Category 3D Printing

Last night I got the idea to do a video illustrating the strength of the 3D printed stands I am selling.  I set up one of the stands and placed each of my wheels on it and one of the Minipro’s.  The weight range started at 25 pounds and topped out at 55 pounds for my big Gotway Monster.  As expected the stand performed just fine, as I knew it would since I have been using these for over six months to store my wheels in the hobby room.

However I wanted to really test the stand with something I had never tried before.  I wheeled over the big Segway i2 and carefully placed the 105 pound unit on the stand.  It held it without fuss.  I really had no idea if this would work.  105 pounds is almost double what I previously tested with.  Anyway I thought it made for an interesting video and I will include the video in the product description on the store.

I got some disappointing news that the first stand I sold arrived intact but doesn’t really work for the wheel the customer has.  He has a KingSong model wheel that has an odd configuration for it’s foot pedal hinge, different than the four other brands of wheel I have tested the stands with.  The hinge makes a normal stand too narrow to support the wheel safely.

I felt badly about this oversight on my part, I assumed all EUC’s were pretty identical when it came to pedal hinge design.  I made a new version last night with side supports that are each 8MM wider which should give a larger/wider support surface.  I plan to print and send it to him for free.

I have a couple 3D projects I need to try to work on tonight, it’s a fun way to keep my brain engaged.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

Cindy busted ass on Friday trying to get a lot of chores done so us being gone Saturday wouldn’t be a big deal.  I set the alarm for Saturday morning so we could get up and get the chicken clean up done before rolling out.  We dropped Elsa off at Ali’s so she could spend the day with Sadie.  Since Elsa stayed with them during our last road trip she is very comfortable there and we feel good knowing she will be well taken care of.

The drive across state in the Ioniq was easy.  The smart cruise control the car has makes highway travel simple and safe.  You set the desired speed and the cushion you want behind other vehicles.  If you encounter another vehicle the Ioniq will slow down as needed to maintain that distance.  If you swing out in the passing lane it automatically will accelerate once it sees the path is clear.  The only unpleasant portion of the journey was the last 10-20 miles where we were engulfed in typical stop and go traffic on I-95.  I still don’t see how people can deal with that day in and day out.

We found the college where Maker Faire was being held without issue.  We swung into a nearby parking garage with flat rate $5 parking which is reasonable.  For some reason I assumed the Maker Fare was indoors, it was not.  Only a couple of exhibits were indoors which was fine, although I was glad I dressed temperature appropriate, it was 86 degrees when we left.

One of the things that actually got me interested in going to the event was I saw Prusa 3D printers was going to be there, including the founder, Joe Prusa.  Well the Prusa tent was right near the one entrance.  They had two MK3’s (the next printer I want) printing models as well as a bunch of other examples of things that it printed sitting on the tables.  We talked to the guy working the stand for awhile and I said I that I thought Joe was supposed to be there?

The guy pointed behind me and there he was.  Joe is really a big deal in the 3D printing world.  His Prusa i3 design has been knocked off by many Chinese companies.  Even though he is from the Czech Republic you would think English is his first language.  Cindy and I talked with him for awhile and even showed him the big 3D Widowmaker rifle we made.  I told him I hoped they would have a couple MK3’s available for sale but sadly that was not the case.  Joe did say that the backlog for them is less than it was.  It was taking 3 months to get one, it’s now down to a month and a half. 🙂

That was a great way to start the event and the good vibe continued throughout our time there.  The people working the booths were really friendly and engaging.  They seemed very excited to share information about the stuff they are so passionate in creating.  We saw creativity in many different ways, it was great.  We finished up with a good lunch at one of the food trucks parked outside the venue. Cindy and I both really liked the event and I would be happy to go back again in the future.

So we still had some time left and had thrown the EUC’s in the back of the car, just in case.  We walked back to the garage and suited up for a quick ride down to the Bayside area, a very happening shopping/food district by the water.  It was part of the Port of Miami so we got a good view of several massive cruise ships get ready to depart.  We only rode for maybe a half hour.  It was Cindy’s first time back on one wheel in a couple months so we didn’t want to push it too far.

The drive back was front loaded with traffic, this time getting out of Miami.  Once we got back onto Alligator Alley it was smooth sailing.  Elsa had a great time at Ali’s and didn’t seem in a rush to leave.  We actually wound up taking Sadie back with us since Ali was going out Saturday night and was planning to be gone a good portion of Sunday. We got home before 6PM, it was a testament to just how much you can experience in a span of 10 hours.

