There were a few small things that I made for projects or just to address minor annoyances around the house.  The first is a clamp to mount a 1 1/2" adapter for 2" pipe, which I had to sand the OD down by 0.2mm due to poor QC on a pool valve assembly.  The part was specific for the job but I updated it so it can use a variety of SAE or metric hardware. 

The next thing is just a small holder for a Westinghouse power plug remote, which I'm not even sure is still being manufactured anymore.  The remote holder will hold a small remote with a width and depth of 37mmx17mm and the height has to be at least 40mm.  

The last thing here is probably my favorite, it's a magnetic calendar holder clip, with an integrated pen holder.  It is designed to use between 6 and 7 12x3mm neodymium magnets, and has a peg which is about 4.2mm in diameter.  There are two versions, one which can mount flat to a surface (like a fridge) and the other which mounts on the top corner.  I made the first version with too many damn magnets and found it was gonna be really tough to open so I removed two magnets and that is the version which is now posted on Printables.

And a quick update on the Pinecil case, it's on hold for parts.  I ordered a V2 and a couple USB cables to try out and see what will fit in the case.  I'm hoping a 1M cable will fit without modifying the design further.  I will update when the Pinecil Battery case is posted to Printables.

A good friend, mentor, and great all around guy left us yesterday after a battle with cancer.  To say he will be missed is an understatement.  He was the kind of guy would would jump into the worst issues, with a joke and a smile.  There are few like him, and if heaven has a network, they just got a great engineer.  Just a sad, sad day. 

​

I was looking for info on setting some brass inserts today (specifically the best temps an iron when using ABS), and found the link below, for a markforged blog post on using heat set inserts.  It has some good tips on designing the pockets for them as well.

https://markforged.com/resources/blog/heat-set-inserts

It was mentioned in the article that using additional re-enforcement around the hole will help.  The way I have done this when designing parts using heat set inserts (or even for through holes intended for use with bolts), is to add some slicer independent thickening of the space around the holes.  To do that, I will add an array of through or almost through holes, with a very small diameter (0.4mm or the nozzle diameter is enough).  These holes are placed at a distance from the hole equal to about 1.5-2x the estimated wall thickness.  So for a wall of 0.4mm x 2 lines (or 0.8mm walls), I'd place the holes around 1.2-1.6mm from the holes.  This way the holes will create an almost solid area around the hole and provide extra strength to the part.  It allows the rest of the part to be printed with lower walls and less infill, since using just 2 walls may not provide enough side support to the insert once it is melted in place.  The holes can be placed so they will not show on the surface, by burying them just below, so the top layers will seamlessly go over them.  This same technique can be used to add internal bolstering to a model, but it should be anchored to a wall or surface so it will not free float in the infill.

​One caveat to using this method is that slicers may ignore the holes depending on settings for things like nozzle diameter and wall thickness.  So it helps to know what nozzle size is planned to be used, and an idea of how many walls and surface layers may be used in printing the part.  If in doubt, making the holes slightly larger should get them to show up in the slicer.​

I made a case for my TS-80 which has been great, but my Pinecil (v1) has been a bit neglected.  The Pinecil works almost as well as my TS80, and is better in some ways (it supports PD where my TS80 only supports QC).  The Pinecil also uses tips which are easier to find (since they are the same as what is used in the TS100).  My TS-80 case has been very handy, so I used it as the basis for a case to hold my Pinecil.  But I designed the TS-80 case with a constraint that it is able to fit into a Stanley case, which limits it somewhat.  For my Pinecil soldering iron, I want to have a case that will contain the following things:

• 100W power bank
• Silicone USB-C cable
• At least one spool of solder
• A Mini-T stand
• A Pinecil with a M2x4mm thumbscrew (used to secure the tips)

I had considered adding a space for a small tin of flux, however I have not found any that are small enough to fit, without making the whole design much larger. 

What I've come up with so far is the result of hacking and stretching my existing case design and adding some features to allow it to be more simply updated for different irons.

I just received the 100W power bank, and need to do some testing with it to make sure it will work, but so far it seems like it will.  The design feels like it is completed, but generally when I think a design is done, it just means I need to print it to find out where I screwed up :D  

Thanks to Daniel Soussi at GrabCAD for the 3D model of the Pinecil iron.  I use the model to help define a slightly larger cavity to set the iron into.  The tray will also accommodate a Pincel with a thumbscrew to hold the tips (M2 x 4mm similar to these).

Update 2/18/2023 - I've printed a couple test parts and they fit, but I have a few more parts to test before I print the whole thing (and then will upload it to Printables if it works).

