Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Is $100 too cheap for a 3D printer? Startt review and young maker Interview video

https://youtu.be/u7Ak1IfHk2o
Originally I wanted this one to be in March MadMess, but alas, filming at the makerspace proved too much of a challenge at the time, something I feel justified about considering the mess that this interview turned out to be.

I can only hope that I managed to make something half watchable from this cluster of footage. I recorded this before Makerfair on my Cannon Powershot, the camera of which isn't awesome. So to clean it up I recorded some alternative footage of me interviewing them, that I can cut between. I basically listened to the interview, nodded like I was listening, and when I spoke in the video, I spoke into the mic. Then in editing I switched between them with fades so that the jump from dirty audio to clean audio was less obvious. It was honestly way more effort than I should have put into this video.

I'm running the numbers in my head, it's the sort of thing that I hate doing, because I don't want my work to be dictated by... well, as a previous presidential candidate said, dictated by facts. But in this case it's because I really would rather be teaching people stuff, regardless of how it's received. Once I start deciding I need more views, so I'm going to do more of what gets views, my videos will end up being the same as everyone else. But this video has me flumixed. Bad audio usually limits the success, but I've tried to compensate. Interviews are not usually well viewed at all, but reviews are, so what happens when we combine the two? Maybe the only thing to be truly concerned about is the audio, and if you'd like to insure that this never happens again:
There's some great pictures of the dinos that I want to share with you, but to see them, you'll have to join the mailing list.
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Friday, May 4, 2018

Geeetech E180 follow up

I've had people ask if I've tried out the second E180 that I had and if it changed my opinion on the machine.

Short answer: Nope

The second E180 that I unboxed went well enough until we tried to turn it on. The power adapter had, strangely, a plug that didn't fit in it. The male end was too long to fit in the receptical and make contact with the leads. In otherwords, as it came out of the box, it would not have worked.

Fortunately I had a second Geetech that I could strip parts from.

Let me say that again. The only reason I was able to get this second one working was because I had another one to use as parts. You getting the idea now?

So I got it printing and started printing the test dog. I honestly wanted to see this dog happen. However, at about 75% through the print it was apparent that the filament sample they sent with this model was not enough to finish the print. I will remind you that the filament sample on the first printer was excessive and would have been more than enough. But on this one it wasn't enough. So I threw in another sample, one that came with a MP Select Mini that's just been laying around, and let the print finish. That left the print with a visible difference in the finish of the dog where filament changed, but otherwise it worked fine.

So we set up a cura setting, did a few other test prints, messed up the filament diameter on one of them, and then disaster.

I came in this morning and the LCD read "Touch screen calibration failed". I did not initiate a touch screen calibration. So I started poking at the touch screen and, guess what? Yup, entirely unresponsive. Bricked. It bricked itself because I left it on all night and it got bored, and it bricked itself.

At this point my message is exactly the same as in the first video, but in even stronger language. I have to tell you to avoid this machine, and it pains me to do so. Because this machine gets right all the things that 3D printing needs to get right to move forward. And yet it fails at basic function. And I really hope one day we'll see a 3D printer with this pretty a UI that actually works at a reasonable price. But the E180 is not that machine. At all.
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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Mooz 3 in 1 Maker Machine - March MadMess

https://youtu.be/QhTX9o5JGa4
This thumbnail references the classic meme known as "Shoop da Whoop".

I may have been a little bit generous with this machine in the video. The truth is there's a lot of issues with it, but it's only of the only machines I know of, at this price, that enables home users to 3D print, laser etch, and route. And maybe if people were more excited about this, others would jump in and help make it happen again, and we'd have machines like this cropping up all over.

But is the Mooz a great product? Besides the points I listed in the video, I've got a few bullet points to gripe about:

  • Unnecessary interchangability
  • No wire management
  • No folder organization for files
  • No help sourcing materials
  • CNC router mess

Why are the arms these interchangeable, self-contained things? What does it benefit? I know that theoretically it could be reconfigured to be a delta, but why would anyone do that? Maybe if they were lego simple to take apart and put back together, but this thing is held together with a ton of screws. It is not meant to come apart. So why enclose the motor, drive screw, and limit switch in a uniform case that you can't modify? The only thing it does is limit the size this machine ever can be, and that's not a good thing.

