I'm trying to print a small 1-walled part with fine details. If I just model and print it in PrusaSlicer, the travel moves cross through the middle of the part and leave strings. "Avoid crossing perimeters" does not help:

I'm playing with a really hacky solution, where I model the desired tool path in vase mode, and post-process the gcode to disable extrusion for straight walls at particular angles in the x-y plane. Here is the result:

This is effectively "vase mode with gaps" but my implementation is hideous. Does anyone know of a better way to prevent travel moves from crossing the part? Perhaps a different slicer or settings?

Edit: Here's a link to the STL: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6948297

In other news, if you try to upload a file named uncalibrated_example.stl to Thingiverse, it fails with no error message, because somewhere they have a pr0n filter searching for rated*x.

Some people might find this bundle_scad.py code useful. It combines an STL, SCAD, and all its dependencies into a single file.

I have one of these J3400 to J1772 adapters so I can connect my Hyundai to a Tesla destination charger. They'll probably get more popular as J3400 becomes the primary standard:

I'm curious what would actually happen if someone were to use such an adapter with a J3400 DC fast charger. I know it can't possibly work because the DC charging pins are connected to the vehicle's AC pins, but is there something in the J3400 standard to notice and reject such an adapter before DC voltage is applied?

I'm not sure if J1772 vs. CCS1 adapters contain anything that the signalling protocol could use to identify which is which. If the DC charger were required to passively measure the battery voltage before sending any power, that would probably avoid the "magic smoke" problem, but does the standard guarantee that this will happen?

I designed this wonky-looking funnel to fit my Squirrel Buster Legacy (and probably similar models), with hooks and posts that make it possible to refill the feeder without setting any parts on the ground.

This design of feeder needs to be located away from surfaces that a squirrel could stand on, so I assume a lot of people run into this problem. I don't really blame the company for making it so cumbersome to operate, because there's overlap between the smartest squirrels and the dumbest humans.

I think I found a counterexample to the common wisdom that more walls always create a stronger part.

The pictured S shape is 1.5mm thick, so printing with 2 walls leaves no room for infill. My testing wasn't very rigorous, but it seems that the hybrid structure of walls + rectilinear infill is 10-20% more rigid than walls alone. The infill adds strength by cris-crossing between adjacent layers.

I think it's fine to include a concentric top/bottom layer, but multiple identical layers weaken the part. I also tried 0 walls (infill only) and that was garbage.

https://xkcd.com/2888

Alt text:

Subway refuses to answer my questions about whether it's an International Footlong or a US Survey Footlong. A milligram of sandwich is at stake!

I've been relatively happy with this USB-C powered soap dispenser that I found on AliExpress for about $15. It doesn't have a brand name so it's best to recognize it by appearance:

The tank is 400 mL, and it's available in gel, spray, or foam. Gel makes the most sense because it works with generic hand soap.

I bought the first one around 10 months ago for my kitchen, and use it several times per week. Later got 2 more for my bathrooms. I'm impressed by the standby time, as the first charge lasted about 6 months, and it's yet to need a second charge. The motor sounds sluggish when it's about to die, but eventually it stops functioning and blinks the LEDs instead, so it seems to have working overdischarge protection.

It supports USB C-to-C charging at 5 volts. The biggest disadvantage is that there's no way to open it nondestructively for inspection or repair, so I don't know what kind of battery it uses. Recharging consumed 2641 mWh according to my USB-C power meter.

The first unit has developed a minor problem where it pumps a bit of air before soap comes out, so I had to compensate by raising the duration from 2 clicks to 3 clicks. The duration scale seems well-calibrated, as I've never needed to use 1 or 4.

There are several other USB-C soap dispensers available online, so leave a comment if you've tested one.