On Saturday night we watched Atomic Blonde, one of those movies that was interesting to me but not enough to lay out theater level pricing to see.  If you are looking for a good splattering of nudity, action, plot twists, and just high energy, this film will do nicely.  The ending just nudged into A- territory for me.

So my Saturday run got transplanted to Sunday.  Once again the temps in the low 70’s with humidity made the session feel uncomfortable very early.  I may as well get used to it as there are another 7 months of such weather ahead of me.

Cindy’s big vinyl cutter showed up late last week and she has been testing it out, trying to learn the ins and outs of it.  Although it is without a doubt not a high end cutter in fit and finish, it does work.  In some ways it works better than the Cameo 3, it cuts fast and it’s simplicity is in some ways more appealing.  The software that is included also isn’t as bad as I first thought it could be.  It makes certain types of projects really easy to do.

My 3D EUC store got off to a nice little start, selling three stands in the first 24 hours.  One of them is going all the way to Belgium.  The customer is paying as much to ship the stand there as the stand costs.  It will be interesting to see if demand will continue.

Yesterday afternoon I dedicated a couple hours to sprinkler replacement.  In total I pulled out nine Rain Bird sprinklers that had stopped oscillating.  It was pretty easy to tell which ones weren’t working as there was a narrow swath of green surrounded by brown.  The Hunter sprinklers I replaced them with are supposed to be some of the best so I hope I get many years of trouble free performance out of them.  Despite it only being April 8th it was quite warm in the yard mid-afternoon.

After returning inside I didn’t feel guilty just geeking out in WoW for a few hours.  It’s hard to describe exactly why the virtual second universe I exist in is so appealing to my brain but it’s been my escape for 12 years and counting.

So yesterday a huge box arrived. It was the large format vinyl cutter that we ordered last week for Cindy.  It has a 34 inch width capability and looks like a plotter that is used to make blue prints.  The price of the unit was not a ton more than the Cameo that Cindy has been having so much fun with.

So last night Cindy and I worked on putting the unit together which basically meant assembling the stand and attaching the cutter to it.  It became very apparent that this was a made in China product with sparse directions that are written in poor English.  It took some time to interpret them correctly but eventually we got everything together and feeling solid although it’s reliance on self tapping metal screws is a bit odd.

So once it was together we attached it to the computer and I installed the software.  The installation went smoothly but getting the cutter recognized in the software did not.  It just wouldn’t work.  When I went online to look for answers I instead found other people complaining of a similar problem, they never could get the cutter to talk to the software and many of them wound up returning the cutter for that reason, great….

I went as far as to install the software a second time on Cindy’s laptop and had identical failures.  I was about ready to bag it for the night but decided to dig around a little more.  In the connection properties for the cutter I had selected USB which seemed logical since it was hooked up via, USB.  However when you would try to detect the cutter it would just throw a cryptic error.  Well just for the heck of it I decided to set it to serial and picked the COM port the driver created.  Bam, it worked.  Cindy and I were relieved that we got basic communication established before going to bed.  It’s no wonder so many people returned it.  If it took me an hour or more of futzing to find the undocumented resolution, the likelihood of the average person doing the same are very slim. I look forward to see what Cindy is able to do on this monster machine.

We have an unexpected road trip that popped up a couple days ago.  I just happened to get a notice on Facebook that the Miami Maker Faire was this weekend.  Maker Fair was started by Make Magazine, which I get, several years ago.  It is all about creators that do so in various ways including robotics, 3d printing, fabrication, RC, and much more.  I threw out the idea to Cindy and she was all in.

So we are making a day trip of it, pulling out tomorrow morning relatively early and returning in the evening.  Ali and Shuggs agreed to watch Elsa for the day so it should work out perfectly.  As much as I enjoy my normal weekend routines it’s nice to abandon them here and there.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

So from being just an idea on my head Tuesday evening, 36 hours later my 3D EUC store is pretty much ready to open.  In that amount of time I have installed/bought the Pro Version of the WordPress store plug in, bought, installed, and configured a SSL certificate on the site, created a Stamps.com account to make shipping easy, and have had four of my five printers spitting out parts.  Of course all of this is on the assumption that people want to buy the stuff we are producing, hopefully that assumption is correct.  If you want to see the store you can go here.

For payment options, I have two.  People can either use Paypal or a credit card directly which is sort of cool.  I was able to set up the credit card processing using my Square account which I already had.  So this will be an interesting experiment to see how it all works out.  Obviously this needs to be a positive cash flow operation.  I’ve already got to sell probably 20 stands just to break even on what I spent to get it all set up.