The wire management on this thing is non existent. Behind it's pretty front is a mess of wires like I haven't seen since the 90s behind my parent's entertainment system. Honestly, this thing makes the CR-10 look good.

When organizing your files on the SD card, you'd better not put things in folders, because the file system can't read them. Yup, anything in a folder is invisible to that fancy touch screen system. And on a machine that can switch functions, the ability to organize files, at least by function, would seem a no-brainer to me.

There's nothing in the manual or on their website about where to source materials, or even a suggestion of what materials to use. You're on your own here. Never mind that if you buy a sheet of wood or whatever, and it's too big, this thing isn't going to help you cut it down.

I'm more than a little concerned about the mess of sawdust that this thing is going to produce, falling into the modular axis block used for the Y. How am I supposed to clean that out and will this thing get gummed up?

This all adds up to one big question: Did anyone at Dobot actually used this machine to make anything? It's like they proved the concept, and started the kickstarter. And while I feel like this thing has some possibility, I could use some help seeing it. Maybe Dobot needs some help seeing it too. I'm reminded of stories about Makerbot having a printer on every associate's desk and them excitely using these printers every day. They were their biggest fans. IS Dobot their own biggest fans? Maybe not for this machine. Though they seem pretty excited about their robot arms. ... Actually, I'd be pretty excited to have one of those robot arms.

I invested far more effort into editing this video than its blown out white levels deserved. A 20 minute video needs a little something to keep it going. So I tried zooming in, adding text, images and even funny sounds, and then I noticed the chickens were being picked up by my mic, so every time I heard them I added a little something to the video. If I could just get my quality consistent, high quality videos, high quality audio, and good editing all in the same video all the time, I would be able to run with the big boys.

Look at my links. My links are amazing
Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Geeetech E180 and the Future of 3D Printing March MadMess video

https://youtu.be/m2kpnzMZE9U

Basically, I'm saying I want a MP Select Mini to have this touch screen.

As mentioned in the video, see the Neva writeup for my rant about heated build plates.

If you're an avid follower of the blog, you might have recognized the rant about the 3D printing becoming more appliance at the start of this video as having it's genesis in the post about the JGAurora A5. There are probably going to be other times where I start to form an idea here, and then it makes it's way into a future video. So keeping up on the blog is a great way to get a sneak peek into future video topics.

If you're not an avid follower of this blog, you probably aren't reading this, so there's no point in my going on about that.

In this video I failed to mention the ecosystem that Geeetech is creating with their easy print app and web site. I failed to mention it because I never got that far. I would love to play wit an app that you can choose from a pre-curated set of plated models and start printing right there, control your printer from your phone and show off what's it's doing easily. And I appreciate that you can still control the pritner without it, because if I had to whip out my phone every time I wanted to pause a print... let's just say I've been there with octoprint and I don't like it. For this app alone I am willing to crack open this printer's replacement and give it another chance.

Part of me is wondering how their implementation of this idea is going to let me down, too, though. I've been hurt, bad.

Links here.
Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Friday, March 23, 2018

My first DLP 3D printer $600 FLSun S Complete / Micromake L2 - March MadMess video

https://youtu.be/dV5-melMLL8
This was one of the 3D printers that GearBest wanted me to do a rush review on. And then I broke it and I was like "I can't do a review on it" and then March MadMess happened, and suddenly I was able to do a review because I wasn't waiting any more.

And of course, now, you can't even get them at GearBest right now. I hear it's a problem with shipping. I've heard it's something to do with shipping the resin, and when they work that out they'll be shipping again. But this prompted me to join the AliExpress affiliate program, because they were the only place you could buy them. There's no associate sending me free stuff with them, but now you can have 3 places to buy and I'll get the kickbacks.

Here's some things to know about this 3D printer that will help you avoid the pitfalls I fell into:
  1. The FLSun S was previously the Micromake L2
  2. While the printer is compact, the printing process is not
  3. This ain't FFF. You're going to need new build materials, new processes, and begin to learning process from square one
  4. Pour that resin directly in the reservoir to start
  5. Do not clean the build vat by putting it in the sun to harden the resin
I don't know what happened that caused the change in this printer's name and brand. My educated guess is FLSun was the manufacturer, Micromake licensed it, Micromake stopped ordering them, and FLSun started selling what was left. I say that because this is too similar to be a industrical espionage copy job. But who knows, maybe Micromake got their plans stolen and FLSun started manufacturing them. But whether they're the L2 or S Complete, they're hard to get a hold of right now. That's the way of things with me. I find something I like and everyone stop carrying it.

