Saturday, April 9, 2016

Interesting electrical issues

Interesting electrical issues

So today I was working on the slate garden markers for my friend. After 4 hours running, and before a marker was finished, the GFI breaker blew. Swapped outlets on a different circut and it blew too after a few minutes. Ran an extension cord to a non GFI breaker and no issues. The most interesting part is the power supply squealing almost went away. Things that make you go mmmm!

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

sign on slate


sign on slate

A friend at work lost her son last week. The community is chipping in on a garden in his memory. He was 2 years old and had some favorite sayings. Hi Five was one and his nickname was Panda Bear. This is done on 1/4 inch slate tile. When it got to marking the panda, I notice it was not all there! When I had been adjusting the mirrors, I did not tighten one down. Had to redo the panda. As you can see, it all came out great.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Lesson Learned

Lesson Learned

I hit the jackpot on some name brand extruded acrylic. I live next to a large university that has a surplus shop available to the public. I found 12 sheets, 3 mm thick, 18 x 24 inches for a total of $20! Anyway I started to cut them and was surprised that the settings I was using on thicker acrylic was not working. I need to mention that I had left the protective paper on the acrylic as not to scorch it. Increasing the power and slowing the speed did not do much good. Multiple cuts no go. I removed said protective paper and it cut like butter! I am not sure what the paper is made of but it sure messes with the process. Took a few cut to figure it out.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Crystal Ball, is my power supply failing?

Crystal Ball, is my power supply failing?

So I ran my laser all afternoon making up for lost time. My power supply is starting to make a "squealing" noise when it first starts. Not all the time but about 50% of the time. It lasts about 2 or 3 seconds sometimes. If you have ever heard a car's fan belt when it is loose, this is what it sounds like. I know the power supply is a switching type so there are high frequencies involved but something tells me this is not normal. Anyone else have this issue and was it a tell tale sign of impending doom?

Well, duh!

Well, duh!

Been having fun setting up the K40 after a new Nano board installation. I finally was able to get the board recognized by the software. I went back to a project I have been working on and of course it does not work the way it is suppose to. Cleaned mirrors, checked distance but still would not cut. Increased current but no dice. I did notice that even though I have air assist, the head was warm...mmm, checked mirror alignment and what do you know, out of alignment! 30 min later and all was better. Moral of story, mirror alignment is critical and should be checked first!

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Problems installing new M2Nano board

Problems installing new M2Nano board

I received my new M2Nano board and have been trying to get the software to recognize it. I keep getting this message "engraving device information invalid device-id cannot use it!" after trying to initialize the laser. A message that says "engraving machine connected." is shown when starting the software. The web is of no use. Totally removed all software with removal software to get every bit, swapped USB inputs and watched it reload drivers, searched the registry for any sign of old ID, removed old ID from INI files in file directories and still no luck. If I put the old card in, the software says it is initialized. This means that the ID is hidden somewhere I cannot find it. Maybe the USB key? It does not seem to read the new cards' ID. Any ideas?

Helpful drawing/cad software

Helpful drawing/cad software

While checking on what LaserWorks software was, I came across RDWorks—V8.01.16. I found a website that has it available for a free download (manufacture site). Out of curiosity I downloaded it and it installed just fine. It is made for a specific laser but the drawing abilities are all intact and it will import almost any format of drawing. Most important, it will export the file in .ai format. (adobe illustrator).
http://en.rd-acs.com/down.aspx?TypeId=50075&FId=t14:50075:14

http://en.rd-acs.com/down.aspx?TypeId=50075&FId=t14:50075:14

Camera for watching engraving

Camera for watching engraving

Yuusuf Sallahuddin This style of camera is being used on CNC machines and would be great on our K40 style laser. Borescope Endoscope Inspection Tube Camera

http://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-Waterproof-Borescope-Endoscope-Inspection/dp/B01DIQ6K2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459611134&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+borescope

They have styles for use on PC and Cell Phones. There is also a wealth of attachments like different angle mirrors to get optimum picture alignment.
http://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-Waterproof-Borescope-Endoscope-Inspection/dp/B01DIQ6K2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459611134&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+borescope