Relay boxes control access to machines that need Inductions.

If you are inducted to use a machine, you can use your Keycard to unlock the Relay Box, which will supply power the machine.

As shown above, a relay box includes an the following:

• An Indicator Lamp - shows whether the connected machine is powered. If the lamp is on, the machine has power.
• A Status LED - shows whether the control box is ready to use, has an error, etc.
• A Button - logs you out (disconnecting power to the machine)
• A NFC Sensor - reads your keycard to log you in.

By default, the Status LED should be slowly pulsing. This means the machine is not powered, and it is waiting to read a keycard.

To Log in:

1. tap your keycard on the NFC Sensor. If you are inducted to use the machine, the Status LED will go out and the indicator lamp will come on, showing the machine is powered.
2. You can now switch the machine on in the normal way.

If you are not inducted (or if the Relay Box didn't read the card correctly) the Status LED will flash for a couple of seconds, then go back to pulsing.

Once you have finished using the machine:

1. Switch it off in the normal way.
2. Press the Button on the Relay Box to log out. The Indicator Lamp will go out to indicate the machine is no longer powered.

For safety reasons, some Relay Boxes will automatically log out if you don't use the connected machine for more than 20 minutes.

You can monitor the current status of all the Relay Boxes using the Status system. This can be useful for checking if a machine is out of order or if there is currently a 3D printer free before you travel to Hackspace!

You can also view past usage data from the Relay Boxes on our Graphana page.

If the Relay Box you wish to use it not accepting your card:

• First: Try your card away, waiting 5 seconds, then tapping again.
• Second: Try turning the machine off at the wall and on again. The Relay Box will take a few seconds to reboot and the Status LED will start pulsing when it's ready.
• Third: Check you are inducted using the Kiosk. For some tools, the online self-inductions expire after a set period and need to be taken again.
• Forth: Check the status page for one of the following messages alongside the relevant tool:
  • 'INITIALISING' or 'OFFLINE' - it has likely lost it's network connection - try turning it off at the wall, waiting a few seconds, then and turning it on again.
  • 'MAIN' - 'ACCESS' - double check your induction status. If this is valid it is likely that the box has been configured as the wrong machine. Contact the Committee.
  • 'PN532' - push the logout button and wait 5 seconds before retrying. If this fixes your issue please contact the Committee. The NFC reader will likely fail completely soon.
  • 'WAITING' - push the button, the status should return to AVAILABLE you should now be able to login.