Can't believe I haven't seen "3D Printer" on here yet!

A serial hobbyist, with a lot of my interests waning in weeks to months after getting into them. But 3D Printing? I've been loving it for 10 years and there's no signs of that slowing down.

Sure there's goofy stuff you can make with it, but 95% of what I print are functional items. So often I need something for around the house and I can just print for cheaper and faster than ordering one online. Examples:

• vaccum hose adapter
• desk grommet
• custom clamp for a bike light
• small L-brackets for cupboard shelves

There's thousands of things out there you can just download and print, or you can get into designing your own. It's very rewarding to design a physical object and then upload it for others to use too!

Here's some examples of some things I've designed or remixed from other designs: https://www.printables.com/@Foreverwinter_223629

The two printers I recommend are the Prusa Mk4 (~$1,000USD) or the Creality Ender-3 V2 ($225USD). The Ender print quality is very good, it just doesn't come with several of the very nice features the Prusa has - if you can afford it get the Prusa! You won't regret it.

Canada Eh! 🍁

Mass Effect is one of my favourite game franchises of all time (the trilogy - I never really got into Andromeda) and can definitely be played on a casual basis.

Awesome. Thanks for the tip @alex@geddit.social !

"I've been using vim for 15 years!... Because I can't figure out how to close it."

Yes

😂 Legendary status updates!

Sounds like you should just keep eating whatever you've been eating, as it seems to be pretty effective at preventing pooping!

Not sure why you're getting downvoted (or at least mixed votes) for this. I appreciate you bringing diversity of thought to the argument and doing it in a constructive way. This is how we get the best possible outcome: by hearing, and actually contemplating, viewpoints different than our own.

Cheers.

Each device has its own protocol/payload, but there is a utility called rtl_433 that can decode about 200 of them.

If you're keen on tinkering a bit I would highly recommend going this route as it's a lot of fun and opens the doors to do all kinds of stuff.

Start by getting an SDR. I don't recommend the super tiny ones since they can get really hot (since it'll be running 24/7). I have this one and recommend it as it comes with an antenna etc. Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 Bundle

While you're waiting for that to arrive set up an MQTT broker if you haven't got one running already (the Mosquitto add-on in HA) and install the rtl_433 add-on as well.

From there read the rtl_433 docs to set up a config file to scan for what you want. Out of interest I set mine to rotate through a bunch of common frequencies and let it go for 24h to see what it could pick up. It was quite interesting! Another good way to do this is any wireless device will have an FCC number on it. You can look that up on their website and it'll tell you what frequency it's using and you can have your SDR scan that. If you don't specify any protocols the rtl_433 utility will try everything it knows how to decrypt. This can be CPU intensive especially on a Pi so once you know what protocol it is you can specify it in the config file to reduce CPU load.

Hopefully that's enough to set you down the right path. Happy scanning!

That's awesome. But the part that your dad was an RF engineer but never took the time to teach you makes me sad. My dad is an elec tech and some of my fondest memories are of him teaching me electronics.

I guess the take away is if you have kids make sure to take the opportunity to teach them things you're passionate about! (As long as they show interest of course)

Right?!

I second using an SDR with 433MHz devices. Incredibly reliable and low power.

Been using a nooelec SDR and one of these sensors:

Geevon TX10 Wireless Remote Outdoor Sensor

What do you do with the fountain pens? Write/journal? Or do you more enjoy inking them etc?

You. I like you.

Honestly amazing setup. It's more robust than some industrial applications I've seen.

Thanks for such a great write-up. I'll definitely be referring back to it as I upgrade my homelab.

Cheers!

I love my rowing machine. I've tried treadmills and stationary bikes and they've felt like an intolerable grind. But hop on my rowing machine and I don't want to stop. Don't know what it is but it just works for me.

Nice! I upgraded from an A8 (knock off) as well. Quality bump going to a Mk3 was astounding.

Well said about it being able to do things you just couldn't otherwise. I think that's a better argument for why 3D printing is so great.

neofetch

Yup! In addition to temperature/humidity sensors, I'm also pulling in my gas meter and my home security sensors(I was using a big-name security company, but when my contract was up I kept the sensors installed and tapped into them with my SDR)

People have made the same recommendations here already but I'll throw my opinion in: the two I always recommend are the Ender (V2 or S1) and the Prusa (Mk4 or the Mini)

If you're unsure about how much you'll use it or if you're on a budget get the Ender.

But if you're confident this is something you'll use a lot and you can afford it get the Prusa.

The Prusa has just too many nice features to ignore, their support is amazing, and their upgrade path makes it something you can (likely) keep upgrading as new features come out.

For example I have a Mk3 and I have the upgrade kit to make it a Mk3s+. And now that the Mk4 is out there's upgrade kits to make it a 3.5, 3.9, or a 4. They're really great about trying to keep your printer as feature rich as possible without having to buy a whole new one.

I've had good luck with this Zigbee one. It's on the larger side, but takes AAA batteries which is nice. THIRDREALITY Zigbee Door/Window Sensor

Alternatively, if you're keen to tinker a bit you can get an SDR and then use 433MHz sensors. (Requires using RTL_433 and MQTT).

I was able to use the existing sensors from my traditional security system this way. Nice thing is that it's the most reliable wireless components on my system and the battery lasts forever.

I would suggest a nooelec SDR like this one: Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 Bundle

And something like this for sensors: Door Magnetic Contact Sensor