Fund the free
workshop.
Everything on this site is free to read, copy, and build from, and it's going to stay that way. It isn't free to run. This page is the itemised bill, with the gaps left visible.
What it costs to run
Where I already have a real, published number, it's here with a link to where I published it. Where I don't, the line says so. I'd rather show a gap than make up a number.
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Every month | |
| Web hosting Shared hosting at DreamHost: the static pages, the downloads, and the one small PHP script behind the idea form. | Figure pending |
| Bandwidth Page views and file downloads. Static HTML and SVG keep this small, but it isn't zero. | Figure pending |
| Model API bills (DeepSeek) The always-on agents that maintain this site. They also do other jobs around the house, so this overstates the site's share.Real bills. DeepSeek raised its prices on August 16, 2026; the same July workload works out to roughly $14–$27 a month at the new rates.Source: What my AI agents actually cost | $24.08 — June 2026$6.49 — July 2026 |
| Claude Code (Max subscription) The heavy coding and debugging, including most of the rebuilds you read about here.Source: What my AI agents actually cost | $200/month, flat |
| Other model subscriptions Flat-rate coding and model plans that come and go as I test them. | Figure pending |
| Electricity, agent box The mini PC that runs the agents, on 24/7.Source: The CHUWI AuBox Ai365 write-up | ~$4.50/month |
| Electricity, GPU rig The four-card machine that runs the bigger local models and the benchmarks. | Figure pending |
| Every year | |
| The domain name laserlloyd.com itself. | Figure pending |
| Per project | |
| Laser materials Acrylic, wood, aluminium card stock, and the scrap pile every settings table is built on. | Figure pending |
| Already owned — not charged to readers | |
| The agent box A mini PC that runs the agent stack.Source: The CHUWI AuBox Ai365 write-up | about $900, paid once |
| The GPU rig Two RTX 5090s and two RTX 3090s.Source: The StudioForge write-up | Owned, not charged |
| The laser An xTool F1, a 10 W blue diode plus a 2 W infrared.Source: Material settings and calibration | Owned, not charged |
| The laptop An ASUS ROG Flow Z13 that was meant to stay portable.Source: The ROG Flow Z13 write-up | Owned, not charged |
No total yet. I'm not adding up a column with holes in it. Figures are dated, and model prices in particular move every few weeks.
What a donation pays for
The monthly lines first: hosting, the domain, the model bills, the electricity. After that, whatever the next laser project eats in acrylic and plywood.
It doesn’t pay for the hardware. That was bought already, it’s mine, and it would be on my desk whether or not this site existed. It’s in the table so you can see what the free stuff actually runs on, not so you can reimburse it.
What it doesn’t buy
- A paywall. There isn’t one, and a donation doesn’t start one. Donors and everyone else get exactly the same site.
- Editorial control. A sponsor can pay for a build; they don’t get to write it. That rule is the same for a coffee as for a company.
- Perks or tiers. No members’ area, no early access, no names on a wall. You get my thanks, I get caffeine.
- A schedule. This is a hobby on purpose. Money keeps the lights on. It doesn’t turn the site into a job.
Companies: sponsor a build instead
If you want a specific thing built, like your product on the bench or a tool you’d like to exist, that’s sponsorship, not a donation, and it has its own form. Sponsoring a build buys the bench time and a disclosure line on the post. It doesn’t buy the verdict. The rate floors are on the collaborate page.
No budget, just an idea? The idea board takes suggestions for free.
Two ways to chip in
One for people, one for companies. Neither one buys a paywall, a verdict, or a schedule.
Chip in
A donation through PayPal. Card accepted, no account needed. It goes on the monthly lines in the table.
☕ Donate via PayPalSponsor a build
Pay for a specific build. You get the bench time and a disclosure line on the post. You don't get the verdict.
Sponsor a buildQuestions about any of this? Lloyd@LaserLloyd.com reaches me. Sponsorship is never invoiced or charged without written confirmation from me first.