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Currently Playing: This Kickstarter 3D Printer Was a Brick - Until I Fixed It

Sponsored by PCBWay: https://pcbway.com/g/ynWgss A 2014 Zeepro Zim—cloud-locked, cartridge-bound, and forgotten—gets a second life. I turn this Swiss-designed Kickstarter relic into a reliable prototyper: OctoPrint instead of cloud, rear spools instead of cartridges, and a dual-extruder brought back from the dead. Along the way we talk about vendor lock-in, forced obsolescence, and why keeping core functions local still matters. What’s in it for you today? 00:00 Intro 01:21 Zim by Zeepro retrospective — Kickstarter context, Swiss design credit (Fabian Zimmerli) 02:39 Unbricking the Zim — serial/SD bypass, handing control to OctoPrint 06:13 Proprietary cartridge system 07:55 Retrofitting rear-mounted spool holders — cartridge-free path; printed parts and nylon finals 08:58 Hiding the Raspberry Pi inside — cartridge-bay install, power tap, cleaner wiring 10:09 Blinds for unused rear connectors — printing simple port covers/blanking plates 10:35 OctoPi / OctoPrint configuration — fresh image, slicer choice, Cura profile, LED connect script 11:36 Unclogging the second extruder — hot teardown (beware!), first dual-filament print 13:37 Adding an acrylic enclosure — U-shaped shroud, bent acrylic, pure eye-candy 14:42 Reworking the top cover — magnet fixes, top-feed clearance, planning a new acrylic lid 15:52 Conclusion — ahead-of-its-time vs. cloud lock-in, right-to-repair thoughts, viewer question Sponsor: Thanks to PCBWay for nylon spool-holder prints and for supporting this episode. They also do PCB fab and assembly, CNC, and more. Link below. Tell me in the comments: your worst “forced obsolescence” moment—and how you kept the gear alive. 🔔 Subscribe for more retro hardware adventures! Want to join THE PHINTAGE SUPPORTERS or THE PHINTAGE ENTHUSIASTS community and get a mention in an upcoming video? Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/@THEPHINTAGECOLLECTOR/join This video was made possible with support by: THE PHINTAGE ENTHUSIASTS: Alisha Manuela Stutz Christian Zerrahn David Schell Waseem al sammane ZyeByteVT THE PHINTAGE SUPPORTERS: Balint Szy Brian Repinski CaffeinePizza Cecil Cinemint Music Clank Elinars Feldi GrayT! heyday478 HMK Jack Beckman Jack Rosenthal John DiLiberto Luke Granger-Brown Matthew Veety Mlok Karel MS-DOS Manfred Steven Glogger Thorstens Time Capsule Tim Hull Wobinu Films xcalibur839 Z098 Zen the Fox Visit also THE PHINTAGE COLLECTOR website at https://www.thephintagecollector.ch for insights into my retro computer collection. This presentation, Copyright @ 2025 THE PHINTAGE COLLECTOR, Gianpaolo Del Matto. All rights reserved. Individual Copyrights apply for referenced material (see sources). Music composed by 🎶 Abdallah El-Ghannam https://www.youtube.com/@AcrossTheU.S.A | https://www.fiverr.com/abdallahghannam 🎶 rootkitty | https://soundcloud.com/rootkitty ℹ️ References & Further Reading: About Zim: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1410146982/zim-the-first-dual-head-personal-3d-printer-fully https://www.3dprintingjournal.com/p/09-11-2013-the-swiss-company-zeepro https://cncking.com/interview-philippe-guglielmetti-ceo-zeepro/ Jailbkreaking: http://zeeproforums.technobly.com/t/octopi-tutorial-for-zim/252/21 https://github.com/zeepro-zim/zim-resources http://zeeproforums.technobly.com/t/opening-usb-port/236/8 https://github.com/Jaesin/zim-web/wiki http://zeeproforums.technobly.com/t/jailbreaking-zim-after-zeepro-stopped-it-s-services/282 CubieBoard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubieboard https://linux-sunxi.org/Cubietech_Cubieboard https://www.armbian.com/cubieboard-1/ https://unforget.rs/talking-to-cubieboard-via-serial-cable/ Calibration: https://zeeproks.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000050247-how-to-level-the-printing-plate http://zeeproforums.technobly.com/t/octoprint-bed-leveling/345/8 Cura Settings: http://zeeproforums.technobly.com/t/cura-settings-for-the-zeepro-zim/590/2 http://zeeproforums.technobly.com/t/octopi-tutorial-for-zim/252/91 Zim Parts Printables: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:596977 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:689152 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:620809 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4542658 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4774109 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2062245 Forced Obsolesence: https://www.heise.de/en/news/EOL-Logitech-s-POP-switches-will-become-electronic-waste-in-a-fortnight-10702287.html https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/nest-reminds-customers-ownership-isnt-what-it-used-be https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/11/after-online-outrage-logitech-will-now-replace-harmony-link-devices-for-free/ https://www.businessinsider.com/sonos-recycling-tradeup-program-makes-speakers-useless-backlash-2019-12 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/business/vanmoof-bankruptcy-ebikes.html https://www.reichelt.com/magazin/en/news-en/the-end-of-osram-lightify/ https://wifihifi.com/mydlink-app-discontinued/ https://www.tctmagazine.com/tct-events/zeepro-zim-achieves-300000-goal/