Finding the right space for the printing processes is very difficult, harder than FFF, for sure. The material is toxic, so no keeping this one in the house where growing children might be affected. However, keep it away from the sun, so watch those doors and windows and time when you use this printer with the movement of the sun. If course you can just run it with the lid on, and never know if you're print is failing.

Is DLP more or less expensive than FFF? Common knowledge says yes, but I'm not really sure. That will definitely affect the frequency of the experiments. When you're paying pennies for your prints it's easier to justify making Yoda busts. 

While this is a little more expensive than the similarly sized Duplicator 7, the on-board system and touchscreen interface, with the fact that they've got it all together, make the small additional cost more than worth it in my mind.

It's exciting to have this printer. I can't wait to see what possibilities this opens up for me. But one problem with possibilities is it becomes a question of juggling different technologies. These printers run best when they run often, and I haven't had the time during March MadMess to give all my various printers the time and love they need. Maybe having more types of 3D printers has a down side.

Naaa.

Get yer' links here.
Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

My TEVO Tornado experience Video

https://youtu.be/75brLt86Wtc
Hmm. I either need a higher table in the shed, or a lower chair. And if you don't know why... good. Good.

I got a request to tone back the March MadMess shout. Let me know if it's missed.

I've had the same conversation with TEVO owners over and over. It goes "TEVO machines are great", then after they calm down they follow it up with "Well, yeah, I had to upgrade ti a bunch before I could actually use it, but now it runs great", and eventually "Yeah, if I didn't haveaccess to another 3D printer, I'd never be able to get this one to run. Want some help upgrading yours?" Is there a name for people defending a thing as better than it is after they've spent too much time and or money on a thing? Because I know I was that way about Simplify3D.

So #TEVOgate. For most of my us in the same circles on twitter, the whole thing came from a single voice, the one who had received the... let's just call it what it was, the bribe. Fortunately, he was a big enough person to refuse it, and then very publicly rebuked TEVO for it. Personally, I would have taken a different tact, taking their money, donating it to charity, and given what would have pretty much been the same review I did here, but sooner, and with a side note that they tried to bribe me to give a positive review. At least that's what I'd like to think I'd do, but I didn't have a $1000 windfall just for being awesome on YouTube enter my bank account, so who knows.

The thing is, from the perspective from TEVO, they didn't do anything wrong. Because,as I pointed out before, when dealing with overseas businesses, to them business is business. And that grates against the west where business ethics is a thing. I'm hesitant to use the words "higher standard", mostly because I don't want to offend my friends overseas by insinuating that they're lower than us. And the truth is, places willing to do whatever it takes in business is why we can have our high minded ideas while enjoying affordable consumer goods. It's hypocritical to use my computer with components made overseas to condemn the actions that made it affordable to me.

This is the sort of deep and sometimes haunting thoughts that come with cheap consumer electronics.

I'm not defending unethical business practices. I do wish they would go away. But more, I think I'm condemning us for not being strong enough to stand up to them unethical business practices. I heard once that Wal-Mart managed to lower their prices by negotiating directly with Asian suppliers, and when they offered a bribe or extravagant spending on their behalf, their buyers refused and instead insisted that the cost of that compensation come off the cost they were going to sell to them. And that's Wal-Mart taking the moral high ground. The point is, its a complicated world we live in, and it only gets more complicated, the wider our view of it gets.

I believe TEVO screwed up in sending a bribe to a reviewer. I believe they screwed up when they didn't immediately try to save face with an apology. I believe they screwed up when they responded to complaints about their behavior by claiming that all they need to do is throw a weekend discount and they'll see where people's loyalties lie. I don't think they were wrong about that, but they shouldn't have said it. All they needed to say was "We sent an excessive payment in error" and express appreciation for the reviewer for not keeping it. Even if they did it on purpose and felt that he was worth the payoff, sending it to him was an error giving them the leeway to express it in this way and make the whole thing blow over. Instead they stood their ground, insisted that they were the wronged party, and belittled their consumers for the sin of being their consumers.

Maybe it's a question of subtly of language that prevented things from going this way. And maybe that means we should cut them some slack for being unable to express things tactfully in a language that wasn't their own.

