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Closing the JG forum

Samuel PinchesSamuel Pinches Posts: 2,997Administrator
edited July 2021 in 3D Print Lounge

Please note: this forum is closed. No new user registrations are accepted.

  • For official JGMaker 3D printer support, go here.
  • If you would like paid private 3D printer support, please email paidsupport at jgmakerforum dot com

I don't really know how many people will see this post. Just 24 users have logged in during July over the last 20 days. For a forum with 1600 people, only 56 users, or 3.5% have visited over the last two entire months. This has been the trend for the past three (and a bit) years that this forum has been running, where people come, ask their questions, and then leave without contributing anything.

Now, I certainly don't resent that at all -- in fact, I am very happy to have been able to help people discover the amazing hobby that is 3D printing. It is a joy to see the creativity and ingenuity that people have invested into fixing, improving, modifying and enhancing their 3D printers, to make them work, and make them unique.

The journey with the A5 and A5S has certainly been a lot of fun. However, this is not sustainable for me. As life moves on, I find I have new goals. The only way to make those goals possible, is to sacrifice those things that no longer closely align with my priorities. I do not think it is fair on new users to sign up, and for there to only be silence.

From today, new forum members will not be able to sign up. Essentially, the forum is shutting down. The information will stay up -- I intend to keep the server online as a resource to those who need it, but I will likely not be answering as many questions going forwards.

This forum has been a great distraction during my PhD, and I made many international friends through here as well -- this will not be the end of those connections, I hope!

To all of the 45 Super Members -- on behalf of the other users, and myself, thank you especially for your many contributions, and for inspiring people to take their devices into their own hands, to fully own and master them.

There are too many users to thank each by name, but a special thanks @rhaub101, @michalko99, @Gandy , @Laser8302, and @giantrobot2001 -- you have been a tireless and patient team, and I'm personally grateful!

Gratz/greetings also to @Eye , @Devilclarke, @Roberto, @Matt, @ufodoctor3, @Frezap and @eyes -- thank you for all the fun times and great chats!!

To those friends on here, please private message me if you would like my email address or whatsapp, and you do not have it. If you ever end up in Melbourne, Australia, I would love the opportunity to say hello in person! 😊

To everyone from here -- God bless, and happy printing!

800,000+ page views...
8500+ comments...
1600+ users...
on the forum to date.

Thanked by 1johngriswold
Post edited by Samuel Pinches on

Comments

  • MattMatt Posts: 314🌟 Super Member 🌟
    edited July 2021

    Too bad. Anyway, I was entering it regularly. It was the only resource around about jg stuff. It solved many things to me, between lows and highs. Thanks to you and others for solving most of the issues encountered. So just keep the good things and keep in touch. Too sad to add some more. All the best, fellow.

    Thanked by 1Samuel Pinches
    Post edited by Matt on
  • michalko99michalko99 Posts: 153Member, 🌟 Super Member 🌟

    Hello Samuel. Thank you for this forum. It was very helpful for me, when I accidentally found my A5 as second hand for 100Eur price. It was used only once and seller was not familiar with printers and gave it away. I learned a lot from here and was my honor to help others, as my experience was growing. This forum is stone well for information for great printers

    Thank you for letting me know by private message. Michal from Slovakia

    Thanked by 1Samuel Pinches
  • GandyGandy Posts: 89🌟 Super Member 🌟

    Hallo Samuel, as much as I would have liked the forum to continue (never really thought it may come to an end, some day), I fully understand your motives for moving on. For me, both the forum and the wiki were an immensely rich pool of information that helped me starting my new 3D-printing hobby with the JG-Aurora A5 (now modified to some extent). They helped me going through a rather steep learning curve in a rather short time. Thank you for providing this platform and even more for always being eager to help and discuss. I'm glad if I was able to give at least a tiny part of that back by sharing my thoughts and insights from time to time.
    Best, Andy.

    Thanked by 1Samuel Pinches
  • MattMatt Posts: 314🌟 Super Member 🌟
    edited July 2021

    IMO, the problem with less frequency might be caused by the fact that printers being in evolution, when a model goes out and a newer one takes its place, the former's owner might lose interest in searching solutions for it, so he passes to another machine of even other brands. Though I'm still sticking to a5 normal, after I was successful to fix it: what others do, I don't know. And, considere also that I bought a resin printer for finer models (it's impossible to build the printhead cover of the a5 with fdm...). But I'm still bitching here anyway.
    Also, this is a very strange period, inbetween summer vacation and pandemic's alarms which make people distracted and apprehensive. Though, if you feel that the forum doesn't have a future for other reasons and wasting money for mantaining the domain is unworthy the effort, well, it is your decision. Sites sprout and die continously after the prime enthusiasm fades alongwith the interest about machines of a given brand. But I guess that the forum would be useful anyway, for other eventual models of jg. Though, it is not good that will close the only site who was able to help about machines from a brand that apparently wasn't perfectly able to directly help its customers.

