this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
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diy

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Finally, a comm for that one user who hand-makes longbows. This ones for you, comrade.

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so i did it i finally did it i finished the whole design and i got boards made and i ordered them from JLCPCB and they're coming in two weeks and it's gonna work and it's so good and we're so back goose-default-dance

sorry for the break, life comes at u fast, but i am coming to u with progress! i don't necessarily endorse this version as i have not tested all of it, however all of the additions are relatively mild (1M bleed resistor on the output, that's pretty much it) and the rest is some pretty aggressive cuts to get it across the finish line (remove the optional current sink because it didn't look like it was gonna pan out, remove optional current limiting diode because it's impossible to source and kinda not necessary, remove the feedback inamp because it was inconsistent and potentially causing issues and anyone who needs to know the output current can just use more advanced tools to measure it, remove voltage configuration entirely and hard set it at 16 V because current is mostly the only number that matters anyways). these removals allowed me to fit it into a 100 mm x 100 mm square which will save costs. this definitely isn't a sure fire build of things but it's not bad odds that things work on the first try!

board is updated on https://git.sr.ht/~_410bdf/sphynx, exports for JLCPCB live in https://git.sr.ht/~_410bdf/sphynx/tree/main/item/Electronics/Boards/Lite/Lite%20Alpha%201/jlcpcb, this is theoretically orderable but maybe hold off until i make sure it works. while i wait for it to arrive i'll be working on materials for putting together the peripherals like the probe and the pedal and getting the site up to date.

this is a haphazard and short update but i'm back and i have made a significant amount of progress since we last spoke and things are looking good <3

will share more later! let's chat in the comments! love you all! bye!! trans-heart

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[–] RussianEngineer@hexbear.net 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

you're back!! yay! congrats on the progress! sometimes (a lot of times) in engineering, simpler is better

[–] 410757864530_dead_follicles@hexbear.net 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

oh my goodness absolutely, if i'm running out of time to do things on it it's a hundred percent time for a descope. most of the stuff i descope'd doesn't even actually accrue to functionality or a better electrolysis experience anyways. it's so much better this way. thanks i am so glad to be back heart-sickle

[–] Fossifoo@hexbear.net 1 points 3 days ago

Speaking of easier, and I didn't look at the board layout yet (other than your picture), but wouldn't it be more accessible to have tht components as there seems to be a lot of room? I think I missed the last few updates (or don't remember) but was that a deliberate design choice? I guess you could order it populated and save the time for putting the things down but since there are so few anyway, I guess having just the board would make ordering and shipping easier for people who want to plain diy it.

[–] lapis@hexbear.net 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Actually I have questions. Do you plan on listing other parts needed and providing a guide for putting a basic kit together? For example I assume the electrolysis itself needs a tool to aim it, housing for the pcb, guide for people to put the battery in, etc.

[–] 410757864530_dead_follicles@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

hi!! yeah! there are a few other tools necessary that i have enumerated back on one of my older posts, maybe 5 or 6? basically you need:

housing is not necessary but i am very excited to see what the community is able to come up with for prints and things!

i'm also going to aggregate materials in the coming couple weeks, both for materials that already exist on performing electrolysis generally, and write-ups that i will make myself for the sphynx board in specific. i have https://sphynx.diy/ up and running to host guides and materials and anything else i need to put up!

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

Ok cool. After you've tested can we get all of this in one post and perhaps a really simple step by step guide to sticking the parts together? This is probably something most people can work out from the bits and pieces but to really make it something viable for everyone the step by step handhold guide will be essential.

After that pushing it around different media spaces is all that's necessary so more people know it exists. Having its own dedicated project space for people to discuss it would probably help with people who have unusual questions.

the following mechanical pencil: https://www.jerrysartarama.com/yasutomo-artist-mechanical-pencil-1-1-mm-black (thank you @YearOfTheCommieDesktop2@hexbear.net assuming you're still here!)

I am blocked by this site. Might need to source a version that's available to Europeans. Is it this one? https://www.saveofferfy.com/product-p-841349.html

What I picture is something like 4 different sections:

  1. Parts you need (suggested parts and sources for getting them, also suggested sources for pcb printing)
  2. Construction step by step guide
  3. FAQ
  4. Forum for project discussion
[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I'm not smart enough to tell what you're making, but I can tell that it's impressive!

[–] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's supposed to be a machine you can build at home for permanent hair removal

[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago

No way! That rules!

[–] 410757864530_dead_follicles@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

omg hi dort owl

here! i did a quick explanation in my intro post! check it: https://hexbear.net/post/1989510

[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Neat, I'm going to read it! I can't believe you're making like, actual circuit boards and stuff, that's so cool!

floppy-owl

[–] lilypad@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Holy shit you're back!!!!!! doggirl-dancing

So happy to see that its coming together like this!! I can't wait until I can build one! I wanna get zapping my legs and am very excited!

