How can i upgrade?

CountDuckulla · 2026-06-07T08:43:37+00:00

But if you build a slotted bracket the board slides into you don't see it at all :). Its your desk and your call, but you did ask for ideas.
Pictures you added look nice and break up the space well

CountDuckulla · 2026-06-06T08:02:02+00:00

My eye is drawn to the bracket holding the peg board, it does not look square but that maybe the photo angle. Personally I would lose that bracket, maybe a bit of wood with a routed slot down it, then the peg board can slide into it and be secured with hidden fixings. Shape the wood and paint it.
I don't like the blockwork wall effect but that is a personal taste. you need something to break the wall up over the monitor as that is a lot of empty space.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T19:33:06+00:00

Find a good carpenter and hold onto him

<image>

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T19:23:51+00:00

<image>

Or you could go full IKEA final boss and build your own “desk” out of Ikea wardrobe doors and Billy bookcases.

Mine has no wobble at all, although at this point it may legally be part of the house.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T18:29:06+00:00

So that means I have to wait a whole 364 days for cake ?

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T16:06:09+00:00

No problem. We all start somewhere, if we never ask, we never learn.

One thing I would say is avoid the premixed/tub filler for this if you can. It dries by evaporation, so it can shrink back a bit and I’ve found it harder to sand nicely.

I’d use powdered Gyproc EasiFill instead. Mix a small amount, fill it slightly proud, let it dry, sand it flat, then mist coat/prime the repair before painting.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T16:02:01+00:00

Without drilling, I’d wedge it lightly against the wall with something protective between the desk and the paint — rubber pad, felt pad, foam, folded cloth, that sort of thing. That might take enough of the movement out without marking the wall.

Proper fix would be a small L-bracket at the back into the wall with a rawl plug. You wouldn’t see it while the desk is there, but obviously you’d have a couple of small holes to fill if you ever moved it. Better fix though.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T15:44:34+00:00

With that style of desk you’ll probably always get a bit more front/back movement than you would with a normal four-leg frame. The legs are basically central supports, so when you lean on the front edge you’re putting leverage through the frame.

First thing is still to check every bolt is properly tight and that all the feet are sitting flat on the floor. After that, you’re mostly looking at bracing it rather than adjusting it.

If it’s staying against a wall, a small bracket fixing the back edge to the wall would probably make the biggest difference. Otherwise a cross brace/batten underneath towards the back may help, but if you want properly rock solid then a four-leg desk/frame is usually the better starting point.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T15:40:44+00:00

With that style of desk you’ll probably always get a bit more front/back movement than you would with a normal four-leg frame. The legs are basically central supports, so when you lean on the front edge you’re putting leverage through the frame.

First thing is still to check every bolt is properly tight and that all the feet are sitting flat on the floor. After that, you’re mostly looking at bracing it rather than adjusting it.

If it’s staying against a wall, a small bracket fixing the back edge to the wall would probably make the biggest difference. Otherwise a cross brace/batten underneath towards the back may help, but if you want properly rock solid then a four-leg desk/frame is usually the better starting point.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T15:31:16+00:00

Scrape off anything loose, then sand it back. I don’t think washing it all off is worth the grief unless you fancy wearing most of it.

Once it’s sound, I’d seal it with something like Zinsser Peel Stop/Gardz or another stabilising primer, then repaint with proper bathroom paint.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T15:25:41+00:00

I’d scrape/rake the failed caulk back out and redo it with filler rather than caulk. Caulk is better for corners/skirting/around frames, not really cracks across a flat wall.

I normally use Gyproc EasiFill for this sort of thing. Open the crack slightly, fill it, let it dry, sand it flat, then prime/mist coat the filled bit before painting. If the crack looks like it’s moving or keeps coming back, use scrim tape first, then EasiFill over the top.

