I’ve got 3 on my list.
- BT-PAN Access Point - Kinda ridiculous, but I’d like to have one. I’ve also found a few BT-PAN-enabled dial-up modems, but I’d have no way to connect those up. Some of those could even be connected to USB printers for wireless printing. Not particularly useful anymore, I just find those devices interesting.
- Dot matrix printer - This one isn’t even as ridiculous. I really love that sound and how the text they print looks. Sadly, if I am looking for new ones, a basic 9-pin Epson dot matrix is around €200. But the ribbons are cheap as chips. In fact, often even cheaper. Just imagine casually handing out a document printed on dot matrix to someone nowdays.
- Nano pocket drone - Something like FQ777-124. Maybe a toy like that is a bit childish, but it still can be fun. In fact I already tried to order this one. From 4 different sellers, twice on AliExpress, twice on Amazon. I never got it :(
A 3D Printer, I think I’d enjoy making small “functional” things.
I thought that, too but I mostly make small non-functional things, which is also nice
I like the idea, but I fear that I would quickly run out of things to print that I actually need. After then I’d start looking for applications. And the one thing I don’t need in my life are more small (or large) plastic things.
Fixing and adapting things around the house is what I like most about having a 3d printer.
I’m pretty sure the first printer is now paid for itself by doing that. Just because of things I haven’t had to pay to replace. As of this summer I’m up to 3 printers and I can’t claim I’ve paid for all 3.
I have a CNC router for work, but I do use it for random things around the house occasionally. Building shelves is suddenly a lot easier…
Can you give some examples of things you’ve replaced? I’m just curious
Sure.
- Feet for my keyboard
- Some shims for an over door set of hooks that were too wide for all our doors
- A knob for my garage door
- A chock for the same garage door
- The screw rings that hold the shades on a floor lamp
- A cap for some antique bellows that my grandfather made (so it can go in storage and not end up full of rodents)
- All sorts of screws and rods and covers of various sorts.
I’m about to design a new ceiling lamp nut for our kitchen, because the original has gone missing after a light bulb change. I’ll use a spare metal nut then print a cover to go on it so it looks intentional.
That’s amazing, thanks!
Me too until I had access to one through work. I’ve found PLA to be quite brittle and not very useful for anything other than items that sit on a shelf
A lot of it is just knowing how to design around the limitations. I 3D print practical parts all the time and usually don’t have any issues with them. If PLA doesn’t work for what you want to print PETG is pretty easy to print as well and is a bit more resilient.
Polymaker pla pro is a great pla. I have printed plenty of functional things with it and they all hold up really well. If you really need something more durable nylon 6 would be a good option to look at.
Same, but I would be picky and not want a small one. But still would end up as a decorative object, so…
I want one too but I’m scared I won’t use it. I’m holding off until I meet someone with one and see it in person
somebody said try your local library (this is probably a US thing)
Do it! I recently purchased one and love it. Feel free to ask questions if you have any.
What are everyday uses for a 3D printer?
Great for fixing items around the house. Anything that is plastic or could be replaced with plastic can usually be printed. Also great for hardware and jigs. I’ve had mine for a bit over a month now and have been constantly running it. Check out printables or thingiverse to get an idea of what people are printing. Both are websites people upload models to.
it’s not a priority right now, maybe when I get extra money.
I’m looking forward to it though
Check your library. Mine has one available to use at many of the branches in my area. If I ever come up with something to print instead of buying one I’m going to try that out. Then if I decide to get really into it, I’ll have practical knowledge to know what I’d actually want to buy.
Instead, I’ve just never done any 3D printing, which is also fine.
is this a US thing? I don’t think we have these in our country.
I don’t think it’s necessarily universal in US libraries either. I’m not in a big city, but overall our library system is pretty good. They have a number of branches with “maker labs” so there are things like Cricuts, sewing machines, laser cutters, audio recording/production equipment and 3D printers you can rent. I’d recommend at least checking around.
A Flipper Zero. I probably have the components to make something functionally equivalent, but that form factor, all-in-one nature, and simple UI look nice.
I have no need for it, I just want to tinker.
Same. Also a lockpicking learning set. Just seems fun.
It might sound dumb, but I thought for a long time if it was worth to buy a tablet or not. Because I suspected I wouldn’t even use it if had it. Then I found a great sale that helped me confirm my suspicion.
I lounge around and browse Lemmy on mine.
If you don’t use it, maybe you could mount it in the kitchen to pull up recipes on. That’s what I would do, anyway
That and a music remote if you have some Bluetooth speakers about the place.
I bought a convertible Chromebook some time ago specifically to use as a sheet music reader, because the tablet I was using for that purpose was too small.
A cnc laser cutter with enough watts so it could cut thin metal but also acrylic and wood and stuff.
I would love to make rc airplanes, and medieval armor, and fun stuff like that
An electric bike.
Always wanted one. Will never, ever happen though. The thousands of dollars they cost will always be better spent on bills/food/meds/doctors appointments.
I felt the same, so I built one for around 5-600usd. If you have a bike, you can turn it into an e bike.
You can get kits to retro fit a standard push bike. I think you can do that for a few hundred.
every decent conversion kit I’ve seen has been around a grand, and still requires you to buy a decent bike to put it on, plus puts the onus on me to not fuck everything up.
