Chinese Laser issues

[Mike Galea]

I was wondering if anyone out there could possibly help me troubleshoot some issues with my Chinese laser engraver. I purchased an 80 watt engraver from Hurricane Lasers (which is no longer in business). I recently went to turn it on, and I only get 339211. The laser head does not move at all, and it just sits at this message. I have a flash drive with the firmware, which I have tried to boot up from, but it will not read it at all and does nothing. I replaced the x and y limit switches , still nothing. I am suspecting that somewhere in the chasis,339212 a wire or something may have come loose, but I really have no idea where to start troubleshooting, or even who would supply parts for these.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dave Sheldrake]

2 possibles

On the underside of the control pad there is a wire that connects to the mainboard, if that comes lose the machine fails-safe so won't move. It has a habit of being knocked by the cable chain on Weike machines (Hurricane are weike)

Second option, the pen drive is not bootable.it is used to reflash the machines firmware. If the pad wire isn't lose let me know and I''ll post instructions for flashing the firmware

[Mike Galea]

Thanks for the info.... I will try that tonight.

[Mike Galea]

I went home last night and could not find any loose wires to the control pad.

[Ray Beaty]

I have a 60 watt from Hurricane (gweike laser) that the x,y and z axis just suddenly quit working while back and still not working. You can get parts from Ray at Rabbit Laser as his lasers are gwekie brand. Check out his web site Rabbit Laser.com

[Ray Beaty]

rabbitlaserusa.com

[Dave Sheldrake]

Rabbitlaserusa sell HX Lasers not weike

[Ray Beaty]

Sorry my mistake, I was told I could get parts for my gweike at rabbit laser therefore I just assumed thay sold this brand laser!

[Dave Sheldrake]

90% of the parts are the same :)

Controller card, HT Power supply, Step drivers, low voltage PSU's Cable chain, lens's etc :)

In general though HX are much higher standards of manufacture, weike have improved a lot of late but still have some problems with after sales

[Dave Sheldrake]

NO lose wire means flashing the firmware

1) Copy the two files ********.FMW and ********.HDW to the root of a USB Mass Storage Device. The Device must be formatted as FAT16. It's better to remove any other files from the root of the Storage Device. (use the memory stick they gave you as it's ready to use)
2) Power on, then the indicator D1 in the mainboard of MPC6515 will flash two times instantly.
3) Insert the USB Mass Storage Device into MPC6515. (direct into the card, not via the cable, unplug the cable and use the USB port on the card)
4) The indicator D1 will light for 2 to 10 seconds depend on the size of the firmware files. It means downloading. Don't remove the USB Mass Storage Device.
5) Once the indicator D1 flash frequently, the downloading is end.
6) Remove the USB Mass Storage Device, and the MPC6515 will load the new firmware. Repeat the steps if the MPC6515 not work after downloading

[Mike Galea]

Dave,

I tried to flash the firmware, followed the instructions, but does not even recognize the USB drive (the Drive is correctly formatted FAT16). I even tried to rule out the USB port and plug the USB drive in directly to the Mainboard (I just unplugged the USB cable from the motherboard, and plugged in the flash drive, still nothing. Would this mean that I need to replace the Motherboard ? Here is a pic of the board (I am a little confused on the location of all of the Indicator lights (I think D1 is the middle light, which blinks), I have a video of the board and what the lights are doing, I am not really sure how to upload it here, but I could email it to anyone that thinks it may be helpful to troubleshoot the issue.

339539

[Dave Sheldrake]

339552

D1 position

[Bill George]

How old is the machine? If it was me, I would check every connection with a screwdriver... looking does not count. Its going to take you a while, but unless your machine has taken either a power surge or lightning strike I find it hard to believe that just out of the blue your controller is bad. The replacement of the controller and keypad is not the big deal, its getting ALL those settings back in correctly. Cables, plugs and screw connections, check them all.

