Legend 24tt 45 watt

[Neil Hurwitz]

Hi All
Long time lurker, First Post
I am looking for some advice. I am a life long Model Airplane Builder
and am looking at my first laser. I have the opportunity to purchase a
used Epilog Legend 24TT for a very good price. The unit is the 45watt model.
I plan on cutting Balsa up to ¼” and some light ply also up to ¼”.
So from what I have read here, 45 watts should be plenty of power.
My question is: What is the best way to evaluate a used laser?
The machine is not set up in a working environment at present so I
Don’t think I will be able to get a demonstration of the machine working.
I might be limited to just plugging the thing in and see if any lights come on.
I use lots of Broadcast Video equipment in my full time job and most
of the newer gear has Start-Up self diagnostics. Are there any check-routines
that I can do on this Epilog to get an idea of its health?
I have read just about every post on this forum about this machine as well as the manual and know that the Carriage should move freely with the machine off, but have not been
able to find any test routines to run (if there are any)?
Ordinarily I would prefer to buy new gear but it’s simply out of my range now.
As a side note, I feel very lucky to have stumbled across this forum about a year ago
when I first started thinking about getting a laser and dropping my coping saw and
dremel jig saw. I have no idea what a fire polisher does but sure sounds cool.
Thanx in advance for any info

Best
Neil Hurwitz

[Dan Hintz]

To properly view a laser, you really need to see it cut. The tube could need a recharge, any of the motors could be toast, the motherboard could be junk, etc. If you can't test it, you are nearly purchasing it sight unseen, and that's a bad idea.

[greg lindsey]

I agree with Dan, if you can see it run, I would make sure that you can return it if it dosen't operate. Even a "good" price can be a bad deal if the tube isn't firing. Does the person selling have any software for operating it. You can ck it with a laptop if they have some software like corel, even it's an older version. You can go on Ebay and buy a copy of corel 9 pretty cheap. If it dosen't work the worst that happens is your out a few bucks for the corel. Can you find out what they used the laser for. How long have they had it. Thats on older unit. Not saying that buying an older unit is bad, I have some myself , you just need to make sure. It dosent say were your from, but you might want to ck with a few reps to see if they dont have a newer machine used that has been checked out, If your in the states, ck with Roy Brewer or Rob Bosworth, both are very reputable and often have used equipment. To answer your original question, no , there is no ck system for it other than operating it. You can get a laser meter from Laserbits, i believe it rents for 100.00 for a weeks rental.

[Robert Walters]

Hi Neil,

Get the serial number of the unit and call Epilog to see:
1) What service records or history of replacement part orders there may be.
2) Cost of replacing/recharged laser tube.
3) Any additional accessories you might want (for mostly cutting you'll want to have air assist and a vector cutting table, etc).

Buying a laser untested is like buying a used car without a test drive or a mechanic taking a look at it.

It really doesn't take much to do a temporary test setup...
- Use a big shopvac (with the widest and longest hose possible) and duct tape in a pinch for exhaust.
- Bring a laptop with the drivers and software already installed.
- Grab a couple of files from the forum and some sample materials to test it out on.
- Bring a 12ga extension cord and power strip

If it's in storage where there is no power, rent/borrow a *electronics safe* generator with enough wattage to cover the laser, computer, and shopvac. Even if the rental is $100/day, still cheaper than buying a dead/dying laser.

The Honda EU2000i is a 1600W nominal/2000W peak electronics safe generator that is quiet and small enough to carry with one hand. You may be able to rent one from a tool rental, sporting goods, or camping/rv supply house.

[Richard Rumancik]

You might also want to "rent/borrow" someone who knows how to operate a laser. Especially if they are familiar with Epilog (I assume you have not run a laser before). Since you are not going into competition maybe you can find a local shop with someone who you could hire for a few hours or half-day. If the laser is indeed working, the company selling it should be willing to assist and accomodate you in checking it out as it is in their best interest to prove that it does work. Checking that it "lights up" is not really adequate and does not prove anything. Sure would be nice to have a laser power meter, but in lieu of that, an experienced operator could guesstimate whether it seems to be cutting, say, 1/4" acrylic, at a reasonable speed.

