By Bob Kreutzer
Locked down, but not out.
Last issue I showed my “lock down project”. A good friend lent me His Ender 2 3D printer. At ~$200 it is an absolutely great deal on an entry level 3D printer. I can recommend it. I wanted to add a full ordinance load onto my MQ-9 project. So I jumped in with both feet and learned a new skill. Like most things, once you get the hang of it, well it becomes pretty easy. Basically there are 3 steps.
1: Obtain an STL file of what you want to print.
2: Download a slicing program (more on that)
3: Put your sliced STL file into the printer and press the on button.
OK. An STL file is to a 3D printer as a PDF file is to a regular printer. Nothing more.
A slicing program (I used CURA and do recommend it highly) allows you to place the project in the proper place on the 3D printer bed. It also allows you to size it to your needs. You press the SLICE button and everything magically happens. Then tell it to copy onto a SD card.
Take the SD card and insert it into the 3D printer. Scroll through like, 2- 3 menu options and press “PRINT”. That’s pretty much it.
So here is what I did:
