Things remain complicated

Well, I did get the 3D printer out of the barn and unpacked yesterday....

This morning, I connected it to a USB port on the new-to-me lab PC (running last year's Linux Mint), installed all the 3D-printing-related software Mint had to offer....

And, as one might expect, none of the software will actually talk to the printer (reasons unclear).  Maybe I need to connect the old lab machine.  Or - horrible thought! - I think I actually had the 3D printer connected to a Windows box.

Well, maybe I should forget the USB and use the SD card?  Futz around: oh, dear.  The printer wants something called an "x3g" file, not plain G-code.  Now, how do I get from one to the other?

Aha!  I actually have, installed right on my old workstation, the Linux version of FlashForge's slicer/exporter software (which doesn't talk to the printer via USB, but does generate x3g files).  It doesn't know of this "Creator X" thing, but apparently when last I played with it I'd settled for "Creator Pro", so I'll try that.

And, after much futzing around, I now have one piece of my design slooooowly printing out.  I guess this approach works for now; at some point, I really want to get send-via-USB working, as the SD-card approach is inconvenient.

In other news, my set of pin punches doesn't seem to be anywhere in the garage.  I hope it's still in one of those many boxes in the barn.  Guess I'll go dig through boxes in a while.

Comments

[Rob]

There is something to be said for getting the tools unpacked and stowed somewhere they can be used. I have a place to put mine now and they are slowly being put into drawers in the small shop building from where they had been stowed for the last few years.
It's a good feeling to have the tools accessible!

[Eric Wilner]

One complication that's been there since February is a custom door that we'd planned to have installed (skilled door installer required), but by the time it arrived (after a long factory delay), we were into the mad scramble to prepare for lockdown, so it remains in its crate, standing (at least it is standing up!) in the middle of the garage, interfering with setting up of benches, toolboxes, and so on.
I haven't found the pin punch set yet, but did find my drills and milling cutters, and a box of assorted stuff like solder, soldering flux, nail polish, and calcium carbide. I'd been looking (nearly) all over for the flux and the nail polish!
Meanwhile, various weed-control activities planned for a dry day have to be postponed, as the forecast changed from "dry" to "some chance of rain later", with actual rain already having shown up. Back to indoors fun!