[Dave Stevens-Vegas]

It's not out of the realm of possibility the controller board has failed. Components often fail on power up when they see inrush current and it doesn't necessarily mean the main chip has failed but that another part of the circuit could have failed.

These sorts of control boards basically all work the same way, there are just different implementations. In my experience with control electronics like this when it won't boot and won't flash it's usually time to replace the board. In some cases when the bootloader or ROM doesn't respond nor does the USB work you can get the firmware on the board by using an in system programmer but most of the time the circuit is smoked and needs to be replaced.

If you don't have it the manual for the 6515 is at http://www.leetro.com/english/down/productcatalog2015/Manual/MPC6525A/Hardware%20Manual/MPC6515&6525A-Hardware%20Manual-V2.0.pdf There is a legend for the row of D lights on the main board that can display an error message though if you have a hardware failure that might not help.

[Mike Galea]

I have literally spent hours upon hours checking every single connection in the system, and they all seem to be connected. After reading Dave's post on where the d1 light was located, I turned the system on and watched the d1 light. It does not blink at all, just stays solid green, even when trying to flash the firmware. In Chapter 8, it says that the d1 light should flash green quickly. Would this lead me to believe that it definitely is a motherboard issues, or would a faulty wire still possibly cause the d1 light to stay a solid green ?

Thanks again for all of you guys and your help. I guess this is what I get for going with the Chinese system and not spending the few extra bucks on a better system. That will never happen again.

[Bill George]

I have had very good experiences with lightobject dot com , Marco the owner knows lasers and even hosts a Forum where he gives support not only for what he sells but others. The other recommended source for a new controller would be Rabbit laser USA, Ray Scott knows Chinese machines and can give you the help you will need. Both places will be higher in cost than purchasing off eBay or direct from China and then coming here asking for help.

[Dave Sheldrake]

I/O on the card sounds like it's gone

A new 6515 card is about $200 over there

[Dave Stevens-Vegas]

Thanks again for all of you guys and your help. I guess this is what I get for going with the Chinese system and not spending the few extra bucks on a better system. That will never happen again.

The Leetro boards are pretty good, don't beat yourself up. Most electronics in the world come from Asia. Sometimes things break. Those are the same controllers you get from the importers over here. As others have said, the difference is that they import them and the markup reflects the cost of getting here, plus some markup to be able to provide support and in some cases some sort of warranty. If you'd like the support I think it's a good value to get one from someone like Rabbit or Lightobject though you'll pay for it in the long run but it may be worth it for you.

[Mike Galea]

Well I went with Rabbit Laser, they seem very knowledgeable, and I feel more comfortable paying a little more, but dealing with someone in the US. Board came to $635.00 with S&H.

[Scott Marquez]

Thanks again for all of you guys and your help. I guess this is what I get for going with the Chinese system and not spending the few extra bucks on a better system. That will never happen again.
I agree with others, its not your "Chinese system" choice that you should berate yourself over. There are guys here that have problems with their $30,000+ laser system and have to spend thousands to get them fixed. All machines can fail, it's just part of the deal.
Good luck getting it repaired.
Scott

[Kev Williams]

Lasers these days remind me of hot tubs, LOTS of places making hot tubs these days because all the parts to make them work are readily available. Like the Chinese lasers, most 'knockoff' hot tub mfr's use the same basic heater/controller combo and whatever pumps suit them. As with my lasers, I've had a top-tier tub (Hot Springs Grandee) and right now we're 4 years into a 'knockoff' tub. (name?) And again, as with my cheap laser, I keep waiting for our knockoff tub to up and quit but it works just fine, and does everything the Grandee did for 1/3 the 1992 money. And finally, parts for our knockoff tub will cost much less...