In the end, TEVOgate hurt a number of people's feelings very deeply. Did it do anything to slow or curb TEVO's success or to change Eastern business practices? I cannot say. The involved parties were pretty small, the effect was pretty brief, and since they're still providing people what they want at a price they can afford, I'm doubtful it had any lasting effect.

March MadMess continues.

Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Friday, March 16, 2018

Geeetech Rostock 301 Delta color mixing 3D printer - March MadMess Video

I should really up my production standards. Not that this is my worst video in terms of audio or video. Despite being recorded on the heels of my last review, you can tell, I didn't even try to hide it, the camera is well focused, where as in that last video it wasn't. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about editing. This video had practically none of it. 30 minutes, in the editing process, tops. Maybe I was a little short on time. Maybe I was a little burnt out after editing 4 other videos this week. Maybe this video didn't need much editing. Or maybe I was just short on content to edit in. Despite the hours and days spent on this thing, I didn't take many pictures or any video of the process.

Which is leaving me very little else to say about this printer.

See how I pronounced "Geeetech" with extra "e"mphasis at the beginning. Did you catch that double "MARCH MADMESS" at the end? Also turned down the volume on those "March MadMess" for people. Ah, good stuff.

I failed to mention that my friends at MeltInk supplied the filament that would have been used in this kit, because they were the only people I could find with Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Check them out.

And here's the list of March MadMess 3D printers:

Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

JGAurora A5 Review - March MadMess Video

https://youtu.be/QXjyd6q1F2o

Notice the Tower of Pi in this video? On Pi day? Yeah, that's the best I can do. I wanted to have a pi vase, fill it with pecans, and look at the camera and go "Ehhhhh?"

This review hurts. It really, really hurts. No only may this be the end of my career as a 3D printer reviewer, but it's so close to where 3D printing needs to go, and this fumble may prevent it from ever getting there.

I wouldn't blame anyone with a 3D printer to sell, short of the ballsiest out there, from blacklisting me. With the Neva I was able to find enough to recommend it that I could at least be between on my review. But this is the first time I've dedicated a video to publicly announcing that you should avoid something that was sent to me in good faith.

There's a lot of crap that happens behind the scenes. I've basically been free QA for more companies than I care to count. You will never hear about most of these experiences publicly. Many of these issues were settled. And while there may be no such thing as bad publicity, I feel there is such a thing as being the one publishing the bad publicity. I feel it would be worse for me to come out and share every bad experience I've had. Quite frankly, it's cathartic being able to finally, publicly, say "No" to something.

If this means that no one ever sends me another 3D printer, and I have to dedicate my channel to doing cool making projects and discussions about 3D printing in general, and I never have to waste my time testing hardware I don't really need, I... hmm, it felt like I was building towards a "worst case scenario" here, and it kinda turned around to being the best possible scenario.

Thing is, I truly believe there's good in every intentions. Even the Neva, this A5, and the Geeetech E180, which by the way, will be a sad echo of this review. It feels like they took one step backwards, hoping to be a run-up to a 100 yard dash, only to fall on their face two steps in. These printers represent the next steps for 3D printing, the steps that 3D printing must take to become the appliance we want them to become. Pretty UIs, clean appearance, and reliable. But what they also need is an infrastructure that's not there yet. They need a local retailer to buy these in bulk, do some QA, fix them up, and offer service plans to people. Selling these directly to the public may be a huge mistake and may result in this critical step in 3D printing's development from faltering. I do not want to see that happen.

Man, I hope I remember to say all this in my E180 review.

Here's the links to all the printers in March MadMess and where you can buy them.

Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Monday, March 12, 2018

TronXY X5S Review - March MadMess

https://youtu.be/G4x2Eftoy-o
Technically, this is a Monday upload. I'm going for 3 this week.

Special thanks to my friends at MeltInk who supplemented this printer gift with a roll of cyan PLA. I hope you'll check them out.

In the book "Makers" by Chris Anderson, it's proposed that making is a uniquely human experience. No other animal on the Earth will make a tool, and then keep it and use it again and again. And it's an experience that we are increasingly being separated from as our devices become more complex and disposable. So in a way, the maker movement is about reconnecting with our humanity. Therefore there is nothing more true to the maker movement than building your own 3D printer from scratch, or if not from scratch, from a kit, and using it to make things.

I don't know how much I buy into this. But it sounds good. What do you think? Can you ever truly be a maker if you don't build your own 3D printer?

