For the past almost year, I have been working on a project printer that I bought; the original frame and parts were from a CR-10 S5 (with a 500x500x500 build size) the first couple of test prints worked, but they were not optimal with many issues, elephants foot, layer line issues, and a couple other minor issues, some of the problems I was able to fix by tweaking hardware.
But most of my issues I could fix by changing my slicer settings; I currently use PrusaSlicer v2.5.0; I used to use Cura slicer; I swapped slicers because of the easier-to-use interface and the number of features built into the base program. Overall I prefer it for its interface and configurability, which makes it easier to swap machine settings from my Ender3 to my project printer. As well as built-in support for Octoprint.
After an army of calibration cubes and Benchy’s, I could finally tune my prints to the best of my ability. I use a .6 nozzle, and I figured the best results are with a .3 layer height and about 70 mm/s (it can depend on a print-by-print basis) for PLA. I also have changed many more settings, which you can find here:
The main issue I ran into was warping on the print bed when printing thinner models, and the way I solved it was by having both a higher bed temperature and a short 1-minute pause before printing after the bed had heated.
I have previous short posts and status updates on the printer projects at my Instagram (here)
Over the year, I’ve used Octoprint for my 3d printers. Octoprint is a server that hosts on a Raspberry Pi (and now even an Android device), which then you connect to your printer, which you can connect using the local IP. Octoprint is mainly used for managing your prints since it’s a lot easier to upload the.GCODE files to a local server and have Octoprint start, stop, and pause the 3D print with a press of a button. Many other features make Octoprint one of the best companions for a 3D Printer.
One of the other benefits is its plugins; since Octoprint is open-source, they fully support plugins by independent developers; Octoprint has been out for almost a decade now, there are many plugins in its library. Some of my favorites include:
PrintTimeGenuis. Which uses an algorithm that can accurately predict how long a print will take, I have used this many times, and after about a month of printing, the plugin can predict the exact time all the way down to the number of minutes a print will take.
Octolapse, Octolapse is a plugin that has a highly comprehensive way of taking time-lapses of your print; instead of just taking a video and speeding it up, it can tell the printer at each layer of plastic to move to a fixed point and take a picture, which ends up being similar to a stop-motion video. The amount of options you can change to take time-lapses is fantastic, and why it is a favorite of mine.
Another valuable tool is Octoapp (android exclusive) Octoapp is a fantastic app by Chris Würthner, who made it work around Android OS. Like many other developers, Chris benefits from a subscription to the app in which the user gains more features, which with a small amount each month, is a great way to support the developer and get valuable upgrades to the app. Many plugins work inside the app, including PSUControl, MultiCam, Octoeverywhere, and many more. What I like is that the app is primarily bug-free when it comes to the interface and is definitely built with the user in mind, such as the quick switch option, pausing and canceling prints, having a swipe to confirm option.
There are many really nifty and interesting plugins that have been made for every use case available below is a link to every plugin in Octoprint’s public repository, which is constantly being updated with new plugins.
Note: I am not a developer, nor am I affiliated with Octoprint by any means, just a Octoprint user who is grateful for the many developers who make 3D printing a better experience.
I bought my first VR headset, the Meta Quest 2, in September 2021. ever since then, I’ve been amazed at the technology from one of the cheapest VR headsets with a lot of capability and elegant features for the price. One of the really amazing things when I first put on the headset was the controller hand tracking. At first, I was confused because it was tracking where my fingers were on the controller. The demo and actual games with full hands (which is most VR games) work well. And it shows how immersive it is to use your actual fingers in the “metaverse” to interact with virtual objects., This, combined with the vibration motors, play wonderfully, making it almost feel like you’re picking up an actual thing.
From what I’ve found online and actually seen when taking apart the controller, the controllers have a ring that goes around the main controls such as the thumb rest, joystick, a/b buttons, etc. At first, it seems like it used sensors inside that ring to sense where your fingers are, but after more research, I don’t believe it does. Although I’m not sure, the sensor-like parts in the ring are currently being used.
The Quest 2’s controllers instead have a simple way of handling the finger placement tracking. It uses capacitive controls for all of the buttons and the thumbstick. A lot of devices feature capacitive touch thumbsticks, as well as Meta’s competitor in the VR space, Steam’s Vive Headset, a user posted on Reddit about a cable coming from the main thumbstick cap:
Posted by Lightcap- on Reddit.
This was the primary response in the comments:
Capacitive sensors touch work in a way that your own body is being used as an electrical charge conductor that the device can react to. Almost every smartphone uses this same technology for its touchscreen. (more info about it at the bottom)
I also found another post about one of the original Oculus Touch controllers in which a user went into detail about how the tracking works on the controllers. I found this extremely informative. I recommend you read it. Link to the post here. They also attached an image with their reply showing different positions the quest’s controller can track your finger using the aforementioned capacitive touch sensors, which are represented by the marked blue spots on the controller:
this is a separate design controller, but I believe Meta still used this same function with the Quest 2 controllers.
Overall this is really fascinating to find out how different companies use capacitive touch sensors with various controllers to find where your finger is placed, which execute well to make the games more immersive.
If you have comments about this post, let me know below. If I missed some vital information / or mistakenly wrote about Quest 2’s technology, let me know below. (I am not a professional in this tech space, but I am curious to learn more about it.)
Reference and more info links: “Do Oculus touch controllers have finger tracking” in depth on how the capacitive sensors work on the original design touch controllers:
When getting introduced to 3D printing, it was a little challenging to find the right 3D model site where I could find accessible/affordable 3D models. After almost two years of experience with 3D printing, I’ve found my favorite spots to find fun and exciting designs that others have made. Here’s my list:
Yeggi.com is a site for looking on other websites for your desired 3D models. It performs best if you have a specific model or idea in mind that you can search with keywords. For example, suppose you are looking for a particular adapter for a hotend for 3D printer. In that case. It’s easier to find a mod that someone has made with that machine in mind by using keywords like “Hotend adapter for ender-3” or “3D printer adapter for hotend,” and it would display the results from dozens of 3d model sites.
Formerly prusaprinters.com,Printables, is a popular site similar to Thingiverse but has many more features such as Contests, Rewards for posting models, and gaining likes, downloads, etc. Rewards work in a way that you earn “PrusaMeters” every time you make a post and acquire a milestone in likes, downloads, makes, and followers. You can then redeem for rolls of filament (PETG, PLA, ASA, Resin) merch and guides. The contest’s prizes typically include “prusameters,” filament. And with the rare chance of a big contest, a Prusa 3D printer.
Thingiverseis another free popular 3D model site with a pretty extensive database of 3D models and has been around for a long time. I still use this site mainly because of the number of 3D models and the vast number of users it still has. I also like their main page recommendations, which typically have exciting and practical designs that I print when im bored and out of ideas.
Want to see what else I’ve done with 3D printing? Click here
What is your favorite 3D model site? Comment below!
Formerly prusaprinters.com, 