Melted Plastic & Broken Dreams - Part 2

If you missed out on Part 1, you can find it HERE.  Otherwise, welcome and read on!

So after a couple of tragic experiences with the first two failed printers, I now had in my hands a third printer.  This printer was extensively tested and calibrated prior to being sent to me and I took the time I needed to ask and clarify various things about the printer to make the most of the experience and hopefully avoid any more pitfalls.  Sadly, nothing in life worth having is necessarily easy.

Printing proved to be challenging with this third printer.  Most of my prints were failing and there still a fair bit of shifting with my prints on this much like the last one.  I also had to increase the temperature about 25-30 degrees higher than the last two in order to get comparable results. Then I saw another instance of compression on one of my prints.

WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON?!

With all the cursing I was uttering, I'm surprised that I didn't end up summoning some foul demon from the underworld but the good news at this point is that I already established a dialogue with a manager.

I contacted him and outlined all the issues with the new printer and got a prompt reply.  He suggested I stop using the printer immediately and had a theory that could correct the Z-Compression issues, other shifting, temperature, and even instances of the nozzle crashing into the bed.  Power, or rather, brief interruptions of power may be the cause.  One of the fundamental flaws with the printer is a lack of power; there is already barely enough to power everything.  Between the temperature settings, fan, motor, there doesn't seem to be a lot of overhead left from what the adaptor supplies the printer.  The theory is that, in some cases, if the power flow isn't constant enough for whatever reason, it can cause unpredictable results which include instructions not being correctly received by the printer or greater temperature fluctuations and fan issues.  It was an interesting theory and a high buffer power adaptor was sent to me to try out.

This actually resolved MOST of my issues.  The shifting on the X and Y axis had already been largely corrected by placing my external fed filament above the printer instead of on the printer's side.  Once again, the motor isn't a very strong one and is pretty much getting barely what it needs to if there is the slightest pull or resistance from the filament, it could well result in the print shifting towards where it is pulling from.

I still noticed random shifts that would occur for no reason though.  Imagine a the print head randomly moving beyond where it was printing from by at least an inch and attempt to continue printing over thin air.  It makes quite a mess.  The manager was also at a loss but, when I mentioned I was trying to print at 100 microns, he recommended that I don't try to print above 200 microns.

There is a problem with that statement.  Mainly, the printer is advertised as being able to print in the 50 - 350 micron range.  One reason I bought this printer was because I wanted to print at 100 microns.  It was, to me, an important requirement.  As it was put to me, the specs on the website are 'a bit overstated'.  The hardware is theoretically able to do it but the software isn't optimized for it yet (despite being available there).  I started printing at no more than 200 microns and I started to have plenty of success now and no more random shifting.  Suffice to say that the software is still in BETA and still needs work.

So, at this point, all of my issues seem to have been resolved with the exception of one: Temperature.

After confirming if there was something wrong with the PLA (there wasn't and the problems were consistently present regardless of brand I used).  From there , I thought maybe it was a temperature sensor issue but I was compensating by raising the temperature setting.  As it turns out it wasn't a sensor issue.  The temperature problems persisted and got worse.  I was prompted by support to remove the cover from the print head to examine the wiring and, sure enough, this was the cause of the problem.  Apparently, the heater works on a closed circuit and, during transport, it looks like one of the connections started to slip proving that sometimes, it's the simplest solution that works.  I pushed the wire back in and heat has been working as it should.

All this was over well over a month ago now.

I have had a few more hiccups but, everything was manageable and I have many successes and very few failures since.  There was one problem which I quickly was able to figure out involving my extruder motor which had stopped working properly.  Support was able to get me a replacement part and I swapped the bad one out with no issues.

All of this has been a great and rigorous learning experience.  It took the entire length of my warranty period and three printers to sort everything out.  At the same time, 3D printing remains wonderful and still fascinating.  Despite my problems and moments of doubts, I ultimately do not regret my relatively small investment.  At a price of $350, it's still a hell of a bargain though I wasn't quite expecting as big as an investment when it came to the time to get everything in proper working order.  Having said that, I'm certain there are probably some more headaches just around the corner with my printer but, I'm much more prepared to do what maintenance and upkeep to get things going again because of everything I've gone through.

So... my final thoughts on M3D (both company and the Micro 3D Printer):

The support I was able to get was solid and customer support has gotten better during the past few months. If it wasn't for the support I got, I would have tossed in the towel and arranged for a partial refund (80% of the cost of the printer).  It is the support and willingness to back their product that stands out and, in my case, this was demonstrated many times.

