4 ms·

I’m not sure if this is very helpful, but I know here in Toronto you can use 3D printers and borrow Arduinos and other parts for free from certain locations of

I’m not sure if this is very helpful, but I know here in Toronto you can use 3D printers and borrow Arduinos and other parts for free from certain locations of the Toronto Public Library (or virtually free? Haven’t done it yet). Maybe something like that exists where you are and you can create your own? There are a lot of projects online with schematics and even step by step instructions. Not an exact alternative or anything, but might fulfill similar requirements in learning.

ideonexus 8y ago
This is a fantastic idea. An arduino and renting time on printers in your neighborhood with 3DHubs is brilliant (our family is a hub and there are dozens of others in our local network). The possibilities are endless, the skills are directly transferable, and the communities are awesome. Lots of free projects are available online. Makerspaces are everywhere now so you can go hang out with other enthusiasts and talk your passion. Share your creations online to get lots of positive comments from all the 3D printing enthusiasts. This is the best way to go.
tostitos1979 8y ago
I thought they charged on a per minute basis. Still ... a valuable resource. I haven't done the costing but seems buying a cheapo printer is more economical than using any per-minute service .. especially, when one is getting started. That said, last cheapo printer I got kept breaking down .. when I was in an inspired mood, I had to wrestle with the darn printer. Seems like a nice model where I can rely on someone else to keep the printer working - if it is cheap enough :)
- 52-6F-62 8y ago
  Yep it appears there is a fee. I hadn't looked into the details, but assumed they must charge at least for material. Seems as if there's no time limit, but you are charged for filament. (Plus sales tax) > A printing fee of $0.10 per 1 gram of filament (printing material) will be charged for each print job. An average print job is about 10 grams and costs $1 (10 grams x $0.10 = $1). There is a minimum charge of $0.10 per print job. A 13% tax is also applied to each print job. > A maximum of two hours is allowed for most print jobs with a dedicated printer available for longer prints at all locations (except Toronto Reference Library). Call your nearest Digital Innovation Hub to inquire about rules and availability of booking a longer print. https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/computer-services/innovation-spaces/3D-design-print.jsp https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/comput... TPL Digital Innovation Hub: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/computer-services/innovation-spaces/ https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/comput...
hugs 8y ago
Arduino and 3D printers to make Lego Mindstorms/Technic-compatible parts is what I do. (I call my parts "Bitbeam".) I used to use Lego to prototype the robots and machines I make. Now I design my own "Lego" with OpenSCAD and program the bots with AVR microcontrollers. Have been doing this for 7-ish years. However, Lego Mindstorms is still a great (although expensive) system for learning.
- crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
  Sounds great! Have you got any related blog posts and/or open-source code? I'd love to have a look :)
  - hugs 8y ago
    I set up a blog just about the Lego-parts years ago (bitbeam.org), and it looks dead-ish, even though I still make the parts for new robot orders all the time. The most up-to-date location for the actual 3D printable files is in the Tapster project GitHub repo: https://github.com/tapsterbot/tapsterbot/blob/master/hardware/tapster-2/scad/beam.scad https://github.com/tapsterbot/tapsterbot/blob/master/hardwar...
    - crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
      Thanks!
- dunham 8y ago
  Can consumer 3D printers pull off decent lego compatible parts? I'm fascinated by the idea of 3D printers, but I don't really have a good use-case to justify getting one. (And I've been waiting for them to come down in price.) I ended up getting my five year old the Lego "Boost" set - I wanted some motors &c that were accessible to him. He's had fun putting together the projects, and playing with the scratch programming. It is tied to their app, but I see that someone has python libraries to talk to it, so I have options if the app goes away.
  - 8y ago

ideonexus 8y ago

This is a fantastic idea. An arduino and renting time on printers in your neighborhood with 3DHubs is brilliant (our family is a hub and there are dozens of others in our local network). The possibilities are endless, the skills are directly transferable, and the communities are awesome. Lots of free projects are available online. Makerspaces are everywhere now so you can go hang out with other enthusiasts and talk your passion. Share your creations online to get lots of positive comments from all the 3D printing enthusiasts. This is the best way to go.

tostitos1979 8y ago

I thought they charged on a per minute basis. Still ... a valuable resource. I haven't done the costing but seems buying a cheapo printer is more economical than using any per-minute service .. especially, when one is getting started. That said, last cheapo printer I got kept breaking down .. when I was in an inspired mood, I had to wrestle with the darn printer. Seems like a nice model where I can rely on someone else to keep the printer working - if it is cheap enough :)

52-6F-62 8y ago
Yep it appears there is a fee. I hadn't looked into the details, but assumed they must charge at least for material. Seems as if there's no time limit, but you are charged for filament. (Plus sales tax) > A printing fee of $0.10 per 1 gram of filament (printing material) will be charged for each print job. An average print job is about 10 grams and costs $1 (10 grams x $0.10 = $1). There is a minimum charge of $0.10 per print job. A 13% tax is also applied to each print job. > A maximum of two hours is allowed for most print jobs with a dedicated printer available for longer prints at all locations (except Toronto Reference Library). Call your nearest Digital Innovation Hub to inquire about rules and availability of booking a longer print. https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/computer-services/innovation-spaces/3D-design-print.jsp https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/comput... TPL Digital Innovation Hub: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/computer-services/innovation-spaces/ https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/comput...

hugs 8y ago

Arduino and 3D printers to make Lego Mindstorms/Technic-compatible parts is what I do. (I call my parts "Bitbeam".) I used to use Lego to prototype the robots and machines I make. Now I design my own "Lego" with OpenSCAD and program the bots with AVR microcontrollers. Have been doing this for 7-ish years. However, Lego Mindstorms is still a great (although expensive) system for learning.

crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
Sounds great! Have you got any related blog posts and/or open-source code? I'd love to have a look :)
- hugs 8y ago
  I set up a blog just about the Lego-parts years ago (bitbeam.org), and it looks dead-ish, even though I still make the parts for new robot orders all the time. The most up-to-date location for the actual 3D printable files is in the Tapster project GitHub repo: https://github.com/tapsterbot/tapsterbot/blob/master/hardware/tapster-2/scad/beam.scad https://github.com/tapsterbot/tapsterbot/blob/master/hardwar...
  - crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
    Thanks!
dunham 8y ago
Can consumer 3D printers pull off decent lego compatible parts? I'm fascinated by the idea of 3D printers, but I don't really have a good use-case to justify getting one. (And I've been waiting for them to come down in price.) I ended up getting my five year old the Lego "Boost" set - I wanted some motors &c that were accessible to him. He's had fun putting together the projects, and playing with the scratch programming. It is tied to their app, but I see that someone has python libraries to talk to it, so I have options if the app goes away.
- 8y ago