Experiments in resin 3D printing... (no pics)

I finally got around to using that resin 3D printer I got last year. It was relatively easy to get up and running: level the print platform to the bottom of the vat, pour in some resin, then start the print.

The resin I had listed a best by date of April or May. I decided to try it out anyways, at least to break in this printer.

Tried my first print (some Sega Saturn power and reset buttons). It took about an hour and a half to print at the settings I had. When it was done, there was nothing on the build plate. I guess I didn't have the first few layers set properly. The print ended up being stuck on the bottom of the vat. With gloves on, I dug it out of the vat and tried again.

I changed some settings, letting the layers sit a little longer exposed to the light. This time the print stuck, but only one of the three things completed printing. After changing a few more settings, I managed to get two of three things printed. I figured that the supports that I had were too thin, so I made the supports thicker in the slicer. I haven't reprinted it yet, but I will soon in the future.

I next tried to print a mount for a Fenrir I still need to install. This time the print took about 13 and a half hours. I just let it print overnight. 

The next morning, after the print completed, there was only one flaw on it. It was at a noticeable part of the mount, but nothing really detrimental.

I next tried printing some gears for a PC Engine CD, which was the main reason for me to invest in the resin 3d printer. I did some slight changes the print settings, mainly how long each part was exposed to the light. This was the first print that I made that actually came out as they should! I still have to test fit them, but they look just as they should.

I tried a few more prints, but those prints didn't complete properly. At that point, I just poured the left over resin back in the bottle and cleaned up the mess.

My take on resin printing? It's really good at getting a nice, smooth print, getting .05mm layers. What I don't like is the post processing. Unlike FDM printing that I'm used to, resin printing has a lot of post processing. The left over resin needs to be rinsed off with some sort of solvent. I used a cleaner and let it sit in an ultrasonic cleaner. Then it needs to be UV cuired, which I just put in the UV bin that I made for retrobrighting old consoles. I also learned that after rinsing, the print needs to dry before curing, otherwise it'll get spotty and not cure properly.

There's still a lot for me to learn about 3d printing, both resin and FDM still. Hopefully, I'll get better at it.

It's been a minute, what's been done?...

Where do I start.

I've been in a slump lately. Really don't feel like working on anything mod-wise. I have a few Saturns that I need to finish (repair, Fenrir install, etc.), a PSX that need's to be finished (Xstation install), and other miscellaneous things. I've been reluctant do to it because of work exhaustion, family, and tendinitis working it's way back into my hands. 

The Arcade 1up is complete, fully operational. There's just a few things that need to be buttoned up on it before I can move on. Again, life is becoming slightly overwhelming, so I'll finish it when I finish it.

I've been improving my office a bit...

I mounted my LCD TV to the wall. The studs were not centered where I wanted it, so I used some scrap wood from some old Ikea shelving to screw some lag bolts into the studs. I put some countersunk bolts on the back and secured the mount itself with some nuts. I used regular nuts, but I'm thinking that I should have used some locking nuts instead, but it works the way I have it now.

I installed a sound bar mount and secured that to the brackets behind the TV, just so I have more room on my shelf for consoles to display. The mount itself is an articulated mount, so I can pull it out and tilt it left or right to watch TV or play games on it. It's nice to have it up on the wall now. Next is to get my consoles set up.

We also inherited a truck ('99 Nissan Frontier) from my wife's grandparents. We lovingly call it "Grandpa Truck". The truck was completely stock. The stereo was stock, the speakers were horrible sounding, meh power...but the main thing is that it runs. I've been able to do a lot of recycling runs and large item deliveries with it.

But it still had a really bad stereo system...and I need some good music while I'm driving.

First thing invested in it was a new head unit. 

I invested in an Atoto F7WE. I bought a refurbished unit from eBay. It has wireless Android Auto on it, which is a big deal for us. I also ordered a wiring harness at the same time to make the install easier. It was a pretty straight forward install. 

The stereo worked great since we can now stream from out phones, but the sound was still awful. I ordered some new MTX component speakers. They were relatively inexpensive, and it had some installation parts for free.

The reason why the stock speakers sounded bad? The 20+ year old speakers were falling apart. There was no speaker surrounds to speak of! As I removed the door panel to install the speaker, all of the surround material fell out from the bottom of the door.

After removing the old speakers from the door, I realized that none of the holes on the speaker didn't align with the speaker mounts. The kit that came free with the speakers were of no help as well. The stock tweeter location had a special mount that didn't fit with the tweeters that came with the speakers. I couldn't find a way to install the tweeters in without drilling a hole in the door panel, which I really wasn't in the mood to do.

So I just used some zip ties to secure them to the old mount locations. Yes, I did drill some holes, but it was just in the old speaker mount housing. These speakers sound amazing! There still a lot of tuning that I have to do to make it sound even better, but that's for another day. 

I still plan on installing some rear 6x9 speakers and possibly a powered subwoofer as well. But again, that's for another day.

Interesting little tidbit about the speaker wiring in the truck. Because it's a extended cab truck, there are no "rear" speakers to replace. The speakers in the door were wired that the tweeters are the "front" speakers and the lower door speakers are the "rear" speakers. When I install the 6x9 speakers, I'm gonna have to do some of my own wiring from the head unit to the speakers. 

I have hopes and aspirations to go back to fixing those console repairs and installs soon. Stay tuned!