Improve the "occupied" system of a willow feeder - PEP BB greywillow.sand.improve

During the ATC repair cafe, I was able to replace the fan on the inside of the underside of the Willow feeder at basecamp. I didn't know anything about it, so I was given instructions from everybody. It went from not working to working, yay! I was also able to implement a flag system, although I'm not sure how long it lasted. I'm not sure if either of these count. Perhaps the second one could fall under the art category? If it doesn't count, that's fine. :) It was still worth it.

Kay's awesome looking occupancy system isn't here anymore.

Someone put a blue flag up, but it didn't raise the flag when you lock the door as intended.

So I figured I'd fix it! I unknotted the string, added a turnbuckle and a pulley, and gave the string a proper, untieable knot so folks can service this more easily in the future.

I improved the occupancy display system and fixed the sliding latch at the same time.  The latch wasn't sliding into the door frame well enough and the display for "available/occupied" wasn't coming into view.  It felt like the door wasn't really locked since it had so little engagement.

I took the latch off and adjusted it with some power tools.  Now it engages much more deeply and the occupancy is more clear.

Made an improvement to the occupied system on willow wonka by adding a pulley to the existing system. The current system has a weight tied to a string that rubs against a log. Adding a pulley will make the string fray less and last longer.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, Kay and Ash both provided an awesome start to the Occupied system at Willow Bank.

Continuing the story:
The blue flag from Ash’s post had since been replaced by a yellow flag.
I visited in May and got some first hand experience with its operation.

Sometime between May and the start of the PTJ, the mast for the flag had cracked. I’m impressed it had held up so well over the past 5 years, thank you for your service.

I replaced the cracked vertical support with one a little thicker.
Then I added a longer top bar to extend the full length of the flag, as well as extend several inches in the other direction.
I screwed in an eye hook on the opposite side of the flag, acting as a lever, which eliminated the need for a second hinge.  
I replaced the thinner diameter string, which had frayed a bit and kept getting caught up, with a paracord rope, easily tied at the top for maintenance.
Finally, I increased the size of the mortise in the door jamb to more easily accept the slide lock.

All in all, I think this improved functionality while simplifying upkeep.
Feedback welcome, I’m here all week ;)