"over temperature" error?

[Nadia Zois]

i own a versalaser 25 watt . today i was trying to engrave an aluminum dog tag and i got an "over temperature" error. it scared me so much. what does this mean exactly? i am worried my laser is broken :confused:

[Frank Corker]

I have to say I have never heard of that before but it is probably a safety feature of versalaser. If you are worried your laser is broken, try engraving something with it, if it doesn't work and you get the same message then it is likely you have tripped a safety switch. If it does work then you laser is fine. All metals will generate heat when they are being engraved, the slower your speed the more heat, the heat coming off the dog tag may have activated a heat sensor, but something such as "over temperature" sounds more like a warning indicator. Simple way is to do a test run, I would imagine your machine has not been damaged.

[Mike Null]

I am not familiar with that warning but I'm inclined to think that your machine was not properly vented or cooled rather than being caused by what you werre engraving.

[Dan Hintz]

Make sure your fan vents are clear of dust...

[Richard Rumancik]

Is this over-temperature error an audible warning, or was it a message from the driver? Did the laser system shut down on its own? ULS has some kind of over-temperature sensor on some machines but it is intended for fire protection, and does not monitor the electronics for overheating. If fire-prevention alarm tripped, then it is possible that something about what you were doing made the sensor think there was a high ambient temperature in the work zone. I don't know the technology used on these sensors - there are some types of optical sensors that might in some cases be fooled that there is a fire when there is not. You need to check the manual to see exactly what this alarm meant. Very likely it was a false alarm and your laser is fine.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Nadia,

Change the 9 volt battery! The sensor is controlled by this battery and will give you an error if the battery is low.

[Dee Gallo]

I love it when it's a simple fix! Thanks for the education, Mike :)

[Mike Null]

Thank you Mike. Hadn't heard of that before.

[Scott Shepherd]

It's a battery for the sensor that detects heat inside the cabinet and sounds an alarm if it gets too hot inside the cabinet (fire).