Ah fair enough. I had second hand info from my partner who was looking into it. He already had a spare bike to convert and he didn’t think it was too expensive to do - favoured the option over buying an actual E bike that he wasn’t positive he’d use much.
saw a setup with a dewalt drill before
I said I didnt want to pay thousands. :p
- A bike. My last one was stolen off my apartment balcony
- A kayak. Nowhere to put it though, and the balcony is out of the question thanks to 1.
- The best lock for bike and kayak.
;)
Where do you live? I might have a kayak to sell.
So the thief climbed up to your balcony to steal your bike? What floor do you live on?
Yes. It’s the second floor. I was surprised and not sure how they managed to get down with it. It wasn’t a new or expensive bike by any means, actually an old used one I repaired with salvaged parts.
They have folding kayaks if that would suffice. There’s also some types that break into pieces and slide into each other like cups taking a 12 foot kayak down to like 3 feet.
I’d avoid inflatables in most cases though.
Aren’t the folding ones like super expensive?
$500 for an Oru Lake
$280 for a Tucktec 10’
There are other models but those seem to be the most popular.
They can absolutely get crazy expensive and started that way but have come down in price a lot.
That’s unexpected, thx
Same, I’m also currently looking for a kayak and it surprised me as well since when I last looked there wasn’t one under 1k.
Now of course they are limited compared to a normal kayak but for someone in an apartment that has no other options it would at least get them something until their living arangement allowed them to get a proper one.
And if all you ever want to to is casually hang out on flat water it really doesn’t limit you at all.
I know a guy who has one with stabilising air pockets on the side so it can actually be used along the coast for fishing but that one is super expensive
It would probably/possibly work without them but the issue with folding kayaks on the sea or rivers is more impacts, there’s a lot of rocks in the fun rivers and in the ocean/sea there’s reefs and other abrasives.
Whereas with a rotomolded kayak its durable enough to even be used for rentals in those conditions. You pretty much don’t have to give a shit with a rotomold since they can take a lot of abuse.
E-bike. I’m faster than most of them on a road bike, and the limited range would drive me nuts, but I would like to have one for running errands
A hardcore ~$10k Xeon workstation with an Nvidia A100 GPU for AI stuff
A hidden shelf door, ie “Murphy Door”. No practical purpose for this other than maybe privacy/security for my master bedroom. I just think it’d look cool as hell to have a hidden door.
- Vintage typewriter - still looking into brands and such as there are so many up for sale on the market. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
- Reed diffusers - a not-too-expensive splurge. Lavender would be nice.
- A pretty suncatcher to hang on my window and take advantage of all the sunny days we’ve been having
i bought myself a pink lava lamp. it arrives in 2 weeks. i am SO excited to stare mindlessly at it for hours.
lava lamps scare the shit out of me… every one I’ve had has blown up. No I didnt futz with them or use the wrong wattage light bulb or anything.
whoa what happened?
I’unno. They just blew up. I assume they got to hot some how, blew the stopper like a geyser and had hot wax and whatever liquid all over the ceiling and floor and wall and everything.
3 differnet lava lamps. one actual, legitimate lava lamp, two different knockoff ones.
- A stand mixer, I’ve always wanted one but don’t have the space or the money.
- A dreamcast, I foolishly sold the one I had and I miss it a lot.
- An iPad just to try Procreate. I’ve seen videos that make it look like the bees knees and it really catches my attention.
I have a stand mixer that I acutely never use. It’s decent and almost new.
Maybe I can get it somehow to you.
Thanks! I appreciate the intention but considering that I live in Mexico, probably with the shipping cost I could afford a new one, hahaha.
I’m with you on the iPad for Procreate. I also just want something I can take to bed or outside so I can draw, and the drawing tablet I have only works on desktop/laptop with too many wires running across, so I usually only use it for graphic work or cleaning up sketches
Indeed, having to carry only one screen to draw on sounds very tempting.
I love my stand mixer! I don’t have room either, but I still carry it back and forth to and from the kitchen to use it all the time. It’s pretty difficult to carry for me but still less work than kneading for ten minutes.
A small construction excavator. I hate having to move dirt and gravel around with a shovel by hand.
A trailer. Would also come in useful for the aforementioned item.
My list of tech that I plan to get eventually someday:
- A dragon box pyra
- A gpd micro pc
- Pine phone pro
If you work hard, I’ll bet you could have the Pyra in Two Months™️
Thinking of getting the pine phone pro first since its the cheapest of the lot and it being shipped early is more certain than the pyra.
Thermal Camera.
They’re just so cool. Super useful for checking the effectiveness of stuff like insulation or heat sinks, and can be used to find hot spots you didn’t know existed.
I just have trouble justifying dropping $300 on something I would only get maybe an hour max of usefulness from before it sits in a box for years.
I got to use a thermal cam for research out in the desert for a summer photographing rattlesnake ambush sites, it was awesome.
(From what we could tell the snakes in fact did not use thermal cues for their ambush sites, just their eyes. But I got to play with a thermal cam)
I did this but with an infrared thermometer gun. As far as everyday use goes, it’s super helpful for cooking.
Seems like the kind of thing that could be rented out like those carpet/sofa cleaners. Except it’s probably too costly of a gadget to trust a layman to handle with care?
Steamdeck. My laptop is outdated and having hardware issue; I also can’t justify buying a decent PC tower. I have consoles but I miss a lot of the PC only games like the wargame series and HOI4.
I’ve a deck and it’s an amazing bit of kit. Valve hit it out of the park with it. I’ve found very little it can’t run, and the controls are excellent. The fact it has a full Linux desktop available and lets you play around with things is just icing on the cake.
