The only alternative to OrcaSlicer for 2023 is the Bambu Studio slicer; if you are using Bambu's products that slicer is the way to go. The ease of use in multicolor alone makes it worth it.

When choosing between Orca Slicer and SuperSlicer for 3D printing, several factors come into play, each catering to different needs and preferences:

1. **User Interface and Ease of Use**: Orca Slicer might have a more intuitive interface for beginners, emphasizing ease of use and simplicity. SuperSlicer, on the other hand, could be more complex, offering advanced settings for experienced users.

2. **Customization and Advanced Features**: SuperSlicer is known for its extensive customization options and advanced features, which can be crucial for high-precision or specialized 3D printing projects. Orca Slicer might be more streamlined, focusing on the most essential features.

3. **Community and Support**: The user community and the support available can be a significant factor. SuperSlicer might have a larger community, offering more resources like custom profiles, tips, and troubleshooting advice. Orca Slicer’s community might be smaller but potentially more focused on specific types of 3D printing.

4. **Compatibility with Printers and Materials**: Depending on the specific printer and materials you use, one slicer may offer better compatibility or optimized profiles. This factor often requires checking compatibility lists or seeking advice from the user community.

5. **Update Frequency and Development**: The pace of development and frequency of updates can impact your choice. A rapidly evolving slicer might introduce new features more quickly, but could also have more bugs. A more stable, slowly updated slicer could offer a more consistent experience.

6. **Cost and Licensing**: If there's a cost difference or different licensing models (like open-source vs. proprietary), this could influence your decision based on your budget and preferences for software ownership.

In conclusion, the choice between Orca Slicer and SuperSlicer depends on your specific needs, level of expertise, the type of 3D printing projects you undertake, and your preference for community support and software development style. It's often recommended to try both, if possible, to see which aligns better with your workflow and requirements.

As a 3D printing enthusiast, exploring tools that enhance our projects and workflow is always exciting. The LilyGo Meshtastic T-Beam 1.2 is one such tool that has grabbed our attention. This versatile development board is not just a gadget for tech enthusiasts but a potential game-changer for the 3D printing community. Here's why:

### Design and Build Quality
The T-Beam 1.2 boasts a robust build, compact and sturdy, ideal for integrating into various projects. Its design is thoughtful, with easy access to all ports and buttons. The lack of an included screen might be a downside for some, but it offers customization opportunities for those who prefer to add their own display.

### Meshtastic Software
Preinstalled with Meshtastic, this device shines in creating a long-range, GPS-enabled communication network. For 3D printing projects, especially those in remote or outdoor settings, this feature is invaluable. Imagine monitoring and coordinating multiple 3D printing setups at a maker fair or in a large workshop – Meshtastic makes this seamless.

### Connectivity and Performance
Equipped with the SX1262 LoRa module, the T-Beam 1.2 ensures long-range connectivity with low power consumption. This aspect is crucial when integrating the board into 3D printing projects that may require remote monitoring or operation.

### GPS Functionality
The M8N GPS module is a standout feature. For projects that involve geotagging or location-based triggers, this GPS functionality is a significant asset. Integrating it with 3D printed drones or mobile units opens up a realm of possibilities.

### Programming and Customization
With dedicated switches for power, programming, and reset, the T-Beam 1.2 is user-friendly. For those who love to tinker, the ability to update or modify the firmware is a plus, allowing for personalized project integration.

### Purchase and Support
Available on AliExpress and through a US distributor, Rokland, acquiring this board is relatively straightforward. However, the lack of a bundled screen and the need for some technical know-how for customization might be barriers for beginners.

### Conclusion
The LilyGo Meshtastic T-Beam 1.2 is not just another development board; it's a versatile, powerful tool that can revolutionize how we approach 3D printing projects. Its combination of long-range communication, GPS functionality, and customization makes it a worthy investment for any 3D printing enthusiast looking to expand their horizons. Whether you're a hobbyist or a professional, the T-Beam 1.2 is worth exploring for its potential to add efficiency, creativity, and connectivity to your 3D printing projects.

