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After a nightmare trying to setup and use the jtech laser on my X carve,I now want to flash the original firmware back to the arduino.
But as usual there is trouble on the way
When i now flash the arduino with the Inventables firmware nothing happens, just a little stuttering hiccup from the x axis but no movement.
Windows find the Arduino in the system located at com3,but easel setup do not find it.
I have pushed the restet button on the Arduino but no help in that.
The last product support email I had with you, you had the 3rd axis letter set with Z instead of S. Did you correct that issue? You did not respond after I found what your issue was.
Also in PicSender it has the yellow GRBL button for saving your grbl settings for backup. Did you save your original X-Carve settings? When reflashing the X-Carve’s grbl, you need to restore back to the original grbl settings and that’s why it’s stuttering.
We use Xloader all the time with our Genuine Arduino UNO to change back and forth to different versions of grbl for testing and it works flawlessly for us, but you have to restore the correct grbl settings for your machine also.
And thank you for your excellent customer service, you got me through many struggles
I did get it to work when I changed Z with a S as you pointed out,but there still are some issues so I have kind of given up for the moment.
What happened is somewhat hard to explain but I will try.
The movement of the axis was very hard and brutal it seem,axis was moving very fast and I think that is why the belting kept breaking.
I did get one picture finished so I know I am on the right track, guess it might be some adjusting that is needed also.
And also the reason I want to re flash back to the original is that I do not get the Xcarve to work with the jtech firmware,I got a e mail from Jay who also stated that his firmware has issues and he liked the original Inventables firmware the best.
He got a new version in the works so I am waiting for that one,then I definitely will hook up the laser again and get PicEngrave pro going again
So hmmm guess I will have to feed my patience a little,hope the wait wont be to long
Did you use the Extended Edge in PicEngrave Pro 5 so it would slow down the feedrate of your X-Carve before reversing directions? Changing firmware will not resolve breaking belts if it happened when changing the axis directions abruptly at high speed. When laser engraving photos with the J-Tech 2.8W laser, you will need to move the axis’s very fast, depending on the material your engraving on.
Jay did say he would try to resolve the X-Carve firmware issue the first of next week, so we will see what he comes up with. The J-Tech LaserMode PWM grbl works very good with our UNO/gshield Shapeoko 2, but our Arduino UNO R3 was purchased from Radio Shack and I confirmed it is a Genuine UNO.
No dont think i used the extended edge,will check this later.
The reason I want to change firmware is that it is not 100% compatible when used with aspire vectric and easel when carving,or at least I can not get it to work.
I have a hope that the firmware Jay is working on might resolve this issue ?
Is breaking belts a common problem with the use of a laser?
I don’t break any belts here even at full feedrate when reversing, but I use MXL 1/4" Kevlar reinforced belts on our Shapeoko 2. When laser engraving, the feedrates should be much faster then spindle cutting/engraving, so it is recommended to use the Extended Edge option and set it at a slower feedrate for when it reverses directions. It will also turn the J-Tech laser off when it runs past the engraving’s edge and back to the engraving’.
I understand about using Aspire and Easel gcode & control. The J-Tech grbl does not support arcs or has any limit/homing switch support. It was intended for raster engraving with a spindle or laser and it does execute the S0-S255 commands in real time.
I can change the firmware & grbl settings in our UNO with the Xloader and PicSender in about the same time it takes to change batteries in a flashlight.
Im a total noob in this,I hope in time I also can swich like batteries in a flaslight
My hope now is to get it all to work,just work,I am fed up with all the screw ups along the way.
So I am crossing my fingers for a miracle
I don’t see why the laser would make any difference to belts, you may want to check a couple things:
-Ensure rollers are aligned with pulley, otherwise edges will wear very fast.
-Make sure there’s no debris in the belt ridges or on the pulley, otherwise it will damage the belt and cause a weak spot.
-Ensure belt tension isn’t too high, otherwise it’ll break a lot easier.
@HelgeDokken
You have to understand I do this quite often for testing our programs and it’s like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get by experience and it takes less time.
I actually saw your excellent video thursday and bought a weight to use for tensioning the belts,so thank you for that
I have also aligned the rollers and debris is at a minimum.
But even after this setup and aligning I broke a belt yesterday.
Do you see any wear on the sides of the belt? Is the break clean (not ragged or stretched)? Is the break straight across the belt or at an angle?
Check to see if the belts are getting caught in the gap of the MakerSlide. What method did you use to secure the belt ends (glue, cable ties, shrink wrap)?
My guess is that you are running your belts too tight. There is more stress on the belts at the ends of the axes.
You probably weren’t looking at the time that the belts broke, but I bet they broke on the side of the carriage closest to the end of the axis instead of the other side of the carriage.
The X-carve lifts the Y axis belts about 2 inches above the MakerSlide. If this theory is correct you are most likely breaking the Y axis belts.