    Thanked by 1Richy_T
    Post edited by Matt on
  • Samuel PinchesSamuel Pinches Posts: 2,997Administrator
    edited July 2021

    Hey Matt,
    Well, I’m hoping to keep the site online for a little bit - and preventing new sign-ups is an easy way to essentially halt the main activity. The cost of hosting is not exorbitant, but it’s the time investment and mental space investment is more substantial.

    I might have kept it active longer if the recent Artist-D machine launch had resulted in an influx of active users, but all the users seem to have joined their Facebook group, and there’s been no interest in an official JG representative being active on this forum.

    Post edited by Samuel Pinches on
  • MattMatt Posts: 314🌟 Super Member 🌟
    edited July 2021

    Hope it will endure, pal: besides being useful as the prime resource for jg stuff, it is an historical forum with plenty of fellows. It would be sad if it would shut down at once anyway: barring new entries may be enough. So you may keep committed with other endeavours than the forum. As for Artist-D, it is like I told about new machines models.

    Post edited by Matt on
  • Richy_TRichy_T Posts: 142🌟 Super Member 🌟

    Sorry to hear this, Sam. I haven't been on much recently. Between having a new member of the family and getting into resin printing (which is a great addition to FDM printing but definitely not a replacement), time has been tight. Also my A1 has been running fine so there's that too. I actually came on to see if there were any options for upgrading the hot end. It seems it's just not putting enough heat through to keep filament flowing. Or maybe the heater is just getting old. Or maybe I just got some janky filament.

  • Samuel PinchesSamuel Pinches Posts: 2,997Administrator
    edited August 2021

    Thanks @Richy_T , and congrats on the new addition to the family! Time is a precious thing indeed.
    I made a thread for you here.

    Post edited by Samuel Pinches on
  • EuzzielEuzziel Posts: 15Member

    sucks that this thing is closing. Answering questions for JGmaker Magic was my go to thing when not doing anything at work. I've since moved to Voxelab since my JGmaker Magic's base is too bent. There, i'm applying what i learned from JGmaker Magic.

  • EyeEye Posts: 115Member, 🌟 Super Member 🌟
    edited October 2021

    Well, it feels like i found this comunity Just the other week,
    it has been a Lot of help, keeping me from trowing my a5 Out of the window!

    Thank you for all your Work,

    Sad salut!
    Eye

    PS:
    Also Facebook is for granys!
    I realy would love for the froum to go on, Maybe there is an Option with less Input on your side?

    Thanked by 1Samuel Pinches
    Post edited by Eye on
  • Samuel PinchesSamuel Pinches Posts: 2,997Administrator
    edited October 2021

    @Eye -- thanks for your encouragement and fun chats.

    Closing new registrations is the easiest way for me.

    • It is not fair to new people if they post and nobody answers their questions promptly
    • Most of the valuable info here is mostly just relevant to A5 and A5S. These models are no longer for sale.
    • The launch of the new JG Artist D model did not seem to bring many new users.
    • I don't understand the Artist D (even though I have one!) so I can't really help there either.
    • I have asked JGMaker if they wanted to bring some official staff onboard, but there was no interest from them either.

    The site will definitely stay online for a bit while people are still using it and posting. However, if at some point in the future there's been no new posts for many months, I'll look at winding it (and perhaps the wiki too) up completely.

    Post edited by Samuel Pinches on
  • EyeEye Posts: 115Member, 🌟 Super Member 🌟
    edited October 2021

    ;) I had hoped to keep that thing up and runnig for a while still! ;)

    Also if oyu do not get the new artist d, how would a normal newbie have a chance?

    Post edited by Eye on
  • Samuel PinchesSamuel Pinches Posts: 2,997Administrator

    Also if you do not get the new artist d, how would a normal newbie have a chance?

    You tell me! :s

  • MattMatt Posts: 314🌟 Super Member 🌟

    We're still keeping posting, anyway.

  • giantrobot2001giantrobot2001 Posts: 106🌟 Super Member 🌟

    I am trying to get back into it, but this is a disappointment. I hope we can keep the board open.

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