[buddydog]

We'lI I plugged in a camera card with some 3D sliced stuff on it and sure enough I could scroll through my various creations. I picked one and started it and it now says "heating"so me thinks someone might have piggy backed the laser control on the 3D reprap software. It is nice to recognize the environment.

[Retroplayer]

So will these driver boards directly run the steppers in my laser machine. I have not actually plugged the boards onto the ramps yet. And the excitement is building. I wonder if I can design a 2D in openscad and slice it in cura and run it on the arduino? I think I'll go grab my camera card with some 3D stuffs on it and see what happens.

Yes, they can. If you are going to use the 24V, though, you need to make some small modifications to your RAMPS board. Those modifications are listed here: equipment:buildlog_laser_cutter [Lansing Makers Network Wiki] look at the diagram listed electrical connections. You need to remove D1 so it doesn't try to feed the 24V into the Arduino which can't handle it.

And this guy: WeisTek Engineeing goes a bit further and suggests removing the the fuses and shorting them. I am not sure that is necessary. But something to consider while you have the soldering iron out. It won't hurt anything, anyway, to do it.

[Retroplayer]

We'lI I plugged in a camera card with some 3D sliced stuff on it and sure enough I could scroll through my various creations. I picked one and started it and it now says "heating"so me thinks someone might have piggy backed the laser control on the 3D reprap software. It is nice to recognize the environment.

It says heating because you picked gcode with commands for the heaters. The firmware definitely needs some more work to ignore things like that and hide all the 3D printer stuff. My goal is to get everything running first as it is before I start digging into the firmware. A custom board more specifically designed for the laser cutter might come out of that effort as well.

The firmware works as it is, though. Here's a video of it in action... WeisTek Engineeing

[buddydog]

So Retro I was at first thinking of switching between the LaserDRW board and the arduino but that would require a 9PDT switch or it's solid state equivalent. I woke up wondering if a simple "steering" diode setup would isolate the two systems and maybe the outputs are already isolated which means they can just be paralleled? Any thoughts? If diodes are used would it mess with the shape of the PWM stepper pulses or laser "on" PWM modulation? Backfeeding transients to the "off" board? Anyway this scheme would allow just a simple DPDT 5 volt power (12 volts to the arduino and 5 volts to the LaserDRWboard) changeover switch.

And Rolf any joy (old pilot response to traffic query from ATC)?

[Retroplayer]

So Retro I was at first thinking of switching between the LaserDRW board and the arduino but that would require a 9PDT switch or it's solid state equivalent. I woke up wondering if a simple "steering" diode setup would isolate the two systems and maybe the outputs are already isolated which means they can just be paralleled? Any thoughts? If diodes are used would it mess with the shape of the PWM stepper pulses or laser "on" PWM modulation? Backfeeding transients to the "off" board? Anyway this scheme would allow just a simple DPDT 5 volt power (12 volts to the arduino and 5 volts to the LaserDRWboard) changeover switch.

And Rolf any joy (old pilot response to traffic query from ATC)?

Interesting question and one I don't know the answers to. I think once you get into using the RAMPS, you will toss the moshidraw board in the junk bin, though.I can't think of any reason you would want to continue using it. At first maybe just while in the learning curve.

What might be a better idea is to just to have connections you can swap easily between the two. You could for example put all the wiring into some type of multi-pin connector and just a quick disconnection is all that is needed. Anything beyond that would be quite a bit of work I think when I am certain you will be done with Moshidraw in just a few weeks of using the RAMPS.

[buddydog]

Interesting question and one I don't know the answers to. I think once you get into using the RAMPS, you will toss the moshidraw board in the junk bin, though.I can't think of any reason you would want to continue using it. At first maybe just while in the learning curve.

What might be a better idea is to just to have connections you can swap easily between the two. You could for example put all the wiring into some type of multi-pin connector and just a quick disconnection is all that is needed. Anything beyond that would be quite a bit of work I think when I am certain you will be done with Moshidraw in just a few weeks of using the RAMPS.

I have a ton of designs in the DRW formatand for bitmaps it engraves real good. It's only flaw (other than it's locked down) is designing within the program. It's doable but leaves a behind the scenes mess.

[Retroplayer]

I have a ton of designs in the DRW formatand for bitmaps it engraves real good. It's only flaw (other than it's locked down) is designing within the program. It's doable but leaves a behind the scenes mess.

