Prototyping

2 posts

The assembled HC-01 humidor controller in its birch plywood case, lid engraved with the byitl cigar mark, beside its printed bead drawer full of humidity gel and the jar the gel came from

It works. It is also too big.

Part five. HC-01 is running in a real humidor: 522 logged samples, agreement with an independent hygrometer, and one closed control loop.

October 6, 2026 · 6 min read

Cost breakdown of one 3D-printed prototype enclosure: $1,589 total, of which about 99% is design and labor (18 hours of CAD plus finishing at $75/hr) and just $2.64 is filament.

What a 3D-printed prototype enclosure actually costs in 2026

Filament is under half a percent of the bill. Here's the itemized total for a palm-sized ESP32 enclosure, design time included.

July 31, 2026 · 10 min read