This page contains guides & rules, and answers to common questions and problems. Every new member should read this information carefully. There are quite a few guidelines, but they are for the sake of safety, comfort, and general cleanliness.

Rights and Obligations of Members

Detailed membership options can be found on the Membership page.

  • A member of the Association must pay the membership fee when joining, and again annually.
  • Unlimited use of the workshop requires a access fee, paid every month. Fee must be paid whether or not member is actually using hackerspace. It is paid for possibility to use space, not for actual usage. Please do not use the “Custom Inovice” option displayed on your membership page - it is intended for sponsors only.
  • As a member, you have a responsibility to follow the Lab's information. It is recommended that every member joins our Tampere Hacklab's mailing list. The mailing list can be found here. Important announcements from hackerspace usage, courses, and other information will be sent to the mailing list. Make sure you check your spam folder regularly for messages that are sent there.
  • The activities of minors are carried out in the Hacklab premises under controlled supervision, and large machines used only in a controlled manner.
  • Hacklab does not have a janitor or other hired staff. Each member is obliged to maintain the community facilities.
    • Clean up after yourself, plus a little more.
    • Improve facilities.
    • Report broken things.
  • Hacklab has a kitchen. Any mess originating from cooking must be cleaned immediately, and dishes must be washed. There is a dishwasher in the kitchen, please use it.

Non-compliance with membership obligations or violation of the association’s rules is grounds for temporary or permanent removal of space access, or removal from the association.

Behaviour at the Lab

  • Religion and politics are prohibited topics at hacklab. Advertising related to these topics is prohibited and discussion should be avoided. Projects of religion and politics (advertisements, objects, etc.) are also prohibited. Exceptions include historical context, such as scale models, as well as play and LARP outfits.
  • Tampere Hacklab is drug-free. Don't be intoxicated in the Lab. Electrical and pneumatic tools have an absolute zero limit. Smoking indoors is prohibited. A smoking spot is outside the door. For controlled intoxication, there is an excellent Restaurant Wanha Tappi about a block away.
  • Don't harass anyone.

Chat

Tampere Hacklab uses Matrix for the official instant message chat rooms. Some rooms are bridged to IRC, Telegram, and other messengers. Instructions for creating your Matrix account on the Hacklab server are found here.

There is a special english language room available:

- Tampere Hacklab in english #engtre:hacklab.fi: https://app.element.io/#/room/#engtre:hacklab.fi

Join with qr code:

Community meetings

The monthly meeting is held every first Tuesday of month, starting at 19:00. If you want to affect the operation or acquisitions of Hacklab, attendance is recommended. The community meeting is open for everybody, and it is good opportunity to get to know other members. The meeting agenda can be usually found in our NextCloud online shared file storage, under “Yhteisömiitit – Community Meetings”. Members can add points to agenda before the meeting. The agenda can not be edited during meeting.

It is recommended that new members take a part in least one community meeting, to introduce themselves and get acquainted with other members.

Noise generating work is prohibited during community meetings. The formal meeting usually lasts for one hour maximum.

Storing belongings in hackerspace

  • Hacklab is not rental storage, so keep only active projects in the hackerspace. Take inactive projects elsewhere.
  • Members paying a monthly access fee are allowed to store one plastic box in the member storage area. The box should be marked clearly, and it must include name and contact information.

Standard box is SmartStore Classic 15, which can be bought from many supermarkets and hardware stores.

Hacklab shop a.k.a premium bonk

Information about Hacklab's second-hand shop can be found here.

LED-strips

Rolls of LED-strips (in different colors) can be found from electronics workshop and from storage boxes. They are paid in LED-cashbox. If some color is running out, order more and ask for compensation.

Tools

Hackerspace contains tools owned by organization and borrowed from members. (see the Workspace page and Tools page)

All tools are free to use provided that member knows how to use them without breaking them. If you don't know how to use them, ask for help. After use, tools must be returned to their places. Machines require monthly membership and a small tutorial course before using.

Breakdowns

Tools at workshop tend to wear out and break from time to time. If broken item was valuable, report it to administration and compensation will be negotiated.

Drill bits snaps often. If you break them in large quantity, you should buy new set to hackerspace and it will be acknowledged by that.

Bandsaw blades snap sometimes as well. Please inform someone to change the blade if you are no able to do it yourself.

Borrowing equipment

Monthly members can borrow tools for brief periods. When borrowing tools, fill your name, phonenumber and name of the tool in The Book of Borrowing (located in lobby). For lending stuff for longer periods, please contact the administration via e-mail.