The printer design itself is flawed and there are a few things that can be done to improve upon it.  Now that many kinks have been sorted out, some of the components have been changed and upgraded on the design, so anyone getting an M3D Micro now is getting a slightly better printer.  The biggest change has been in the a recent software release for the machine.  While it is still in BETA, it is a significant improvement over the version I had been using myself.  I now routinely print higher than I had before with no issues and the print speed has also improved.  Things are actually looking up in the software department as well.  That said, the internal feed and bay will cause nothing but issues if one attempts to use it.  The heater unit for the printer also has to be calibrated before going out to the buyer and, as such, there is no way to get a replacement heater should problems occur.  Apparently this is something that might also be changing down the line though I don't know if this will be for the current incarnation of the printer or a hardware refresh down the line. If they do a refresh, hopefully they will do something about the power demands of the printer and consider a heated bed option as well.

With competition growing as more and more economical printer options present themselves, M3D and any small 3D printer company developing their own designs, will need to work hard to stay in the game.  For the consumer and the advance of the technology, things continue to look bright for 3D printing in general.

I am a fairly early adopter to this technology and, I was expecting an uphill battle (to an extent) as began my experiences with it.  Despite my issues, I will still (cautiously) recommend this particular printer but there are others on the market I would easily recommend as well.  Next to buying a kit or simply the components to build your own, a 3D printer currently will not be much less this Micro 3D's offering.  But buyer beware and be sure you understand what you are getting into.

M

Two Months...

It's been two months.  Well, two months and a few days.

That's a long time not to be writing and updating my readers over here.

But all this time away has not been for nothing.  Back in March, I wrote something about how I intended to get things moving again.  I've been putting a lot of effort in getting things going again from the ground up.  I've been streamlining my gaming collection and putting the extra money earned there to good use.  I've re-arranged my office space to be a lot more conducive to creativity and various projects.  I am currently editing a book (with most of it in layout) and, while it isn't gaming, it is hopefully a new direction that some people will enjoy reading.  Everything going well, I will some news about that particular release in later in July.

Otherwise, I have been keeping myself busy.  I'm been enjoying various creative endeavours thanks to a problematic 3D printer that seems to be finally working the way it should (I have Part 2 mostly written as a followup to my April post on my experiences thus far).

Perhaps more importantly, I am gaming and I am starting off a new campaign of my own.  Sadly, it isn't Castles & Crusades -- there seems to be a continued and overwhelming desire for a lot of 5E D&D so I decided to finally start and run a Call of Cthulhu campaign.  I don't know how long or short lived it will be but I really don't care.  I'm just eager to do it.

I'm also painting again.  One of the recent games I just joined was a friends Ravenloft game for 5E and I decided to paint up a miniature for the occasion.  I'm very pleased with it.

It's the little things but that creative fire is now burning and I'm just eager to share so much with those interested in reading and checking out what I have to offer.

Happy Gaming!

M

Melted Plastic & Broken Dreams - Part 1

I have had my mind set on getting a 3D Printer for several months now.  I have been constantly checking out various offerings available, kickstarters, and reading up on this relatively new and rapidly evolving technology.  As a hobbyist interested in miniatures, there was no end of what I could potentially do with one of these tools in my arsenal.  Of course, price was a bit of a barrier but things have been changing there too.

Knowing myself all to well, I figured that I would want a bigger, faster, better printer to suit my tastes and needs but since I was all too new at this, I figured that a much more economical and smaller option would serve me well as a 'starter printer'.  My choice and finances narrowed down the choice to two models and I opted to go with the M3D printer.

The best piece of advice I have seen (a video put out by the Printrbot people) was that, 3D printing is hard.  There is so much truth to this statement when you consider the multitude of variables that go into a successful print.  The technology is still a new thing after all and many refinements will be made as time goes on.  However, there comes a time when it seems like circumstances are stacked against you.  Given my experiences with the M3D, I have to say that I have either been extremely unlucky or, there are issues with this model that need to be rectified.  What follows are my experiences, impressions, and ultimately my review on the M3D, so get yourselves a nice beverage and settle in.

I ordered the M3D printer straight from their site and elected to go with the 'Standard Edition' for a mere $349 USD.  They also have a 'Retail Edition' for a $100 more but, make now mistake.  It's the exact same printer.  Any refinements made to the printer are available on all printers.  I believe one of the main changes was the print bed itself.  Honestly, he biggest different between the two packages is that the retail one comes with a roll of PLA filament and has a one year warranty compared to 90 days for the standard one. Shipping was quick and I had my unit within a few days ordering it from the US.

