iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 30/06/2026

I vote for your plan here. I suppose spiral is ideal only for similar (small) parts but it's so much better for those that it should be an available option.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 30/06/2026

Yes, or by duplicating via copy/paste. It just makes such weird decisions, like that one all on its own on a row when there is an unfilled corner. This is for 75 pieces which has a non-cardinal square root, but 5x15 would fit the plate, and I've had the same thing happen with square numbers like 81

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 25/06/2026

Robot employee #113 looks set to complete his probation. If you stop and look at what he's doing at any given moment it appears bumbling and ineffective. But leave him to get on with his job and over time the quality of his work is impressive. He'll fit in just fine here. #automation #3dprinting

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 15/06/2026

OK this kettle is several years old and in fact we're its second home. But it just broke today because on this otherwise all metal appliance, the lever you press down on every time to boil, is divided into two thin sections 2mm across. Can this be anything but intentional to reduce its lifetime?

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 09/06/2026

Just repaired my 14 year old 30" Dell computer monitor for the second time, it was seriously expensive when new and only became outclassed now 4K screens got cheaper, but it's still good enough and the colour is excellent. Good to go for another few years at least.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 08/06/2026

Success! My lovely old Dell U3011 is back in action with new and uprated parts, after a wait for the boat to arrive from China, the fix went smoothly this evening - the real work was carefully desoldering the TOP266VG high-voltage AC/DC offline switcher chip, heatsink and a pair of TSOPs sharing it.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 08/06/2026

It doesn't have permission to do any of the things it actually does, so I'm not sure that's stopping it...! I would delete it entirely but it's baked into some Windows functions, of course. Going to more actively disable it though. @microsoft.com sure dominates the 'can I uninstall...' leaderboard!

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 08/06/2026

@microsoft.com Edge truly is the bunny-boiling ex-partner of software. In what universe would I to do a Windows update and expect that when I next come to print some paperwork I find Edge has made itself the default PDF application? Fixed it but shouldn't have to, and what else did it hijack?

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 05/06/2026

Take your point entirely. The article sadly employs some clever rhetorical devices to try to neutralise a very important aspect of the assault rifles those gun control efforts target: ability (or ease of conversion) to automatic fire and rapid reload, increasing number of potential victims hugely.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 01/06/2026

Which model of Pinguino? What does the back of it look like? Probably made by the same Chinese contract manufacturer as mine and Lee's but De'Longhi personalise their designs more.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 31/05/2026

Got a good feeling about this mini project...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 31/05/2026

Making the heating sleeves also went well - reamed some 4mmOD PTFE tube with 2.85mm drill (well, end mill bit if we're picky). Next tasks will be to wire up heater cartridges and thermistors and an old #3dprinter mainboard, then mount it all to make a workable tool.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 31/05/2026

Ever had an R&D job go so flawlessly well, so quickly, that it simultaneously makes you happy and regret not doing it sooner? Repurposing these nasty early #RepRap knock-off #3dprinter heat blocks to make a 2.85mm equivalent of our 1.75mm #3dprinting filament joiner. Machinist's vice for the win.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 29/05/2026

Glory to your prune juice coloured Vor'cha!

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 29/05/2026

Air conditioning is becoming necessary to keep staff safe and happy, but the UK the market being 'new', it's terrible we ever allowed single-hose portable units to be sold, they're an environmental crime! For the sake of #3dprinting an extra inlet hose adapter, we increased efficiency hugely (>30%).

Portable air conditioner with purple 3D printed plastic adapter frames on the hot side air inlet and outlet.

Portable air conditioner with purple 3D printed plastic adapter frames and white ducts with screwed adapters for 150mm hose on the hot side air inlet and outlet.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 27/05/2026

I couldn't bring myself to walk away from repairing my Dell U3011 screen. Set a hard limit of half an hour to find a fix. Thanks to Google translation of subtitles on an excellent Brazilian dude's video I found the real culprit: this chip with the huge crater, under a complex heatsink. Part inbound!