The eBOX Lite Dryer Box by eSun stands as a testament to innovation in filament storage, addressing the persistent issue of moisture-induced printing failures with a suite of upgraded features that set it apart in the 3D printing community.

Moisture, the bane of 3D printing enthusiasts, is effectively thwarted by the eBOX Lite's design. Tailored for hygroscopic filaments, this dry box maintains a constant temperature and humidity, ensuring filaments stay dry and ready for optimal printing performance.

The standout feature of the eBOX Lite is its efficient heating system. The upgraded built-in PI heating arc structure, coupled with an insulation cotton surrounding structure, enables the box to uniformly heat filament. Remarkably, the temperature inside the box reaches 50℃-55℃ within a mere 2 hours, and it remains consistently regulated, creating an environment conducive to high-quality prints.

Noise, often an overlooked concern, is addressed by the inclusion of a long-life, low-noise turbo fan in the eBOX Lite. This enhancement not only provides a quiet working environment, ideal for nighttime printing sessions, but also contributes to the longevity of the product. The low-noise feature is a game-changer, ensuring a harmonious coexistence with its surroundings.

The eBOX Lite boasts high compatibility, accommodating filament diameters of 1.75mm, 2.85mm, and 3.00mm, as well as spool sizes ranging from 0.5kg to 1kg. The transparent lid design simplifies filament checks without the need to open the lid, streamlining the printing process and saving valuable time.

Ease of use is a hallmark of the eBOX Lite Dryer Box. The user-friendly interface allows for temperature adjustments between 40℃ and 55℃, with a simple mode button facilitating easy navigation through settings. The option to set heating times from 0-18 hours adds a layer of customization, catering to various filament types and user preferences.

In conclusion, the eBOX Lite Dryer Box is a stellar addition to any 3D printing setup. Its upgraded features, including efficient heating, low noise, high compatibility, and user-friendly design, make it a standout solution for filament storage. For those seeking to elevate their printing experience by mitigating moisture-related challenges, the eSun eBOX Lite Dryer Box emerges as a reliable and indispensable companion.

Go to "Manufacturing" tab, and choose Machine Library. Under "Local" you will be able to import the Anolex 3020 setup; and it also works for the 3040 upgrade. The only other step really is to change any parameters you wish for your machine, and make sure to go to the "Post Processing" and choose grbl or ensure grbl is chosen from this import.

If the attachment gives you any trouble, find this in our downloads section as well.

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We are attaching a script you can use to harden your raspbian or Ubuntu server for running Mainsail or Octoprint and have a secure server that will not be hacked. I have seen clients whom have had raspberry pi or other linux server hacked literally within the first 12 hours of attaching to their network; there are ALWAYS people hunting to hack your devices and add them to a botnet. I recommend using this hardening guide at the very minimum, and make sure to research for each operating system. Some stuff is manually done, some is done by my script.

Save the script in your server via ssh as "harden.sh" and then make sure to "chmod +x harden.sh"

#!/bin/bash

# Update the package list and upgrade installed packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Enable Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) and allow necessary ports
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow 22  # Allow SSH
sudo ufw allow 80  # Allow HTTP (if applicable)
sudo ufw allow 443 # Allow HTTPS (if applicable)
sudo ufw allow 7125 # Allow moonraker
# sudo ufw allow 8080 # Allow crowsnest if you are using webcam, remove the #

# Disable root login and password authentication
sudo sed -i 's/PermitRootLogin yes/PermitRootLogin no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo sed -i 's/PasswordAuthentication yes/PasswordAuthentication no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo systemctl restart ssh

# Set up fail2ban to protect against brute force attacks
sudo apt install fail2ban -y
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
sudo systemctl start fail2ban

# Install and configure a firewall
sudo apt install -y iptables-persistent
# Add your firewall rules here
# Example: sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 7125 -j ACCEPT
# Save the rules: sudo service iptables-persistent save
sudo service iptables-persistent save
# Enable the rules to persist after a reboot: sudo service iptables-persistent start
sudo service iptables-persistent start

# Install and configure intrusion detection system (IDS)
sudo apt install -y rkhunter
sudo rkhunter --update
sudo rkhunter --propupd
sudo rkhunter -c --sk

# Regularly update and upgrade packages
echo "0 4 * * 1 root apt update && apt upgrade -y" | sudo tee -a /etc/crontab

# Install and configure automatic security updates
sudo apt install -y unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades

# Enable automatic updates for security patches
sudo sed -i 's,//\t"${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-security",\t"${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-security",g' /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades
sudo sed -i 's,//\t"${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-updates",\t"${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-updates",g' /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades

# Optional: Install and configure antivirus software
# sudo apt install -y clamav
# sudo freshclam

echo "Hardening script completed. Remember to review your firewall rules and adjust them according to your specific needs."