Gotcha. No way to export them to say SVG or DXF? My original controller was the CorelDraw board, so no experience at all with the Moshi stuff.

[buddydog]

Retro what have you done for a "Z" table and is manual adjustment ok for you?

[Retroplayer]

Retro what have you done for a "Z" table and is manual adjustment ok for you?

Nothing yet. I will probably just buy the automated Z table from lightobject.com for $160. That's not bad considering the time and materials required to build one.

[buddydog]

PM me your address

[Clive S]

Retroplayer I have just read this entire thread and would like to thank you for your patience and knowledge you have put in to this.
I have been through all these learning curves when I first got into 3D printing and from that built a 1600 x 800 cnc router. Without people like you
these forums would be a very scary place. ..Clive

[buddydog]

Retroplayer I have just read this entire thread and would like to thank you for your patience and knowledge you have put in to this.
I have been through all these learning curves when I first got into 3D printing and from that built a 1600 x 800 cnc router. Without people like you
these forums would be a very scary place. ..Clive

Here Here!

[buddydog]

Attachment 268184
This Attachment 268184 is an attempt to post an attachment

Retro this is what I'm sending you minus the hardware. The slots between the octagonal pieces and the ball chain pulley are where the 1" dia holes in the table go. The MDF represents the bottom of the laser case. Each adjuster is made up of three printed pieces so they can adjust for various plate thickness. After they are trial fitted,they are moistened with acetone to secure them.

[buddydog]

Attachment 268190
Fancy arduino cigar box mount

Well for some reason you have to left click to open the picture. I did it exactly the same as the Z table.

[buddydog]

Attachment 268444
Attachment 268446
Attachment 268448
Retro I couldn't figure how to post attachments to a PM so I'm posting them here and hoping you see them. Mail should go out today with the plastic parts. Hopefully 1 picture is worth a thousand words.

[Retroplayer]

Thanks guys. I just want to be sure I don't come across as an expert when it comes to laser cutting or CNC machines (my next project and I feel like a complete noob every time I try to dip my toes in that water.) I am just starting out myself. But I am always happy to share what skills or knowledge I DO have with others because I have gained those skills and knowledge from the countless hours of effort from others as well. I know what it is like trying to learn something new. Even in my job as an electrical engineer, I am always learning something new every day. I try not to ever call myself an expert, I am a perpetual student.

Just a reminder to anyone viewing: we have ALL been in your shoes at some point when we started. This is what a forum is supposed to be for. My biggest pet peeve is those that get their questions answered or problem fixed and then *poof* never come back with feedback to let everyone know if it worked or not. For someone coming along later, leaving it open ended like that means countless more hours of research for others. So if you learned something and had success, wrap up a thread by saying so. And of course, always be willing to pay it forward!

[Retroplayer]

Yep. Looks pretty clear to me what to do with it now, I think. So weird that I keep remembering seeing a video of a similar table somewhere. But it had another knob for adjustment that came out to a slot in the front of the chassis. It was a thumbwheel which cranked the chain.

[buddydog]

Yes there were others. Not a patentable design. I just wanted something for myself and once designed figured others might want a plastics kit. It dawned on me today that if the rotating elements were mounted to the bottom, the table would not have anything sticking up as you lowered it. The all thread would be fixed to the table. You would have to elevate the machine on blocks to clear the dropping all thread. Has not been a problem for me but....

[buddydog]

Thanks guys. I just want to be sure I don't come across as an expert when it comes to laser cutting or CNC machines (my next project and I feel like a complete noob every time I try to dip my toes in that water.) I am just starting out myself. But I am always happy to share what skills or knowledge I DO have with others because I have gained those skills and knowledge from the countless hours of effort from others as well. I know what it is like trying to learn something new. Even in my job as an electrical engineer, I am always learning something new every day. I try not to ever call myself an expert, I am a perpetual student.

Just a reminder to anyone viewing: we have ALL been in your shoes at some point when we started. This is what a forum is supposed to be for. My biggest pet peeve is those that get their questions answered or problem fixed and then *poof* never come back with feedback to let everyone know if it worked or not. For someone coming along later, leaving it open ended like that means countless more hours of research for others. So if you learned something and had success, wrap up a thread by saying so. And of course, always be willing to pay it forward!

THAT is my pet peeve also. You feel soooo used :-)

[buddydog]

I miss the activity on this thread. I check every day. Rolf how are you doing? Anyone notice the number of views?