I've had people complain about the audio in my videos recently, but when I ask for clarification, I get nothing back. Well, this video will certainly give them something to complain about.

The battery on my phone decided it was done with this whole taking-a-charge thing. I've ordered a replacement, but it won't be here till the 20th. There are some who say that experiences, like going without their phone, is the best thing that could happen to them. I do not think that will be me. Already I'm behind on e-mail and twitter. To all my friends wondering why it takes me 24 hours or more to respond, I will return, this I swear.

My friends at GearBest want to make sure I get these links out to you. I've added Amazon and AliExpress links for the rest of you:
Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Friday, March 9, 2018

The real problem with the CR-10mini Video

https://youtu.be/9LkCALCJvXI

Get a CR-10mini for $350 on GearBest when you use the coupon code cr10mini3d, or buy it on Amazon.

I did promise in my March MadMess introduction video that these reviews would be rapidly produced. I hope that doesn't result in an unwatchable video.

It doesn't help that there's not much to say about the CR-10mini. It's cheaper and smaller than it's big counterparts, but it works and it also shares all the same faults. And, yes, the CR-10 line has faults, but it's still a printer I feel good recommending.

Since I don't have much to say about this printer, maybe I'll tell you about my hardware review process. In the last video a comment suggested I have a standard method of testing my printers. And, yes, that would be a good idea. And while that's a good idea, there are a couple of reasons I haven't put much effort into developing something like this yet.

  1. No one set of tests will test all the functions of all printers. What standard print item could I have that would test the capabilities of a Monoprice Select Mini, Davinci Color, and CR-10S? Each of these printers serve vastly different purposes.
  2. Trying to be thorough is why these printers aren't getting reviewed. It's true, I haven't given the CR-10mini a complete run through. If it weren't for March MadMess it would still be waiting for a review video. For instance, I haven't done a long, big print on it yet. It's hard, sometimes, to fine the time with a upload schedule, a still-new MakerSpace I'm developing, and cool projects that I really want to be working on. Maybe this is on me. Maybe I just need better time management. I don't know.
  3. I don't need 20 Groots. While I've previously asserted that useless prints have their place, any standard set of test prints would mean I'd have a copy of the same thing for every 3D printer I reviewed. I can not imagine what I need that many copies of. Maybe something small, like part of a set of building toys, but even then it doesn't test endurance. So I have no idea what it would be.
  4. I need a better shed. In my current setup I can test one, maybe two printers at a time. If I had the space that I could line them up and run them one after another, then maybe I'd be able to test them better. I'm doing the best I can with what I have though, so for now...
Still, developing a standard wouldn't be a bad thing, so maybe I'll give some time to developing a standard. Despite my excuses above, I still think it would be a good idea. So I'll happily take suggestions. What do you think would be some good, standard, test prints?

My friends at GearBest want to make sure I get these links out to you:

Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Friday, March 2, 2018

Neva review video, AKA why heated build plates matter

Click for video: https://youtu.be/it-wNmk7_jE
Like I said in the video, it's funny the things I forget when I don't take notes and read from them. The Dagoma Neva is an okay 3D printer. It's definitely bold. It might even be a great printer but for one thing it's missing. One thing that makes me hesitant to give it a more positive review.

No heated build plate.

Full disclosure, this discussion about heated build plates may end up being the topic of a future video. Consider this me working out my notes on the subject.

Perhaps you wonder why a heated build plate is a big deal to me. Why do I care about it so much that it will take what might be an excellent printer give it a "meh" review? Would I have given this printer higher marks if it had a heated bed?

Let's start from the very beginning. The beginning of the home 3D printer market.

When 3D printing first came around, with RepRaps and Thing-o-matics, they all printed ABS. Not because we liked ABS. It was stinky and shrinky and difficult to print with. But it was all we had. PLA literally didn't exist back then. So we built enclosures to keep the breeze away and used heated build plates to give us some environmental control. We avoided thin walls where we could and there was even tales of people holding a hair drier to their parts as they printed to insure that they'd succeed. It was the only way.