If I remember right, this just does galvanic, not thermolysis?

Again thank you so much for making such wonderful stuff!!

PS: it still gives me dopamine that ur using the name I suggested, it makes me happy ^^

wow you're the one who coined sphynx holy shit i appreciate you so much for that. it's such an obviously amazing name aaaaaaa. thank you for sticking around and i hope you will be able to get to zapping soon meow-hug

[–] 410757864530_dead_follicles@hexbear.net 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)
[–] RION@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

Sign me up homie

[–] vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is fucking based. I don't happen to want hair removal for myself as a cishet guy, but I'm an electronics nerd and I absolutely love the idea and project. Could you put me on the ping list?

[–] Thordros@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I would like to subscribe to cat facts please.

[–] peanutbuttercupola@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I would also like to subscribe to cat facts thank you.

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 8 points 1 week ago

Awesome work comrade, this is some dedication and could legitimately improve so many lives. I'm not transfemme or in need of this (though I am annoyed by how much I have to shave), but I think I could probably make one and bring it around to lend to any friends of comrades who would want!

[–] BountifulEggnog@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago

Oh my god you're back! :cat-trans:

[–] Carcharodonna@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago

Great to see you back!!! cat-trans

Also nice work and amazing progress on this! I’m pretty anxious to build one myself, but I’ll wait until the final testing I think. Please keep us posted!

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

so i did it i finally did it i finished the whole design and i got boards made and i ordered them from JLCPCB and they're coming in two weeks and it's gonna work and it's so good and we're so back

Niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Very glad to see you're still working on this.

If you have costs or need support have you considered a fundraiser for this? I think there's quite a lot of people that would be interested in funding the project.

hey!! glad to be back ❤️

i don't wanna solicit funding for this project for myself. i'm an engineer w/ decent career progression progress in a big city and i can very comfortably bankroll this myself. the total project cost, all development said and done, is really not gonna be more than a few hundred dollars. money definitely isn't an obstacle for me and if anyone wants to donate, i'd encourage giving money to elevated access or a Palestinian family or something. i do appreciate the outpouring of intent to provide financial support but i'm doing okay on that front meow-hug

[–] vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Hey! I just spent the past half hour reading all your posts. You're fucking amazing and we love you! What a fucking cool and dope project!

I have some comments hehehe so essentially, the Sphynx Uno planned version (microcontrollers based) reminds me a lot of the already existing nickel strip dot-welder open source designs out there: it's essentially a microcontroller-controlled current source emitting a pulse of a controlled current for a controlled period of time. If you're looking for inspiration on the microcontroller version on the project, that might be a good place to start!

Also: regarding battery power, have you considered adding simply a USB-C Power Delivery option? USB-C chargers are ubiquitous, affordable, most people already have one, USB-C power delivery trigger modules are super cheap, and this alternative seems safer than LiPo cells. Also, mid-range power banks like the Xiaomi one of 20Ah offer some 20V on the output if I'm not mistaken, so it would also be portable.

[–] Bolshechick@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago

This is so cool

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

HELL YEAH SISTER

Way to follow through. This kicks ass.

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

Seriously this is so fucking cool

[–] TrustedFeline@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago
[–] SwitchyandWitchy@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] sodium_nitride@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

Beyond baller. Amazing even.

[–] HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I love the cat logo! I really need to do some sort of logo for my PCBs.

thank you <3

i designed it in inkscape, exported as DXF, imported it through the footprint designer, then sealed up the lines as polygons and set layers! a few notes:

  • tolerance of about 0.02 mm works good
  • line width can't be zero but should be very small because it's a fill so do 0.0001mm or so
  • making multiple polygons and subtracting them is the easiest workflow

there's more to it and i could post a full guide if there's interest! i did this on the last board i ran and it looked great so i trust the process!

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

remove the optional current sink because it didn't look like it was gonna pan out, remove optional current limiting diode because it's impossible to source and kinda not necessary

rat-salute good luck comrade, you shall be remembered along yuri gagarin as a hero of the people.

[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There has to be a pun to find here about Hair or lack thereof with Yuri Gagarin, Yuri Hair-gone-n?

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] MLRL_Commie@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

Its amazing that this only shares like 3 sounds with Yuri Gagarin and yet does feel similar. Cadence and syllables or something...

[–] edie@lemmy.encryptionin.space 3 points 1 week ago

Hiiiiii!!! This was a great thing yo wake up to.


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