[GuiBerlin]

Hi all

OK, short story first

Two month ago I got my co2 laser from wklaser in China.

Surprise... when I opened the (huge) box, it was in parallel port and not in Usb...

I contacted immediately wk laser and they recognized (immediately too) that it was their fault...

The machine worked well though... but as some here know I could not do what I wanted to do : rubber stamps with slopes.

So after a lot of emails we agreed they would send me another main board and I would change it myself (at least try...).

Last day came the board



It seems to be a chines Board but the chip and driver is from philips; lpc214

It came with a new softdog for newlydraw.

It came with a external panel too but I probably ask more question about it in the future

So I installed the board, played a few hours with it and everything seems to work.

I have a lot of new options in newlydraw.

It is recognized as "Laser B" from wklaser.

So here is my question :

I control the laser with that external module :



How can I control directly the laser from Newlydraw (since there are a lot of option about it) and not anymore from that external module?


Is there anything to connect between the mainboard and the laser board?

The external module is connected on the laser board on "j2".

On the new main board there is a free port called "dac-out"

I would really appreciate your help :rainfro:

[zax15uk]

Newlydraw can control laser power (properties from engrave screen, near where it has the make/model of the laser), and it sounds like your driver can too (the analog output) but all that depends on the laser PSU.

You will need to connect the DAC output to the 0-5V analog input on the laser PSU providing it has one, some of the newer PSU's only have a digital PWM input in which case you'd need an adapter board.

I suggest getting some more information from the wklaser on how to connect it.

Zax.

[GuiBerlin]

Hi Zax

Thank you very much for your answer!

You are right (of course you are!)

After talking with WK they told me the PSU doesn't have a input... and that they will see how to deal with that (which means probably send me hone I hope :-) )

The good thing is that 2 days ago I had no clue about "what is a DAC"... Never say die

[GuiBerlin]

hello !

update...

I got (free of charge, thank you Wklaser) a power supply with which I am suppose to control my laser beam from the computer and not from that power gauge anymore.

They wired it for me but I think it is wrong for what I want to do.

Here is an overview of the PWS :



As you can see below they use the yellow green red a black (the orange one is not connected ) cable and connect the to a single connector :







The plug end up to the "out" connector of my mainboard :




So it "works". I can fire the laser.

But... I do not have any control of the power.

Zax, you said :

You will need to connect the DAC output to the 0-5V analog input on the laser PSU providing it has one, some of the newer PSU's only have a digital PWM input in which case you'd need an adapter board.

So if I get it well, I need to connect that (the DAC out) :



on that ( 0-5V analog input ) ???




Thank you very much ! :-)

[zax15uk]

It appears to be the correct wiring for digital (PWM) control which is better than analog, so you should be able to control the laser from software.

Are you sure it isn't controlling the laser power?

Create 2 lines, and set each to a different 'power' layer (like 5% and 50%) and see if there is any difference on a piece of wood.

Zax.

[GuiBerlin]

Hi

I tried and tried again... even at 0% it fires the beam (at 100 % I think)

It appears to be the correct wiring for digital (PWM) control

Yep but I really not sure the pws supports PWM (which doesn't make any sense since they sent me and wired me the pws for that very purpose...)

Have a look here (it seems to be exactly the same ) :

40W CO2 Laser Power Supply (non PWM)

But in the other hand, here is a link (thank you google translator) from the manufacturer of the pws which says :

Laser power adjustment can either enter 0 to 5V analog signal, you can also enter the PWM signal to control the size of the laser power.

jnmydy.com


But I really try every single setup and really nothing change...



So if I want to try with the analog way, I connect the dac out to the "G in/+5v" connector, what about L/+5v (black and red one) ? Does it need to be connected to the "out" connector on the mainboard still ?

Thank you !


Ps ; do you know what is d+ d- ?

[zax15uk]

The Lightobjects PSU is the older non-PWM version but yours is definitely the newer one.

D+/D- select digital inputs, active high and active low. I believe having the jumper on is active low but could be wrong. It has been a long day, I just arrived in Tokyo.

Have you put a scope or meter on the Y/G connections to see if there is a signal?

Since it appears you are only getting 100% with no modulation it is possible the driver needs to be updated for a PWM power supply? Did wk mention this?

It would be easy to check the analog operation to confirm and no it wouldn't want to be connected to both PWM and DAC outputs - that could result in damage.

Zax.

[GuiBerlin]

You're in Tokio ? I'd love to go there !

Thank you again for you answer.

I am going to buy some cable and try the DAC out one.

In the meanwhile I asked wklaser about the driver update possibility.