Making noise

Hackerspace is meant for building, so making noise is allowed. We are located in industrial building where noise is not a problem at any time.

Notice: during meetings, workshops, courses and lectures loud noises is prohibited. Quiet work is allowed, but please take notion of not disturbing others. Lecturer has a right to demand stopping any work that disrupts course.

Always close the doors of wood/metal/plasma rooms. Always wear appropriate hearing protection and notify others in case they are not wearing some.


Safety

Dying or seriously injuring anyone in hackerspace is forbidden! First aid kits are located in visible places, make clear to yourself where it is located. Please inform administration if first aid kits are lacking supplies. Various personal protective equipment can be found in workspaces, use them appropriately when there is a possibility of hazard.

Fire

Hackerspace is equipped with CO2-extinguisher, several powder extinguishers and fire blankets. Notify yourself of their location especially if you work with welding, hot tools or flammable chemicals.

In case of fire, use CO2-extinguisher, if it is possible. Powder extinguishers cause terrible mess, often worse than small fire would have caused. (all equipment must be opened and cleaned thoroughly, all porous surfaces will be permanently infused with powder and it will damage items.)

Window can be used as a second fire escape by breaking it with supplied hammer. Fire escape ladders are located outside of window, on the left.

Charging lithium-ion batteries and usage of low quality chargers must be always done under monitoring.

Leaving batteries charging unattended is prohibited!

Dangerous materials and items

Following items are forbidden unambiguously:

  • Ammunitions and explosives. Servicing guns is approved, but leave ammo at home.
  • Working, handheld illegally powerful lasers. Can be identified often by color other than red. Powerful lasers are OK in enclosed devices e.g. laser cutter, where protection is in order.
  • Radioactive and otherwise very toxic materials. All unidentified and unlabeled chemicals should be considered dangerous.

If you notice any prohibited items notify owner, administration or emergency services depending of situations severity.

Use of Doors

The Lab has an outer door (outside at the top of the steel stairs) and a Lab door (in the inner lobby) where the Lab facilities begin. Both doors are normally locked unless there is an open house night.

  • If you have paid for the right to use the space and the payment appears in the mulysa member register, calling the door number +358452692991 will open the door for about a minute. The call is not answered and the call costs nothing. The door can now also be opened with an NFC card. Select the desired NFC card (eg TKL bus card) and flash it to the NFC reader next to the doorbell. The reader displays the card ID number on the screen. Log in to the member register and reserve the ID number coorresponding to your card, from the My Settings page.

 Exterior Door Lock Switch

Exterior door:
  • There is an electrical switch next to the door that allows the door to be permanently opened (Auki) or locked (Kiinni). If you are the last to leave the lab, put the switch in the locked position and make sure the front door locks behind you. Excluding weekdays during office hours, when there are people in neighboring companies. If the door is open and there are activities in the neighborhood, leave the door open.



 Lifting Door Locking Pin

Lifting doors:
  • There is a locking pin on the left side of the doors, which must be in its hole for the door to be locked. When you leave, check that these are locked.



 Lab Door Lock

Lab door:
  • Locking the door requires you to twist the thumb-turn and then the lever handle on the inside of the door so that the lock latch extends. Hold the outer handle down while closing the door, and make sure it stays closed and locked. If you are the last to leave, lock the door. If there are members you don't know when you leave, it's a good idea to ask if you know how to close the door and show it if necessary. Only members with the right to use the space or persons under their responsibility may remain in the lab.

 Inner Door Power Switch

  • Inside the inner door there is a on / off switch on the wall. When you leave the lab last, put it in the off position (Pois or down position). In this case, a number of sockets become de-energized, preventing, for example, fires and unnecessary switching on of the equipment.

Suspicious characters move around Nekala at night, so make sure the doors are locked for the night!


A checklist for shuting down and locking the Hacklab can be found here: Closing Tampere Hacklab

If any of the doors are open in the morning, report it to the government and we will try to find out who left it open.


Commercial activity

Small scale commercial activity (e.g. making products for selling) is allowed in hackerspace, if it does not disturb other members' activities. If you are planning on doing commercial work in hackerspace, notify administration. Profitable business should be compensated for the community somehow. Compensation could be monetary, free products or maybe a public workshop / lecture of your profession.

All hackerspace materials used in commercial work must be paid for. Usage of CNC- machine time should be compensated as well.

Commercial work should be done when hackerspace is less crowded. For instance time-consuming 3D printings are not recommended when there are many users queuing for the same machine.


See also

Back to top