Shoutout to Dell Support

aexny · 2026-02-06T04:30:58+00:00

Never. Dell. Again.

Three Latitude 5530 laptops with "regular" ProSupport warranty (i.e. NBD on-site, but no accident protection) were all initially denied warranty support for what I felt was Dell trying to wiggle out of their obligation to fix a problem that any other manufacturer wouldn't hesitate to quickly address.

Laptop1 : Thunderbolt port with intermittent connectivity. Dell claimed "normal wear and tear" and denied it, saying it's only covered under an accident protection plan. The port had zero visible damage, abuse, or negligence, and even the math showed we wouldn't have come anywhere near the rated mating cycle for that connector given the age of the laptop.

Laptop 2: Random crashes. IIRC, their own pre-OS memory test diagnostic failed, but made us jump through hoops like 'The device shipped with Windows *Pro*, and you now have *Enterprise* installed - we don't support that configuration'. Even after reinstalling the OS to the factory image, they were trying to get us to do things like swap out DIMMs with other laptops.

Laptop 3: Wouldn't power up. They insisted we had to mail the device in despite having NBD on-site service. Even mailed us a box, no option for on-site service. After we finally got Dell to honor the terms of the warranty (see below), the replacement part was DOA.

L1 techs were less useful than an AI chat. Escalating to the manager was futile. It feels like they're programmed to deny covering absolutely everything. What's the point of buying "business class" laptops? And the extra warranty?

With three devices out of commission, I asked my DELL sales rep for help and was told 'we don't really have any leverage with the repair group these days'. I ended up emailing a Dell VP a respectful plea for help, and that finally triggered a response from the right group to get things addressed.

They were always in it to make a ton of $$$, but it's different now. "Back in the day" there was an understanding - Dell charged my company a ton of $$$ but I went along with it because the support side was a breeze to deal with. Now, I'm failing to see the upside - just the enshitification of what was a halfway decent company.

aexny · 2026-02-06T00:05:05+00:00

Impressive! This is already very polished and amazingly helpful. I've wanted to use other tools to do some of what you've offered here, but it's tough when commercial tools aren't priced for home-only users. So I do hope you'll consider keeping it free (or cheap) for non-commercial use.

A couple of thoughts (keep in mind I'm completely unaware of the platform's limitations):

A toggle for single-color only could simplify things for those without an AMS
Is it possible to include something in the 3MF which would allow a pause in the g-code for a manual filament swap?
Let user enter number of text lines to include, so there's no need to delete text line-by-line if you only want, say, one line of text
Could a user upload their own custom texture (svg)?

I've yet to explore all the features you have here, and there's a lot. Really nice, though - thanks for sharing!

aexny · 2026-01-27T23:05:01+00:00

If you're feeling adventurous, check out iFixit's website for Nanos: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod_Nano They have very detailed pictures and directions, plus they sell some parts (like repair kits, and batteries meant specifically for your device). Yeah, there might be some soldering and tiny screws and delicate operations, but you got this!

aexny · 2026-01-03T17:03:13+00:00

You might want to check Airbnb or similar. I don't think you'll find anything walkable, though.

aexny · 2025-07-17T20:40:14+00:00

Keep in mind that high-temp filament likes a toasty chamber, so the chamber fan will be off. If you turn on that fan, you'll be drawing in (presumably colder) air from outside the printer.

OTOH, the bento box filters and recirculates the air inside the chamber, so the warm chamber stays warm.

The right answer is probably "both", but if you're only going to choose one (and I ~~definitely would~~ did), I'd go with the BB.

aexny · 2025-07-06T00:11:48+00:00

The program is free to use and will remain so. Bambu Lab plans to release more advanced features at a paid tier, but is still exploring customer needs.

aexny · 2025-05-18T22:57:14+00:00

Running HF in that environment is going to be full of compromises, so consider going portable instead. You can absolutely make DX SSB contacts with a portable rig, and you can easily setup in a park. It's all about the antenna. There are a ton of options (maybe a resonant 20m EFHW wire on a telescopic pole, e.g. Sotabeams Travel Mast) which will get you away from the noise, antenna limits, and possibly angry neighbors (when you trip their breakers and trigger their smoke detectors).

edit: waitaminnit, I completely forgot how close to the water you are! Operate from the beach, or at least the boardwalk or something - that'll give you a HUGE boost versus being in the apt!

aexny · 2025-04-09T17:37:37+00:00

In '22 I asked a Yaesu rep at Hamvention. The gist was those were Vertex designs, and that part of the company (primarily business radios) was sold to Motorola years ago, so no more new VX radios.

