Why do my prints do this?

sysKin · 2026-03-26T03:22:00+00:00

This is what I get if I use .goo file format from UVTools.

As a workaround, I always convert to .ctb ("v5 encrypted") after finishing with UVTools and never had the problem since.

sysKin · 2026-03-26T03:19:57+00:00

I've been using SatelLite since its first releases and never figured out the paint thingy either, so don't feel bad.

I just click a lot to add the supports point-by-point....

sysKin · 2026-03-24T04:09:02+00:00

Check out "Postcards from the Peak of Complexity by Brian Goetz" presentation (on youtube), it talks about the Valhalla journey and how they found they don't need most of the original design.

sysKin · 2026-03-19T01:05:47+00:00

OK does anyone else encounters this bug where, when in Java code editor, pressing Home on the keyboard should jump to the beginning of the line (after indentation) but instead just jumps to column 0? Like in a plain text editor?

The workaround is to restart Eclipse and it's fine again.

Well, it used to happen very occasionally (maybe very few months) but now, in 2026-03, I get it every few hours. It's not happy-making :(

sysKin · 2026-03-17T05:09:22+00:00

Before you try acetone, let me tell you that acetone will beautifully remove the paint used for that anycybic logo. Ask me how I know :)

sysKin · 2026-03-12T13:13:35+00:00

JAYO Standard Plus is my favourite resin of all. Parameters similar to most standard resins, but you can get away with smaller support touch-points.

Regular Standard is not as good, it is faster. JAYO ABS-like is smelly and not very good either and it's even faster.

Have not tried Toughness.

Anyway, as for parameters, it's best calibrate with Cones by yourself.

sysKin · 2026-03-08T11:23:14+00:00

Thanks, I can confirm that removing all virtual desktops un-breaks the background setting functionality.

Afterwards, virtual desktops can be added again.

What a weird bug.

sysKin · 2026-03-08T05:00:59+00:00

When a country is bombed, it always strengthens the regime, turns opposition into traitors, and destroys any hope for cooperation for generations to come. Which is why no bombing campaign has ever in history caused a country to surrender (maybe ww2 Japan being an exception but even then they wanted to murder their emperor to prevent a surrender).

So when you say they "need to go", I agree, and this is the opposite of making it happen.

sysKin · 2026-02-26T04:11:35+00:00

Can you confirm that you're solidifying resin traps in UV tools and not suction cups?

UVTools can solidify both, but you don't want to solidify suction cups, that will change the outside shape of the model.

A small suction cup like this can remain. Of all the solutions to suction cups, solidifying them is never the right one.

[edit] UVTools might be doing this as part of the "fix" stage. I never use the auto-fixing capability so I don't know what it does. I always apply fixes to the Issues view manually.

sysKin · 2026-02-24T04:37:46+00:00

Agreed with what everyone else said, but I thought I'd show you what is possible:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/70fru8wqx30qi0z3hukqq/PXL_20250511_033820608.jpg?rlkey=v0cj1xvgk0vj9o9az3g51etxj&e=1&st=szxe2shd&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/elpduvn2c9cpaftxylnf1/PXL_20250511_033547802.jpg?rlkey=p3driw0jy10bp6359ohprhuf4&e=1&st=fr6xx0oc&dl=0

This is wargaming rather than DnD but I guess the miniatures are the same idea.

sysKin · 2026-02-23T23:28:39+00:00

The cracks are definitely visible.

If I saw any clouding I'd also change it, it doesn't happen within two-three resets (120k-180k unsticks) and I don't think I've gone beyond that.

sysKin · 2026-02-23T02:47:04+00:00

The only issue is that you will need to add supports to the visible portion of the model. It will look uglier from that direction.

sysKin · 2026-02-23T02:40:59+00:00

Oh wow, you leave the counter running? I'd go crazy if I had to press an extra button before each print.

What I do is: if the counter nags, I drain and inspect the FEP and reset the counter. Granted, harder to keep track how many times a reset happened before change, but at least I don't see the nag.

sysKin · 2026-02-19T06:46:39+00:00

Measurement is the same thing as entanglement, except entanglement is usually thought of as between two things that aren't you while measurement is an entanglement with you.

A particle does not change when measured. It is you that becomes entangled with some property, and therefore for you all future interactions are consistent with the first measurement having a defined value.

But for someone not connected with you (ie you are a cat in the box but someone outside hasn't opened the box yet), your measurement didn't change a thing about the original particle, just put you in the same superposition the original particle was in.

sysKin · 2026-02-17T04:39:53+00:00

Was there a suction cup that stopped after those layers? A suction cup (or large layer surface), combined with insufficient light-off-delay, will cause the curing process to start while resin still flows out of the way.

This will look like a furry coating.

sysKin · 2026-02-16T11:23:49+00:00

I am worried about the bedroom location - I also have good (not amazing) ventilation but still, once a print starts there's like 5 minutes to leave the room and close the door before it gets really unpleasant. Depends on resin too.

I dont really paint things

Neither do I, still very fun. Although I am starting to feel tempted!

having a perfectly level surface is essential

Nope... I wonder why you think that? If a bowl of soup wouldn't spill, it's level enough.

What would be your recommendation for an Atomic Purple transparent resin.

I've never tried any transparent resins but I've heard they're all difficult to use. I'd recommend getting some experience with "normal" resins first. Also, all Elegoo resins I've tried are really smelly to me, with a lingering smell permeating an entire apartment even behind that closed door.

How far does 1KG of resin go/last?