Update 2/24/2023 - I printed the base to test it out and the battery fits well.  However I decided to get the Pinecil 1M USB cable, since my current silicone USB cable (though really nice) is just a bit too long to fit in the case without some alterations.  I'm gonna wait until the Pinecil gets back in stock on Feb 27 before ordering the cable (it's a good deal for the cable, but the shipping is a bit much for just a cable, unless ordering a few things at the same time).  I plan to design a small spool to hold the cable, which should fit inside the case.

I re-organized my network recently and added a small Netgear SG308 managed switch to my desk, so needed a way to mount it since my old zip tie method sucked.  This is what I designed, it's uses 4 screws to attach to the desk, and has a clip to secure it.  It should hold a switch with dimensions 158x101*27mm, and I think it will fit other switches as well (it should fit a Netgear GS108T also).  So far it seems pretty solidly mounted and I can remove the switch if I need to pretty easily.  

https://www.printables.com/model/378858-netgear-sg308-switch-and-others-wall-or-under-desk

I was in the market for some pepper spray after recently hearing of a close call a relative had, and she was thankfully saved by her loyal doggo.  I had previously given her some pepper spray, but I don't know if she had it with her at the time, or even if it is expired or not.  This time I decided to get her Fox Labs pepper spray, which I hear works pretty well.  I first checked out Amazon, and was gonna buy the Mean Green (because it should make the bad guy pretty easy to spot).  But then I went to the Fox Labs site to see what other types they had, and I found that they have a BOGO deal for their One-Point-Four 2oz spray, which should be a an effective deterrent.  The text on the site says to add two to the cart and then use code "BlackFridayBOGO" which will take off the price of one of them.  It looks like the deal is going until 7am GMT on November 5th (its about 7 bucks for shipping).  If ordering, check your local laws to make sure you can own pepper spray, and if there are restrictions on the potency of it.  The smaller 2oz sprays are small enough to fit in a pocket (well sometimes lol), but should fit in any purse.  The downside from being handy though, is that they are limited in range and duration.  A few 1 second bursts at about 12 feet seems reasonable though.  I found this video of the Fox Five-Point-Three spray in use, which looks pretty effective (no idea who that guy is, but thanks to him for putting himself on YT getting sprayed for science :D).

Note this post has been updated due to new info in the listing regarding the Raspberry Pi (which does not appear to be included anymore).

This is a was a pretty good deal on a Voron v2.4, which is on sale at AliExpress right now.  I say it "was" a pretty good deal because it looks like the Pi they had offered originally is no longer offered. The listing text shows that the Pi is not included now - even though the picture in the listing still shows it.  Without a Pi, it is still a reasonably good deal for a 350mm Voron R2.4 kit in my opinion.  When I ordered mine for about the same price a couple months ago, I ordered it with the knowledge I may not get a Pi with it, even though it was in the BOM for the kit at the time.  In other words, if you order one I suggest checking with the seller to find out of they have any of the Pi's left, and if one will be included in your kit.   

I'm still building my FYSETC 2.4 R1.3 kit, and so far have been happy with it.  The printer in the listing also appears to be a R1.3 (not the latest R2).  I do not really consider that a big deal though, since the R1.3 can be built as a R2, which is what I am doing.  The main difference seems to be swapping two of the MGN9 rails on the X, with one 400mm MGN12 rail  (I paid about $16 for one of these rails).  The other differences between the R2 and R1.3 seems modest in cost though, most changes seem to be related to the printed parts. 

I posted a parts inventory for my FYSETC V2.4 R1.3 kit here (which I bought a couple months ago from the same seller).  In the link you will find some of the pro's and con's of the kit I received along with pics of the parts I received.   The biggest con I found with the FYSETC kit is the non-standard hole sizing on the bed (which is not a functional problem, but also not the spec).  There are certainly better kits out there, but this seems like a decent budget kit, and I don't think I could source it for less.  It was certainly a better deal with the Pi, but it's not a bad deal without it now.  

​The link is not a referral, so I'm not making anything off this.  I just wanted to share the deal.  It is possible that the prices could change, and if you are setting up an account for the first time they may offer additional coupons.  Also be sure to check that the listing still includes the Pi if you decide to jump on this (in case they remove the Pi from the listing later - edit it looks like they did pull the Pi from the listing description). 

I checked to see if some of the coupon codes on the listing page would work with this deal, and even though they were on the same page as the Voron, they did not apply (those were "US15" and "US40").  It would be worth trying those coupons anyway at checkout, just in case they apply in your case though.  

FYSETC also have great prices right now on other Voron printers.

Update: I edited this post since I was originally thinking this was an V2.4 R2.  But after looking at the pics, I think it is the same kit I bought, which is an V2.4 R1.3.  

