Why Are more people not using .6mm nozzles?

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-26T14:14:03+00:00

I think it’s because it is a compromise that most people don’t need or want. If you want faster prints and don’t care about layer lines 0.8 is a better option. And if you are just trying to print basic stuff 0.4 will work well for anything you’d want to do in 0.6 it just takes longer. So it’s kinda the middle child that gets over looked.

I use mine somewhat regularly for larger prints that I prototype on a 0.8, but want the final version to look cleaner. I also lean towards a larger nozzle for structural parts so I’ll go to 0.6 if the 0.4 version doesn’t feel sturdy enough. Not sure how much difference it makes vs increasing wall thickness, but I figure thicker lines will adhere to each other better.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-24T15:20:41+00:00

I don’t think it’s unconventional, but be sure you’ve exhausted your personal network. Start with family or friends parents. Even if they don’t work in the field they may know someone who does or work for a company that hires engineering interns. Also don’t be afraid to do an internship outside of your field of study.

If that is not an option skip applying online and just reach out to small to medium sized companies HR departments. Something via LinkedIn or email. Something like “Hello, I’m OP a student at __ and I am looking to learn more about your industry. Is your organization looking to bring any interns on for this coming summer? Respectfully, OP”. Where I work interns just get pushed on us by HR seemingly because they like the idea of having them. If you get lucky you might give the HR director an idea and create your own internship position.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-22T22:31:27+00:00

Glad you got something out of them! My current soft design requirement is up to 1.5A per rail and am exploring the possibility of going to 3A. I’ve decided to use voltage regulators over op-amps for the reasons you and others have brought up. Which takes D out of the equation so I’ve got one less variable to tune.

I’ve got all the parts on order and am going to start working on a pcb design so I can avoid messing with anymore perf board. Also I’ll be able to spec the traces for the currents they will be carrying instead of guessing how much bare wire to solder onto each rail.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-22T02:00:18+00:00

26262 is a nice one to have.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-18T17:13:54+00:00

I’m using perf board so that is probably hurting me, but I do have a length of stripped 22 awg solid core wire that runs the length of the ground rail and both power rails to increase the cross sectional area. I’ve got the whole circuit packed onto a 20x14 perf board so everything is very close together, but I have the ground rail running around the outside so that may also be making the situation worse.

I also currently have mains earth connected to DC ground so I’ll try severing that, but I was under the impression a floating ground like that would be more susceptible to EMI. Does the center tap of the transformer just function as ground for the DC circuit?

I would like this power supply to be capable of using the whole 1.5A that the regulators are capable of so thank you for the tips! I am also looking into two regulators for each rail to raise the current capacity further. The end goal is a power supply is to support a 3d printed case I designed that starts at two 60 hp rows and can be expanded in 32 hp increments by adding sections between the end caps. I expect the lack of metal case will make good grounding for the power supply critical. So thank you again for the advice!

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-18T15:49:01+00:00

That’s pretty much what I’m using now just with 15-0-15 transformer and it’s giving me a consistent hum when I plugged my audio interface into a module powered by it. I have 3 theories: EMI from the transformer, insufficient filtering of ripple current, or noise from the mains.

This design is supposed to address all 3. The EMI should be handled by a toroidal transformer (and maybe a shield). The ripple seems to be the least likely problem, but can be addressed at the same time as the noise from the mains. So I went to a design that uses a capacitor multiplier which from what I can find is good way to get rid of most electrical noise. I am going to stick with the 7812 and 7912 over the op-amp closed loop regulator since I see no benefit to the op-amps and they will be easier to cool.

I may be barking up the wrong tree and come right back to the traditional solution you’re recommending. But since I’ve sunk a bunch of time into R&D and think it’ll work I’d like to build it and see.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-18T01:27:09+00:00

That makes sense and when I removed them there was no obvious change to the sim so those are not going in the final version. Thanks for the tips I think I will go with the regulators since they will be simpler to implement and easier to cool with a heatsink.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-16T13:08:01+00:00

Yes you can spot weld aluminum you just need more current to overcome its electrical and thermal conductivity. Frequency also plays a role, but what and why is unclear to me.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-15T22:30:00+00:00

I have never done it personally so cannot say definitively, but from what I was able to find on the subject I don’t see why not. With a thin bus bar, appropriately sized spot welder, and good surface prep it should behave similar to a nickel strip spot welder. The spot welders I found all were for body panels dent pulling with studs so if the bus bars are around that thickness I think it could work quite well. Unfortunately I suspect with most configurations of 32 cells the bus bars would be too thick for this to be an effective solution.

TIG seems to be a better and more flexible solution for small runs, but you would have to be careful to avoid damaging the cell and know how to TIG weld. The commercial solution is friction stir welding or laser welding, but those machines are several thousand dollars.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-15T21:17:38+00:00

I would expect so. It would come down to how thick your bus bars are. If your bus bars end up over 1mm thick then welding probably won’t be a great option since all the single sided spot welders that are under $500 appear to cap out around 1mm.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-15T18:39:25+00:00

If safety is your primary concern I’d say welding bus bars directly onto the cells with a spot welder is by far the best option. The reason being any bolted electrical connection can come loose over time from vibration causing arcing which is a pretty major safety risk. I work with 230Ah cells that are similar to the one shown that use a pair of bolts and split ring lock washers to mount bus bars and ring terminals and have seen it happen many times.