But sadly, some people have no business building lasers OR hot tubs. With luck you can find the bad ones on the internet! ;)

Hopefully your new control board will have your machine running for years to come! :)

[Mike Galea]

Update, I did speak with Carol at Rabbit (very friendly and helpful). I ordered the 6525, and received it today. It is a little larger than the 6515, and wont quite fit, but I think I can move the cable harness and get it to fit correctly. I plugged in the 6525, and it got past the (system starting please wait) screen. I was able to move the head in all directions, but if I try to send a job it says " (DLL version does not match firmware version). I would assume that I need firmware for the 6525 to flash the drive (I tried the 6515 and it does not work). I think Rabbit may be closed for the weekend, I was wondering if anyone had the drivers I would need, or knew where I could download them from ? Also, can I just delete the 6515 ones from my FAT flash drive, and copy the 6525 ones on and do it like that.

Thanks for all of your help on this.

Mike

[Dave Sheldrake]

Your copy of lasercut is the wrong one. IOt needs the version with the later DLL file in it

The software compares the card version with the software version, if no match it won't run

Ray has the other versions on his web site in the "documents" area I think it is

[Scott Marquez]

Go to Rabbit lasers website and on the left side of the page is Manuals-N-tutorials, I think you will find what your are looking for inside there.
Scott

[Bert Kemp]

ditto what Scott and Dave said I do believe firmware and driver updates are there some place .

[Mike Galea]

Ok, I have downloaded the new Lasercut software, and the LTUSB files (Carol at Rabbit instructed me to load these). I am now able to boot up the machine, but I am unsure where in Lasercut I can change the z-axis acceleration speed. When I try to adjust the z-axis, it makes a whining sound. Carol said I should adjust the z-axis acceleration, but I unsure of where that is. I adjusted the x and y axis numbers.

[Bert Kemp]

It sure would help if you posted your equipment in your signature so we didn't have to hunt the whole thread to see what your working on every time you ask a new question.
is the Z auto adjusting . Not sure I understand the problem as I have a button to adjust z height and its a manual operation.,

[Mike Galea]

Sorry about that, Here is the info on my machine...

As far as the z control, I have a button to adjust the z height, but when I hit it (which would normally move the head up and down) it just whines, and does not move.

80 watt Hugo engraver from Hurricane Lasers
Lasercut 5.3
CorelDraw x5

[Wilbur Harris]

Sounds as if something is stuck such that the bed won't move. Am I correct that the bed moves while the laser head stays put....thus adjusting the Z height.

[Mike Galea]

I will check that, and yes the table moves, not the head. Sorry I posted that earlier.

80 watt Hugo engraver from Hurricane Lasers
Lasercut 5.3
CorelDraw x5

[Bert Kemp]

OK so you press the z axis button you get a whining sound and the table does not move up or down Correct. So I would check and make sure the Belt/chain is not slipping or has fallen off the drive train, check the motor to see that it has enough power to turn the 4 screws that the table moves up and down on.
You mentioned ajusting z axis acceleration , I'm un aware of this adjustment as Like I said its a manual adjustment you push an up or down button to make the table rise or fall. No speed adjustment seems necessary

[Bill George]

I will check that, and yes the table moves, not the head. Sorry I posted that earlier.

80 watt Hugo engraver from Hurricane Lasers
Lasercut 5.3
CorelDraw x5

How does the acceleration setting for the Z differ from the X and Y? Write down what it is now and increase it in the software settings. That setting helps the stepper motor overcome any dead weight it needs to move. It would be worth a phone call or email to the Ray Scott crew to get some of the settings off the machines they sell. It would be only a starting point. To high a setting and it might jerk or make the starting movements to rapidly. Too low and the motor won't move. The motor rate as steps per mm is also a factor. This is assuming the motor is not turning, if its turning and the table does not move look for loose belt/chain or something else slipping.

[Kev Williams]

It sure would help if you posted your equipment in your signature...

