<![CDATA[SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/topic/5515/laser-cutter-repair/ Fri, 21 Feb 2014 11:04:54 +0000 PunBB <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50411/#p50411 the software to control the unit is.. just a parallel cable and printer driver?

The computer sees it as a normal printer.

Apparently it is supposed to see lines that are 0.001" as vectors but that does not appear to work..

]]> Fri, 21 Feb 2014 11:04:54 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50411/#p50411 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50405/#p50405 ITman496 wrote:

Does anyone know how to get these things to do vector cuts?  It seems to require special programs and formats..

What you driving it with at the moment? LinuxCNC (formerly EMC2 CNC) is actually the opposite - will do vector all day but its raster is kinda lacklustre ..

Anyway... indeed it comes down to the control software

Heres some threads on the subject from over at CNCZone:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/general-l … d-dsp.html

And a writeup on reviving a 25w CO2 (but doing vector/raster as well)
http://www.andrewkilpatrick.org/?p=laser_cutter

Mach3 also has some reasonable laser support for raster and vector...

anyway - no specific help - I have a CO2 one but not an RF Synrad - but theres some places to at least poke around.... *shrug*

]]> Fri, 21 Feb 2014 07:31:03 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50405/#p50405 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50371/#p50371 Does anyone know how to get these things to do vector cuts?  It seems to require special programs and formats..

]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2014 21:53:24 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50371/#p50371 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50352/#p50352 LUCKY!

]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:25:41 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50352/#p50352 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50320/#p50320 Got ventilation and stuff!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140220_241842_260.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140220_021237_640.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140220_011200_125.jpg

]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2014 08:08:17 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50320/#p50320 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50300/#p50300 Custom optics holders, Nice!!!

]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2014 04:33:34 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50300/#p50300 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50253/#p50253 woo!  fixed!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140219_021104_727.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140219_022843_126.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140219_030455_116.jpg

]]> Wed, 19 Feb 2014 21:06:05 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50253/#p50253 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/50118/#p50118 Nice find - hang onto that synrad tube whatever you do - they're pricey little things to buy new, and can be recharged - a synrad for the cost of a recharge may be worth it, nice clean beam and good reliability/repeatability all without needing wc (for 40w anyway). Schools and unis throw out some really nice stuff sometimes, it's borderline tragic!!

]]> Tue, 18 Feb 2014 22:25:40 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/50118/#p50118 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49754/#p49754 Hey the thing works and I didn't even need to fix it!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140213_221330_336.jpg

]]> Fri, 14 Feb 2014 07:14:41 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49754/#p49754 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49700/#p49700 No, got it from my old high school in NJ

No way in hell am I gonna pay to have a machine of this weight shipped from CO to NJ haha

]]> Thu, 13 Feb 2014 22:23:43 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49700/#p49700 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49685/#p49685 ITman, you didn't get that from CO did you?

]]> Thu, 13 Feb 2014 19:49:23 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49685/#p49685 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49652/#p49652 Just tested everything but the tube.  The rest of the machine works.  This is good, because if the synrad tube is bad, then I can just get a cheap 40w watercooled ebay laser and slap it into the machine, plus driver for it.  So good news all around!

Testing the tube tomorrow with a piece of wood as a target.

]]> Thu, 13 Feb 2014 06:18:26 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49652/#p49652 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49625/#p49625 The synrad tubes can usually be recharged.... but it may still be cheaper to get one of the import replacement tubes.

]]> Thu, 13 Feb 2014 01:26:56 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49625/#p49625 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49585/#p49585 Got the laser itself out, starting to test it later.

It's a 40W RF excited Synrad tube

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140212_021505_850.jpg

everything inside looks okay, lets hope it works!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140212_024337_225.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140212_024346_014.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4963246/laser/IMG_20140212_024328_245.jpg

]]> Wed, 12 Feb 2014 21:09:38 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49585/#p49585 <![CDATA[Re: Laser cutter repair]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/49532/#p49532 Nice!

]]> Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:25:59 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/49532/#p49532