The printer itself is tiny and cube-shaped and will occupy a very small footprint on your desk near you computer.  There is a USB cable to connect the printer to the computer and an AC power adapter to supply the necessary power.  One of the interesting features of the design is an internal compartment located under the print bed for a roll of filament.  It is smaller than a typical roll so, unless you plan on buying their own filament, you'll likely have to feed it externally.  I bought one of their rolls to get me started.  The package itself was fairly bare-bones.  There was a couple pieces of paper included with the unit -- one instruction to remove clips before attempting to print anything and the other directing to an online address to get the software to start using the printer.

Here's the first problem that people will notice.  All the software available are BETA releases.  While it is nice that the software is being developed in-house and the software is being made to be user-friendly, there is no real clear indication on which version you should use as several are listed.  Ideally, stability is what you want but there is little to indicate what that might be.  Fortunately, installation is simple and each version will download the appropriate firmware update for your printer.  Everything went find and, tracking down the online manual, I followed the steps and began printing.

The whole process was painless and I was up and printing within 15-20 minutes.  My first print and the few that followed seemed to all work well enough.  After my fifth print (and not a single failure), I noticed the tendency of my raft to be almost impossible to remove my print.  It often broke up leaving bits on the bottom of my print and, some research led me to realize that my printer might need to be re-calibrated to alleviate this issue.

I should be clear here that, the manual got me up and running and didn't even mention calibrating the printer before my first print.  Kind of odd when you think about it but, if you don't know better, and they pretty much advertise that you can start printing right of of the box, you might not give it any thought at all.

So, looking up online because the manual was of no use, I was able to find a few tips on how to calibrate.  To make a long story short, I started to print a test border to see if everything was well, and instead of doing a border around the bed, it essentially 'carved' an inch square in one of the corners of my test bed.  That disaster led to another when I tried to calibrate the bed position.  The print head shook violently as it moved to the center, except that it kept going and moved to the front of the printer.  The nozzle came down, beyond the print bed, and plunged into the frame of the printer.

After this happened, I powered down the printer and submitted a ticket.  Tech support got to me pretty quickly and provided the instructions for an RMA.  I was using the internal filament feeder and was easily able to lift the print head (using the 'remove internal filament' option) to retrieve my roll of filament and waited for instructions.

A week and a half went by with no word so I chose to escalate to a manager.  Thankfully that got the ball rolling and a few apologies on top of that.  Instructions and shipping label in hand, my defective printer went back to the manufacturer and, they in turn, sent my my replacement.

All in all, the first printer lasted me less than 48 hours before hardware failure.

The second printer came to me not too long after that but the days since the original order happened were quickly going by.  Immediately, I was able to notice problems with the fan.  It was extremely and uncharacteristically loud but, at least it worked.  Gritting my teeth and knowing I would have to deal it with it, I set up my external spool holder (apparently there are problems with using the internal feeder) and began a series of test-prints after making sure I calibrated the bed location.  I was having a couple of problems compared to the prints I had gotten from the first printer and I noticed the weirdest of things on one of my prints (a trusty test-cube I had been using on and off for testing).  It was about a quarter of an inch shorter than the other test cubes I had printed.  The print was completed but it was like the height got compressed.  I was also experiencing a fair bit of shifting along the X and Y axis.  When I noticed these issues, I decided to calibrate the bed location again and, for whatever reason, it decided to plunge the nozzle into the print bed.  This was my second printer and the second time I have this issue and, also within a week of receiving it.

All I could think of at that point was that this printer was garbage.  Having already escalating an issue to a manager, I decide to start with that.  It didn't take long for a reply.  In short, I wanted my money back and wanted to know where I could ship this thing.  As one can expect, they weren't exactly eager with that and were quick to point out that I was past my 30 day money back guarantee.  By this point, between the original date I placed the original order, I've had a printer go back and forth from Maryland and Montreal twice with a 10 days delay in processing an RMA I had to escalate to get things going.  I was equally quick to point out that fact and, taking those 10 days into account, I fell WITHIN those 30 days.

The company was fairly reasonable at that point and presented me with two options: I could get a refund less a 20% restocking fee.  Or... I could get a third printer but, this printer would be 'extensively tested' before shipping it out to me.  I gave it some thought, and accepted the replacement but negotiated an extension of my warranty.  This ended up being an additional month (30 days) which basically covered the period that I lost with these two problem printers.

