Wagner Laser engraved on a mirror.
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how did you change the z movements to laser on/off in chilipeppr?
@picengravertoo Just purchased your software, have the firmware settings changed correctly. Iām trying to do a raster engraving of a photo I resized and dithered in PEP5. Which is the best setting to do so? I have had errors using analog and ttl. I have had some success with grbl but that is strictly black and white photos, no grey scale. Do you have a tutorial for dummies? I am using PEP5 and UGS to send the code since my comp is an old metal fab terminal and runs XP.
You should use the Analog/PWM profile (it has more features), but you have to change the 3rd axis letter to a S. Unless your laser engraving a Black & White image/logo, you donāt need to dither the image.
After you load an image, a Tutorial PDF button will appear. Did you find it?
What version of grbl are you using?
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Currently using v1.1 after upgrading from 1.0c. I have used the Tutorial pdf but was looking for something more in-depth when using Analog/PWM or GRBL PWN. Like I āIf you want this, use this settingā¦this needs to be set to S255 not Fā Etc.
I did not change the 3rd axis letter the first time. I will try that. I need $32 to be 1 not 0 correct? Iāve tried bothā¦
$30=255, $31=0 & $32=1. Our instructables may explain things in more detail.
Or this thread.
http://forum.darklylabs.com/index.php?p=/discussion/71/faster-photo-engraving
Or the thread we are posting in now.
Depending on your laserās wattage and the material your engraving on, you need to experiment with the feedrate so it does not burn too dark or too light.
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Iām failing to get any kind of pwm signal out of my stock grbl 1.0 x-controller ā¦adjusted the settings in easel for automatic 12000rpm ā¦(is there somewhere else to turn pwm on?) tried sending the M03 & M05 commands in easel, picsender, and UGS (including M03 S12000, M03 255 & any other variant i have seen posted) my driver is set to TTL, as well as testing the x-controller with a multimeter ā¦had the same prob with my uno pin 11 setup ā¦think thatās why my laserās been on the shelf for a year
What is the test you are doing to determine whether or not you have a PWM signal?
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Did it show any PWM voltage when you executed the M03 S12000? If so, there must be a problem with the driver input connection, or it could be the driver or laser has failed.
I suggest you contact J-Tech as they can help you diagnose what the problem could be.
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i canāt read any voltage change in a using a multimeter on the spindle pwm & gnd on the x-controller when i send M03, M03 S12000, or M05 commands. the laser works when i switch it to cw. ā¦any other ideas on how to test if u r getting a pwm signal from the x-controller.
The Software section on this web page explains what your experiencing.
https://jtechphotonics.com/?page_id=4432
It states that the PWM is disabled with the grbl 1.0c firmware that comes with the X-Controller. It explains how to enable it.
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ya ā¦been looking at that page ā¦iāve done everything on that page except loading grbl 9.0 ā¦if thatās still necessary iād rather rebuild my arduino power control and load their grbl on that, and just power up the control that i need ā¦but with either grbl i should get some kind of voltage reading if easel is set for automatic 12000 āso you will need to enable it in your settings to use power control.ā is all they say ā¦they mean easel right?
Grbl 1.0c added two parameters so that the user could select the rpm range to match the device hooked up to grbl. They are $30 and $31 (max and min).
As installed by Inventables $30=1. and $31=0. You only have two choices S0 = off, S1 = on.
To get variable PWM you need to change the rpm range. For laser work I typically recommend $30=255. and $31=0.
With it set that way S0 = off, S128 = half power, S255 = full power.
I have a version of grbl that will allow you to switch back and forth between spindle and laser based on the 1.0c version.
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loaded larryās grbl 11/12/16 ā¦ read larryās laser grble picsender settings ā¦set $30=255, $31=0, $32=1 ā¦still not getting any pwm signal out of the x-controller, sending the commands with picsenderā¦ iāll hit inventables up about it as well
If you have Homing enabled and you donāt Home your machine first, or select $X, the PWM will be disabled in grbl. If you use the $X, make sure you change the Mode back to G91 if your jogging S values in Laser Mode.
It also requires a M03 to enable PWM if you use the Do Cmd, to execute a S command. The S value jogging will execute the M03 Sxx, so a Do Cmd. M03 is not needed.
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If you are measuring the voltage on the PWM output you will not get a valid reading on a voltmeter because the voltage would be changing rapidly in time.
However, you can measure the 0-10volt output which should give you an accurate reading. This is a valid test as the 0-10volt signal is directly derived from the PWM signal.
Also, try doing the test with nothing connected to the PWM or 0-10volt outputs other than the voltmeter to see if your device is interfering with the signal.
Check the internal cabling in the X-controller. The cables will lock into the retainers without being fully seated on the headers. This has caused many problems with the X-controller and is an easy fix if that is the problem.
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Larry!!! u r da man!! ā¦that damn ribbon cable ā¦o & thanks to picengravertoo as well ā¦and as far as software i do lithophanes with PEP5 & Picsender which i plan on using for laser engraving as well.
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Whatās the detail that this laser and program can do? Iām used to using an Epilog Helix with CorelDraw, but due to time restrictions Iād like to add engraving into my own shop.
This is what Iām used to doing and Iād like to keep this quality of engraving.
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I saw your camping board that you posted in that image gallery. How crisp were the lines around the edges of the lettering?