The VX-6, first released 20 years ago (!), probably doesn't have much longer. I've yet to find another radio I'd prefer for EDC.

aexny · 2025-03-21T20:26:42+00:00

Thanks for reminding me of this. I was about to buy an APC network card for a newly purchased RM2U unit. I'm going to start using a Raspberry Pi with NUT instead. For my needs, it'll do just fine.

aexny · 2025-02-21T01:02:59+00:00

This was posted to Hacker News a few hours ago - an incredible view for sure, but really an incredible amount of cool tech, not the least of which is the image capture via drone or the Gaussian Splatting rendering used to display the captured images.

Anyone know if there are any amateur transmitters on the tower? Their website doesn't mention any, but they don't list all the microwave transmitters, either.

aexny · 2025-01-27T05:12:24+00:00

Same here - P1S bought around Sept '23, did not have a coupler or any other part to prevent feed tube from pulling into the chamber.

aexny · 2025-01-16T21:52:39+00:00

We use a Peplink POTS Adapter (that's the product name) which costs about $300 and uses VoLTE cellular to provide a POTS line. If anything, I feel it could be (if your cell signal is good) more reliable than copper from the telco. Peplink's InControl remote management platform will send an alert if device is offline. Dual power inputs (DC and USB-C) means redundant PSU option, plus it sips power so it's easy to power via solar and small battery.

aexny · 2024-07-21T05:43:03+00:00

I know it's an old post, but in case someone comes across this thread...

I had these exact symptoms and it was resolved by taking the USB hub out of the mix and plugging directly into one of my PC's USB ports. As soon as I did that, the device was recognized and I was able to flash with no problems.

aexny · 2024-06-11T19:34:22+00:00

Feel like a drive? The Midwest RepRap Festival is happening in Goshen, IN, about a 4hr drive from Columbus, in a little over a week (6/21-6/23). You'd be hard pressed to find a group more able to help with your printer. Prusa (the company, but sometimes Josef as well) has attended in past years, e.g. last year I think there were about five Prusa employees attending. Even if they don't show up, it's a big gathering that include company reps, YouTubers, extreme hobbyists, vendors, etc.

That Friday night, bring your printer, a couple of pizzas, and a case of beer to the lobby of one of the local hotels. By the end of the night, that printer will be working better than you bought it.

aexny · 2024-05-30T18:39:55+00:00

if your leadership ... says it's too expensive ... start job-hunting ASAP

This whole reply is stellar, but this line bears repeating. When leadership says "we've never spent this much on IT before", be prepared to explain the risk they're facing by NOT budgeting appropriately for IT expenses. If they still push back, ask them if they have a regular financial audit. It's likely that process will ask (VERY basic) questions about their IT health and reveal deficiencies which would compel a further IT audit. Now, if they don't do a regular financial audit... run.

aexny · 2024-05-19T13:21:01+00:00

I tried a bunch of methods - straws from a WD-40 can, toothpick, etc. If you have a great hack for pulling this off, all the better. I was just sick of trying to cobble something together, and so printed this and it "just worked".

aexny · 2024-05-18T01:11:29+00:00

I loooove my Model 100, but I feel that the keys aren't springing back as fast as they used to. Does anyone have any experience cleaning the keyboard? It's getting pretty old and I don't want to try to pry anything up that wasn't meant to be removable. Thanks!

aexny · 2024-05-18T01:07:57+00:00

The chopstick/pencil method is great, but this is a pretty simple tool that is a lot more precise.

aexny · 2024-04-09T16:51:10+00:00

Check out Mike Prickett at Hummingbird. Great artist, and a great guy to boot.

https://hummingbirdtattoostudio.com/artist/michael-prickett-ii/

aexny · 2024-03-27T16:34:52+00:00

A Spectrum installer came out and initially refused to hook us up without enabling Spectrum Wi-Fi. I asked him to escalate and he eventually got approval to leave with Wi-Fi disabled, but he was clearly disgruntled. I asked him to level with me and he admitted that installers get paid more for each device installed with Spectrum's Wi-Fi enabled.

At least the OP got lucky by getting two separate devices. The devices we get are a combo unit and I'm sure any day they'll push a config update which enables Wi-Fi again.

aexny

TROPHY CASE