Training course ideas please

Hi Everyone now that I have your attention here is the next major project I am going to take on.

I have in the past in other jobs developed technical training manuals and courses. Was kinda funny I got an e-mail the other day trying to get me to sign up for a course that I originally developed. That being said I think there is a need for this in our hobby and I want to get all of your input into it.

1st question is do you think there is a need?
2nd Would you split it up into 2 courses being “basic” and “advanced” or would you cram it into one course?
3rd, How would you prefer for it to be delivered? Online, In-person, or via book?
4th, what are your top 2 topics you think should be covered? I know this is going to be a hard one for some but if at all possible let’s compile a list of all topics?

I know we in Ontario are all going back into lockdown, I’m going to try and make it productive and help whoever I can.

Bump up the list, Inset Caracter pad here

You certainly have my attention.

  1. Yes, I would say it is needed
  2. It’s a pretty huge topic so splitting it would make sense. It was also make sense from the perspective that the people who need this most are going to be beginners. You can develop the course for that market first and test it out before committing the time to doing the more advanced stuff
  3. In person would be cool but definitely limits the reach. Online makes sense to me. I use Udemy for various courses and that seems like a pretty good platform since you can ask/answer questions, update the course material for corrections or updates, the pricing is reasonable, and the reach would be large.
  4. Immediate thought is to split it up into 3 main sections:
    physical hardware and mechanical - build tips, proper checks and maintenance, differences between motion systems, extruder types, all that sort of stuff
    firmware and menus - some printers have different options and there are lots of firmware features that can be enabled by using different firmware. Maybe cover some basics of editing firmware. Also include some commonly used Gcode commands
    Slicers - how to create printer and material profiles, discuss the use of the different settings.

Those are just some off the top of the head initial thoughts. I’ll keep this in mind and share more ideas as they come to me.

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thanks Blair, that’s exactly what I am looking for, I have many ideas floating around and want to get it all out in a very concise manor, sometimes the feedback solidifies the ideas.

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There are many topics that are in dire need of some kind of teaching. Home printing is so new that there just isn’t much out there. Many of the people in the know from the early days, just a few years ago, forget that to us newbies we don’t always understand what they are talking about as well as they might think we should. There is a lot of knowledge available on the web but it is spread out among to many sources that requires to much time spent trying to track it down. A unified course would be good on any subject.

Going basic or advanced would depend on the actual topic you pic and how much there is to learn.

Videos (online or maybe on YouTube) would be the best for a student trying to understanding the subject, pictures beat words but after that I would go with a book. In-person, while probably the best option, just isn’t practical anymore.

A good subject would be a detailed understanding of the Jyers Ui firmware, there is very little available. I’ll second the slicer topic but editing firmware might actually be better.

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I definitely concur what others have said … myself being a beginner and need to learn right from the start … although I live close to your shop … online is good as well :slight_smile:

Brian

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I love this idea. Especially beacuse I recently got into doing teaching as I was laid off last year.

  1. I defidently think there is a need for a course. When I was getting started in 3d printing, I was interested in taking a course for it. Unfortunatly there didnt seem to be any available at that time either they didnt exist, or covid canceled them.

  2. I would split it up.

With the Basics covering subjects like terminology, types of printers, some inital history of 3d printing, important steps when assembling a printer (make sure things are snug, square, make sure the nozzle is installed correctly), how to prepare a slicer (perhaps a run through of the different common free slicers like cura, prusaslicer and superslicer), a discussion on different types of filaments, and finally common printing problems (wet filament, nozzle clogs, over/under extrusion, bed level issues, adhesion tricks) Overall I would lean this course to being an intro to 3d printing with a basis of useing an ender 3.

For an advanced class I would go in deeper detail about how control boards work (generally anyway), how to configure firmware (maybe a course on its own for compilling different flavours of firmware), different mods to consider (linear rails, ABL, rasberry pi, different hotends), and how to print more exotic filaments such as nylon, flexables. I would lean this course onto someone who may be building a printer, or use something like a core xy, or delta.

  1. Im a fan of PDF formats, so I can progress at my own pace, but videos would be best if this were to be offered for free. Personally I’d do this as an in house course, but im not sure how feasable that can/will be.

  2. I really ant bring it down to 2 topics that need to be covered and hope my pints in the previous question help. I’m sure there are more points to add, but its a start.

If you want help putting this togeather i’d love to participate, I just find i need a bit of a deadline/expectation to motivate me to get things done.

I agree with Blair on the splits.
Sign me up for all, I am sure there is something there to learn, even though I have been doing this for 6 years.

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Hey Guys, Thanks. I have been working on the TOC/outline for the course will see if I can finalize the order and details and post it up over the weekend and make sure it makes sense. As long as there is a need (as I know there is) Hopefully the demand will rise with it as well.

I love doing the education part of it as much as the technical building of it. I appreciate everyone’s input and if it’s OK I may keep this thread active to post any new ideas you may have.

The basic premise for it right now is going to be basic / Advanced troubleshooting and I think I am going to put firmware as a separate beast. Going to try and keep it a little light with some solid knowledge.

The Working title of it right now is; I just got a 3D printer, now what?

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In my narrow experience, it seems after learning the basics, a working knowledge of firmware and upgrading components would be great.
To this day, I am baffled how a skeezy outfit like BQ can mop the floor with Creality on things like beds, firmware, and UIs.
I don’t know how you would incorporate that into a general program, though.
My guess is a basic course that applies universally, and then branch out for specific issues and tech.

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I think there should also be a section on 3D design, such Fusion 360, etc. How to create designs, best formats to save as, resolution, and how to modify an existing STL design, just to name a few.

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I agree that Fusion is a very good thing to be learning to compliment 3d printing but learning that is a whole other path. There are already lots of great tutorials to learn Fusion.
I started with buying a course on Udemy which on sale was like $20 and covered quite a bit and was easy to follow. From there I have one YouTube channel I always watch that has really good tips for slightly more advanced modelling.

As far as the things in cad design that are specific for 3d printing you really just have to keep things like overhangs in mind and the orientation of the part for what direction the layer lines will be if it needs to be structural. Things like the clearances that you give parts is dependant on how well tuned your printer will be and you can quickly figure that out with some test prints.

File formats is easy, STL or 3mf. Both work fine and are super easy to export out of Fusion.

Sounds like a great idea! I would also add a section on setting up and using Octoprint and simple instruction on connecting fans, lights, cameras, etc.

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I agree with the interplanetary ungulate.

Octoprint and cameras would be good material as well as using Pronterface for a bit more basic approach.

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I agree with all of the above :slight_smile:

Brian

Hey All, Sorry been out for a couple of days with COVID, Have to say not a fun experience

I think As I am trying to plan it out I am going to start it with a troubleshooting guide.

I want to make it the most pertinent first. Seems most need to troubleshoot first before anything else… I’m gonna work it a bit backward from that point on

I’m no expert in Fusion by any stretch so I think I may leave that part to someone better than I. I could give some basics but beyond that I don;lt think I would be able to add much to the party.

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Hey Jason … sorry to hear you contracted the virus ! :frowning: … hope your on the mend.

I really appreciate you stepping up with this course … I’m confident it will help a lot of people.

Brian
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Jason look at the bright side, now that you have had it your safe until you catch it again. :laughing:

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LOL, apparently I am safe for 180 days :slight_smile:

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https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/41773600.jpg

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