It happened!

Following up on:

We set it up late last night and made our first print or cut… what are we calling them?

A couple things before I get into how amazing it is…

  • The box is of course A LOT bigger than I was expecting. Barely got it through the door. I had seen the unit in person at MakerFairNY but it looks so much bigger in my apartment.
  • It’s noisy. Not just loud but there are a lot of different noises, motor noise, pump noise, fan noise - because our room is small I might have to wear hearing protection (just so it doesn’t give me a headache).
  • It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be but you definitely need two people to move it especially though doors haha
  • The included hose is nothing special and the clamp does not match the manual. It comes with the worse clamp known to man soooo if you’re expecting a delivery head over to you home store and buy one of those screw type hose clamps.
  • Photo:
  • This might seem dumb but one thing that wasn’t in the manual (at least I couldn’t find it) was how to shut the Glowforge off… Any other owners what to chime in? I just flipped the switch because I couldn’t find anything haha
    *we didn’t get that black crumb tray :pensive:

Okay now onto the fun stuff!

The Glowforge is amazing, hands down, just turn it on and go. We didn’t have that much time so my wife and I each printed a founders ruler.

Photos:
In the box. Floor tiles are about 1’x1’ for scale.

Its new home (still moving in and need to clean!)

Starting it up!

Pressing that button!!!

First cut!!!

we’re going to be making some more things tonight so stay tuned!

64 Likes

Power switch. I reported a request a long way back to have some sort of real sleep mode (and shut the lights down!!) since it is noisy and bright when not using, and the power switch is annoying depending on placement of your GF (mine is easy to get to, but I can imagine against a wall it would be totally impossible)

11 Likes

That’s what we did. It seems wrong to just “pull the plug” but I get it. Our switch is a little hard to reach

5 Likes

until a potential software switch is rolled out (cc @dan) you might consider picking up one of the cheap wi-fi app-controlled outlets from some place like home depot. i bought an outdoor one for the christmas lights last year and it works a treat.

7 Likes

Thats a possibility… Its also plugged into a switched surge protecter that is within reach so I might just start using that

5 Likes

oh! well then, yes, that would be fine, too.

2 Likes

How exciting! Good for you! I’m glad it arrived in good condition.

I’m giving serious thought to how I’m going to get this thing in place. My wife hurt her back so she won’t be helping lift it, and the extended family is kind of far. I think I may have to camp out on delivery date and bribe the delivery guy to carry it with me down to the shop…

8 Likes

It looks like the design around The Button is a bit off.
I thought I read that that was fixed on production units? Or is it just the angle of the camera making it look off?

3 Likes

nope its offset. there are a couple things like that which set me off as a meticulous designer. that and the design on the glass lid not lining up with the sides… If you look at the picture of the glowforge in the box you can see this ever so slightly.

2 Likes

Kinda like getting a brand new car and noticing the rubber seals or joints aren’t consistent. I really notice the hood seams being off and have to fight the urge to try and align it to have a good look.

3 Likes

exactly… but none of this really changes the way it functions so I’m trying to look past it :dizzy_face:

6 Likes

Physically pulling the plug is tough on most electronics (I make zero claim wrt the GF). Plugging and unplugging with the electronic switch in the “on” position allows the current levels to “bounce” (vary) until the connection is stable. We’re talking microseconds, but that’s an eternity at the speed of light. Modern switches are designed to eliminate switch bounce, so you’re better off through a surge protector if you can’t access the installed power switch.

9 Likes

Interesting - I wasn’t aware of the difference. I think to be safe I’m going to try and use the switch but I would feel better about a shutdown protocol in the manual and or in the app.

1 Like

Since the switch and plug are right next to each other, there isn’t a reason to pull (it’s actually a slightly more awkward reach to get the cord)

3 Likes

That’s what I do. I have the GF, my laptop’s power adapter and extra monitor plugged into a switched power strip. I glued magnets to it and it attaches to the metal cabinet the GF is sitting on so I can shut everything down with a single switch that’s on the front of the side of the cabinet.

3 Likes

I am sure it would have to withstand switch bounce to pass CE regulations. There are a whole load of mains flicker and surge tests.

3 Likes

I was actually referring to the male (wall socket) end of the cord. Guess I misunderstood this reply:

1 Like

Sorry to hear about your wife’s back. I hope she heals soon. As for help getting it setup, start showing coworkers, neighbors, etc. the Glowforge promo video and let them know you’ve got one coming. I bet you could recruit all kinds of help in return for “come on over and use it now and then” invitations.

4 Likes

I think there’s confusion all around haha

I wasn’t aware of the difference and was referring to flipping the switch. I can see now that there is a difference.

Delighted for you! I love hearing about all the new arrivals. I am still in awe of having one to play with.

1 Like