Last night I installed the cargo bars for the Segway I2 that I ordered last week.  The bars are extremely light weight yet feel very strong at the same time.  Installation of them required removal of three screws, replaced with three longer screws and a washer.  It should make transporting the transporter much more doable for a single person. Of course I documented it.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

Ever since I started 3D printing stands that Mathias designed for my electric unicycles I have gotten positive comments about them from the community online, including interest in possibly purchasing them.  I have been printing out some updated designs, replacing some of the originals I made.  At this point I have almost a half dozen spares.

Well last night out of the blue I decided to look at store plug ins for WordPress, which is what I use for eucarmy.com.  I quickly landed on something named WP Easy Cart.  Even the free version had everything I would need.  The software seems to be the right mix of simple to set up for basic needs while being able to add features if you are building a real storefront.  I was quickly able to add a few listings and allow customers to pay for the items with Paypal.

One of the trickiest things to deal with is shipping costs.  For that reason I am only shipping to the continental US for now.  Based on how things go, and demand, if any, I may ship elsewhere if I can find a way to do it with reasonable cost.

Like I said this is entirely experimental.  Cindy thinks there are a number of things that I have 3D printed that could be sold and she has been making a ton of sellable items with her Cameo 3.   I guess we’ll see how it goes.  As I left the house this morning I had three of my five printers cranking out EUC stand parts.

When I was driving back from the gym yesterday I found myself getting annoyed, as I often do with moronic behavior by other drivers.  I randomly started singing an obscenity filled song in tune with what was playing on the radio.  Once I got back I remembered how my dash cam records audio.  Last night I ripped off those segments of the footage to hopefully add to a dash cam compilation in the future.  I played the clips for Cindy, it made her laugh out loud, hard.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

So yesterday I was at one of our larger remote branches and suddenly heard someone say “Do you have a YouTube channel?”  With a  surprised look on my face I looked up and saw the question was coming from the security guard.  He went on to tell me he is a 3D printer hobbyist like me and has seen a number of my 3d printing videos.  He said he heard my voice and recognized it immediately.

We talked a little bit, he has five printers as I do so he is as deep if not deeper into it than I am.  It was the first time I have been recognized out in public by a stranger solely from my channel, it was an odd but cool experience at the same time.  The channel has now added another 10% to it’s subscriber base in the last couple months and the channel is closing in on 2.5 million views.

So last night when I put the chickens to bed I immediately noticed that Pumpkin was out of place.  For some reason she was under the nesting boxes on the floor, in a corner.  I picked her up and placed her on the perch but she looked uncomfortable.  Cindy just happened to come in the coop while I was doing this.  I told her where Pumpkin was and how she looked a bit odd to me.

When we looked at her more it sort of looked like she might need to lay an egg.  It is not unusual for the hens to sometimes drop an egg during the night although it doesn’t happen often.  Well, with Peaches fall and ultimate death several weeks back I didn’t want to take any chances.  I pulled back the netting we cover the nesting boxes with at night and placed Pumpkin in there so she could lay an egg if she needed to and that she would not be at risk of falling if something else was wrong.

This morning when I woke up I looked at the coop camera and saw she was in the box with her head down.  I didn’t see any movement so I was concerned.  I then used my phone to turn on the light in the coop remotely to see if she moved.  I still didn’t see anything however after the coop door opened up automatically at 6:30 I saw she was up and about which brought out a literal sigh of relief.  I don’t need any more abrupt chicken deaths in my life.

I made this last night.  Katie still has her mail delivered to our house so it can pile up in between her pick ups.  The 3D printed mail/key holder should be just the ticket to keep it safe and organized moving forward.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

Saturday morning I got up to do my run.  I knew it was supposed to be cool but I didn’t expect it to be cold.  Well the thermometer in the car read 45 degrees on the way to the track.  I was glad I chose a long sleeve t-shirt to run in.  It took me at least three laps until my internal body temperature started to regulate against the cold air.  The run went as most do, thoughts of quitting early to thoughts of relief as I finish up.

After finishing up chicken chores and weeding we headed out with Elsa to run some errands.  One of the things we picked up was a new strainer basket for the pool pump as well as a new hose for the inline chlorinator.  It is a hose that connects the chlorinator to the return water feed.  I have futzed with this hose several times over the years.  It is installed at an odd angle and has a tendency to want to collapse on itself, making it useless.  I have replaced it already a few times only to have it collapse shortly thereafter.  After some careful manipulation of the support spring and hose I think I finally have it as it should be.  Even though it was a very minor repair, I was able to skim some satisfaction from finally getting it installed right.