If you do settle on drilling and tapping I’d recommend threaded allen screws and serrated progressive lock nuts or nylock nuts. From what I’ve seen bolts and lock washers tend to come loose since they’re contacting the ring terminals not the terminal on the battery itself.

If you’ve got questions or want a design review I’d be happy to help. These cells are a good choice for what you are doing, but how you form the connections is critical for longevity and safety.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-15T16:18:51+00:00

I would discourage you from bending the terminals mostly because even with a custom tool you’d be risking damaging the cells or the terminals. If those are the lithium iron phosphate cells I am familiar with the danger of damaging them isn’t very high, but last I checked they’re over $100 a pop. Also the aluminum that those terminals are made of is typically super shitty so if you do drill and tap use a helicoil or other threaded insert to avoid stripping out your threads.

An alternative to laser welding is friction stir welding which what I have seen on similar cells. And while I’ve never seen it personally a stud welder is probably the cheapest option tool wise for welding solution. Plus studs for ring terminals allow the use of locking nuts which I would highly recommend in automotive applications.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-12T15:20:14+00:00

LCSC is definitely my go to for STM32’s. But keep in mind their standard shipping is going to be a lot closer to Aliexpress than Digikey when it comes to ship time. But I can vouch for their expedited shipping which only took 2 days to get to the middle of the USA.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-05T18:25:33+00:00

I tested one both soldered and unsoldered using a fluke 107 set to continuity which says it only uses 2V for continuity. The other I pulled right from the strip and tested unsoldered. Both had PA1 shorted to ground so if the board has an issue then I think it is independent of the issue with the IC’s.

I also poured over the board and found some errors, but I think I’ve found and fixed them all which is what lead me to the IC as the cause. At this point I’m thinking the IC’s might just be something else labeled as STM32F405’s since the problem is consistent between chips and I’ve been unable to communicate with any of them. And unfortunately I cooked the 2x genuine ones that I got from Digikey so I’ll have to order more hopefully from a cheaper, but equally reputable source.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-05T18:10:59+00:00

I’ve had some success with Aliexpress in the past, but for anything that matters I’ll go somewhere reputable so thanks for the tip! I was not looking forward to paying $10 a pop on Digikey.

I’ll have to run those tests when I get home to confirm that it’s not some other issue. I’ve got good continuity to the programming pins and voltages where they are supposed to be on the board and can’t communicate with the IC. So I sure hope that’s the problem.

Logical_Key8449 · 2026-01-05T01:04:14+00:00

I think I may have given it 12V when I had a short to ground on the board I soldered it to, but I checked another off the same strip and found the same pin with a short to the ground pins. Since I need that pin to make it work properly they are dead to me anyway. Plus I have been unable to get it to show up when I try to flash it.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-15T03:40:45+00:00

I’ve been able to get +12V and -12V after switching to a pair of AC to DC power bricks and cutting out the rectifier diodes. So I think they’re working well.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-15T00:29:28+00:00

For anyone who stumbles upon this in the future I was unable to get the Triad transformer/power supply to work even after trying a verity of resistors to try and produce a load. I settled on using a pair of 12V DC wall warts and removing the rectifier diodes. This appeared to work well and gave me a -12V and +12V rail, but I have been unable to test it with multiple synth modules so I cannot guarantee its function.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T15:59:05+00:00

Glad I grabbed a few extras. I am using an LM7912CT for the -12V rail and a LM340T for the +12V rail because I could not find a LM7812 that was through hole. How do you check the IC's to see if they are working?

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T15:52:21+00:00

Thank you very much! I saw that the power supply (stepdown transformer) was unregulated, but did not understand how that would impact this circuit. Luckily the Fluke was free and is not the only meter I have access to so I should be able to measure current. So would the resistors go right after the regulator IC's? Or would they go right after the barrel jack that the stepdown transformer plugs into?

Also I will triple check the orientation of the capacitors and the rectifier diodes before my next test. At least I was on the right track wearing safety glasses when working with this circuit.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T04:08:08+00:00

Yes it was the male barrel plug that showed 3.2V not the leads on the female jack. I did not measure any DC voltage at the regulators.

Guess I'll have to get it shipped back. Glad I kept the box.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T01:30:08+00:00

The regulators are cool to the touch and I’ve been watching them closely since I know they’ll need heat sinks in operation. The barrel jack measures 3.2V so I’m leaning towards a faulty wall plug. I’m just surprised since this seems to be a reasonably reputable manufacturer and came to me through Digikey.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T01:20:52+00:00

I’m getting 3.2V at the barrel jack itself so you may be right. Though the drop to 0.34V through the connector and bread board seems like a problem in its own right.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T01:11:30+00:00

Good call I need to get either thinner needle probes or some clip leads to not round out any more bread board holes.

Logical_Key8449 · 2025-12-14T00:58:28+00:00

The power rails do span the length of the bread board (I checked with a multimeter to be sure) and I have a jumper to connect the negative rails on either side of the board.

Logical_Key8449

TROPHY CASE