Update 2: I found this FYSETC carbon fiber X-axis "tube" which replaces the stock aluminum X-Axis extrusion on the Voron 2.4 350mm design (only for the 350mm size printer).  The price was only $16.53 after the discounts which is a heck of a deak for one of these, so I picked one up (I have not yet started on the X-Axis so it should be a drop in replacement for the extrusion).  

Update 3 (PLEASE READ): The listing says "Please note :the kit no including the raspberry pie motherboard, thank you" (but the listing Pic still shows the Pi3B+ as a "free gift"). Thanks to Gymoniphon at Reddit for pointing that out.  If ordering this or planning to, I suggest contacting the seller to clarify what is included if you order this kit.

I picked up a couple "Boruit V3" 900 lumen flashlights from AliExpress recently, and was so impressed with them, that I ordered several more as I get ready to assemble some gifts for Christmas.  I'm of course gonna keep a couple of them since they are super handy for being so small.  I've been using the black light shown in some of the pics (pardon the lint) almost daily, and also tested the clear model as well.  Being so small they are easy to keep loose in a pocket even without a keychain, which makes them my most used light.  I may design and print a small clip so it can mount on the bill of a cap though since that would be the only thing to make it more useful.

These lights use USB-C to recharge, and include some side LED's (white, UV, red, red flashing and red/blue flashing modes).  The side modes are a lesser used so it's cool that there is a separate (right side) button to control them, while the main LED's have just four modes from high to dim (controlled by the left button).  For some reason the manual claims there are 5 modes on the main LEDs, but there are only 4 (which is plenty).  The UV LED is modest but it does work.  It may struggle to find scorpions with it from more than a half dozen feet, but will work to check out UV security features or printing.  The butt end has a neodymium magnet which tends to grab anything within reach and glom onto other items on a keychain, but is a nice feature.  I have not tested the water resistance, which they claim is IP65, so I'd not plan to dunk it.  The USB port has a rubber cover but I don't know how well it would hold out water.  It should be fine in the rain though. 

Since buying the first couple lights, I have received a few more which are destined as gifts, and while testing them I noted that (on high) the black version is a bit dimmer than the glow in the dark (GITD) / clear version.  This was consistent across several I tested.  But what was a bit concerning is that the clear version (which seems to be brighter on high) also gets hot after running on high for about 5 minutes.  I never really noted an issue with the black version getting hot while running on high, so I suspect that the GITD/clear versions, which I received may run the LED's at a bit higher current for some reason.  It is almost like the GITD/clear version starts up in a turbo mode compared to the black version.  Unfortunately the 2nd brightest mode on the GITD/clear version is probably 25% less bright than the high mode on the black version (but it stays cool).  Therefore stepping down a notch on the GITD/clear version will not really equal the normal high mode on the black version - but the 2nd brightest mode on the GITD/clear version is plenty usable.  So in a nutshell, if you tend to use a light on high for more than 5 minutes at a time, then the black version is probably a safer bet.  If you want the brightest light but don't mind stepping down to the 2nd brightest mode for normal use, and like the fact the light will glow in the dark, the GITD/clear version would be a better pick.

Runtime is good with at least 80 minutes for the black version on high (and it did not get hot), and the same time for the GITD/clear version on the 2nd highest setting, which also remained cool (they could have run longer but I shut them both off at 80 minutes).

I think both lights have their use, but the one I keep in my pocket is the black version.  I wish it were glow in the dark but that is honestly not something I would use much anyway.  I prefer to just turn on the light and use it without worrying about the light heating up.  Being mostly plastic, I doubt the LEDs will have much in the way of heatsinking, so if using the GITD/clear light, it makes sense to stick to the 2nd highest mode normally and only use the highest mode occasionally.  Below are some pics of the lights including one beam shot of the high modes of the black (left) and GITD/clear lights (right) and one of the GITD/clear light after being charged up with a flashlight for a few seconds so it would glow (I adjusted the image to appear close to how it actually appeared).  Pardon the pocket lint.

If you pick one of these up for Christmas gifts, it would be good to order soon if buying from AliExpress (since it can take several weeks to deliver).  Amazon also sells them but expect to pay more (but you will of course get it sooner).

I have some more lights from AliExpress, which I have received in the past couple days and will post reviews for them as well.

I bought several "6 in 1 metal pen Multifunction Tool Ballpoint Pen(s)" from AliExpress to give as part of several Christmas gifts this year, along with some flashlights which I will post a review on later.  I found out (unfortunately) that there is a metal version of these pens, and a plastic version (which I would term a cheap knock off).  The metal version is all around better but it is unfortunate that most sellers seem to offer the plastic version for almost as much.  Although both versions look very similar there are some differences, such as the clip, and also the fact that the metal version has shiny silver (chome plated metal) threads where the back cap screws on, while the plastic version is just painted plastic threads. 