With these heated build plates a couple of solutions were discovered for sticking prints to them. First, Kapton tape was the build surface of choice. But Kapton was thin and broke easily, it needed to be changed often. So we got thicker Kapton. Then we discovered that Kapton eventually stops sticking so well. Well, no problem, just smear it with some old ABS mixed liberally with acetone to make a messy slurry. Then someone started using glass plates covered in Kapton for their build plates, because they were flat. Then someone wondered why even use the Kapton if the print was actually just sticking to the slurry, so the Kapton was taken out of the equation. Then some enterprising genius discovered that the polymer in Aquanet Extra Hold hair spray not only stuck well, but when it cooled it actually released the part. Sure, it made your maker hole smell like a hair salon, but it worked great.

Then PLA was developed. It was the first polymer specifically designed for 3D printing. It wasn't shrinky like ABS and it actually kinda smelled nice when it printed. And best of all, you didn't need a heated build plate to use it. You heard me, no heated build plate. Just a little blue painters tape and it stuck like a champ. In fact, this stuff loved a constant breeze on it to keep it nice and cool as soon as it leaves the nozzle. It was like the anti-ABS. Makerbot was so sold on the viability of PLA as a build material that their second generation of Replicator printers came with no heated build plate.

And that, in my opinion, was a mistake.

The transition to PLA dominance was slow. Those of us who had the old ABS-designed printers didn't have the nozzle fan, so we had to jerry-rig solutions that were often times somewhere between questionable and an outright bad idea. So many of us just cracked a window and kept printing ABS. But some of the more adventurous among us discovered that they didn't need to turn off their build plates, just turn them down, and the print worked. Plus, they still got the benefit of the state change in their hairspray. But even those using blue tape discovered it worked well with just a little heat on the build plate. It took a while before we realized it, but with a little heat the whole printing process was better, even with PLA. Prints adhered to the build plate well, layers didn't curl and get knocked off as much, and you didn't come home to a spaghetti print as often. Even with PLA a heated print bed makes the whole experience more successful.

However, Makerbot, the biggest name in home 3D printers at the time, had set the precedent. They established that you don't need a heated bed anymore. So every manufacturer looking to save a buck, but not knowing the realities of using 3D printing, dropped their heated build plate.

Eventually BuildTak comes out, a great build surface that holds prints and releases them well, provided there's a state change. Just like hair spray, it changes to hold the print while it's a little warm, and releases when it cools down. But unlike hairspray it's more durable and you don't need to keep reapplying it. So manufacturers start putting BuildTak on their printers. It becomes so ubiquitous that even manufacturers who cut corners by not heating their build plate are using it. Even though it doesn't really work.

What's the most common problem people have with their Neva? The problem that they spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the solution to? Just take a look at the facebook forum. Every other post is either asking for help with the build plate, mentioning how to fix the adhesion problem with the build plate, or how they destroyed their build plate trying to overcome it. Not me. As soon as I saw that this build plate wasn't heated, and I saw the suggestions on how to fix it, I ignored all that and slapped blue tape on this thing. And it was all good because re-leveling this thing is so stupid easy, just hold down the button while you plug it in.

See, again, they make this corner-cutting decision, but it's okay because the fix for it is also super easy. I really don't know how to feel about this printer. I definable can't give it a whole-hearted endorsement, but nether would I be able to say that anyone who bought it had made a particularly bad decision. It's just... meh.

Since this is now technically a part of March MadMess, here's the links for that:
Gearbest is also having a huge event for it's 4th Anniversary. Check it out:
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Thursday, July 13, 2017

Wanhau Duplicator 6 Review

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=shh6OzLoKJs
I went back in this video to recording the audio on my computer and the video on my camera, the syncing them up in post. This requires an additional effort on my part, but until I get the audio sync issues on my streaming setup, which you can see in last night twitch stream is going bonkers, worked out I'm going to have to do it this way.

I'm abusing this printer pretty solidly. Mostly my abuse is confined to the build tak. Still, I don't think I deserved this:
Near the tail end of a 20 hour print I go to bed because things are looking good and I wake up to this mess.
The filament is broken as well, and I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I'm apparently going to spend some time at wanhao3dprinter.com to figure out how to get this pritning again, because it absolutely refuses to work right now. So maybe I was a bit generous with my review, which was already struggling to find things to praise this machine about. (I may be a bit bitter this morning.)
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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

3D Printing Pen Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGWJzekLxKA

Get your own Tipeye 3D printing pen and support what I do through this link: http://amzn.to/2qATCS5

This isn't my first 3D Pen, but this is the first one I liked enough to actually review it. I tend to take Thumper's Father's advice when it comes to reviews.

