The following is a post I wrote for my UserMetrix project (a tool for software developers): So, you’ve been using your favourite bug tracking system for years now. You do use bug-tracking software, right? I mean, you were right at the front of the class soaking up wisdom being dispensed a decade ago by a Mr Spolsky, right? Phew, what a relief. Because I sure wouldn’t want my money held in a banking system that was built without bug tracking.

I got an email recently asking about all the various options in Slic3r, the awesome gcode generator by Alessandro Ranellucci. Specifically, my friend wanted to know how to configure Slic3r so that his 3D prints would use much less plastic. It was long overdue for me to sit down and figure out exactly how all the various Slic3r options altered plastic consumption. So armed with the latest version of Slic3r (0.

Pretty much bang on a year ago was a pretty hectic time for me. I had lots going on, travelling for work, planning a secret wedding and hacking together something that could track 40 or so people around an indoor space. Lubi and Truna from QUT run a 48 hour game making challenge. This challenge is held out on the QUT Kelvin Grove campus, with amateur and professional game developers from the Brisbane area descending on the campus to build an original computer game from scratch in only 48 hours.

On my Prusa Mendel RepRap I have Wantai stepper motors. I get them off Ebay, straight from the factory. Like something out of Home Improvement, I went a little over the top and got steppers that are a tad overpowered for 3D printing. But, I love them, they barely break a sweat or heat up even after hours of printing. Stepper motors are a little different from most electric motors. Rather than just spin, they have the ability to ‘step’ and perform fairly accurate partial rotations.

During a recent introduction to FreeCAD workshop that I teach at The Edge, I got asked an awesome question that actually had me a little stumped: “Is Polyvinyl Alcohol the same as what is in PVA glue?” You see, I was giving a little bit of a run down on the different materials that can be used in Fused Deposition 3D printers (aka RepRap and Makerbot). I was telling everyone about the wonders of PVA or Polyvinyl Alcohol.

Question Recently I was setting up my new mac laptop so that I could use it as a 3D printing host, I installed slic3r and pronterface, finishing up the configuration with a couple of smaller test prints. Happy days! Everything working perfectly. So I started a much larger print job, leaving it do its thing. I came back about half an hour later to see that the RepRap had “frozen”, it was still hot, but the printhead wasn’t moving.

Alright. Ready for freaking ancient history? My very first piece of location-aware software was a game called Madman. It was something I built at university with a bunch of friends (Atif, Trent & Christine) way back in the technological dark ages… 2003. You see, the Madesen building that housed our computer science department had a floor plan that kinda looked a bit like an old Pacman level. We spent hours in this place, down in the basement computer labs working on assignments.

Here is another question I answered from the now defunct Makers StackExchange. Question: I am currently in the progress of sourcing my own Printrbot. I know that there is the printrboard that can be purchased assembled from printrbot.com. However I am looking for a maybe cheaper solution. Also the printrboard comes preassembled and (because of personal interest) I would like to dig deeper into electronics and assemble my own board. Besides that I live in Europe and want to avoid the high shipping cost.

Here is another question I answered from the now defunct Makers StackExchange. Question: Periodically I’ll have a raftless print that is just glued to the heated print bed of my replicator (usually if the print has a large flat base). I’ve tried using a spatula and the like, but this tends to damage my print, or at the very least, the kapton tape. Just removing the kapton tape will usually dislodge the print, but replacing the tape is a huge pain…

About a month ago I helped build a musical fruit fly experiment for a science fair held at The Edge. The idea was to combine art and science in a way that would appeal to a wide audience, so we turned a simple experiment into a musical instrument that people could “play”. &nbps; The Art and Technology: Local kinetic artist Michael Candy designed up a bunch of keyboard style keys, speaker and monitor mounts that I hammered out on my RepRap 3D printer.