Just for fun-- :D

New Hermes LS900 24x24 40w laser since 2004
GCC Explorer 38x20 35w laser since 2015
Triumph 1300x900 80w glass laser since 2013
Triumph 30w Fiber laser (coming this week!)
New Hermes IS400 point & shoot since 2012
New Hermes IS7000 since 2013
New Hermes Vanguard 5000XT since 1989
New Hermes Vanguard 5000XT since 1995
New Hermes Vanguard 5000 since 1990
New Hermes V3400 cylinder since 1995
New Hermes V3400 since 2000
New Hermes V3400 since 2005
New Hermes V3200 since 2012
New Hermes Concept 2000 since 1982
New Hermes 20" vinyl cutter since 2010
New Hermes plate beveller
New Hermes cutter grinder (x2)
New Hermes corner notcher
Craftsman bench grinder
New Hermes 12" metal shear
New Hermes 12" plastic shear
12" cam-action metal shear -unknown
New Hermes 24" safety saw
Craftsman 10x16" radial arm saw
Craftsman 12" table saw
Delta Rockwell 4-3/8" depth floor drill press
ProTech table-mount drill press
Dayton metal cutting bandsaw
HF mini lathe
HF 'green' dust collector blower (x3)
HF 'red' dust collector blower
HF 'big green' dust collector blower
HF 5 gallon air compressor
HF 26 gallon air compressor
Husky 60 gallon air compressor (brand new!)
Coleman 80 gallon 2-stage air compressor
Corel 10, X3, X4
Gravostyle 5.3 (x2)
Gravostyle 7 Discovery
Casmate 3.21 DOS version
Casmate 6.52 full version
Casmate 6.52 lite version
Autocad 2004

[David Somers]

Kev!

Show off!!! :D

[Mike Galea]

Thanks for the info. I have reached out to Ray, just waiting to hear back.

Thanks again

[Bert Kemp]

Call them emails take forever:D


Thanks for the info. I have reached out to Ray, just waiting to hear back.

Thanks again

[Mike Galea]

I received some info from Rabbit Laser on the z axis movement issues. They asked me the following info on the amplifier.....


As for the z axis, what is the amplifier set at inside your laser machine? If it's not set correctly, there might not be enough or possibly too much power. Please check the dip switches on your amplifier. Then look at the front to figure out the amp draw. Please let me know the amperage.


Can anyone let me know where this amplifier is , what it looks like, and what dip switch setting changes I may need to make to fix the issue ?


Thanks






80 watt Hugo engraver from Hurricane Lasers
Lasercut 5.3
CorelDraw x5

[Bill George]

I received some info from Rabbit Laser on the z axis movement issues. They asked me the following info on the amplifier.....


As for the z axis, what is the amplifier set at inside your laser machine? If it's not set correctly, there might not be enough or possibly too much power. Please check the dip switches on your amplifier. Then look at the front to figure out the amp draw. Please let me know the amperage.

Can anyone let me know where this amplifier is , what it looks like, and what dip switch setting changes I may need to make to fix the issue ?
Thanks

80 watt Hugo engraver from Hurricane Lasers
Lasercut 5.3
CorelDraw x5


Like Bert says, just call them. I am sure they mean driver but who knows??

[Dave Stevens-Vegas]

Can anyone let me know where this amplifier is , what it looks like, and what dip switch setting changes I may need to make to fix the issue ?


He's referring to the stepper motor driver. Some call them amplifiers. They should be in your electronics compartment somewhere near the board you just replaced. They are typically black boxes with wires plugged into them. Here is what mine look like at this dropbox link. (forum is not letting me upload it, probably too big...)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n92c9cq1aayq8ep/laser%20stepper%20driver.jpg?dl=0

There are dip switches on the driver that set the amount of current available to your motors as well as the microstepping of the motors. As Ray says if the motor gets too much current or too little current it may not work properly. Typically there is a grid printed on the driver that show the relationship to the dip switches to the current settings.

That said, I can't tell you what they should be. Ray likely will be able to tell. It depends on the motors. Look at the switches and match that to what is on the table on the driver and give that info to Ray.