Once you have completed that script, follow this list and ensure each option is applied.

• Make a sudo-enabled user and stop using root! (Automatically done on most distributions)
  Lock the root account from user account -

  sudo passwd -l root

• Remove unneeded packages (Don't run this in a Qube, it may fuck up the utils for Qubes Tools) -

  sudo apt autoclean && sudo apt autoremove && sudo apt autopurge

• Install upgrades unattended for Debian -

  sudo apt install unattended-upgrades && sudo apt install apt-config-auto-update && sudo apt install powermgmt-base && sudo systemctl enable unattended-upgrades && sudo systemctl start unattended-upgrades

• Delete log history for the current session -

  sudo lastlog --clear --user <USER> && sudo lastlog -C -u <USER>

• Disable history persistence for downloads -

  sudo ln -s -f /dev/null ~/.wget-hsts

• Disable shell history completely -

  echo 'set +o history' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc && rm -rf ~/.bash_history && history -c

  
  *Alternatively you can just erase it after every session -

  sudo ln -s -f /dev/null ~/.bash_history*

• Disable shell history session persistence -

  sudo ln -s -f /dev/null ~/.bash_rc

• Disable history persistence for Python shells -

  sudo ln -s -f /dev/null ~/.python_history

• Limit SSH brute-force attacks - In this example, we drop connections from any IP address if it attempts to open more than 10 connections to the SSH port within 120 seconds.
  

  sudo iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -m state --state NEW -m recent --set
  sudo iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -m state --state NEW -m recent --update --seconds 120 --hitcount 10 -j DROP
  Limit HTTP/S requests - These rules continue to accept new connections as long as they don’t exceed the limit of 20 connections per minute from each IP address.
  sudo iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
  sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -m conntrack --ctstate NEW -m limit --limit 20/min --limit-burst 30 -j ACCEPT
  sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -m conntrack --ctstate NEW -m limit --limit 20/min --limit-burst 30 -j ACCEPT
  sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -m conntrack --ctstate NEW -j DROP
  sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -m conntrack --ctstate NEW -j DROP

This is just to get you started, and ensure you are following specific guides that fit your hardware and operating system/distro! Harden your installations to prevent being used by hackers.

Initial calibrations have been going well (extruder, first layer, a few calibration cubes), but as I am dialing in the Steps/mm for the X/Y/Z axes, the probe is attempting to probe points extremely close to, and now off the edge of the bed.

The latest attempt resulted in the gantry crashing into the front rails of the frame as it attempted to probe the final 4 points, almost like the print bed size is set incorrectly. The firmware for the CRTouch was obtained from Crealitiy's website, but my research is beginning to show that their firmware is pretty bad.

I appreciate any help you can provide, as I would like to print something besides paper thin plastic sheets and cubes.

I’m relatively new to 3d printing. Started out with a secondhand Tevo Tornado, which developed shifting in one axis. After a steep learning curve, a bit of cash, and much frustration, I have chosen to buy a Creality Ender 5 Pro, and haven’t looked back since. 

After putting about 3kgs of PLA through it, using the standard out of the box configuration it failed on the X axis. Found that the connection on the stepper was to blame, so I’ve replaced the motor and the cable, and now I’m back to printing. 

This morning I’ve woken up to a horrible noise coming from the hot end. The smaller cooling fan has failed a bearing. I am having trouble finding the correct replacement part. Everything I am finding is listed for the 5 Plus variant or other Creality printers. 

Does anyone know if any of the other variant fans will fit, or where to find the correct part?

Many thanks,

Horn20