[US-NJ][WTB] 1U (or larger) rack mounted appliance to use as a firewall for OPNSense. Fanless + low power ideal

[Koop]

If you have access to a 3d printer

This is seriously becoming more and more of a requirement / good idea for me. I really need to look into getting my own printer but I want to get one that is as easy to use and hands off as possible lol. Going to do deep dive research on this because there's too many good ideas I could execute on with my own printer.

 

[nexox]

Going to do deep dive research on this because there's too many good ideas I could execute on with my own printer.

Buying a printer and printing stuff is easy, but if you don't already have some experience in CAD then making your own custom parts will involve learning quite a few new things.

In any case, don't get too tempted by larger/more complicated printers at first, start with a Mini size (roughly 180mm cube print volume) from a reliable brand, trust me you can do quite a lot with something that size.

 

[Koop]

Buying a printer and printing stuff is easy, but if you don't already have some experience in CAD then making your own custom parts will involve learning quite a few new things.

In any case, don't get too tempted by larger/more complicated printers at first, start with a Mini size (roughly 180mm cube print volume) from a reliable brand, trust me you can do quite a lot with something that size.

Appreciate the advice. I only speak to models I see readily available online ready to print where right when I see it I wish I could print it right then and there lol

That would be the start. Then eventually maybe seeing how I am modify such models.

One step at a time as always!

 

[nexox]

There are plenty of services that will print a model and ship it to you, and the price of a printer and some filament will pay for lots of those parts, main downside is turnaround time, but if you aren't trying to iterate on designs that's less of an issue.

I have also heard that there are some public libraries with printers available but I don't know how that works.

 

[Koop]

There are plenty of services that will print a model and ship it to you, and the price of a printer and some filament will pay for lots of those parts, main downside is turnaround time, but if you aren't trying to iterate on designs that's less of an issue.

I have also heard that there are some public libraries with printers available but I don't know how that works.

Yeah I had gone down this route initially but for the number of things I wanted to print it started to become somewhat costly. To the point where it feels like a better investment to just do it myself, as Thanos would say.

Plus it's just a great excuse to get into something I've been interested in for a long time but didn't have enough of a "need" for... I totally NEED it now! Easy!

 

[nexox]

Just try not to let the 3D printing become another out of control hobby if you just want parts for other hobbies, spend a little extra for a printer that works well out of the box and then resist the urge to buy 75 spools of filament.

 

[Koop]

Just try not to let the 3D printing become another out of control hobby

My midlife crisis isn't a car that's for sure.

 

[nabsltd]

To the point where it feels like a better investment to just do it myself, as Thanos would say.

And we all know how that worked out, right?

Seriously, spending up to $500 on a good 3D printer (Bambu, Creality, Prusa, etc.) will end up saving you a lot of money in the long run if you plan on printing even a few items. Where I used to work, we had an HP Sprout (3D scanner plus the ability to wrap a digital model around a physical object) plus a lot of 3D printers. But, you often don't need to design your own object. There are thousands (millions?) of designs available for free download.

 

[nexox]

There are thousands (millions?) of designs available for free download.

Yet I can barely ever find an existing model for my projects, in the rare case someone has made something close, it often needs enough adjustment that it's easier to re-design from scratch.

 

[slidermike]

@Koop did you get an adapter and how is it working for you?

 

[Koop]

And we all know how that worked out, right?

Haha I turned off the movie after he snapped his fingers. That was the end right!? But yeah plan to do more research into it.

@Koop did you get an adapter and how is it working for you?

I got one 2 drive adapter via Amazon and it works fine. I still have a few from aliexpress I plan to try out for different slot sizes. First impression is definitely add more cooling.