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The squares are modeled to be 12x12 mm. The top measures around 11.85, which makes it even worse. I think that I will stop here for today as this is not my first priority. Thank you for the input - this was enlightening.

This 0.2 mm with 0.4 mm nozzle - the same as the others.

In addition, I see the issue with bulging corners, which I usually eliminate with... fillets. Unless there is another setting, which helps with that.

Close-up of a black, square 3D-printed test block showing severe surface scarring, over-extrusion, and nozzle plowing around central circular cutouts.

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This is a good warning as I sometimes use brim and this could really mess it up on a decent printer.

So, I measured the squares on both sides and the result are at least... insufficient. I still can feel the elephant foot under my finger. 1 - 12.19 / .16 2 - 12.13 / .11 3 - 12.13 / .14 4 - 12.13 / .07 5 - 12.10 / .09 Perhaps I should not expect much from this cheap printer.

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I am not sure I want to get a PhD in elephant foot suppression. So, the test was set up with 5 different squares and 5 individually (per object) values from 0.1 to 0.5. In the slicer it is clearly visible that the first layer is smaller. Let's print them - not that pretty with this zoom.

Screenshot of a 3D slicer interface showing a sliced preview of multiple square test models with an X pattern on the top layers. The object list on the right displays five files named elephant_foot_test_1.stl through elephant_foot_test_5.stl. The fifth object's "Advanced" modifier is highlighted, displaying a custom object setting modification where "Elephant foot compensation" is set to 0.5 mm. The layer height slider in the 3D viewport is positioned at layer 6, corresponding to a height of 1.20 mm.

Photograph of five square, black 3D-printed test blocks adhered to a light-colored print bed, surrounded by a thin printed skirt line. The blocks feature varying numbers of central holes arranged in a linear pattern, ranging sequentially from one to five. The top surfaces display standard diagonal extrusion lines with some minor stringing and artifacts around the perimeters of the holes.

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OK, thanks for questioning this. I indeed found a setting in the slicer. Now, will need to figure out the right compensation value.

Because my setup (Prusa slicer and Ender 3) sucks? Usually, I deal with it using a tiny fillet but I am open to other options if there are any.

Now for the hard part: the enclosure. I had Claude generate some OpenSCAD embellishments but completely forgot to add elephant foot compensation to the prompt. Might need to turn that into a custom skill!

A wooden picture frame housing the modified digital clock board with glowing blue and red digits. An ESP32 breadboard setup is wired below it inside the frame. Black 3D-printed embellishments are attached to the wood, including a top-left corner bracket and a bottom center plaque reading "THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK". The original blue daughterboard rests unused off to the right.

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Successful brain transplant! 🧠 Didn't even need a multimeter since the 2x10 header was conveniently labeled (DR, CLK, STR, OE, GND, VCC). Tossed in a level shifter and it all plugged right in. The blue digits were dim at 5V, but a quick bump to 5.2V fixed that right up.

A black printed circuit board on a green cutting mat. The original blue daughterboard is detached. An ESP32 microcontroller on a white breadboard connects to the main board's header using a rainbow ribbon cable. Red LEDs are lit on both the ESP32 and the main board.

Originally a USATimer.com fitness timer. I lack the remote and have no intention of using one. Options? The STC IAP15W413S daughterboard is just an enhanced 8051—nothing special. The only feature giving me pause is an RTC battery backup on the underside. Alt Text

Close-up of a black GANXIN printed circuit board resting on a green cutting mat. A blue microcontroller daughterboard is mounted to the main board via a pin header. The surrounding board area shows surface-mount components, unpopulated solder pads, a barrel jack, and a piezoelectric buzzer.

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By the way, you can pick 24 hour Doomsday Clock mode or 12 hour mode. 😵‍💫

v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The idea behind the Doomsday Clock is that it shows the time until midnight. This shifts our perception from "how much time has passed" to "how much time is left." While that can be unsettling, the point is to help us appreciate the time we have.

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The Doomsday Clock countdown is closing in on zero. The wrinkled fabric of time makes its digits glitch more and more as it approaches doom... This was the easiest hack ever: an exercise timer brain transplant gave it new life.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

FB Marketplace storage open for sale. Anything interesting?

A cluttered room packed with floor-to-ceiling stacks of vintage desktop computer cases and tower PCs. The stacks feature mostly beige 1980s and 1990s AT and ATX cases with varying degrees of plastic yellowing, alongside several black 2000s chassis. In the foreground, several partially disassembled PC cases, loose drive bays, and front bezels sit scattered on the floor.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I admire the unconventional soldering of the connector. Did you run out of 90 deg ones?

