Red laser pointer/ alignment tool

[Neville Stewart]

The laser on my Gweike 900x600 never worked and I got a replacement power supply and laser module from them but does the light remain on all the time, or only when you press test or run box or?? I'd like to see where my voltage is starting/ stopping in the circuit and when I should be looking for it. TIA. Neville

[John Noell]

On my Shenhui the red pointer laser is always on. On my Epilog, you can turn it on and off.

[Ken Shea]

John,
Your opinion, do you find it useful?


Ken

[Mike Troncalli]

I find mine very useful. I always do a dry run anytime I am doing a new project. The pointer helps me tell if my beam is going to be in the right spot.

[Keith Colson]

I could not live without my red pointer. I had to re-run some stainless engraving just this week and without the red pointer I would never have got the registration spot on. I also use it to jog to a usable piece in a scrap sheet.

My red pointer is on when the lid is open which makes sense.

Cheers
Keith

[Greg Holt]

I'm with the two posters above.

Would hate to not have the red dot. Perhaps not essential but very handy for setups.

Collinear and is on whenever the lid is open. Just the way it was designed.

Greg

[John Noell]

Absolutely useful. I liked the 'thru the lens' of the Epilog more than the off-to-the-side mounted Shenhui. With the Shen you must be at the correct focal distance or the dot is not in the right place. Curved pieces are a problem for that reason. (However, I always keep the pointer LED at 90 or 270 degrees on the nose cone so at least the Y axis is always lined up.) Yes, I know I can modify the Shen, but Rodney Gold's problems with the beam combiner make me think it is not worth it.)

[Neville Stewart]

So it goes on when the lid is up, that's helpful. Thanks.
I'm with the two posters above.

Would hate to not have the red dot. Perhaps not essential but very handy for setups.

Collinear and is on whenever the lid is open. Just the way it was designed.

Greg

[John Noell]

I wish mine was only on when the lid was raised! Neither my Epilog nor my Shen are like that. I should add that the Chinese models sent to places like Fiji have no safety interlocks. I just might add a door switch and wire in the LED. Most people here totally ignore basic safety.

[Neville Stewart]

Had a chance to work on it today. The pointer is bad, and the replacement I had is incompatible. Can you get them stateside?

[Bert Kemp]

yep ebay, lighoptics, macmaster carr lots of places


Had a chance to work on it today. The pointer is bad, and the replacement I had is incompatible. Can you get them stateside?

[Neville Stewart]

Thank you Bart.

[Ray Scott]

I like the idea of having the Red-Dot on when the lid is up.

If anyone is thinking about making a kit, here are some things to keep in mind.

@- use a mini DC-DC power supply from ebay. They only cost $2 ... Including shipping costs. The power supply has a multi-turn potentiometer for adjusting the voltage down to 2.8-3.6 VDC. That will adjust the brightness(spot size) of the red dot.
... The DC-DC power supply can be powered by one of the other DC power supplies. It is a very small power load and is barely noticed.
@- Do not put too much voltage into the red-dot module... It will blow.
@- get a smal hobby case for mounting the kit.
@- use a fuse. That DC-DC power supply doesn't have short circuit protection.

@- use a CHERRY snap-action micro switch. Most laser machines are ready to mount these switches on the door. You can connect the wires across the common and the normally closed leads.

@- because the power supply is adjustable.... You can use nearly any red-dot laser module found on eBay. For this kit, a 5vdc unit would be great.



back to the main topic... I do NOT like Chinese laser systems that introduce a red beam into the CO2 beam. The "beam splicer" lens that does this trick is often VERY inefficient. I have seen power losses of 8 to 20 watts. I don't see that benefit as worth the power loss. A non-collider beam might look awkward, but the performance is just fine. I have seen two red dot pointers used so that the focal distance is found when both beams hit the same spot. ... That was cool.

Ray Scott

[John Noell]

"...two red dot pointers used so that the focal distance is found when both beams hit the same spot" Oooh, I like that idea!!! Simple but elegant. Thanks Ray!

[Neville Stewart]

Been around a while, remember the Dam Busters :)

[Greg Holt]

I like the idea of having the Red-Dot on when the lid is up.

I do NOT like Chinese laser systems that introduce a red beam into the CO2 beam. The "beam splicer" lens that does this trick is often VERY inefficient. I have seen power losses of 8 to 20 watts. I don't see that benefit as worth the power loss.

Mine has the collinear red dot. On when the lid is open.

Shut the lid and the red dot laser physically moves out of the main laser path. Of course I don't need the red dot once the lid is shut. :)

No "beam splicer" lens needed. Zero efficiency sacrificed to have it collinear. No extra weight carried on the laser head.

