[Robin Hewitt]

Hi

I've just got one of these cutters and want to dump the Moshi software.

The controller board is the MS10105 V4.1

They have cleaned the name off the processor, but...

Active high RESET
Needs external RAM

No prizes for guessing it's an Atmel AT89S51, or similar, running at 16MHz off a 32MHz rock

It's been over 20 years since I did any 8051 programming, has anyone figured it out yet? Someone must be using them because RS still list them at about 2 quid a pop.

best

Robin

[Fred27]

I've just bought a board to replace the moshiboard from Chriscircuits.com which will allow you to use Mach3 instead. A nice and reasonably priced piece of kit. Not fired it up yet. Managed to avoid running moshidraw at all. The other option is a DSP from someone like Light Objects. More expensive though.

No point adapting the current board really. Easier to ditch it. Unless you're really after a challenge!

I'm based in the UK too, by the way.

[Robin Hewitt]

I am going off this Moshi board...

I was wondering what the big 150R resistor was for and I think it's the 5V supply and component D12 is a 5.1V Zenner. Weird, why would anyone do that when a 7805 has no problem dropping 24V to 5V and is hardly expensive.

I think I got confused by the 5 Amp connector used to drive one piddling litte opto isolator on the Laser board. I thought it had to be a power connection, but it isn't.

The other problem is the USB interface chip. I was expecting a serial to USB converter connecting to the 8051 UART but it isn't. It has had the markings cleaned off and it has a 8 bit bus connection. No idea.

It isn't as if the board is doing anything clever, all it has to do is talk to the outside world, drive two steppers and switch the laser on/off.

I think the entire board has to go in the bin. I have a spare ARM Coretex dev board which got trodden on demolishing the LCD touch screen, but otherwise okay. I already have a 4 axis control written for that, 2 axes should be a doddle. I could download the entire cut/engrave sequence to the on-board micro SD card and drag this dinosaur in to the 21st century.

[Robin Hewitt]

No point adapting the current board really. Easier to ditch it. Unless you're really after a challenge!

Hi Fred

You posted while I was replying to myself. Nothing like posting while buzzing out a circuit, takes time but gives you an incentive to get it right or look like a twit

I am a control freak so I don't do Mach 3. Windows was never designed to do stepper motors and if something goes wrong I like to be able to fix it. Patching deep inside the vitals of XP to get around it is very clever but a bit fraught. I prefer Win7.

I can cut dxf files nil problemo but the engraving part is trickier. Visual Studio will allow me to read in .bmp, .jpg, .gif and .png images. The .bmp sounds like the best option because there are no grey fuzzy bits. If I size the picture so pixels match the engraver step resolution it should be a doddle, all I will need is an offset and a speed.

Sounds like fun

[acidice333]

I've love to be able to just swap the chip out instead of buying a replacement board.

Throw in something like a PIC chip (pins will probably conflict a little so a daughter board?) with USB and implement a GCode interpreter program

[Robin Hewitt]

I've love to be able to just swap the chip out instead of buying a replacement board.

That's what I thought.

Replacing the processor is easy, the Atmel part will just slot in.

Driving the steppers is easy, switching the laser is easy, reading the limits is easy, BUT talking to a PC is impossible unless we know what the USB chip is.

I think it has to be a USB to serial adapter, but this guy is seriously out of date. I think he's found a part that doesn't require pre-programming for baud rates and frame. Hence the 8 bit connection. Without a spec sheet for the chip hacking it is not on.

[fishface]

i have a cheap 40w laser and I replaced the moshi software and control board with a simple stepper driver board and linuxcnc driven from the parallel port.

[acidice333]

Hopefully something is figured out soon
You don't necessarily have to use the USB chip if you go with a daughter board that clips into the IC socket.
So what if it adds a few more parts, at least its reusing the existing connectors and stuff.

My moshi board died on me just today. Moshidraw sees it and says its `idle` but if I send any command it stays stuck as `busy`. When I turn on the machine it doesnt goto X/Y home position anymore. Eh its too bad I was just liking Moshidraw 2013 too I think its the main IC that died since if I remove it, nothing changes.

[Robin Hewitt]

My moshi board died on me just today.

Perhaps you need to PM Fishface (message #7) who has a spare chip.

If it was me I'd try changing the 32MHz crystal, always a good bet with a dead CPU.

Is MoshiDraw 2013 an improvement? I downloaded a copy.

I put the water pump in today and my laser now burns tiny holes in paper when I click the "Test Switch" but does that mean it is set correctly, it is a mystery.

Did you find a helpful "how to use Moshi" instructions somewhere? I seem to be looking at a drawing package. It would be nice to see the laser at least try and do something.

If You replace the processor then Moshi probably has to be consigned to the bin. I notice in "Systems options" it has IN; and PU; commands, suggesting the laser is working as an HPGL plotter, but that only helps if it comes up as a serial device.

[acidice333]

What would be ideal is if we can dump the firmware so if the chip fails we can program a new chip. The main IC failed on mine as I just bought a replacement 4.5v vs the old 4.1v board and tried swapping the IC over and it did try to home but seemed to ignore the home switches as they kept going so I didn't really do any more tests.

I will later on go with a DSP but for now I'd rather use Moshi... Mach3 isn't ideal since I perfer to use a laptop and it doesn't work on my only laptop with a parellel port properly.

[ecpur]

DSP laser control system

[SpackoDesign]

Infos about Moshi...
buildlog.net ? View topic - WildCircuits Laser HackLog
WildCircuits: New Processor For Your Moshi Based 40 watt CO2 Laser, DC-KIII

[acidice333]

I would have loved to have his code and schematics so I could try this but it's been like a year since I posted a comment on wildcircuits and still nothing available from him

[mondo50m]

He is now active on the Buildlog.net site. He is building a large format laser.

Milt

[ecpur]

I hope this info can help you .
K40 laser machine USB driver moshiDraw CD free download
40 watt CO2 LASER CNC ROUTER ENGRAVING and CUTTING MACHINE CUTTER ENGRAVER USB PORT

[hjhac]

After the death of my MoshiDraw Dongle i'm searching for a alternativ software for the laser.
No hope.
Then i try to get some movement over the methode of wildcircuits with a Arduino, nope.
Replacing the board with a 50$ parallel CNC stepper motor driver board Controller from ebay is easy but not my goal.
The goal is: use the Laser with a Macintosh over USB.

Now after 1 year the Laser work with a new driver board based on the Lasersaur Project.
The board is a shield for a Arduino Uno.
Runing on the Lasersaur software in a browser. Win, OSX and Linux are suported.
I replaced the GeckoDrive G203V through stepper driver from Pololu.com
Designed and tested is for both driver from Pololu the DRV8825 and the A4988. I use 1/8 steps.

revision 0.1
The end stops not work how i need. The software see the end stops but i can't use it to drive to zero. Zero is now the point where i put power on.
The Laser need a low signal, Lasersaur say high. I'm inverting the signal on a smal plugin board. But PWM not work.
I regulate the laser power with the potentiometer.
The power cable from the laser and the ribbon cable still have a separate adapter board.
The revision 0.1 of the board is a confusion but 0.2 will come.

[hjhac]

...