MicroQR scanner phone apps (#R23)

I’m not reeeeally into app recommendations, but that one bothered me for a long time…so here it goes:

For all your barcode needs on a mobile phone: Use the Cognex scanner! Available here for Androids and there for low hanging fruit.

Why the recommendation? Because, for reasons unknown to me, no standard camera app on both systems, nor any other barcode app that I could find for Android does support MicroQR codes. Basically everybody does Code 128 and 39, some do weirder stuff like interleaved 2-of-5, and 2D apps often support things like standard QR, Datamatrix or Aztec. […]

15th September 2024 15th September 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment

For Dell Laptop DC Power Charge Converter Adapter Cable Cord 7.4*5.0 to 4.5*3.0 mm Female (WHL #102)

Here’s something not to burn your house down with: DC power supply adapters.

My lighbox currently draws power from the 3D printer power supply, which does work, but has its limitations. Sure, I do have to move down the gantry to take photos in the first place, so the printer will be on anyways, but I am not able to run it during prints (time lapse?) due to power constraints. The build plate heater is 400W and only gets pulsed on-off (so no linear “oh 200W will do at the moment” regulation), and the power supply is a 500W unit from MeanWell. […]

8th September 2024 8th September 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment

Dreame W10 mop pad drill adapter (#P44)

Super quick and silly STL file for today: Don’t you hate it when your round mopping pads for the Dreame W10 (/Pro) cleaning robot are still dripping wet after the robot “dries” them by spinning them around for a bit? Don’t you think the automatic air dry function where it blows warm air over it, wasting 50 Watts of power for literal hours, is the most infuriating quirk of the entire system?
Don’t you worry any longer! Spin it yourself! Dry it with the power of the over-9000-RPMs! :D

In all seriousness, the warm air dry function is a joke and not being able to deactivate it completely is the single most annoying thing of their stupid software. […]

25th August 2024 25th August 2024 By Bzzz In 1 Comment

The Ender 5 PlusPlus on linear rails (#E21F6)

In the recent weeks, I printed quite a few parts for work. Some large ones (post incoming) several times, with the opportunity to optimize slicer settings, some others in very large sizes, with the opportunity to tweak the printer to the max settings, even beyond the actual printer bed (390mm along Y!), and some small ones in search for the perfect settings for clear PETG. My fluidd klipper interface apparently only keeps a history of 50 jobs, and that list doesn’t even cover five days.

So after all the software tweaking, I figured it’s time for another hardware printer modification: (Dual) linear rails for the Y axis. […]

18th August 2024 19th August 2024 By Bzzz In 1 Comment

Fluke spare parts availability (and cost) (#R22)

Is it a rant, or is it an editorial note? Well, it’s probably a rant.

Spare parts. Fluke spare parts, to be precise.

Earlier this year, I sniped a Fluke 187 off eBay. 150€ delivered, really minor blemishes, probes included, fully functional except for the tilting bail. A fully functional unit is about double that, so I consider this a bargain. The stand is shown in the photo right besides this post, someone simply broke the two clips that make it hold onto the main unit. Mechanically super simple stuff.

Fixing the tilt is of interest to me, as using it sitting flat on the table only is sometimes annoying. […]

28th July 2024 29th July 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment

1pcs 15mm*10m Adhesive Basic Decoration Masking Tape Stickers Rainbow Color Washi Tapes Set for Gift Album Diary (WHL #101)

“Tool” time today – almost an editorial note, but then the Chinese had a laugh at what I ordered.

With the (basically) fully-working Ender5++ light box, it’s easy to take photos of small to medium sized items 24/7 with consistent quality. One thing that still bothered me, though, was the auto white balance feature of GIMP. Generally works well for colorful items, but can be totally off for objects that only have colors along the white-gray-black axis with no major amount of RGB. Stuff like the white doorbell (WHL #98), the black test print cap in (#E20F3), or the shiny silvery-metal USB drive in (WHL #45) are good examples. […]

14th July 2024 7th July 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment

Aircraft museum Laatzen and Wunstorf (#E22)

Traveling!
Among many other things, I visited two aircraft museums in the Hannover area, Luftfahrtmuseum Laatzen (south of Hannover), as well as JU52-Halle Wunstorf (north-west). Technically I also passed by a museum dedicated to helicopters, the Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg, but I effing took too long visiting our colleagues nearby (so…technically also a business trip!), which made me arrive 20 minutes before they closed and they wouldn’t let me in (some do that, even at a reduced rate – probably wanted to go home early). […]

7th July 2024 7th July 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment

TOMLOV DM9 Max 10.1″ HD IPS HDMI Digital Microscope 1500X 20MP Coin Microscopio Magnifier Soldering Microscopes For Repairing (WHL #100)

Aah. Looks like #100 is finally here.

So why not spend a hundred bucks and buy something nice? Something that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now, but with the professional options up in the thousands of Euros, and the cheapo versions (for a tenner, or two) making my skin crawl?

Well, here’s my new digital microscope, a Tomlov brand DM9 Max. Apparently pretty new, only released in the last month or so. Couldn’t even find it on Amazon, eBay or (whoa) a regular shop in Germany, so I ordered directly from Tomlov via AliExpress. […]

16th June 2024 16th June 2024 By Bzzz In 1 Comment

Dishonest, scammy AliExpress games – and a towel from drippy dick (#R21)

AliExpress occasionally does have some great promotions, and they’re usually linked to their games in the subpar phone app. Often times, some base promotion is available to everyone, and additional discounts can be gained by game progress. I’m not sure why that is, since advertisement inside the games is limited, shopping is clunky and very limited, and one is generally better off picking items outside of the games. Nowadays I’m just assuming it’s a time waster for western people paid for by the Chinese state, that seems to be the most reasonable explanation of the whole shebang. […]

26th May 2024 27th May 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment

Refrigerator Odor Eliminator Air Purifier Deodorizer USB O3 Ozone Air Purifier Food Preservation Deodorizing Fridge Freshener (WHL #99)

Ozone generators – the heroes of fart neutralization :D
(or something along those lines…)

I recently got a portable ozone generator that is powered from a single 18650 lithium cell, at a whopping 6.39€ from AliExpress. I already own two of the units BigClive once described as “Twinkies“, due to the fact he recommended this style of unit because of its circuitry. Unfortunately I ordered the wrong ones with 4x AA battery supply instead of a 18650 cell – it wasn’t clear in the description and I couldn’t be bothered as the units were 4.82€ back in late 2021. […]

12th May 2024 12th May 2024 By Bzzz In No Comment