One thing I forgot in the review was that a pen like this is a great way to use up those loose ends of the spool when you don't have enough to do another print, but too much to justifiably throw away. Just hand all those mini spools to your kids and see what they come up with. Though I have yet to find out what to do if the filament gets so far in that you can't pull it out, I suspect you can just pull it through.

I really appreciate the Tipeye people for pressing me to check out their 3D printing pen. While I still think the name is a little hype-train, I initially got one as a tool, but after having such a good time playing with it with my family I can't help but be very impressed with it's use as a toy. I can't wait to mod this thing for wireless.


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Wednesday, November 23, 2016

I'm loving the MP Select Mini

Code for 3D Scholar: B:DHJLU MKH FROH MCBLR

I'm not getting paid to do this review. It really is just that good of a 3D printer. Has it got a lot of features? No. Does it have it's downsides? Of course. But so far it's downsides are no worse than I've seen in more expensive 3D printers, and at the price there's no reason not to dive in and get it.

Of course this isn't a perfect 3D printer. It still requires work. Sometimes you're gonna have to pop the hood, as it were, and it's going to take some work. One thing I didn't mention was the surprisingly manual filament loading process. For something you do so often it seems odd to me that you have to manually heat the nozzle, and manually push the filament through. That's the sort of thing I'd expect to be automated. But what do you expect for a $200 3D printer. There's still a lot that it does extremely well that can absolutely recommend this for. I mean it's got wifi! And the prints it produces are blowing my mind.

My biggest gripe is that at this price a lot of beginners are going to have this 3D printer at the beginning of the year and a lot of them, like my parents, are going to kind of get blocked. There are hurdles to overcome and this printer doesn't do much to help you over those. But again, what do you expect for a $200 3D printer.

I've found a guy named Tyler who is producing an excellent set of videos to get you up and running with my MP select printer. So if you need some tips, check him out. There's also a great reddit and facebook community. So you're never alone.
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Monday, November 14, 2016

Experimenting with PVA Dissolvable Support filament from Rigidink Video

I've wanted to play with PVA for a long time, and now I have, thank you very much to rigid.ink for sending me the sample. What I've learned is:
  1. It does indeed dissolve
  2. ABS and PLA do stick to PVA
  3. PVA sticks to the build plate
  4. but PVA doesn't stick to ABS or PLA
When I had the opportunity to observe one of the big boy 3D printers their dissolvable supports were on point. They'd anchor to the side of a vertical wall and build up to the area needing support, growing, taking advantage of the small overhang they're capable of minimize material needed. It was glorious and not anything that PVA is capable of that I can tell. 

I actually have some of this magic support material, pilfered from a roll that the chipped enclosure insisted was empty. Yup, the big ones are pulling the inkjet model, only for $100 per cartridge. The problem with their dissolvable filament is it requires a caustic solution to dissolve it in. 

But back to PVA, it definitely shows promise, but you have to take into account a few things:
  1. Manually set your supports so that they go down to the build plate in at least part. Do not rely on it sticking to the material
    1. Simplify3D's support control is great for this
    2. Manually creating a support object is another way
  2. Turn off the ooze wall. Since every other layer is PVA, and it won't stick to the build material, it will only end in tears
  3. Try to avoid traveling your resting nozzle across the material
    1. This is just good advice for life
I think it goes without saying that this option exists only for those of us with dual feed systems. I don't see any way this could by done by swapping filament midway.

Rigid.ink isn't paying me to say any of this, and especially not this: I love how rigid.ink sells PVA. I would order this in nothing but sample sizes and keep it in the bag until you need to use it to avoid the water situation. Because while it's really dry here, PVA will dissolve over time if not kept dry and individual factory sealed baggies are the best way to do that.

Hilbert Cube by tbuser is licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution - Share Alike license.
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Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Rigid.ink PLA review

Video was delayed this week due to Halloween. I hope I'll get a second video out this week but I have nothing recorded at the moment, so here's hoping.

In this video I intorduce a filament grading rubric. I started this process before I found out that Tom is also grading filament, and he's naturally going about it very differently than I am. Here's the rubric with perfect score:
Like I said, it's likely nothing will ever be so high, but one day maybe. Also, with so many points spread across so many categories it's likely most filaments will be about 80%, but that also means small changes in the final grade mean big gains. Both PLA and ABS have the distinction of scoring 80% but for different reasons.
For completeness I also went back and graded the Recycled PET and Ninjaflex that I reviewed earlier.
The ninjaflex scored fairly low, but that's no surprise. As a specialty filament with specific use it's not expected to be as well rounded. However, it has a specific utility, so it's got it's place.

