When Tech Fails, You Move On to Another Part?

It's been a tough time lately. I was excited to learn more about making things, but some frustrating tech problems have put a few parts on hold. But as people say, when one door closes, a new one opens. For me, that meant starting on another part of this project, the mobile app!

My Ongoing Problem with Resin

My start with resin printing has been, to be honest, a failure. I recently got a Heygears resin printer, hoping to see the great detail it can make. Sadly, my lack of experience has really shown. It feels like every try is a new lesson in what not to do, and I've been having trouble getting a good print. It's hard to learn, and I'm still trying to get the hang of it.

The Bambu X1 LIDAR Problem

Just as I was dealing with my resin printing issues, my good old Bambu X1 FDM printer started having its own set of problems. The LIDAR was acting up and I couldn’t get a good first layer, so I needed to order a replacement LIDAR. This is where things got confusing.

Bambu only sells a dual-laser LIDAR now, but I needed a single-laser one for my earlier version fo this printer. To make it work, I also had to get a new TH board. I thought I had everything I needed, but while replacing the board, I messed up and nicked one of the cables! It was a bad mistake, and I’m now waiting to hear back from Bambu support on the best way to fix it.

Changing Plans to Work on the Mobile App

With both printers not working, I decided to move on to another part of the project. I’ve been meaning to spend more time on the PaperMETAR mobile app, and it felt like now was the right time.

I decided to use Flutter for the app. I’m happy to say that the work is going well and I am surprisingly happy with Flutter and Dart, even on iOS. I like how it looks so far. Below is a sneak peek of the first rough screen of the app. I will share more details about the app's features and how I'm building it in a future post, so keep an eye out!

While I hope to get my printers running again soon, I mam excited about how the app is coming along.