It has been a while since I made a post on the new CoreXY 3D printer (tip: don’t start too many new projects at once). Lately I made some solid progress on it however, so I figured it was time for an update. Since the last post, I have added …
When buying a new power tool, you can find yourself having to choose between a lot of different brands. But if you ever decided to look at these brands more closely, you might have been shocked to find out that the most popular tool brands are owned by only a …
Which Companies Actually Own Your Favorite Tool Brands? Read More
Large monitors improve almost every computer setup. Whether it is to increase productivity or to get a better gaming experience, they are here to stay. To get the best experience, however, it is a key to use a monitor arm. These give you the best ergonomics and help reclaim desk …
If you want to repair electronics, you will greatly benefit from a microscope. Surface mount components are getting smaller and smaller, and there is only so much you can see with the naked eye. Nowadays, magnification is essential when it comes to the inspection of solder work, PCB traces and …
No toolbox is complete without a non-contact voltage tester. It gives you a quick, easy and reliable way to check whether a wire or outlet is carrying electric current. Since the first step in working on electric equipment is to make sure that it is not energized, you can see …
The 5 Best Non-Contact Voltage Testers to Keep You Safe Read More
Spring hinges are a great addition to any pair of eyeglasses. They let the temples (the long arms that rest on your ears) flex outwards, so that the glasses adjust to the shape of the head. This helps the glasses stay in place and makes them easier to wear for …
Multimeters are essential tools for anyone who works with electricity. They let you measure voltage, current, resistance, and frequently have even more testing capabilities. Whether it is for home DIY purposes, building or repairing electronics or automotive work, a multimeter gives you insight in what is going on and is …
The 9 Best Multimeters for Electric Testing and Measuring Read More
Whether you are someone who occasionally does DIY projects around the house, or if you are a professional who uses a screwdriver every day, a quality cordless electric screwdriver is something that you should not go without. Driving screws with a manual screwdriver gets tedious, tiring and in the worst …
The 8 Best Electric Screwdrivers for Easy Furniture Assembly Read More
When it comes to soldering small SMD components, inspecting PCBs or setting stones in jewelry, a digital microscope is a useful tool. It lets you work on solder joints and components that are otherwise hard to see with the naked eye. Where earlier versions of digital microscopes required connections to …
When 3D printing, it is likely to at some point end up with stuck filament in a PTFE tube. Whether it is broken filament in a Bowden tube or a clogged piece of filament stuck in the PTFE tube of the hotend, it must be dealt with before you can …
Nowadays, it is relatively easy to build a silent computer. But there is one particular noise that can be hard to eliminate: coil whine. This high pitched hissing or scratching noise is not only highly annoying, but also sounds like something is not working as it should. In this article …
A hot glue gun is a crucial tool for hobbyists and professionals alike. It lets you apply melted glue that can bind to almost any material. Its adhesive works on plastic, wood, paper, metal, fabric, stone, you name it! While glue guns were originally used for bonding shoe soles, their …
If you ever assemble pre-fabricated furniture or do any kind of DIY building or repair, you have likely used hex keys before. Hex keys (also known as Allen wrenches or Allen keys) are an essential tool in any toolkit. They let you drive bolts and screws with hexagonal sockets. An …
Threaded inserts are a great way to add strong and long-lasting threads to 3D prints. While it is possible to tap screw holes directly in 3D printed parts, these threads often wear down quickly. This is because the thermoplastics that we use for 3D printing are rather soft. To create …
Whether you are a hobbyist that only solders occasionally or a professional that does it a lot, a soldering iron is an indispensable tool. Its versatility allows you to build and repair electronics or circuit boards, create jewelry, soldering guitar wiring and all kinds of other projects. To get good …
The 10 Best Soldering Irons for Beginners to Professionals Read More
The Playstation 4 is a great console, but unfortunately it comes with some design flaws that can cause it to break. One of these issues is the HDMI port. It is fragile and is often one of the first things to get damaged on the console. One of the signs …
When it comes to in-depth cleaning of items, ultrasonic cleaners are the ultimate tool. They can clean jewelry, dentures, glasses, fuel injectors and tools without breaking a sweat. They are also perfect for cleaning larger stuff, like carburators and gun components. Nowadays, ultrasonic cleaning is not just limited to professionals. …
The 8 Best Ultrasonic Cleaners for Quick and Thorough Cleaning Read More
Ultrasonic cleaners are amazing tools that allow you to perform in-depth cleaning on almost any object. From jewelry to watches, tools, firearm components, fuel injectors, carburetors and coins, it is hard to find a limit to what they can clean. Ultrasonic cleaning is a gentle but invasive cleaning method that, …
If you do any type of SMD repair work, like repairing phones or laptops, a hot air rework station is an essential tool. It allows you to efficiently add and remove SMD components from circuit boards. Having a quality rework station saves you time and reduces the risk of overheating …
Plant labels (also known as plant markers, garden markers or plant name tags) are useful accessoires for any gardener. They let you identify your plants and make it easier to keep track of and organize your garden. As someone who does some occasional gardening, I too found myself looking for …
LEDs have come a long way since they were first introduced in 1962. Compared to the early days, they have become more efficient, cheaper, brighter, and have better color quality. All of this has made LED lighting panels a great option for things like photography, videography and streaming. Neewer’s 2.4G …