However, what surprised me is how high the recycled PET scored. 86% percent, higher than ABS and PLA, but without as many fudge points. And it's true, except for being able to smooth it like you can with ABS, PET is fantastic stuff. I find myself using it for thing that need to endure and be strong, but don't need to be finished like ABS, because it's just so much easier to print with. Yeah, it's stringy, but it's not real bad and easily fixed.

I'm experimenting with another roll of filament for next week's video so stay tuned.
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Monday, October 24, 2016

Review of the Geckotek3D Build plate

Wow, I just noticed that I misspelled "Geckotek" all over as "Gekotek". Gonna have to fix that wherever I can.

I didn't mention it in the video, but Geckotek3D did not sponsor this review. Full disclosure, I think the funky polymer coating on the build plate is the weakest part of the build plate. I fully expect that one day that coating will be replace. But the magnetic replacement plate is really where it's at for this upgrade. It absolutely holds the metal plates on so well that any wiggle I was experiencing from the old build plate is gone. And maybe that's all I wanted. But the difference was so dramatic that I am nothing but happy.

Be sure to check out http://www.geckotek3d.com/ and find out if they have a replacement plate for your 3D printer. Be sure to use the coupon code 3DPROF to receive 15% off.
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Saturday, December 5, 2015

FlashForge Creator Pro first experience

Got a new toy at the workbench. It's a loaner that I only get to keep for a few weeks to set it up for a client, but this is the first time I've had a chance to get some hands on time with the FlashForge Creator Pro. This is one of the printers on my short list to replace my Rep1 when it finally goes up in flames and can't be repaired, so I was excited to try it out. Mostly I was interested in this one because it's similar to what I know and it's affordable. Dual extruders for a little over 1k? That's practically two $500 printers when I run them both at the same time.

When this says "Pro" is means that you'd better know what you're doing. Not a lot of effort was put into the first time user experience. It wasn't so bad for me, only about an hour to assemble and setup, but if this was my first experience with a 3D printer it would be a week before I could have gotten this sorted out, at least. I don't know what it's like for their other printers, but this one could use some serious effort on the PR department to bring it up to speed.

Let's start with some positives. Love the acrylic build plate with replaceable print surfaces. I'm worried about tearing it up, but they have a few replacements, however at $12 each I may just switch to hairspray when that runs out. Also, I love that the power supply is inside the body. So much better than my Rep 1. Here's hoping that's a standard. The motherboard comes preloaded with old familiar sailfish, which is good for me, but for a new user, well I'm still waiting for that interface that's easy enough for a child to use without training (that isn't attached to a lemon). And I'm loving the cooling fan, even if it does make the extruder head a little harder to remove.

But then there's the other side. The manual, which includes information about, among other things, the unboxing process, is hidden on the SD card which it hidden in the filament holder inside a box inside the main box. So by the time you find it you're past needing half of it. Not only that but the manual is incomplete, it doesn't even cover assembly of the fan shroud and acrylic parts. There's an addendum on the SD card about the acrylic assembly, but it's the form of a Real Player file. I think the last time I had Real Player installed I was still getting AOL disks in the mail, the 3.5" variety. Fortunately you can find the video online, but of course I didn't discover that out until I was done assembling it. "Pro".

The included spool holders are pretty proprietary, replacing them should be one of the first things printed. Also on the SD card is the plate leveling script from the Rep 1 that used to come with RepG, which describes 4 point leveling process. The Pro is a 3 point leveling system, so that's a total fail. The acrylic front door swings up, which makes it hard to keep out of the way while working inside the bot and doesn't stay open to improve air flow when printing PLA, the LCD screen is oddly slow, the power switch is even less accessible than my Rep1s, the feed path is PTFE lined, and there's no mention anywhere of needing to shim up the heads to level them, but you still need to.

Glad I got that all off my chest.

That said, the print quality right out of the box is fantastic. I still have trouble doing dual extrusion prints with my Rep1, but with the FlashForge it was one of the first prints and it worked flawlessly. And corner ringing?
What corner ringing? Despite my list of grievances I would be happy if this machine were mine to keep. It's a great machine... if you already know what you're doing.


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