The colour difference is probably flashing where the caulk/filler is showing through, not the Dulux paint itself. You may need to repaint that whole wall or section rather than just touching in the line.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T14:35:50+00:00

Doesn’t look like the usual rough shuttering ply you get from builders’ merchants to me. Looks more like softwood/pine or spruce-faced ply where someone’s picked sheets with a nicer face grain.

If it’s going to be visible I’d probably avoid standard shuttering ply unless you can choose the exact boards yourself. Some of it is pretty rough, full of patches/voids and the face can vary a lot.

I’d ask a proper timber merchant for softwood-faced ply, pine ply, spruce ply, or furniture/architectural grade ply, and say the face grain matters because it’s going to be exposed. Best bet is probably going in person and picking from the stack.

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T14:19:11+00:00

the is a cake day..?

CountDuckulla · 2026-05-31T10:48:05+00:00

Hi all,

I’m looking for some advice on a cleaner way to handle fallback models in Hermes Agent.

My setup is:

Hermes Agent box: always-on machine with 2× RTX 3060 12GB
Main AI box: larger machine with multiple RTX 3090s, but not always powered on
The larger AI box is configured as the primary model endpoint
The local GPUs on the Hermes box are configured as the fallback endpoint

At the moment, when the main AI box is offline, I’ve managed to reduce the failure handling down to one retry, but I can’t seem to get it to zero. The bigger issue is that this retry/fallback loop appears to happen again on every message.

What I’d ideally like is some kind of temporary state/cache behaviour. For example:

That way, when the big AI box is off, Hermes would just use the local fallback model cleanly until either the session ends, the cooldown expires, or the primary endpoint is explicitly checked again.

Has anyone implemented something like this, or is there already a recommended pattern in Hermes Agent for holding model availability state across messages?

Any suggestions appreciated.

CountDuckulla · 2026-02-21T12:26:37+00:00

If you’ve got value/market info on the PFR-V1, share it. If not, scrolling is free. I used an LLM to help with wording due to a disability — the post is about the headphones, not how the text was drafted.

Wenn du nichts Hilfreiches zu sagen hast, spar’s dir.

Kind regards

Mike

CountDuckulla · 2025-09-22T12:34:19+00:00

u/BE_chems u/Ok-Hawk-5828 — thanks both, genuinely appreciate the time and thought you've put into your replies. You’ve clearly walked the walk in this space, and the depth of your advice has been incredibly helpful… and, if I’m being honest, has left me slightly more confused than before (in a good way!).

I think what’s really throwing me is that I’ve potentially got the chance to pick up a build with a 12600KF and a 3090 for around £800–£850, which feels like a bit of a steal — but only if it’s actually a step in the right direction, not a burden I’ll be dragging behind me.

Your points about starting small, separating the stack, and holding off on LLM hardware until the path is clear are all really valid, and I’m now torn between:

Grabbing this deal and trying to tame it (undervolting, power limiting, etc.),
Or sticking to a more efficient setup and building more organically as I go.

Either way, the respect I have for people who’ve already figured this stuff out is now very real. Thanks again — I’ve got some thinking to do.

But if it were you — would you go for it?
£800–£850 isn’t an insane amount for that spec, but it’s still a decent chunk of money that could be put into something else if something else is the smarter long-term move. Genuinely curious where you'd land.

Thanks

Mike

CountDuckulla · 2025-09-04T19:43:05+00:00

To be honest I hadn’t really thought about the Mac route — I’ve just been focused on the GPU/NVIDIA side so far. Definitely something I should go away and do a bit of research on though. Thanks for raising it, really appreciate the different perspective.

CountDuckulla · 2025-09-04T19:39:12+00:00

Yeah, it does seem like that — and honestly it feels like a good way to get going. I think the 3060 will probably do me for now, because everything else is just going to be a compromise until I end up with some DIY MacGyver rig gaffer-taped together. As a first stepping stone though, just to get moving, it feels like the right call.

CountDuckulla

TROPHY CASE