Equipment Status Board

The Equipment Status Board (ESB) is a web application for tracking equipment status and coordinating repairs at Decatur Makers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit makerspace with approximately 600 members and 24/7 access.

What is the Equipment Status Board?

Makerspaces have dozens of shared tools and machines that members rely on daily. When something breaks, word often spreads slowly through scattered Slack messages, handwritten signs, or word of mouth. Members waste trips to the space only to find a tool they need is out of service. Technicians duplicate diagnostic work because previous findings aren't documented. Staff lose track of which repairs are stuck waiting for parts.

The Equipment Status Board solves this by providing a single source of truth for equipment status. Members can check whether a tool is working before they visit. Technicians can see what needs fixing, read previous diagnostic notes, and update progress from their phone at the bench. Staff can monitor all active repairs on a Kanban board and spot items that are stuck.

Features

Web Dashboard

A color-coded status grid organized by area shows every piece of equipment at a glance. Green means operational, yellow means degraded, and red means down.

QR Code Equipment Pages

Every piece of equipment gets a QR code sticker. Scan it with your phone to instantly see the current status, any known issues, equipment documentation, and a form to report new problems.

Kiosk Display

A large-screen display mode designed for wall-mounted monitors or projectors in the space. Auto-refreshes every 60 seconds so status is always current.

Static Status Page

A lightweight status page that can be hosted externally (e.g., on S3) for checking equipment status from anywhere, even outside the local network.

Equipment Reservations

View reservable equipment on the reservation calendar. Members can create and manage their own reservations from Slack, technicians can manage reservations, and staff can configure equipment policies. See the Reservations Guide.

Slack Integration

Report problems, check equipment status, and create and triage repairs — all from Slack without leaving the conversation.

• /esb-report — Report a problem with any piece of equipment
• /esb-status — Check status of all equipment or a specific item
• /esb-repair — Dispatcher for open repairs (no args) or create a new repair record (with an equipment name)

Machine Access Control (MAC) Integration

Equipment can be linked to a Machine Access Control machine so the board reflects — and can act on — what the machine is actually doing:

• Live machine status (in use, idle, oops, locked out) shown as badges on the dashboard, kiosk, and equipment pages, with staff-configurable visibility per surface.
• Automatic repair creation when a machine is flagged "Oops" on the machine itself.
• Machine controls — staff can Oops, lock out for maintenance, or clear a machine directly from its equipment page.
• Recent activity — logins, oops, lockouts, and more, viewable on the equipment detail page.
• Automatic clearing — resolving a repair clears the machine's oops/lockout so it's usable again.

Repair Workflow

A 10-status repair lifecycle tracks every repair from initial report through resolution. An append-only timeline on each repair record preserves diagnostic notes, photos, status changes, and assignment history — building institutional knowledge over time.

Role-Based Access

Three user types with appropriate access levels: Members (public, no login required), Technicians (repair management), and Staff (full system administration).

How to Use This Documentation

This documentation is organized by role. Find the guide that matches how you use the Equipment Status Board:

• Members Guide — For anyone using the makerspace. Learn how to check equipment status, scan QR codes, and report problems. No account needed.
• Technicians Guide — For volunteer repair technicians. Learn how to work the repair queue, manage repair records, and use Slack commands.
• Staff Guide — For makerspace managers. Learn how to use the Kanban board, manage equipment and users, and configure the system.
• Reservations Guide — For members reserving equipment and the technicians or staff who manage reservations and policies.
• Administrators Guide — For technical volunteers deploying and maintaining the system. Covers Docker deployment, environment configuration, Slack App setup, and ongoing maintenance.

Understanding Status Colors

Throughout the Equipment Status Board, equipment status is indicated by three colors:

Color	Status	Meaning
Green	Operational	No known issues. Equipment is working normally.
Yellow	Degraded	Equipment works but has a known issue, or severity has not been determined yet.
Red	Down	Equipment is not usable.

Status is always shown with both a color and a text label, so it is accessible regardless of color vision.