Tag: MakerBot

Love the smell of burning wood in the morning…

I just added a Relay Board Mounting Kit to my Cupcake.  It’s been a few months since I’ve assembled something from a laser cut kit, so having that now-familiar smell of burnt wood, ash, and singed adhesive…  Ah!  That takes me back to when I first assembled my Cupcake!

Anyhow, up until this morning1 my Relay Board was hanging off the side of my Cupcake by the very wires it was connected to.  In order to prevent it from shorting anything I had wrapped it in the anti-static plastic my circuit boards came in and then used electrical tape to seal it all up.  Not the best way to do things and certainly enough to prove the world at large that I’m NOT an electrical engineer…2

  1. It’s very very early or very very late, depending upon your perspective [↩]
  2. Like I had trouble convincing people before… [↩]

MakerBot Cupcake Ultimate Sale!

If you’ve been waffling on whether to buy a 3D printer, NOW is the time to pull the trigger.

I purchased my Cupcake CNC Deluxe kit for about $1000, shipped.  Over the following year I spent about another $500 or so on other color of plastic, replacement parts, and upgrades.  You, my friend, are in a much more enviable position.  For the next five days MakerBot is selling their Cupcake Ultimate kits for $697.  This is all the tools you’ll need (Well, you’d still need some basic things – soldering iron, etc) , all the parts you’ll need, all the upgrades (the automated build platform, the MK5 kickass plastruder, and the relay kit) you’ll need, plus five pounds of plastic to start making ANYTHING you can imagine.  Since getting my MK5 plastruder, my Cupcake hasn’t had a single problem that required any replacement parts at all.  This kit has been battle tested by literally thousands of people and is totally rock solid.

I’m telling you, my past self is SO jealous of your opportunity!!!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving my brand new Thing-O-Matic, but this is an insane deal.

Okay, I know someone is going to point out that I blog for MakerBot.  That’s totally true, I do.  No one asked or suggested I say any of this, I’m not getting any kickbacks, kudos, knickknacks or kangaroos.  I’m just a big believer in their products and service.

If you’re in the market for a 3D printer kit and can’t get a Thing-O-Matic, these next few days are exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

It’s alive!

I’ve got my Thing-O-Matic operational.  There were some initial hiccups, but it seems to be working.  However, I definitely need to calibrate Skeinforge and the “end.txt” cool down settings for this machine.  More on those details over at the MakerBot blog.  My initial print, a mini mug1 , turned out reasonably well – but is a little too sparse for actual toasting.

  1. Natch [↩]

Happy Birthday to me!

On December 15, 2009 I purchased this domain name and started blogging about my MakerBot, “Bender.” 1

It has been a fun, wild year of blogging.  I started off pelting everyone on the MakerBot Operators’ group with questions, then started posting here a bit, then started posting here A LOT.

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t have any tech background at all.  I just try to make up for that with enthusiasm and a willingness to (let’s say, aptitude for) making a fool of myself.  I was gushing about 3D printing the other day and one of my co-workers asked why I don’t work in some some kind of tech field.  My response was that my real dream job would be to get paid to make and do cool, awesome, and clever things all the time.  2

I’ve had a really great time blogging here for the last year and over at MakerBot for the last three and a half months. 3  I get to write about all the stupid things I’ve done (and warn people how not to ) and the all awesome and cool things other people are doing.  The comments have been especially awesome – with people offering insight, advice, and <cringe> corrections. 4

So!  Thank you for your advice and suggestions and encouragement!  With a little luck, we’ll see another post like this next year!

  1. You may notice a few posts from just before that date.  That happened because I had originally purchased a different domain name and blogged there before settling on MakerBlock.com. [↩]
  2. Mind, doing clever things is my dream job.  In reality, I’d try to do clever things and end up doing silly entertaining things. [↩]
  3. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too! [↩]
  4. It’s basically been my dream job.  :) [↩]

Missing Isaac

I took a few photos at the Mini-MakerFaire on Sunday, most of which will be posted over at the MakerBot blog.  I was looking forward to seeing an Egg-bot, other MakerBot operators (Ace Monster Toys), and an Isaac.  Unfortunately, the table labeled “Isaac” only had a kid doing his homework. 1

The Egg-bot was cool2 , it was great to meet other MakerBot operators, but I was really looking forward to seeing an Isaac.

  1. I asked him where the Isaac was.   He said, “I don’t know.  I’m just sitting here doing my homework.” [↩]
  2. They had quite a display [↩]

It will be mine. Oh yes, it WILL be mine…

Want
Want

MakerBot just announced their brand spanking new 3D printer – the Thing-O-Matic!  As far as I can tell, the highlights are as follows:

  • Automated Build Platform – version 2.0???  Guys, I just built my version 1.0 a few DAYS ago!  Did you design a time machine to let you import new developments from the future?
  • MK5 Plastruder – I’ve got a MK5 and I’m very very happy with it.
  • Internal electronics like Charles Pax’ Muffin CNC.  The wires sticking out all over on my ‘bot make it look extra DIY.  Having all the electronics and wires inside certainly make the Thing-O-Matic appear more like a real honest-to-goodness appliance.
  • Generation 4 electronics.  I don’t know what in all this means – except that I can plug a standard USB cable into it rather than the funky cable I currently have and it will allow for some kind of automated printing.  The Cupcake requires a fair amount of attention when you’re setting it to build something – getting the print head to the exact right height is something you just get used to.  For all I know, there are other improvements with the Gen 4 boards – but I’m waiting to hear just like you guys.  :)
  • Higher resolution.  I can’t wait for more details!!!  From the announcement post, it appears that Z axis will move much faster – fast enough that the blobs that can occur between layers could be a thing of the past.  These have never been a huge problem and I’ve gotten used to a little post-production finishing on my parts – but it would be great to not have to do nearly as much.

I’m wondering how the Thing-o-matic homes in on the correct start position?  Does it do this with opto-endstops?

What do you want to know about the Thing-o-matic?

Unbelievable deal on Cupcake CNC’s

Apparently MakerBot is getting ready to launch a new 3D printer and is putting their Cupcake CNC’s on sale.  I’ve had an absolute blast with my MakerBot over the last nine months.  I bought the Deluxe Kit for $950.  With shipping and taxes it came to just over $1,000.  I haven’t confirmed it with MakerBot, but it looks like their new Cupcake Starter kit is the same thing as their Deluxe kit except it doesn’t have the extra 5 pounds of plastic.  Sure, this kit doesn’t have the MK5 plastruder, heated build platform, or automated build platform – which means it’s basically identical to Cupcake kits sold a year ago.  Oh, and the Starter kit is only $650.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a 3D printer anyhow, this is your chance.  I don’t know what the new printer is, but $650 is a crazy deal for a kit with everything you need.1

  1. Yes, I now write for the MakerBot blog, but all I really do is post what I would have written here anyhow over on their blog.  I don’t get kickbacks or anything for saying how awesome I think this deal is. [↩]
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