Had to build a cat penthouse in the backyard. Had this 3.5 inch pipe sticking out of the ground I cemented in for a 10 foot satellite dish. So I 3D printed a platform to fit the pipe to mount the cat house on. Happy kitties.
New Models Posted
It seems like I've really fallen off the edge of the flat Earth here, but I assure you I have not. I've actually uploaded several new models including the long awaited Kingroon KP5L Essential Mod kit. Check out my latest submissions on Printables
Re-Branding
I've made a little change from Wyqid's 3D Lab to Wyqid's Lab. Although it seems I've been an absentee landlord, I've been working on many projects. Some of these projects will be published simultaneously. Although the essence of most projects is using 3D printing, some will use only a few 3D printed elements and thus it's more of just the goings on in my lab.
Current projects include:
* An RC Boat that deploys buoys.
* A ball mill for mixing chemical agents.
* Arduino projects.
* Raspberry Pi projects.
* Photography projects.
* Mindless dribble.
New Filament Rack Brackets
Designed to hold your filament spools using 1/2 inch PVC pipe. These clip on to most wire rack shelves.
Power Failure
I'm out of POWA!!!! Seriously, I ran out of power. After adding two more printers to the farm I was throwing breakers left and right. I was feeling like Dynamo from The Running Man:
You know, after Arnold flips his go-kart over and he is like 'Go to commercial!! I have no power'. No? Guess I'm too old, you are too young, or you have never seen The Running Man. Probably all three.
Anywho, I installed 3 more dedicated 20 Amp circuits to my lab. I've got some new designs coming that are better than ever, including a set of designs that turn a seemingly mediocre printer (The Kingroon KP5L) into a beast! Basically, the KP5L is a fantastic printer with a direct drive, heavy duty 3-axis linear rails, and a massive 310mm x 310mm x 340mm heated build plate. It can be found on sale often for right around $200.
So why isn't this printer popular? Because it seriously sucks. Well not really, it just has a couple of glaringly obvious engineering flaws and terrible firmware support. It was like getting a Ferrari for the price of a Toyota except they put the steering wheel in the back seat and ran the exhaust into the AC. You know, little things.
Well I saw the diamond in the rough so I bought one. As soon as I got it I realized it was very much a diamond and not a lump of coal, I bought a second one before I even finished fixing the design flaws of the first one. Got one on Black Friday for $160 and another one a week before X-Mas for $195.
I am proud to say I actually polished those turds into actual diamonds. I had to move parts, design new parts, and write custom versions of both Marlin and Robin Nano firmware about a dozen times. But finally... FINALLY... the Ferrari roars like a lion. *meow*
I also got some time off of work... three whole days in a row. Which I spent getting MORE POWA!!! Yep, installed the breakers in the panel, ran the Romex through the attic, and installed power outlets. Everything is up to code and I didn't even get electrocuted once. (I have been electrocuted many times, blame my dad.)
Printables.com Soooo Much Better
I’ve migrated over to printables.com by Josef Prusa. I might still post my designs to Thingiverse as well, but Printables is so much more up to date. It seems like Thingiverse was abandoned and is just being maintained at this point.
I’ve got some new designs on there, so check it out.
A couple more designs
Just published two more free designs on Thingiverse.
A food can strainer and wire shelf hooks. Useful stuff... I'll get around to making something cute and nice after I get the practical stuff around my house I need printed.
New Model: Garden Hose Watering Wand using 1/2inch PVC
This is a simple design that uses 1/2 inch PVC to make a watering wand for your garden. Simply print the spout and handle. You can put a bend in the PVC using a hair dryer or the hot sand method, as explained in the thingiverse article.
More Free Designs for You, Zero Cost for You
Designing new models takes time and filament, among other things. It's not enough to just model something, I have to print it and make sure it actually works/fits/durable.
Not everybody has money to donate, so I won't ask for your money. But what you can do that is absolutely free is install and sign up for Temu using my associate link below:
Not only can you buy 3D printer items and parts needed to make my designs, you also get a really nice discount (30% at the time of this post). Temu ships pretty quickly, the prices are really low, and the quality is very good. The credits I earn from referrals help me buy filament and publish more free useful designs.
So if you can, please take a few moments to register for Temu with my link. I personally use Temu to buy most of my filament and printer parts unless I need something in a hurry (in which case I use Amazon). Temu does ship faster than AliExpress with prices that are pretty close. Amazon usually costs about 3-5x as much, but I get it in just a few days. Usually I can wait an extra week to save a lot of money.
Finally Something New
Getting my FreeCAD groove on finally. Had two days off work which seemed like a miracle, on a weekend no less. (First whole weekend off in like a year). My first FreeCAD design is a universal metal-shelf bracket for holding half-inch PVC pipe. A simple but strong and versatile design that can be used for many applications.
Working Too Much
I know it looks like I've been slacking off here, but sadly I've been working almost 7 days a week so I haven't had much spare time. Also I blew out the motherboard in one of my printers and had to fix that. At any given time I have a dozen projects in progress not related to 3D printing. But, I am filling my idea book with several good designs that I plan to release. Believe it or not, I have produced most of my models using the lowly TinkerCad. I've crashed the system multiple times because I have reached the limit on what it can do. To breach those limitations I am moving up to FreeCAD. Seems pretty easy and my models come out much nicer. Stay tuned.
Updates updates updates
Updates are coming. I’m trying to commit to a new article, design, or something once a week. Unfortunately I have a LOT of other projects going on. I spent three days printing PETG fan shrouds and making custom mods using the Minimus design on Cults3d. The STL files are not free, but for less than $3 you get one heck of a file packed with lots of goodies. Download Minimus on Cults3d
Currently I do have several models almost ready for publication. Once I get caught up I’ll post some more.
We Didn’t Start The Fire
Finally finished a new article for the guides. How to burn your house down in 3 easy steps! No, actually it’s how to make a fire-proof 3D printer enclosure out of cardboard. Yes, cardboard that won’t burn.
Store Your Rolls of Tape
Using common half inch PVC tubing that is usually less than $3 for a 10 foot section, you can mount this 3D print on a wall or even standard pegboard.
I use a lot of PVC for all kinds of projects. Most people cut their PVC with a hacksaw (messy plastic shavings everywhere, uneven cuts - hacksaws suck IMO), but if you use PVC for projects then I would recommend getting a PVC cutting tool. Unlike a hacksaw, the cutter slices through PVC up to 2 inches or so with a perfectly clean and straight edge and no PVC shavings.
You can get a PVC cutting tool here:
Latest Design: Paper Towel Holder
I use paper towels in the lab all the time. I needed something to hold the spool. If I can print it, why buy it. There are lots of paper towel holder designs I can download and print, but I wanted one that can be mounted onto pegboard because I have a huge pegboard wall that takes up one whole side of my room and half of another side. So for anything I design that can be wall mounted, I align the holes so pegboard is an option.