[Neil Hurwitz]

Thanx to all who replied.
All your comments were very sound advice and where in line with that little
voice one hears but ignores. Like I mentioned most of the gear I use in my regular job has on-board diagnostics and was
hoping these machines had also. The machine is with an "Asset Relocation" company ie; secured party liquidation
so I don't know what kind of cooperation they will extend to me. I have requested a screen shot of the serial
number and hopefully that will shed some light on the unit. But some of advice I received leads me to
some other questions. First off I should say that I have never used this type of equipment.
So here goes: Is it reasonable to assume that if load Corel and the latest drivers onto my laptop that
I will be able to just fire this thing up for a test?
If this was the type of video gear I use I would say
NO CHANCE, NOT EVEN CLOSE. So I assume the answer is going to be no. I have lots of respect
for operators of gear I'm operationally clueless about. I have seen it happen many times where
a production grinds to a halt, everybody blaming the equipment,
when the real culprit is an inexperienced operator. So how will I know if it's me or it, if it doesn't behave?

Secondly If any of you guys are in the upstate New York area
I would be more than willing to pay for some of your time to help me evaluate this unit.
Once again thanx for your help
My main interest is in model airplanes from 60 to 80" wingspans, constructed out of Balsa and light ply.
I tend to stay away from exotic materials like carbon fiber. I can say without a doubt that the two
biggest advances in building these things has been cyanoacrylate glue and laser cutting.
I have attached a picture of some of my completed airplanes if anybody is interested.179082

[Joe Pelonio]

We have a local club and I have done a lot of parts for the guys, and have that exact same machine. Since I bought it in 2006
I have replaced the tube twice, once on warranty and once at $2,300. I have replaced the x motor twice, the mirrors and lenses, and the encoder strip ribbon cable twice. If it's had a lot of use I'd also look to see if the head moves freely but without free play
on the x bar. For the kind of money I wouldn't buy without a demo, cutting what you will cut. A laptop with Corel 12 or above,
a network cable, and the Epilog Drivers should fire it up easily. That's all it takes.

[Dee Gallo]

Neil,

How "upstate NY" are you? We have an excellent Epilog rep, Jeff Aichinger, in the Buffalo area and a kick butt tech, Bill Neal, there too.

It might be worth your while to check there to see if there is a used one (they commonly have them) available.

cheers, dee

ps- I'm by the Canadian border by the Ogdensburg bridge, but I doubt you're THIS far upstate! We do have have a few members around the state - post your location if you want to get more responses.

[Neil Hurwitz]

Hi Dee,
Believe it or not
I spent 2 years in Canton while a student at
St. Lawerence University and have many fine memories of the Tick-Tock and
the Hoot Owl. The system I'm looking at is in the Syracuse Area
and I reside in Whitehouse Station, NJ which is about 20 miles due east of Easton, PA.
Do you have the phone numbers for either Jeff or Bill and or are you interested
in doing some consulting?
Once again thanx to all.

[Dan Hintz]

Dee,

Why don't you go ahead and change your location to CA ;-)

[Richard Rumancik]

Yes, Dee, I think we should give you dual citizenship. You're ~60 miles to the capital city of Ottawa? That's about 1200 miles closer than I am . . . the bridge over the St. Lawrence is beautiful . . .

[Dee Gallo]

Hi Dee,
Believe it or not
I spent 2 years in Canton while a student at
St. Lawerence University and have many fine memories of the Tick-Tock and
the Hoot Owl. The system I'm looking at is in the Syracuse Area
and I reside in Whitehouse Station, NJ which is about 20 miles due east of Easton, PA.
Do you have the phone numbers for either Jeff or Bill and or are you interested
in doing some consulting?
Once again thanx to all.

Holy Cats! I lived right across the street from the Hoot Owl.. and cursed the drunk students many times! hahaha Small world, eh? Oops my Canadian accent is showing..

Anyway, Jeff is a member here so send him a PM and I'm sure he would be happy to talk with you about stuff. I don't know if his area covers your location. There might be someone closer to you that I don't know about. Bill has made "house calls" to my place and I'll bet if you paid him enough money he'd travel to see you too. He's worth every penny.

cheers, dee