How a Makerspace Manager Deployed 8 TRMNLs (and Counting)

Company Overview

Thomas Lum manages the makerspace at the University of Delaware's College of Engineering. He runs an open lab where students drop in to work on projects, and he teaches classes. His schedule varies daily.

The Challenge

Thomas needed a way to post his availability outside the makerspace. Students would show up not knowing if he was there, in class, or at lunch.

I needed a way to post the hours that I would be there, so that way they knew ahead of time whether it was worth coming in that day.

The problem extended beyond Thomas. Advisors had their schedules buried in email signatures, but students weren't checking.

Students aren't looking at their calendars and email. They're like I got a problem right now. I'm showing up right now.

He tried a Kickstarter e-ink display from Germany. It worked, but scaling was impossible.

It wasn't convenient to update it too often. And it didn't scale well because when you went to order the next one stock was always six months out.

The Solution

Thomas chose TRMNL for two reasons: battery-powered e-ink (no outlet needed at the door) and simplicity.

Although we're in the College of Engineering, not everybody is just nerdy enough to set this up and have my own instance. The ease of use is as simple as take your Google Calendar, put it here, and never worry about it again.

He started with one device on his office door, then added displays to computer labs and electronics labs. Each connects to a Google Calendar showing when rooms are available or in use.

Thomas 3D prints custom mounts that attach above door nameplates.

Results

The department currently has 8 TRMNL devices deployed: 4 for labs, 4 for staff offices.

Adoption happened organically:

A couple other staff saw it and were like, 'Hey, what is this thing?' And then they adopted them as well.

Faculty across the department have noticed and asked about it. Students use them exactly as intended:

A couple of the students have mentioned stopping by, seeing when I was available.

The biggest win: reliability. Thomas contrasts TRMNL with the Amazon Fire Stick signage they use for larger displays:

The Amazon digital signage solutions tend the freeze up and you've got to restart them, which is a pain because they're behind a TV mounted into the wall. This is a lot easier with the TRMNL, all you have to do is pull it off and charge it up.

Recommendation

Thomas's philosophy on good technology:

If I'm having to think about it, something's happened. I don't even worry about it because I know it's working.

What's Next

Thomas plans to add a few more TRMNLs, including some TRMNL X units for better week-at-a-glance visibility. He also wants to add displays to upstairs meeting rooms and replace all of the other e-ink displays with TRMNL.

Thomas Lum is a Makerspace Manager and teaching faculty member at the University of Delaware College of Engineering.