One of the best ways to create eye-catching 3D prints is to print them in multiple colors. This is often referred to as multicolor printing. It is a great way to add extra color to your prints without having to resort to post-processing techniques like painting. Dual extruder 3D printers …
When it comes to desoldering, a good quality desoldering pump (also known as a solder sucker) can be worth its weight in gold. Being able to quickly and efficiently remove solder from solder joints and pads saves you time and frustration. The Engineer SS-02 solder sucker is a solder sucker …
When it comes to repairing electronics, desoldering is an important skill to learn. Whether you want to replace defective or incorrectly placed parts, fix bad solder joints, troubleshoot an electric circuit or salvage electronic components, desoldering can help you do so. There are many different methods and tools you can …
A common problem in computer mice is that after a period of using them, they randomly start double clicking when you single click. This random double clicking often occurs after several years of using the mouse and can be very annoying. Usually it is the left mouse button that develops …
Leather watch straps are a great way to add extra style to your watch. It is important, however, to maintain them properly. If you neglect this, your leather strap ends up stained, greasy and smelly. I regularly ran into this problem myself before I figured out how to properly take …
The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Leather Watch Straps Read More
Linear guides are an essential component when it comes to building 3D printers, CNC machines, and other machines that need some kind of linear motion. Unfortunately, high quality linear guide rails are often too expensive for hobby projects. Cheaper ones are available (typically from China), but they can come with …
How to Improve the Performance of Cheap Linear Guides Read More
After building the frame, I have made some further progress with the new 3D printer. I installed the Z carriage of the printer and mounted and aligned all other components that facilitate the motion on the Z-axis, such as the linear rails and lead screws. As expected, aligning the linear …
I recently had to replace the battery on my LG Nexus 5. Where I last year needed to repair the power button, it was now the battery’s turn to be swapped out. For anyone else who also has problems with very little screen-on-time on their Nexus 5 due to an …
Tell me if this sounds familiar: you own a guitar that you are overall quite happy with, but you don’t play it as much as you want because it has a gloss neck with a sticky feel. Your fretting hand keeps ‘catching’ the neck as you try to slide it …
Time has come to build a new 3D printer. While the previous 3D printer I designed and built 5-6 years ago is still in use, I run too often into its limitations. This is starting to impact my workflow and honestly also affects my enjoyment of 3D printing. To solve …
One of the worst things as a photographer is finding out that your gear does not work in a crucial moment. An example of this is discovering in the middle of a shoot that your lens has sticky or stuck aperture blades. Sticky aperture blades usually occur when the blades …
The Complete Guide to Fixing Sticky Aperture Blades Read More
Keyboards with detachable cables can be very practical. The detachable cable allows the keyboard to be stored and transported more easily, and also makes the process of swapping out the keyboard painless. The detachable cable is most often connected to the keyboard with a mini-USB or micro-USB connector. Unfortunately, while …
When left out in the open, 3D printer filament can absorb moisture from the air. “Wet” filament can ruin our prints, and thus this is something that we want to avoid. In order to prevent filament from absorbing moisture, we need to properly store it. This means we have to …
The articulating LCD screen on my Sony A77 camera recently stopped working properly. The screen still functioned when it was placed up against the camera body, but when I extended and rotated it away from the body, it only displayed artifacts. After some research, I found out that the flex …
IKEA ALEX drawer units are a great way to organize all kinds of stuff. The stacks of deep drawers offer a lot of space for storing a variety of things. Both in my home office and workshop area I use a lot of ALEX units to store tools, parts and …
Leather boots can be a great investment. However, if you want to get the most out of your new work or hiking boots it is important to take proper care of them. Even the best leather will scuff, crack and dry out at some point, and will need to be …
A while back my trusty LG Nexus 5 started to develop problems. The power button got stuck and caused the Nexus 5 to turn on and off by itself. Eventually it got stuck in a bootloop and would not power up anymore altogether. The power button issue is common with …
Last summer we took a road trip through Romania. We traveled from Bucharest to Sibiu, to the Apuseni mountains, Cluj, Sighisoara, Gheorgheni, Brasov and then back to Bucharest. Here are some of the favorite pictures I took.
For a while I have wanted to improve the lighting on my desk. I didn’t really know what to build until I came across Opossums’ amazing 3D printed LED bridge lamp on Thingiverse. The lamp has a great design and I wanted to build it, but for my application I …
For a while I have been looking to do some macro photography, but I never really knew what subject to pick. Little did I know that the subject would present itself to me; last week I found two nice looking (and dead) moths outside. The long dotted moth is a …
A while back my sister and her partner asked me to help them find a solution for the cat litter that falls out of their cat’s litter box. Often after the cat does its business some of the cat litter sticks to its paws. As the cat walks out of …
In our household we love to grow our own vegetables and herbs. It feels very rewarding to grow our own food. In the summer you can always find a collection of vegetables growing on our balcony. Last year we wanted to grow some okras, but we did not have pots …
In 2011 I became interested in 3D printing. Being able to design and print objects was (and still is) an amazing concept to me. After reading more into it I decided to buy a Makerbot Thing-o-Matic 3D printer kit, which was the go-to 3D printer kit for hobbyists at the …
