Monday, March 18, 2013

This is the voice of Colossus!

All hail the voice of world control! Well, 3D printing at the Fab Shop at any rate.

My new Makergear M2, Colossus

After a quick unpack, and a scavenge through a snowstorm of packing peanuts, he's up and running. Kudos to the folks at MakerGear, this bad boy is solid as a rock, and required only a very slight tweak of the bed to level it out. 60 minutes after the box was open, I had my first test print:


Glider test print, printed from the included SD card

My only complaint about the M2 is the lack of a power switch. The unit is powered by two separate supplies, one for the board and the other for the steppers. I understand that this complicates creation of a single switch, but the lack of one is a bit unpolished. A power strip substitutes nicely, if it is a bit bulky.

I'm keeping track of what I'm doing for the purpose of creating a startup guide for those new to 3D printing as I am. Already there are a dozen tips I've had to learn the hard way, and a coherent guide to getting started right is sorely needed. The information is out there, but it's scattered and somewhat obtuse. Check back often, as I'll be posting the guide here. I'll also be covering the projects in the works that utilize Colossus.

I haven't abandoned the pep helmet project, and as the weather warms I'll be working on that too. Colossus will come in handy to print some of the geegaws that the helmets will need.

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