New fiber laser, newbie questions about red lase pointer in EZCAD2, settings

[Amy Shelton]

Hi SMC folks! We received our US-assembled Chinese-built M6 MOPA 30 watt last Thursday. I had some good beginners luck, got a very nice black mark (phooey, didn't write the settings down!). Now I have a setting off and it's bugging me... I have read here, done searches, read two online EZCAD manuals (the relevant parts, anyway). I'm hoping if I post here, maybe it can help someone else in the future (or myself, if it happens again).

Earlier, when I clicked Red F1 at the bottom of the EZCAD screen with Show Contour checked, it would do an outline around what I had selected, and I'd move the part accordingly. The hatched circle could be anywhere within the square marking field, as set up by the laser assembly people. Now, if I have the circle in the upper left or anywhere other than the center, the red pointer zips from the center to the corner and flashes in the corner (with "Show Contour" unchecked). If I place the circle in the center of the marking field, it draws an outline around the entire marking field. If "Show Contour" at the bottom is checked, it will go from the center to the corner and doesn't show the red dot anymore. I've tried changing the settings in the Param F3/Other/Red Light Pointer and it does the same thing. I know it's something simple, just don't know where to look. My son and DIL were experimenting with settings and it was working for them (drawing the box around selected parts, anywhere in marking field). After they left, I couldn't get it to work.

I asked the seller for settings to start testing by, and we tried one that should have been black or maybe a very dark blue on stainless. It was white, lol. I remember reading a post here where someone was gracious enough to post their settings, but I can't find it. If you know where the link to that thread is, would you please repost the link here?

Thanks!
Amy

[Amy Shelton]

Here's a screen shot. 410751

[Kev Williams]

I'm not exactly sure I'm grasping your concept of the problem, but this might help anyway--

when 'show contour' is selected, the red light will outline exactly what will be engraved. In old versions of EzCad, this would include the hatch fill, which was silly- in the newer versions only single lines and outlines will show. Very helpful for setting up text & graphics on knife blades for example, you can see exactly the size and 'where', very easy to tweak.

when 'show contour is NOT selected, the red light simply draws the 'bounding box' of whatever is selected; the box shows the extreme top/left plus bottom right coordinates of all items selected. Almost or as helpful as show contour, or more so when you just need to make sure everything will fit and is centered to your satisfaction.

BUT- when drawing a bounding box the red light just draws a box continuously. When in show contour, it draws the contours continuously, but unlike the laser itself, the red light never shuts off, so you get to see the entire path of the laser as it would engrave. Sometimes all the extra lines are hard to look at, and that's when the bounding box is preferable.

Lastly, when 'show contour' is checked, the color that you're trying to display MUST be 'turned on' in the pen color section. If the color is off, it won't show. This means whenever you're in show contour, you're in danger of firing the laser if you hit the wrong button! So be aware! But a bounding box will draw even when colors are off! (I actually removed my F2 buttons for over a year before I got used to being extra careful!)

[Amy Shelton]

Thanks, Kev, for your reply!

I was thinking it is a software glitch, and I'm still not sure.

I bought an additional lens, and I put that lens in tonight. It uses a different installation of EZCad2 that came preinstalled with the specs for that particular lens. So the red outline works fine with the F100 lens, both with the box around it, and the show contour to go around each shape or letter.

What it was doing was wrong, I don't even know if there's a setting to change it like that. But it wasn't outlining the item to be engraved, it was outlining the largest marking area size, but only if the circle I drew was in the center of the "page". If it was out of center, like the screenshot above, the red dot would start in the center, then go to the upper corner and disappear.

For now, I'll continue my testing with the F100 (I got a good black mark! woo hoo!) and I will switch to the other lens later and see if that makes a difference. I might try to restore the program to its original settings.

[Amy Shelton]

Ok, it's working now, and here's what I did. I never did find a setting that was changed in the program.

I made another copy of EZcad2 from the backup (just copied and pasted the program). I can get both lenses to work now, both red-dot pointer and marking.

[Chris J Anderson]

I'm not exactly sure I'm grasping your concept of the problem, but this might help anyway--

when 'show contour' is selected, the red light will outline exactly what will be engraved. In old versions of EzCad, this would include the hatch fill, which was silly- in the newer versions only single lines and outlines will show. Very helpful for setting up text & graphics on knife blades for example, you can see exactly the size and 'where', very easy to tweak.

when 'show contour is NOT selected, the red light simply draws the 'bounding box' of whatever is selected; the box shows the extreme top/left plus bottom right coordinates of all items selected. Almost or as helpful as show contour, or more so when you just need to make sure everything will fit and is centered to your satisfaction.

BUT- when drawing a bounding box the red light just draws a box continuously. When in show contour, it draws the contours continuously, but unlike the laser itself, the red light never shuts off, so you get to see the entire path of the laser as it would engrave. Sometimes all the extra lines are hard to look at, and that's when the bounding box is preferable.

Lastly, when 'show contour' is checked, the color that you're trying to display MUST be 'turned on' in the pen color section. If the color is off, it won't show. This means whenever you're in show contour, you're in danger of firing the laser if you hit the wrong button! So be aware! But a bounding box will draw even when colors are off! (I actually removed my F2 buttons for over a year before I got used to being extra careful!)

A late addition to this information - when red lining the contours (instead of bounding box) - it seems that only text that has been generated by ezcad can be contoured, imported text doesn't seem to work (on my machine anyway).
There are some inconsistencies that I am yet to understand though.

[Kev Williams]

I've never had text imported as 'text', it's always included with vectors aka 'curves' from Corel that I export as DXF's-- and while the menu in Corel SAYS you can export text as text, it always comes into EzCad as curves like everything else.

If you're getting actual text to import, from another program-? -maybe EzCad doesn't like it.

[Chris J Anderson]

I've never had text imported as 'text', it's always included with vectors aka 'curves' from Corel that I export as DXF's-- and while the menu in Corel SAYS you can export text as text, it always comes into EzCad as curves like everything else.

If you're getting actual text to import, from another program-? -maybe EzCad doesn't like it.
cheers Kev,
I am exporting .ai text as vectors only from Corel, never text as text.

I think I would need to study this a bit to be sure of my earlier comments.

I have no problems importing into ezcad from Corel.

[John Lifer]

I export as curves from Corel. If I export as text, dimensions change. I've noticed variance in text if I make in ezcad vs corel. anything other than simple fonts I make and export to ezcad.
Everything I have sent to ezcad illuminates.

[Chris J Anderson]

Everything I have sent to ezcad illuminates.

Can you elaborate please John ?

cheers,
Chris

[John Lifer]

I've had no issues with anything NOT illuminating the curves of a vector or text if I send as .AI to EzCad....

[Chris J Anderson]

I've had no issues with anything NOT illuminating the curves of a vector or text if I send as .AI to EzCad....

We are using the same process John, only the simplest of text done directly in ezcad...