[John Noell]

Greg, what machine so you have? (You might want to add that info to your signature.)

[Greg Holt]

John

It is not as easy to describe as say a "Shenhui 460"

I built it with mostly Chinese components.

Hiwin linear bearings.

Chinese stepper motors with US made Gecko drives.

80w Reci laser tube.

AWC708 controller with matching LaserCad software. Like Laserworks/RdCam/LaserCut. They are all much the same.

Both friction roller and chuck style rotary adaptors. Would not waste the effort with friction roller style. Chuck style is the way to go.

Been going for three years now. I built it for fun but it has made more money than I could have imagined.

[joe claudio]

Greetings all ,
Just "camping" on a thread as far as "RED POINTERS"..... I find it very helpfull in setting up a job in several respects . Some jobs I do need to be under focused , some Over focused. I use a test piece to see where the laser is firing.. a 2 shot burst to make a dot at the FOCUS i need . My "red dot" is movable - So I move - adjust the the dot to where i just made my shot- make another shot and make sure they coincide. I then "corner step"/test shot the perimiter to make sure all is good. on my 2 lasers, you can adjust the foucus on the red dot - "pinpoint" - look at the small housing ( u will have to take it off the laser head to look at it)- if it has "screw" driver notches u can adjust how fine a "dot" you have/want - if you ALLWAYS do stuff at 1.5 inches, set up your "red dot" to be "pin point" at 1.5 .. That is your standard- now if you under or over focus your "pinpoint" " wont BE a pin point it will "spread" or "disapear" .. and the laser will hit " some where" in there -
Thanks for watching and dont look at the light !
-J

[Ken Shea]

Mine has the collinear red dot. On when the lid is open.

Shut the lid and the red dot laser physically moves out of the main laser path. Of course I don't need the red dot once the lid is shut. :)

No "beam splicer" lens needed. Zero efficiency sacrificed to have it collinear. No extra weight carried on the laser head.

Greg,
Can you describe what a "collinear red dot" is and where it is located?

Mine came with two, one mounted at the laser tube output end that never did work so removed and the 2nd mounted at the head with a very flimsy mount so that was removed as well though it did work.

Thanks
Ken

[Neville Stewart]

Got mine working finally. It was a bad laser module. Doesn't quite align with the laser, but I can shim it to. Still draws an outline so I can align if things are tight. Thanks all. I used to look quite comical following the head around before this.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Greg,
Can you describe what a "collinear red dot" is and where it is located?

Mine came with two, one mounted at the laser tube output end that never did work so removed and the 2nd mounted at the head with a very flimsy mount so that was removed as well though it did work.

Thanks
Ken

Co-linear use a beam combiner Ken to put the red dot inline and along side the IR laser beam, usually from just in front of the tube beam exit.

[Ken Shea]

Thanks Dave,
That must be what I have but it never has worked, pretty much like every thing else on this laser from the get go :(

Soon as weather breaks going to have at it again, right now just too cold in the room it is in.


Ken

[Greg Holt]

Co-linear, collinear, coincident. I am not sure what the correct term is.

On mine the red dot goes through the lens just the same as the CO2 laser does.

It is a bit different in respect that it does not use a beam combiner.

The red dot laser sits in front of the CO2 tube when the lid is open and so utilises all the same mirrors and lens as the CO2

Then as the lid shuts it physically moves out of the laser beams path.

I have had some pooh hoo this idea, but three years later I am still using it and it works great.

As I said earlier, I would hate to not have the red dot. Perhaps not essential but very handy.

[Rich Harman]

The red dot laser sits in front of the CO2 tube when the lid is open and so utilises all the same mirrors and lens as the CO2

Then as the lid shuts it physically moves out of the laser beams path.

I've thought of doing something similar. Instead of it mechanically linked to the lid I would use a servo or solenoid to move it out of the way of the beam. A lockout would be required so that it didn't get fried accidentally - it could easily be put in series with the water flow sensor.

[joe claudio]

not famiilar with your system .. that being said , never been a fan of the "combined" arangment -My set up is ... Focus same size scrap material , Shoot a dot. Aling the red dot where I have the SHOT DOT, then shoot 4 corners ..... if the red dot is there" I am reasonably sure that the finial progect will where it needs to be .. As an aside .. IMPORTANT !.. the red laser beam can be adjusted to pin point, 90% of those red laser pointers can be adusted in focus ... take it off the mount and look at it .. u will see screw driver slots. I use the red dot as a 90% guide.... for postion .. placement ....
IMHO
-J