The answer to the riddle: My latest work equipment purchase: a laser engraver. To say it's been a weird and frustrating experience is an understatement.
I purchased this laser engraver mid September 2018. I haven't had any appreciable time on it, as things keep breaking. The latest was the recent software upgrade. The company pushed it out. It broke my machine. So I "got to" completely disassemble my machine and ship the control stack back to them for re-imaging. I shipped it Thursday. And now I wait.
Plus sides, (because I really need to look at the plus side of all of this, otherwise I start crying and throwing things again):
1) At least I know that my customer service is better than their customer service
2) I have a bad laser tube that I'm going to fashion into a wickedly cool light fixture
3) I have learned a lot about how to repair and rebuild a laser engraver.
4) I have first had knowledge of the progression of software that this company has issued, as I got to start with version 1.0. The upgrade that broke my machine is version 1.8.
5) I know that version 1.8 is really really really cool. I also know that version 1.0 was really really really bad.
6) I have learned a LOT about multiple file conversions because of software version 1.0.
7) I have learned that not all .pdfs are created equal.
8) I have learned that if I think a piece of equipment is a lemon, I need to file that with American Express within 60 days. (They used to not have a time limit. Now I know.)
That's a pretty decent list of knowledge. Right?
That's the control stack there in my hand.
See that mess of wires down below? Ya. Who wants to reconnect that for me?
