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Fan Repair (Again)

Remember when I made a shelf for my fan? What I forgot to mention is that I repaired that fan back in June of 2020. I should note that I’ve had this fan for at least 20 years and honestly I’m sort of surprised it’s still going. The repair in 2020 involved replacing the oscillating motor which I was able to determine was a “OEM TYJ50-8A19 Universal Microwave Turntable Motor 4 / 4.8 RPM”. I found one on eBay for less than $10 USD and replacing it was pretty straightforward.

And it worked great! For a while… and then the fan stopped oscillating properly again, and I just sort of let it sit like that for a long time. I prefer fans that oscillate but if they don’t I can live with it…

Well, I got sick of living with it so I popped it open again and discovered the gear was missing a tooth. I used the OpenSCAD Gear Library with Customizer to create a new gear that matched the old one and put it in place and it is oscillating again. Huzzah!

I figured if the gear wears out again I can just print a new one. I used PLA but if needed I could do ASA or ABS or whatever else I have on hand. Also, it occasionally “clicks” when oscillating so the repairs might not be completely done, so this is probably not the end of the stupid fan story. Sorry!

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Properly Sorting Bambu Lab SD Card Files

For some production printers I want to be able to walk up to the printer and use the control pad to start a print. The P1S doesn’t have the most beautiful easy to use control, but it does work.

I’ve basically got about ten different parts that we regularly print, with variations. For instance, you can print one of each part, or run a print that is 8 hours long, or 4 hours, or 2, etc. This allows us to run jobs that match up with the work day easily so we can start a longer job before we leave at 5pm. (There are some 8+ hour jobs that can run overnight as well.)

The issue is, the sorting order of the files on the SD cards shown on the display is by date modified, which works in some cases, but I’ve got files named like so: A001, A002, A005… B001, B002, B004, etc. So here’s what I did.

I have a folder with all the GCODE files in it, which I will copy to the SD card once they’re ready. I sort them in the Finder in reverse alphabetical order, then select them all and drop them into a terminal where I’ve typed the word touch

The touch command sets the last modified time to right now, and with the list of files in reverse order for the command it means the A files will be “newer” than the B files, which will be newer than the C files, etc.

So once we run the touch command all the dates will change, and you can sort the files by last modified and it will also sort them alphabetically due to the file dates.

So that’s what works for me. It allows me to walk up to the printer and easily scroll through the list in alphabetical order. Now, if I change one file and add a new version it will screw this up, so you have to repeat the process. As I mentioned though, these are production files, so once they are good to run they probably won’t change. If they do, I just do the fix again.

And yes, I know you can manage all prints from a computer, a mobile device, and even some control pads, but at some point I will hand off the printing to someone else, and having really clear instructions about what buttons to press and what files to choose should make things very simple.

Note! If you do this on macOS don’t forget to run dot_clean to remove all the dot underscore files.

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Komelon Tape Measure Sketch

It’s a tape measure… it’s not too exciting. I remember hanging out at Milwaukee Makerspace in 2017 doing something with Maks and he had complained that the tape measures there were all imperial. I got on the mobile and found this Komelon tape measure that had Metric and Imperial measurements and I ordered four of them as they were less than $5 USD each! I think I kept two and gave one to Maks and maybe one to Marcus. (Maks and Marcus both grew up outside the US and were fans of the Metric System.)

The Komelon quickly became my favorite tape measure. I still have both of mine in my shop and use them all the time. We do have a bunch of other tape measures around the house but I’ve had a favorite. We’ve also got Komelons at work, which is nice. It’s also worth noting that Komelon US is located in Waukesha, not far from where I am in Milwaukee.

I really enjoy doing these sketches! I do them with an Apple Pencil on an iPad using Procreate. If you ever want a framed print of any of my sketches get in touch with me and we’ll work something out… Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!

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Fisher-Price Tape Recorder Sketch

I didn’t have one of these Fisher-Price Tape Recorders (Cassette Player) but they seem familiar and since the came out in the 1980s I’m reasonably sure I’ve come across one over the years. See more about it, including packaging, at This Old Toy.

I had a tape recorder as a kid, and it was a ton of fun. I’d record things, play them back, and do that over and over again. Eventually I learned how to connect two tape recorders together and “edit” audio into something new. I remember I cut up one of Reagan’s speeches and made him say things he never said. (Reminder: Ronald Reagan was the devil.)

I’ve been bothered by the order of the forward and rewind buttons on this thing. It seems like they should be swapped. Maybe it doesn’t bother anyone else? I don’t know…

I’ve been using Procreate for about two months now, and I’ve learned a lot about it, but there is still plenty to learn. I think I’ve come up with a technique that works for me, but it’s still evolving, which is exciting. The “exciting” part is great, because that’s when you get into something, and stick with it. I am almost positive that within a year or two I’ll just stop making these sketches, because that seems to be how it goes with me. Which is fine, and I’ve wrote before about being a serial enthusiast and I’ve come to accept it. But for now, I’m enjoying myself.

How do I do these sketches? I use an Apple Pencil on an iPad with Procreate. If you need a sketch or illustration or a print or something, let me know! Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!

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Skull Sketch

Skull

Here’s a skull, and yeah, I’m a huge fan of skulls… I mean, we’ve all got one. (Sorry for those of you who have been beheaded, as you may not have a skull anymore… but then, you’re probably not reading this.

Skull

Here’s a fun fact about this skull, I drew it based on a photo I took, and I took the photo of the skull that I 3D printed. So I got a digital file of a skull, then 3D printed it in two parts, glued it together, coated it, painted it, “weathered” it, and photographed it. And then years later used the photo for this sketch! Sometimes I really do take the long way around.

Skull

But when you’ve been making art (in various forms) for years, or even decades, you might find that things come back around. Themes, ideas, objects, methods, and all of that. It’s all about looking at something with a new perspective. I didn’t imagine five years ago when I printed the skull I’d even use it for a digital sketch.

Skull

And I hate to break it to you, that’s not all… You may see this skull pop up in another form, slightly different. Different medium, slightly different style, but somehow related. Maybe that’s what art is… a long string that connects disparate (or similar) things over time.

Skull

Hey! You probably already know that I do these sketches with an Apple Pencil on an iPad using Procreate. If you need a sketch or illustration or a print or something, let me know! Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!

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