laser A 3-post collection

New Laser tubes and optics rebuild parts are finally on their way from China. It will still be a few days before they arrive; they may arrive as early as Wednesday next week. nIn preparation, the old mirrors have been removed from the Big Laser. The small laser is easier to disassemble. nnNow it's time to clean the machines to get ready for the rebuild. This activity will definitely speed up the rebuild. nIf you use the Lasers or want to learn more about them, this is a good opportunity to get deep into the machines. nnJoin in on Saturday the 7th as we vacuum out dust and don rubber gloves to scrub the smoke out of the machine interiors. We will probably need 3 to 4 several hours of work to take apart, clean and reassemble the lasers.nnNo experience required. Stay as long as you are able. All efforts are appreciated.

nDo to yet another members recent issue with paypal we have enabled bitcoin payments.  Now once you login to lazer.hive13.org you have an option to pay through Mt. Gox with bitcoin.  This works similar to the paypal button but the prices are dynamically set to equal the $30/hr charge we use for paypal.  After a payment it may take a while for the laser minutes to show up, at least until we can have the callbacks fully tested.nnWith paypal locking accounts and Dwolla’s new crazy terms of service, we would love to offer bitcoin for membership subscriptions as well but unfortunately I don’t believe there is any good way to do this without paying an escrow upfront.  Until then we will use the laser site as our first official testbed.nnn

nWho wants to fire the lazer?nnWe are officially opening up the laser cutter for use.  For those who don’t know we have a 60W laser cutter at the space now that can cut up to 3/4″ thick wood and plexiglass (among a few other things).  If you are a member of the Hive you will want to take a laser cutting class in order to operate the laser on your own.  If you are not a member but want to use the laser cutter for a project that s fine as well but you need to have a certified member operate it for you.nnMembers will soon receive free minutes per month to use the laser cutter.  Additional minutes will cost $.50 and you can buy your minutes in one hour chunks.  This price is the same for non-members but your operator may request a free before hand for time and setup.nnTo keep track of all your minutes, buy minutes and transfer purchased minutes there is a new site!nnLazer Manager:  http://lazer.hive13.org/nnFor more information about the laser see: http://wiki.hive13.org/LasernnNote: It may take a few hours for new purchased minutes to show up until the paypal functionality is 100% tied in.  Free minutes are not finalized yet but student/full members will have the same amount and if you are a cornerstone member you will most likely get double those minutes.nnn