Cindy and I made plans to go to Seasons 52 to celebrate our five year anniversary. I had tried early in the week to get reservations but the time block between 3:45 and 8:15 was booked solid.  We decided we would just go there and hang at the bar to wait for a table.

When we got there at 5:30 the lot was already quite full.  We went inside fully prepared to wait, awhile.  We did not realize that Seasons 52 had a similar layout to Carrabas.  The right side of the house is the formal dining room where the reservations are held.  However around the bar on the left there are a booths that are first come first serve.  They were all full but there was only one couple waiting for one ahead of us. We wound up sitting down after 10 minutes or less, an unexpected outcome.

Our dinner was very good.  Cindy and I both cleaned our plates and the little miniature desert shot glasses we ordered.  It was probably one of the more expensive dinners for two but it was a special occasion worthy of the effort.  We both left amazed that we somehow managed to complete the dinner in roughly two hours, travel included.    Saturday night we watched the Tom Cruise version of The Mummy.  It was entertaining enough and had an ending that I definitely did not expect.  It was a notch below what I normally get out of Tom’s movies but I’d still go B+ overall.

Sunday was a beautiful morning.  Cindy and I went to North Collier Park to ride around, her on the big Segway I2, me on the tiny Mten3.  Not far into the ride I heard a loud beep come from my wheel.  I looked down and saw the battery indicator was not full, which it normally would be.  I quickly realized that I must have forgotten to recharge the wheel after I rode it to Dunkin Donuts a couple weeks ago.  The battery level indicator showed about half full so I thought I would be fine for our ride.  I babied the wheel for another two or three miles but the beeping soon became incessant so we had to cut the ride short.  Even with the abbreviated ride we had fun.

The rest of our Sunday was laid back.  I had a number of 3D prints cooking and Cindy was hard core into her crafting.  I also got several hours of time in WoW which was fun since the week prior had little time for such activity.  We emerged from the weekend happy with how it flowed and looking forward to the next.

So Cindy and I headed out for the fair shortly after I got home.  The temp was right around 70 and forecast to drop so I bundled up, knowing just how cold it can feel at the fair this time of year based on prior experiences.  I had on jeans, a t-shirt, Under Armour Cold Gear long sleeve shirt and a hooded sweatshirt on top.  Cindy wore a couple layers too but I told her that I thought it might not be enough based on her lack of tolerance for cold.  It wasn’t.

So I immediately noticed after parking that they really switched up the layout of the fair this year.  They have been tweaking it in recent years but this was even more dramatic.  They relocated the normal entrance about 100 yards to the south which was odd.  It cost me 10 bucks to get in.  Cindy gets in for free since she is a veteran which is very cool.

We were both hungry so we decided to grab our traditional, once a year fair dinner of arepas with a side order of maduros that we split.  It was good as usual but filling.  We then headed into the barn area which is one of the highlights where we got to see the various farm animals.  They didn’t seem to have as many animals as in years past but that might be because we were in the latter half of the fair, it seems the judging was already done so some owners may pull their animals out.  We didn’t get to go into the large animal side of the barn unfortunately as it was closed off to the public.

We caught a few shows as we walked the grounds, including the Hansen’s Spectacular, a family acrobatic act that was corny but endearing at the same time.  As I watched I wondered if this was how the family made a living, it just did not seem possible based on the handful of people in the stands.  I just can’t believe county fairs pay these performers much at all.  We also caught part of a funny magic act and a Ninja Warrior style show that was entertaining.

We made our obligatory stop into the petting zoo tent where Cindy got to feed and interact with a bunch of animals.  I let her do most of the feeding although I did enjoy giving the camel a few slices of carrot.

I had much less of a fair food gluttony than normal.  Other than the arepa and maduro the only other thing I had was some hot cocoa.  I bet my fair calorie consumption was half of my historical average.

As I feared, Cindy was freezing her ass off once the sun went down.  We headed out around 9pm.  Overall the fair seemed like it had less stuff than I was accustomed to but we still had a fun time.  If it was a few degrees warmer I would have been happy to explore some more.

Before we left I had started a print of another revision of the drumsticks I designed for Cindy.  I added a ball to the top so it looked more like a drumstick and less like a spear.  When we got home I checked on the print to find the print head moving back and forth in mid-air with nothing coming out, lovely.

