]].
=== Digital resources ===
==== Our Logo and other materials ====
Over the years we've used a few different logos for our work which are below. These are intended for use on stuff that's made by and for rLab, if you'd like to use them on your own projects that aren't specifically and entirely for rLab you'll need to clear it with the directors first in order to avoid giving the impression that we're officially involved with things we aren't.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:newlogo.png|The new rLab Logo in bitmap format
File:RLAB_single_colour_logo.svg|The new rLab logo in Vector format
File:oldlogo.svg|Old rLab logo, please use the new one instead where possible
File:minilogo.svg|Small rLab logo for use where space is at a premium
File:Rl logo small.svg|Very small logo for use where nothing else will fit
</gallery>
==== Software that we use ====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;width: 75%;"
|-
! For 3D design and CAD/CAM work !! For 3D Printing !! For 2D Design and laser / vinyl cutting !! Video Production !! Electronics and coding
|-
|
* AutoDesk [https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview Fusion360]
* [http://www.openscad.org/ OpenSCAD]
* [https://www.freecadweb.org/ FreeCAD]
||
* Ultimaker [https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-cura-software Cura]
* [http://slic3r.org/ Slic3r]
||
* [https://inkscape.org/en/ Inkscape]
* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/ Lightburn]
* [https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/software/ss/about Silhouette Studio]
||
* [https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/ Davinci Resolve]
||
* [https://www.kicad.org/ Kicad]
* [https://code.visualstudio.com/ VSCode]
* [https://www.arduino.cc/en/software Arduino IDE]
|}
==== Mailing list and Wiki and other online accounts====
Most of the discussion between rLab members that isn't in-person takes place on our [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/reading-hackspace google groups] mailing list. You don't have to have to join the group when you join rLab, and indeed quite a few of our members either only read the mailing list occasionally or not at all, but if you're not on the group you may find it quite hard to get your voice heard when we're discussing things important to rLab like the direction that the group takes or how we spend money. If you'd like to join the mailing list without having a google account then you can just send a [mailto:reading-hackspace+subscribe@googlegroups.com message to subscribe] or follow the instructions [https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/15393/how-to-subscribe-by-email-to-a-google-groups-mailing-list-with-daily-digest-opti here] should help you.
We can also be reached via our [https://en-gb.facebook.com/readinghackspace/ facebook] and [https://twitter.com/rdghack twitter] pages and you can keep up with what's been done at the lab recently via our [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBgxPv4q0E6zrwb6Wo1OKuA YouTube] channel.
We also have this [[About this wiki|wiki]] of course! If you'd like [[Editing the Wiki|an account]] on this wiki then please contact [[User:Stever|Steve-R]], [[User:Tonys|Tony-S]] or [[User:Ruperte|Rupert-E]] on the mailing list or at the lab.
To find out who to contact if you have queries about digital services, check the [[contactlist|contact list]] for online assets
== Other organizations ==
Other organisations that are related to hacking/making/crafting - The appearance of an organisation here DOES NOT MEAN that rLab endorses that organisation
* [https://www.facebook.com/ReadingRepairCafe Reading Repair Cafe] [[Events/repaircafe|Events]]
* [http://rva.org.uk/ Reading Volunteer Association]
* [https://www.remap.org.uk/ ReMap] Volunteer Group focused on tailored assistance devices for those with disabilities.
* [https://menssheds.org.uk/ Men's Sheds] are setting up in [https://thesilversworkshop.org.uk Reading]
* [https://www.wea.org.uk/ The Workers' Educational Association (WEA)] is a charity and the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of adult education, delivering 9,500 part-time courses for over 74,000 people each year in England and Scotland.
* [https://www.readingbicyclekitchen.org/ Reading Bike Kitchen] is a group that repairs and maintains bicycles to help Reading residents get around in a green way
|