Does anyone have a good laser test/setup image they would be willing to share? I searched the OPTlaser site but didn’t find one.
Thanks
Joel
I have lots of different ones, depending on what you are trying to test. Are you wanting to optimize your focus, or are you working on picture images? If the latter, are you working with the EX controller, or Mach4?
Hello Jim
I was actually just watching your YouTube video on using endmill toolpaths for laser.
I am running UCCNC and just getting started with laser. I’ve run some line etching toolpaths from fusion 360, and tried a few pictures with UCCNCs laser engraving plugin.
I was looking for a good test card to set the y-scan spacing and focus and adjust the power and speed.
I’ve enjoyed and learned a lot from your videos.
Thanks! A couple of my first attempts below.
Joel
Ok, i have some good files for both.
Unfortunately i am at a friend’s cabin for a couple days and didn’t bring my computer.
If you look at my focusing video, i think i have the link to my Google drive in the description area where i have some of those files.
Otherwise I can send some to you Saturday when i get home.
Jim
Jim
Great video on laser focusing. That gives me a head start. I found the Google Drive and downloaded your test patterns. Thank you very much for sharing. UCCNC doesn’t support a couple of the gcodes Ike m63 and m64 I made some substitutions that I hope will work and am going to head to the shop and give them a try.
Appreciate your help!
Joel
Also wanted to say, very cool idea on the laser corner finding tool.
Thanks. Its simple, cheap, and works well.
How does UCCNC control the laser, does it reused the spindle gcodes and then just have a special command to go between spindle and laser mode? Thats how Centroid and Grbl do it. Mach4 used the m63/64/68 codes to do it.
I don’t know if you found them ( i cant remember for sure if i put them in the google drive or mot) but i do have a couple of images i use to dial in the line spacing and pixel width adjustment. I’ll didlg those up when i get home.
When i switched to the EX controller, i had intended to do an in depth video on that, but then when i characterized that controller and found out it really doesn’t do a good job with the laser (picture rastering), I decided to wait until they improved it, or i found a better controller. I do have some good test patterns to test your controllers ability to manage the pwm signal at the pixel level which are good to do to see if your conteoller is a limiting factor or not.
Jim
Yes, your zero finding tool will have to be a project soon.
I’m a definite novice on gcode and post processors. I beat my head against the wall last night trying to get a laser post processor to work with Vectric. I finally modified a Stepcraft post processor and got things to work. Might still need some tweaking. I have created a separate UCCNC profile for laser. I haven’t tried to mix laser and spindle yet. Yes, it does remap the Spindle PWM to a laser output. Creates a Power variable in the post processor that ranges from 1-10000 to use with M10. One problem with that is I haven’t figured out how to get it to set the laser below 1%. Maybe turning M3 on and off might accomplish that.
I still have a lot to learn. I also have a better computer to get down to the shop. The old laptop struggles a bit.
I did download your X and Y grid gcodes. Went through and replaced all the G63s with M10s. When I tried it, I realized I had used your mm version. I could read the really small numbers, so that’s something. I need to go back and try to modify your inches gcode.
Appreciate all your help Jim
Maybe you already figured it out, but the point of a 0-1000 or 0-10000 scale is to allow getting 0.1% or 0.01% resolution on systems where it doesn’t allow fractions on the spindle speed. However, the controller software needs to be able to be set to the same range for that to work, so you need to have your controller and post processor on the same page.
I’m going to admit it’s been a challenge to keep all this straight. The images I posted were produced with the UCCNC imageengrave plugin. It’s all internal to the UCCNC controller. It doesn’t even show any gcode.
The spindle speed S in UCCNC is 0-10000. But to control the laser with M10 there’s a power variable Q is 0-100% in integers. I think I have a post processor working for vCarve. I haven’t tested it yet.
I downloaded the trial version of lightburn. Haven’t got it working yet.
What software do you use for generating laser code Jim?
I am a Vectric guy for the most part, so vector based laser files I make with Vectric (you can use the laser module, or fake it with an endmil toolpath and special post processor) to generate Gcode files.
I’m not really doing any picture rastering (where it goes back and fourth in straight lines blasting out individual pixels) because I don’t have a controller that can do that well from Gcode, and can’t do it from native images. It sounds like UCCNC doesn’t run those from Gcode, but does native images.
Lightburn is both a controller, and can generate Gcode. However, to use its native control of the controller for picture rastering, you have to have a CNC controler that lightburn supports, and I don’t know if UCCNC is supported. Its mostly Grbl type boards that it supports that way as far as I know.
However, Lightburn is not bad for doing design work (for the price), and it now gives you decent control of the output format of the Gcode file. It does an excellent job of generating raster Gcode files (I just can’t use them well yet).
I am trying to get reacquainted with Vcarve i used it years back with an older cnc. I’ve gotten really used to Fusion 360. It’s kind of a whole different approach. Dimensions and constraints. It’s hard to get used to the lack of that in Vcarve again.
I tried to generate gcode for a photo in Lightburn. I got it setup to generate gcode for UCCNC but when I tried to laser it, it didn’t really work. The UCCNC laser engrave plugin does a decent job, but there’s no toolpath you can save and use.
I think LB has plenty of control over what it will write for Gcode, so I think if you do something simple (like a square) in your CAD that works, and then in Lightburn, you can see what needs modification in the gcode processor commands. Or is the problem that you don’t have any tool that generates working Gcode yet?
If you send me a Gcode file from LB I might be able to give you some ideas. jnwdwks@gmail.com
I think you hit the nail on the head Jim. It was a bad first test of lightburn to start off with a photo. I’ll try and see if I can get a simple shape to print.
I will copy you on the gcode it generates. Will send a capture of the Custom GCode settings I’ve started with.
I realized running a cut and fill on VCarve that UCCNC Power Variable Q is scaled from 0 to 100. I had found a lot of internet references that said it was 0 to 255. When I had the Max Q set to 255 it was firing the laser at 76% for a desired 30%.
It would be nice if lightburn could output good gcode. It has so many features that would be nice to have.