It appeared that I developed a clog in the Bowden tube.  Based on past experience with clogs, some of which set me off into a black hole of frustration, I decided to just pull the original tube and replace it with an upgraded Capricorn PTFE Bowden tube I bought awhile back.  Again having past experience with the problem was helpful.  I now know that if you try to replace anything having to do with the hot end, it needs to be HOT when you do it.  Otherwise hardened plastic will make your efforts futile.

It took a little futzing until I completed the swap out but I was eventually successful.  I restarted the print job, printing two copies of the model at the same time.  This morning we were rewarded with two perfectly legitimate looking drumsticks with FFC embossed into them.  Of course the true test will be once Cindy puts them through a few sessions to see how they hold up to real world use.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

Last night I did a video with my thoughts on my dash cam mirror now that I have had it for a week or so.  I narrated on top of some of the footage which includes an idiot in a Mustang cutting in front of five other vehicles, including myself when exiting the gym parking lot.  The footage looked very clean.  I expected the video to include audio but didn’t realize I had the mic on the Sendow turned off.

Cindy has had an idea about using drumsticks as part of a fitness class.  She asked if I could find a model and 3D print her some.  I did indeed find a model for drumsticks but they were designed as three pieces you pressed together.  I printed a couple sets but they would not go together completely and the joints would surely be a failure point.

I got the idea of making my own drumstick in Tinkercad, utilizing the huge build height of the CR-10 to print the stick as one solid piece.  I set the print off before bed and awoke this morning to a completed drumstick on end, very cool.

That was version 1.0 of the model.  I am currently printing version 1.1 that has Cindy’s website initials embossed on the side of it.  I already have version 1.2 planned which will include a ball at the top so the drumstick will be less spear-like.

Tonight Cindy and I will be making our annual visit to the county fair.  It is always an interesting experience, always.

And now with the plugs!

Ender 2 on GearBest EU Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “Enderen”
Ender 2 on GearBest US Plug – https://goo.gl/v5bNRG $159 USE COUPON – “ENDERC”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – US WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $329.99 USE COUPON – “I311GBUS”
AnyCubic I3 MEGA – CHINA WAREHOUSE – https://goo.gl/BKwhEu $315.99 USE COUPON – “I3MEGA”

CR-10 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/6M9DHi use coupon – GBCRUS
CR-10S5 on GearBest – https://goo.gl/3295a6
CR-10S on GearBest – https://goo.gl/rFztnC
GearBest US Warehouse specials! – https://goo.gl/nvL8uF

Get free cash back for stuff you are buying anyway – https://www.ebates.com/r/DUF391?eeid=28187

Esun Cleaning Filament – http://amzn.to/2zP3qwW
Creality Cr-10 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2w7yqIF
Dagoma Neva 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2hYNjoV
FlashForge Finder 3D printer – http://amzn.to/2sCllp7
Hatchbox white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2rrIfMt
ESun white PLA filament – http://amzn.to/2sBRv42

The gimbal I use – http://amzn.to/2lJbZCa
My GoPro camera – http://amzn.to/2kkBUmJ
GoPro foam windscreen – http://amzn.to/2maDI2B
Selfie stick – http://amzn.to/2mJTJLL
Segway MiniPro – http://amzn.to/2lddTNt
Segway S1 – http://amzn.to/2A8CkQQ
DJI Mavic Pro – http://amzn.to/2kpV4Tk

My EUC protective gear
Killer 187 Wrist Guards – http://amzn.to/2p8y9m9
Triple Eight Helmet – http://amzn.to/2p8uuoH
STX Elbow Pads – http://amzn.to/2oNMrYJ
Killer 187 Knee pads – http://amzn.to/2oYtAHw

Looking for Gotway, Inmotion or KingSong electric unicycles?
Go here for free shipping! – http://ewheels.com/eucarmy

Check out all my sites!
http://eucarmy.com
http://duf.net
http://dufisthenics.com
EUC Army YouTube – https://youtube.com/eucarmy
Duf 3D YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnqqxnkBqc5ISDQRr0YkiA

Social media
Instagram – @duf67
Twitter – @duf67

Cindy’s site – http://fitfarmchick.com
Cindy’s YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/fitfarmchick

If it was possible to create a blueprint for how I would like most weekends to be it would be like this past one.  The weather was perfect with cool mornings and pleasantly warm afternoons with an abundance of blue sky.