I checked the accuracy of both pens and found the following:

METAL:
metric scale 0-70mm (measured 70.31mm)
inch scale 0-3in (measured 3.014in)

PLASTIC:
metric scale 0-70mm (measured 70.52mm)
inch scale 0-3in (measured 2.991in)

The bubble level is much easier to view on the metal pen vs the plastic pen, probably due to the metal pen being silver inside the barrel vs the black plastic of the plastic pen.  

The screwdriver on the metal version seems to be actually usable, while the plastic version has a lot of play and uses a magnet to hold the bit in.  It is a bit difficult to extract the bit on the metal version but there is very little play and it feels solid.  The cap that goes over the screwdriver bit (which has the rubber tip) is much easier to replace or remove on the metal version thanks to more precise threading of the metal vs. plastic.   Getting the cap back on the plastic version takes a bit of effort but it does go on. 

I did not test the rubber stylus but there is little difference between the plastic and metal versions so there will not be much difference there.

I initially thought the cross hatched part of the pen which is held between the fingers on the metal version would be less comfortable than the plastic version, but did not find that to be the case.  The texture is smooth, and not bad for writing with.  The plastic version has a similar but less pronounced texture which is just as comfortable to use (possibly slightly better being plastic which will not get cold or hot if left in a car).  It is possible to switch the silver textured part which holds the ink cartridge between the plastic and metal versions as well (so a pen with a metal body could be assembled using the silver plastic cartridge holder from a plastic pen).   

There are some other minor differences between the plastic and metal versions (such as the length of the parts).  Overall the metal version is much higher quality in almost every way.  The only improvement would be to add a magnet to hold the bit (which is held by friction from an o-ring which works really well).

I purchased the metal version here, and the plastic version here.   I have not purchased these from Amazon but these appear to be similar though shorter aluminum (metal) versions at Amazon (which is sold as a pack of 6 pens), and this one appears to be the identical (metal) version to what I bought from AliExpress.  Aside from asking the seller which type they sell (plastic or metal), the biggest visual difference is the clip, which on the plastic version is mounted to the side of the barrel.  While on the metal version, the clip mounts like a washer between the barrel and the threaded end piece which holds the screwdriver.

Below are some pics for comparison (metal is on the left and plastic is on the right).

I did not receive anything for writing this review, just posting some observations on a cool stocking stuffer I found.

My search for the perfect "NozzleCam" for my 3D printers continues... but I could be close.  The postman delivered a OV5640 USB Webcam which I previously ordered from AliExpress.  I had a feeling the model I purchased could be a problem, since it has autofocus.  In any case I did some tests with it and it does work with the Raspberry Pi, and the minimum distance where it can focus on an object is about 40mm in front of the lens.  The autofocus is pretty slow, hunting and missing a lot, and I think it will have a problem as a nozzle camera.  Further, the driver does not support disabling the autofocus and manually setting the focus (some of them do).  After testing, I ordered another fixed focus model which will be several weeks to arrive.

​This highest resolution at which this camera supports 30 fps is 1920x1080 (which I think will be fine).  The maximum resolution is 2592x1944 at 15 fps.

​Below is the output of "v4l2-ctl --all --device /dev/video0" the area highlighted in white is where it would show if the camera supports any focus control options (but there are none listed).  It's a bit of a bummer since this driver seems to be the same used for most of the modular type USB webcams I have found, even the 4k models.  Hopefully a fixed focus camera will work better.

In the pics below, you will see my very poor setup, since I just wanted to test the closest distance the object could be, and still be in focus (about 40mm). The other pics show the module and the cable, which was included.  The module is quite small and compact and gets warm (while the camera gets hot).  I would probably try and heat sink the camera, and possibly the board if using it for a nozzle camera.

I will update this post again, with hopefully a better test setup, when I get the fixed focus camera (which is also an OV6540).

I set up a temporary test on my printer to get a more real world pic of the nozzle with this camera.  It seems to work, and I think if I can get the fixed focus version (which has a slightly narrower field of view), it may work.  If not I will test a 100° camera.  Also yes, this nozzle is very dirty, I am gonna clean it now and fix the boot (to boot).  This is positioned roughly where my old endoscope camera was positioned but in line with the BL-touch probe (so it is far enough away from the nozzle that it should not get overheated hopefully).  The camera will need to be moved up and angled downward more to work properly, if I ran the printer like this the camera would hit the bed before the nozzle (this is only a test).  The image quality is not spectacular, but it will do.