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Reposted by v01d ma1n()

Colin Hoad @colinhoad.com · 02/10/2026

Hello How are you? II was wondering If I keep sending one line messages like this Will you lose the will to live Before I get to the point That prompted me to start messaging you On Teams

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

People were really mad in Poland! My screw driver, which I brought over the ocean in 1990s.

A flat-head screwdriver with a worn wooden handle stamped "(MAD IN POLAND)", resting on a green grid cutting mat under warm lighting.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This hardware is tempting. I have a lot of nostalgia for the Z80; coding in assembly felt like an altered state of mind. As if I need another project, an EPROM programmer, or an RS232-to-USB bridge. An ESP32 is literally 1,000 times faster. Boy, so what's it gonna be?

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How does it do on the stairs?

This ship sailed long time ago. This is 30 years old technology...

So it is done, it is done, it is done! Obviously, I swapped the data and SCLK lines, but hey, who doesn't make mistakes? The display is a bit dim, just like on the original controller, but that is a fight for another day.

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I am not there yet. So far I am trying to hack the display driver. No joy so far.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

So, you are an experienced Verifone explorer. This is my first 😁

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Pulled the top board. The VFD is driven by a dedicated Micrel 10937 IC. The hardware layout is highly convenient: the display, driver routes directly to a single straight 20-pin header on the right edge. Tracing the power and data lines from the Micrel chip to this 20-pin connector will be easy.

Top-down view of a green circuit board resting on a gridded cutting mat. At the top edge is a 16-character alphanumeric Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) glass tube. Immediately below the display is a 40-pin Micrel 10937PE-50 display driver IC. The center of the board is occupied by a 4x4 matrix keypad consisting of a metal plate with 16 circular contact domes. On the right side of the board is a straight 20-pin male header connector. Several capacitors and smaller discrete components are located on the left and bottom edges.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Cracked it open. It turns out this isn't just a terminal; it's a complete Z80 microcomputer. The board is populated with the full Zilog ecosystem: a Z80 CPU, a PIO for parallel I/O, a DART (Dual Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) for serial communications, and a CTC for timing. RTC still keeps time

Top-down view of a green printed circuit board inside a black casing, resting on a green gridded mat. The center of the board features three large Zilog DIP ICs: a Z0847006PSC (Z80 DART), a Z0842004PSC (Z80 PIO), and a Z84C0006PEC (Z80 CPU). A fourth Zilog chip, a Z0843004PSC (Z80 CTC), sits in the lower-left corner. Other visible components include a socketed EPROM with a white sticker reading "11233-163", an M5M5256DP-70LL SRAM chip, a TDK 73K212AL-IP modem IC, a Panasonic BR2330 coin cell battery, and several I/O jacks and power regulation components at the top edge.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

You will be mine, precious! This '90s Verifone credit card terminal is practically a brick now. I scored it for free on FB Marketplace. Free can't be bad, right? What secrets are you hiding?

A top-down view of a dark gray VeriFone TRANZ 330 point-of-sale terminal resting on a green gridded cutting mat. The display shows "MON 9/28 10_27P" in bright teal alphanumeric characters. The device features a 16-key matrix keypad with light gray keys, secondary terminal function labels printed above them (e.g., SALE, CREDIT, SETTLE), and a teal FUNC/ENTER key. A magnetic stripe reader labeled "STRIPE" is integrated into the right side of the casing, and a power cable connects at the top-left corner. Identifying text reading "CDE 8-1760-12" and "500034-6" is printed at the bottom of the keypad faceplate.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

This is sawing, not soldering 😁

Ken Shirriff @righto.com · 26/09/2026

Reposted by v01d ma1n()

How do computers calculate complicated trig functions such as tangent? I took a look at Intel's 8087 floating-point chip under the microscope to find out. The chip combines two techniques to evaluate the tan function quickly and accurately: polynomials and an algorithm called CORDIC...

A die photo of the 8087 chip under a microscope shows complex patterns from its transistors and wiring. The middle of the chip holds the microcode ROM, while the bottom half of the chip is the datapath that performs calculations. Zooming in on the datapath shows various functional blocks, which appear as rectangles with different textures. Important functional blocks are labeled: exponent ROM, constant ROM, shifter, adder, registers, and so forth.

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

So, this fully justifies making your own part! I would do exactly the same.

v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

How far was the Home Depot?😉

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v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

My Radio Shack multimeter has the auto shut off 🫡. Knowing myself, I did not pay more than $30. However, this does not prevent me from salivating at Fluke photos.

v01d ma1n() @v01dma1n.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Yeah, I already have one gathering dust. From time to time, I turn it on to warm my heart. 🙄