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 26/05/2026

I know, right? Meanwhile, back on Earth I have done a decent job of replacing the slightly domed caps and refreshing the solder joints on the transformer - fingers crossed that does the job to repair my U3011. But I do now really want (and need) more pixels, so a fix would present it's own issues...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 25/05/2026

I'm pleased to say the outcome of my #3dprinting experiment was at the top end of my expectations! Two very solid, 574g exactly, #3dprinted speaker stands with concrete infill, ready to be installed.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 24/05/2026

Experimental #3dprinting infill here at Edumaker this weekend: Monitor speaker desk stands, in thin walled PETG, filled with concrete to increase mass and rigidity. We used a matching #3dprinted funnel to keep things neat, which worked very well! Now we wait to see how the curing process goes...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 12/05/2026

Stay away from those people, they got too much vitamin D in the 90's. I, on the other hand... Remember.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 25/04/2026

This is very cool - close-up of SpaceX Raptor 3 rocket engine, showing the #3dprinting layer lines! Almost the whole engine is #3dprinted, allowing the usual bird's nest of vulnerable pipes & fittings to be integrated into one #3dprint - speeds up production, reduces risk youtu.be/OoU0Zrrp2qg?...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 10/04/2026

I ordered salted cheese coffee and I regret nothing

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 05/04/2026

Wonderful bit of flip-side thinking from @cspenn.com - thanks for this nugget of sense.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 27/03/2026

Right now I have chosen to medicate myself against focus entirely. For this I got the really good stuff.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 27/03/2026

Interesting thing on the @snapmaker.bsky.social U1 #3dprinter: The onboard firmware update gui specifies a series of separate firmware updates. First the main MCU, then individual #3dprinting tool heads. Not surprised, just nice to see the granularity, more interesting than bare % complete bar.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 24/03/2026

Actually check this out, is yours more like the one on the right?

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 24/03/2026

Fresh from the oven, the forbidden crème brulée. Rejuvenated silica gel beads to help fully dry out my classic car after upholstery cleaning, not even #3dprinting for a change!

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 20/03/2026

Because it's an obvious Doctor Who opener? In fact kinda been done. (These robots were designed to make colonists happy. A few bit flips later, their response to anything other than happy is... messy.)

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 14/03/2026

It's funny how Sci-fi has tended to massively underestimate our advances in all things IT, and (necessarily) exaggerate propulsion and the desire to build things in space. The Back to the Future hoverboard is to me the floating inflection point of 'we just barely met sci-fi expectations'.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 14/03/2026

Reminds me of a favourite Star Trek shitpost:

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 13/03/2026

Craig, I'm beginning to wonder about your capacity to read and learn.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 12/03/2026

I never questioned your possibly factual statement. Even highlighting it for you, you still miss the category error. I just expressed a different opinion on the internet. Critical thinking is the exact opposite of your approach here. Perhaps come back to it another time.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 02/03/2026

Is that really the only way you could imagine getting power to the parking lot? You might want to investigate local incentive schemes for installing chargers in car parks. It's just wiring and a meter. It isn't communism to invest in infrastructure, people.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 27/02/2026

The first word you used is 'Somali'. There is nowhere to hide your racist intent. 'Ugly inside and out' insults her body and mind without rationale. And the very idea that you get to decide who is and is not fit to be in a country is fascist. Forget convincing me - how did you get to this point?

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 14/02/2026

I've got a couple of 3DSystems Cubes, one being brand new old stock, waiting for the same treatment. Will be interesting to see how they go with Klipper. I started this a while ago, don't hold your breath though!

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 05/02/2026

Currently setting up a filament extrusion line...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 01/02/2026

Your toolchanger is calling to me most! I just need to be careful because I have an awful lot of 'obsolete' printers and parts already...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 01/02/2026

I'm definitely interested, I need to temper with what is actually going to align with production needs. I started building a very similar 500x500x500mm coreXY machine from Creality S5 parts... I'm going back the drawing board as I need to enclose and actively heat the chamber.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 29/01/2026

Turns out running a 120C heated bed in a cold office is not sustainable for the duration of the print. Shame, it was looking pretty decent, with slow speeds and high cooling. Will revisit...

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 29/01/2026

Higher bed temps [110] 👍 Adding a brim 👍 Slowing down even more 🤷 Zero cooling 🫠

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 29/01/2026

So far, so predictably bad... We were printing fairly successfully, but poor bed adhesion limited the outcome. For now.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 29/01/2026

Trying a #YOLO #3dprinting experiment: Benchy in Ziro brand CLEANING filament. There is a valid business reason, but also, why not? Trying ABS settings with max volumetric speed 2mm^3/s to give it a shot at inter-layer adhesion. What do you think the outcome will be? Has anyone done this already?

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 26/01/2026

Love it when a plan comes together. Overnight #3dprinting success with a couple of Ryobi vacuum adapters, a wide one from Thingiverse [credit to follow] and one I designed to fit the 6mm slots in #openbuilds extrusions. Perfect fit first time, using an inner taper of 32 to 30mm diameter over 50mm.

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Alex Gibson - edumaker @alex.edumaker.net · 25/01/2026

Using basic science to work out I need to make 500ml of concrete to fill a pair of speaker stands I just finished #3dprinting

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