With all the testing, which mostly consisted of a few larger prints and a couple of smaller technical prints went well enough but it took the better part of a couple of weeks before I got the printer in my hands.  The manager who tested out the printer was very forthcoming with answers to the multitude of questions I had.  It took a bit longer to get this replacement but it would be all worth it in the end if the printer ended up working the way it should, right?

To Be Continued...

M

Arcana Creations: From the Embers

At the start of this year, I wrote about the relatively slow start of the year.  Realistically, the past few years have been slow as far as my writing, projects, and even gaming was concerned.  I've managed to keep things going thanks to the Under Siege blog here as well as generally keeping in touch with a few members of the online gaming community as I continue pledging my support for the various project that Troll Lord Games put out as well as a few other independent creations here and there.

Things are changing on my end -- some good where as others, not so much.

I miss the enthusiasm I used to have when I was able to do more.  But the enthusiasm I still have helps to keep me going and dreaming.

As the first quarter of 2016 is coming to a close, I'm looking at my many incomplete projects be it old or new.  Part of the challenges have always been time and money to get various things done and sometimes, you need to make some hard choices.  I'm making some now.

My goal is to really get those fires burning again.

There WILL be releases this year but they will not be as I had originally envisioned.  However, they will be done one way or the other.  Time and money will continue being issues and while there are ways around being cash-strapped for certain things, time will always slip through one's grasp.  Of course, I've also had commitments from people willing to help but this never seems to materialize.  A one-man operation is hard to sustain with everything else but it can be done, even if it means making some changes to overcome certain challenges that keep blocking the way.

There will be more updates to follow as things become more concrete in the weeks ahead but they will be secondary to the work I feel matters most.

Suffice to say, I'm tired of waiting.

M

Weekend R&R: Empire of Imagination

For many gamers, March 4th will mean different things for them.  Since 2002, March the 4th is recognized as international GM's day, and since 2008, it also marked the a anniversary of Gary Gygax's passing.  GaryCon has become an event since then to remember him and honor his memory by rolling some dice with some friends and gaming in his memory and honor. This year, I chose to read 'Empire of Imagination' by Michael Witwer to commemorate this anniversary.

Much of what I read I have known for years but seldom have I read the account told in such an engaging way.  The book chronicles the birth of Dungeons & Dragons and the events that shaped the life of Gary Gygax.  It is by no means a 'heavy' read but certainly enjoyable.

The book itself seems to focus more on the earlier aspects of his life as opposed to his later years but it isn't an in-depth study nor do I feel it was ever meant to be.  The author presents the information more in the framework of a narrative then a collection of hard facts but, there are plenty of notes to back up the majority of what the book presents.  Above all, it did make me think, get a bit nostalgic about my introduction to the game, and reflect on my own gaming right now.

Honestly, I don't think there are many better ways to celebrate this anniversary save from actually gaming!

Out of everything that I read, the one thing that surprised me was the extent of description of the older first edition backstock that TSR still had on hand when they began to publish 2nd Edition.  A comment in the book likened 2nd Edition to how 4th Edition was viewed by fans of the previous edition and that 2nd Edition sold only half as well as original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons did.  Apparently skids of 1st Edition rulebooks were sitting in the warehouse as 2nd Edition was being pushed.

When I first was introduced to the game, I came to it while my father was stationed in Germany.  I made friends and a couple of them described to me this game which sounded fantastic.  This was D&D but what we all then collectively called D&D was truly a blending of D&D (Mentzer BECMI sets), AD&D 1st Edition and AD&D 2nd Edition.  Accessibility to gaming material, and above all dice, was challenging at times.  Ultimately, as 2nd Edition material became more available, this is what we played and I ran.  At the time I got into the game, I couldn't buy any of the 1st Edition core rulebooks (being the Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, and any of the Monster Manuals) but the all the other hardbacks could readily be found along with many of the classic AD&D and D&D adventure modules.  I also remember getting my hands the free TSR product catalog and was floored by all the stuff that was available.

But the passage of time also grants the gift of perspective.  I understand and view things differently now than I once did.  Ultimately, Witwer's 'Empire of Imagination' served to remind me of a couple simple truths...

While I think that pen and paper RPGs are still going strong today, the golden years were back in the 80's when it games to these type of games with TSR and D&D on top.  And, if it weren't for Gygax, we might not have any of this.


M