Saturday morning I got out and resumed my running program after a two week hiatus due to illness.  Although the act of running three and a half miles was difficult as expected, it was offset by the sense of accomplishment afterward.  The cool air temps in the mid-50’s definitely was beneficial.

When I got back Cindy let me know that I managed to catch another one of the palm rats, bringing my total to four.  As with the others I drove the little annoying bastard a couple miles away and let him loose into the undergrowth to fend for himself.  I know there is at least one more adult in the coop area.  If I can catch him I will finally feel ready to rerun the wires for the DVR system.

My new routine of making sure there are no mice in the coop when the door is closed seems to be a solid plan.  Before when I had the coop door on an analog timer I was never quite sure when it would close.  The end result was most of the time I put the chickens to bed the door was still open and would close later.  Well if a mouse entered during that interim it would spend the entire night chewing on whatever it could to get out.

A couple weeks ago, when I installed the new wi-fi router, to replace the mouse damaged one, I also installed a Wemo smart switch on the coop door.  I now know exactly when the door closes and I make sure to go out there after that happens.  When I tend to the chickens I now include probing all possible mouse hiding spots with the broom handle to make sure none are inside the coop.  That, paired with the ultrasonic rodent repellent we put in there seems to have kept the inside of the coop pest free.

Saturday after completing some chores Cindy, Elsa and I headed out for a long errand run, stopping at something like a half dozen places along the way.  One of those places was the office to swap out a failed hard drive.  Another was Tractor Supply, a place we only have been to a couple of times.  Despite being a lot smaller than Rural King, I liked their selection of several things more.  We finished up eating lunch outside a pizza place where Elsa chilled under the table while we enjoyed a good slice of pizza.

I got notice that Patrick’s birthday gift was delivered.  I sent him the Segway S1 that I bought at Christmas.  It was sort of my plan all along to give it to him.  It is a cool little wheel that will be good for Pat and his girlfriend to learn on.

Saturday night Cindy and I watched Dark Tower, our latest rental.  I remember when the movie came out a lot of people that read the book were not happy with the film adaptation.  Since I never read the book, I did not have that bar to measure it against.  To me it was entertaining although a bit strange to see Matthew McConaughey play the villain. I’d give it a solid B rating.

Sunday morning we slept in, for us, to almost quarter till 8.  Mid-morning Cindy and I headed out to the Naples Greenway with the big Segway I2 in the back of the truck.   I discovered that transporting the Segway is a two person job, at least when it comes to loading.  The unit is somewhere around 120 pounds which I normally could throw around pretty easily, the issue is the size and design of the I2 makes it damn near impossible to one man it as there is nothing to really grab on to.  I can manage to lower it from the truck myself but I utilized Cindy to help me load it at the Greenway.

Our objective for the ride was to locate the new bridge that connects the Greenway to downtown Naples.  It was Cindy’s first time riding the Segway I2 out in public.  She was conservative at first but soon got adept at leaning into turns with her entire body.  We found the new bridge and it was very impressive, a beautiful and long structure.  It spills out at what will be an awesome resident park in the near future called Baker Park.  It connects to the newly renovated Central Avenue.

Central now is very bike friendly with large and clearly marked bike lanes.  We decided to ride all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  It felt great to be able to ride all the way to the beach using bike safe routes.  On the way back we ate lunch at The Bowl.  We both had all fruit concoctions that consisted of acacia berry, bananas, granola, honey, hemp seed hearts, blueberries, and a couple other things.  It was very good.

The ride was much longer than I expected and the used batteries on the I2 performed much better with Cindy at the controls.  The slower speed and her lighter weight only consumed three bars of battery life out of eight.  We both really enjoyed the ride and would like to maybe actually spend some time on the beach the next time we do the same route.

Late afternoon Sunday I got out and washed my Tacoma.  I finally got around to applying some paint sealant that was highly rated on Amazon.  On the bottle it claimed how you could do a complete vehicle in 10 minutes!  Well although it was less labor intensive than conventional wax, I still busted my ass for at least 45 minutes applying the sealant to the Tacoma.  You only work in small sections, first applying with a circular motion followed by back and forth to finish up.  Since it is a clear product, it is annoying to try to determine where you stopped and started since you have no wax haze to guide you.  I guess the first time the truck gets wet will determine how good the product is.

The rest of Sunday was spent editing video, creating 3D projects, and playing some WoW.  It really was a great couple days and was a reminder that I could seriously retire and never have to worry about being bored.