📙 #046 - Unexpected drawing machine in the bagging area

Tough Manly Viking

Going to be a rough and ready one this week, due to studio news, see at the bottom of the newsletter, so I’m doing this one live in the substack editor.

Normally I write these out in my code editor (Cursor, which thankfully doesn’t try and use AI to help me as I write) and then copy the whole lot over to Grammarly to check for typos and, well, grammar. That’s what it used to do, now it checks for typos and grammar with AI, whatever that means. I assume it either means exactly the same as before or they fired all the engineers and pipe everything to OpenAI’s API.

Either way the net result is this may have more typos than normal, and I won’t get little red underline squiggles making me feel guilty about using the word “so” to start a paragraph too many times, and that “kinda” isn’t a real word.

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# OBLIGATORY DISLAIMER

Still from the unboxing video

So, a few weeks back I talked about setting the brush height, with code on an Axi/NextDraw pen plotter, something that’s slightly harder than it should be. Which was great and all, but I got some people asking if it was possible with the iDraw pen plotter. And having an iDraw v2 plotter I could quickly reply that the answer was “no”, you can only throw SVG files at it via Inkscape, there’s no API or coding layer.

Soon after that I got an email from the iDraw people saying they had a new plotter that you could talk to directly, interesting, but also a new machine, the iAuto (“Automatic Handwriting Machine- Auto Feeding Pen Plotter for Bulk Writing”), and which one do I want to try out for a review?

Now, for some reason I got it in my head the new plotter that they were talking about was the iDraw H SE/A3 ‘cause…

Support Stand-alone Command Line Interface (CLI) and Available iDraw Python API: This feature provides flexibility for advanced users, enabling control through a command line interface and offering an API for integration with custom Python scripts, enhancing automation and customization.

Despite my interest in handwriting and the iAuto, I figured I wanted to try this new iDraw machine out because a) CLI and python and b) I fried the old iDraw v2 when I accidentally attempted to plug the power into the USB port ⚡️🙀 but we’ll keep that a secret just between ourselves.

So imagine my surprise when I opened the box and it was a full on BUILT LIKE A FRICKING TANK of a machine, the UUNA TEK 3.0. Even more so because I was recording the unboxing for a video, which suddenly swerved from what I thought I was going to be making a video about, to this new beast of a machine.

Now the disclaimer; I don’t for a moment think they sent the machine to me out of the kindness of their hearts (and I totally could have abused that by asking for the more expense iAuto if that was what I was in this for) - no, it’s because I’m a “YouTuber*”, and I guess that makes me an influencer now 🤷‍♂️

Anyway, after the plotter arrived I got a follow up email that included…

“Please share the review before it's published to make sure there is no misunderstanding, thanks”

…which is absolutely not going to happen, lol.

It comes with it’s own software, which is Windows only and I’m on a Mac, so that’s not getting tested. It has a new Inkscape extension, which converts SVG into GCODE, which I won’t use ‘cause I can’t stand Inkscape.

The part I’m interested in is talking to it directly in GCODE over the serial port, which I had up and running about 5 minutes after plugging the machine in.

I will actually have a video review up on YouTube soon™️, and I don’t think they need to worry too much, because so far so good, in that I’ve gotten it to draw a square and nothing’s fucked up and there’s no cable management issues with this one.

Also, it has lubricated balls, and I really like the pen holder.

Z-height thingy and springy pen holder

POWER & PORT, far enough apart for me not to screw up this time

Talking to the machine on the serial port with python

But, based on the fact that I’ve received four emails in the last week all asking about autofeeding handwriting machines, perhaps I should have asked for the iAuto.

Datapoint; about 80% of questions I get asked based on my YouTube videos are “how do I automate handwriting”, so if you’re looking for a pen plotting niche that’s going to get you more traffic than making art, that’s it!

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# *YOUTUBER

I know I’m one now because for some reason YouTube sent me a tiny tin of red & white YouTube M&Ms, I have a photo of the tin but not the M&Ms because my kids ran off with those.

I also got this bit of feedback.

My life is a bit weird now.

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# NUMBERS

We did it!

After posting last week about “Pointless numeric targets” and being so close to 1k with 994 subscribers, 6 people promptly unsubscribed.

Then the other day I checked on my phone and…

999

And as of this morning we’re now at…

…which means I can shut up about it for another 860 estimated days if we’re aiming for 2k.

I look forwards to seeing that 1,007 dropping immediately after this newsletter goes live.

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# THE END & STUDIO NEWS

I knew it was going to be a short one this week, back to normal service soon.

The reason for it being so short is since the last newsletter things moved “quickly” on the selling the studio front.

In that I was told “We think all the outstanding questions have been answered, and we think the exchange is going to happen soon, and we think the completion date will be Friday the 18th”. But I’ve been told a lot of similar things over the last few months.

Having sent me that my solicitor promptly went on holiday and OOOed until yesterday.

So I’ve spend the last week in the pre-work hours making sure everything was ready just in case (and not writing this newsletter or doing things to write about). My buyer moved all his stuff in yesterday because his man-with-a-van could either do that or the start of next month.

Mid-afternoon yesterday I finally got confirmation that everything is in place and the big date is tomorrow and… that’s it… it’s all done.

To say that even in my zen like “it’ll be fine” state I’ve been running on cortisol non-stop for the past six months is an understatement. I’m not entirely sure how my body’s going to react on Saturday when it’s all over. I suspect the usual; my defense system will decide that it’s perfectly fine to finally get ill.

I would say it’ll allow me to relax a little and focus more on art, but the next overdue job is to paint the floor of the new studio and get some cupboards, because now I’ve brought over the last of the stuff from the old studio it’s all got a bit overwhelming in here.

Thanks for coming along on the studio sale ride, I’ve had many messages and support along the way and it’s really helped.

Until next time, which should be the 🎃 31st October 🎃

Love you all,
Dan
❤️