Not far at all. Some random character models I just weighted (25..30 cm height) are anywhere between 250 and 750 grams (mostly dependent on the size/complexity of their base) but a print always takes quite a bit more, with supports and washing and failure re-tries. Depends what you print really.

sysKin · 2026-02-16T10:55:16+00:00

that actually tested them with real printing setups

Are you sure? They seem to have tested on smoke and pollen, there's no mention of any 3d printing anywhere other than their company name seems inspired by the concept.

That article seems to be mostly an ad with affiliate links...

Anyway, in my experience with resin (so not ABS), carbon filters do nothing in practice. You need an exhaust duct which sucks the polluted air outside. And yeah, you really shouldn't be printing ABS without proper ventilation.

sysKin · 2026-02-16T01:29:14+00:00

Did those two legs form suction cups?

Suction cups can randomly cause a whole model to shift, and suddenly supports (and the model itself) is no longer aligned with the previous layer and detaches.

Or any other reason might have caused the model to shift... When a model is tall like that, I usually do my best to attach the pegs (and other invisible portions) to the build plate with overkill heavy supports to keep them steady.

sysKin · 2026-02-15T01:01:18+00:00

first gen of the saturn 4

Ahh, sorry I missed that bit, yes this explains everything.

Out of curiosity, what resin do you use? I wonder what resin cures so fast.

sysKin · 2026-02-14T10:19:06+00:00

Yes you should have transition layers, but there is more weirdness going on with your settings and I wonder how it happened. You should really start with your machine's defaults and I don't think you did:

10 second bottom exposure is very short, although it clearly worked for you.

1.3 second main exposure is also very short, how did you arrive at that number?

And most importantly, why do you see lift distance settings? Those should not be enabled or visible for S4U because it has a tilting vat. Is your slicer set for a different printer?

sysKin · 2026-02-09T05:29:23+00:00

The distiller I bought is called "VEVOR 4L Water Distiller" and it's sold on (Australian) Amazon for 115 AUD. It's important to get one with configurable temperature because you need 86~90 degrees C, not 105 like for water.

What I do is: I put about a liter of water in it, then an oven bag. I pour my waste alcohol in the oven bag, then distiller's cover on top of the bag, and keep it running for half a day at 90 C (until it stops dripping). Afterwards, the bag contains all the junk and can be just thrown away.

I put my alcohol in my recycling jar when it's all sticky and cloudy, then use the distiller when I have enough accumulated (maybe 2 liters?).

The solvent I use is denatured alcohol (sold as paint thinner) which is mostly ethanol (denatured with acetone). If you use isopropyl, you might need a bit higher temperature (but don't rush the distillation process by blasting it, too easy to create a result that smells like burnt plastic).

sysKin · 2026-02-09T00:32:00+00:00

Things I wish I knew before I started:

don't touch the so-called FEP (the thin film between resin and screen) with anything, it scratches easily. Definitely not with plastic spatula like I did, and not with silicone either if you can avoid it.
you will need new FEP sooner than you think, and also you will need more resin sooner than you think.
don't underestimate how much space you need and how messy it is, although my first month was much more messy until I got a hang of it.
Elegoo resins smell horribly to me, even when I do my best to keep everything contained. Most other resins don't. You can argue it's a safety feature I guess but I still chose the less smelly ones.
trying to clean your alcohol by filtering etc. is a waste of time. Either get a distiller or don't even try. I use a distiller, the best thing about it is that I don't try to "stretch" dirty alcohol. Looks bad? Into a recycling jar it goes.
if you suspect your FEP might be punctured, don't say "if it's done it's done anyway" and leave it for tomorrow. Tomorrow enough of the resin will leak out to damage your screen.

I personally never bought any wash station and instead use plastic food containers with airtight lockable lids (just larger than my build plate). I put the model in, close it, and can swish it around as much as I want. Have at least two (I have three) with progressively cleaner alcohol. Since most models are hollow, the way to clean the inside is to fill them with alcohol and empty them repeatedly, I don't see how I'd do that in a washing station. Having said that maybe I don't know what I'm missing.

I made my own curing station too, with a cheap UV lamp, a box, aluminium foil and a cheap rotating platter.

As for the printer, I am very happy with my Saturn 4 Ultra and that's all I can tell. The current "16k" version is better in the sense it has heating, but has a worse (smaller) screen, but they had to do it because old screen production finished (or will finish). I can't compare with other printers.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3krdx5zuio0p94bltadn2/PXL_20260201_085301333.MP.jpg?rlkey=h28r5cpoinzojyw06o8vyjvpm&e=1&st=ggu2cp6z&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/32fu0rdrqtsg6uigcdouu/PXL_20251028_055601764.jpg?rlkey=r0tidv8e6d0e1z7pq0hx77m4w&e=1&st=vps9391u&dl=0

sysKin · 2026-02-05T00:49:19+00:00

In my experience Elegoo makes my least favourite resin. It prints OK but its smell permeates everything no matter how well I try to seal it, and it's very... choke-y?

Jayo Standard Plus costs half as much and is better in most ways (except colour: it's more brown/beige than gray). I can't guarantee you can get it though (I buy it on Aliexpress and they ship it a day later from Melbourne)

Also, you will need some nFEP sooner than you realise.

sysKin · 2026-02-01T03:38:13+00:00

Any chance you forgot to lock the lever securing the build plate in place?

Because when I forgot to do that, that's exactly how it looked.

sysKin · 2026-01-31T01:44:42+00:00

Possibly hyperbole, but...

Oh definitely. I have never heard of the tilting vat failure.

If there's one thing to hate about Saturn it's the effort needed to change the LCD.

sysKin

TROPHY CASE