Wait and see

enjoy your trip !

[GuiBerlin]

ok I bring back my old thread up...

I come and "beg" for help :-)

Electronic isn't really my world so I may ask questions which may seem really stupid... but I am willing to learn :-)

Last time I posted about that subject was about 1 year ago... just before getting a new job. Which means I haven't try anything since then.

OK... so basically I have that tiny cheap 40w laser machine from Weike.
It came in parallel even though I ordered a USB version with PWM (to be able to engrave slopes on rubber stamps).
They acknowledged their mistake and sent me a new main board and a power supply. (see the pictures bellow).

I can move x and y without problem, and fire the laser.

THE problem... I do not have any modulation (so no control at all on the laser except fireing it at I believe 100% of its power)

Zax, back on time you wrote :

Have you put a scope or meter on the Y/G connections to see if there is a signal?

Yes I did and I get 3,2V and it stays stable




I asked Weike about it but gave up last year when I got my new job... I sent them an email yesterday but with the new year celebration so far nothing.


Ok so I would like to try the DAC out possibility.
Could someone help me with the wire ?

from the mainboard do I have to connect only the dac out to the PS or is there anything else to do ?







thank you very much

[zax15uk]

Unless I am missing something, it looks like you are wired correctly?

Zax.

[GuiBerlin]

Unless I am missing something, it looks like you are wired correctly?

Zax.

I think so too... but still... no modulation.

It would be easy to check the analog operation to confirm

Can you tell me more about it? You are talking about the Dac right ?

[zax15uk]

Yes - you should be able to use your volt meter to see if the DAC output is working.

Zax.

[GuiBerlin]

uhm no DAC out...

0v, no activity... :tired:

I guess only Weike will be able to help me since everything seems to be correct...

[zax15uk]

I think so, it doesn't appear the driver is functioning to drive PWM or variable power.

Zax.

[geekinesis]

here are photos of my board and connections (before I replaced it with a new 3 axis board)

I havent traced all the connections but I think the green wire in the dac out becomes the red wire on the power box (via a switch that switches between analog control and pwm control)

ps I have not actually managed to control the laser power through newlydraw anyway, despite the connection being there, so this could be a mute point. It has only ever worked with the potentiometer.

the wk40 driver and the board is the same as yours - despite my machine being bigger

[geekinesis]

Ive noticed a few extra components you have near the dac out, which I assume are part of the pwm control?? So maybe you are in luck and your board is set up to control the laser through pwm

[GuiBerlin]

Hi geekinesis,

Thanks for your answer and pictures !

Actually this story is really weird.

Basically my machine is not a WK40 anymore since they (WK) sent me :

- a new mainboard (with a new dongle and a driver on a cd "lpc214"to install on my computer),

- then 2 weeks later a new Power supply since the original one (the one from the wk40 wasn't compatible with the new mainboard (they forgot about that point... ).

So the whole point for sending me the mainboard and the PS was to be able to control the laser from the software (and then being able to make slopes...).

Wk did the wireing too.

The only think I had to do was to connect the elements together and test the machine.
It worked immediately... but without modulation (laser at 100% only).

[geekinesis]

Hi


I think if you can wire the dac in the same way as my board you should be able to control the board with pwm. When you are using the pwm you have to somewhere have a switch to disable the pot control, otherwise both the pot and pwm are interfering with each other. Which is why you are probably getting 100 percent power.

Then with the pot disabled the board should work with pwm

(edit) I cant tell if you have the pot connected actually

Is one of the wires on the dac out leading directly to a ground on the laser power?
Is one leading directly to IN
and one directly to 5v on the laser power?

On my machine there is a manual switch between "dac out" to "potentiometer control" on the red wire (IN on the laser power).

Just my observations.... if the manufacturers have wired it differently then just compare it to my wiring and then contact them before changing anything. I would hate to cause any smoke



What is the machine or driver name you select in newlydraw?

[GuiBerlin]

I do not use at all the DAC output.

Look at the pictures :







(the orange cable isn't connected with anything)

The next picture is a closed up of the "out" on the mainboard with and without wire.




Again this is really weird since WK did the wireing... but since they didn't send me the two pieces together maybe they mixed up something in the process...

But on your picture, you do not use the PWM out ?

[geekinesis]

yes I noticed the pwm out wasnt used on mine.

Since I dont use the board anymore I might experiment with that connection.

I assumed the Dac connection was related to pwm as well but I dont know to be honest? It is connected to the power as I said.

Can you send the manufacturer the various photos and get them to specify the correct wiring with a proper schematic?