Losing power to laser?

[David Barnes]

New here and Wondering if anyone would be able to tell me what I need to do or what could be going wrong when trying to use my laser. It is a 30w raycus less than a week old. It starts with good power but power fades as it continues unless I press on the laser head or cables. I have a video that I cannot seem to add here. Any help would be appreciated.
thanks

[Kev Williams]

what cables are you pressing on, do you have a big covered cable going into the opposite end of the 'box' that the scanhead is bolted to? If yes, and moving it and/or the HEAD helps, it could be the laser's 'snout', within the (I'm assuming) blue cover and right behind the scanhead, is loose, or it's mount loose, or it's slightly mis-aligned; seems moving it as you're doing may be better aiming it...

[Bill George]

New here and Wondering if anyone would be able to tell me what I need to do or what could be going wrong when trying to use my laser. It is a 30w raycus less than a week old. It starts with good power but power fades as it continues unless I press on the laser head or cables. I have a video that I cannot seem to add here. Any help would be appreciated.
thanks

Check for loose connections. I would then contact the people you purchased from if you can't do some simple trouble shooting.

[David Barnes]

I am trying to contact them but the time difference and no phone# has been making it difficult

[Bill George]

You will to email them if they are in China. They will want videos I am sure.

[David Barnes]

a couple videos

https://youtu.be/1Uv_xtiylQs (https://youtu.be/1Uv_xtiylQs)
https://youtu.be/yble0QDJT_w

[art olin]

a couple videos

https://youtu.be/1Uv_xtiylQs (https://youtu.be/1Uv_xtiylQs)
https://youtu.be/yble0QDJT_w

From what I see in the videos; this is a very inexpensive set, 2 axis, with max 4mm (2mm up, 2mm down ) marking depth; videos suggest that at the focal point, lasers is out of focus with the surface of the object. Kind Regards.

[David Barnes]

No matter up or down it will not focus and keep the burn. It loses power during the burn.

[David Barnes]

Was hoping it was just an alignment issue

[art olin]

Was hoping it was just an alignment issue
I can give you 15-20 minutes of consultation on my own time. Can explain some stuff. Where to contact you. Kind Regards.

[Kev Williams]

OK, after scrutinizing the video, it's obvious that the machine's settings are seriously out of whack...

I took a screenshot at a point where I could do some measuring, since I have a similar machine, and rotated it, to where is was near flat, then rotated it like it is so it would fit our monitors better, then added the thumbnail of the graphic's dimensions :)

Notice my notes on the pic, they speak for themselves--

http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/misd.jpg



Below I traced the outline best I could, then sized it down, the yellow is
much closer to the actual size that SHOULD be engraving...

http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/misd2.jpg

another giveaway to the alignment issue, the red LED should be tracing much closer
to the actual engraving... ALL of this is adjustable... :)


Best advice for now is go thru the EzCad manual find everything dealing with the F3 settings...

What's going on, because of the oversize, is EVERYthing is oversized, as in, if you're using .05 hatch spacing, the actual hatch spacing is around .135, so the beam isn't overlapping, and when the beam just drives over it's own 'ditch' repeatedly, what ends up happening you're just moving slag buildup instead of cutting...

[art olin]

Was hoping it was just an alignment issue

There’s alignment, but there’s also focus distance adjustment, calibration, position corrections on xyz plane and angles, etc., these are all different things and will give you all different effects/results/consequences. Kind Regards.

[David Barnes]

Thanks Kev I will try some adjusting once home and after I read a lot. Hopefully once I get it aligned maybe it will start to work.

[Kev Williams]

Some of these machines just don't work well out of the box- oddly, my Triumph was one that wasn't even close, but my two Ebay machines, both only needed minor tweaking...

I'm running behind, but I'm going to do a quick crash course...
press F3 or the 'param(F3)' button at the bottom, this menu comes up- note this menu is a default virgin ;)
http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/lasctrl.jpg

FIELD SIZE, this may be your main size problem. Needs to be your working area size, check the lens for an F= number,
if it's 130 to 150mm, then your field is 100 -110mm, I would enter 110mm-
if it's around 210mm, then your field size to enter would be 150mm
if it's around 280 to 300, then your field size to enter would be 220mm.
--the program needs to know the field size to adjust engraving size in relation to the mirror's max travel...
-also, enter the correct work area size in the 'wrench' icon settings, then you'll know your boundaries...

OFFSET X and Y - leave them at zero for now; these amounts compensate for dead-center of the lens output...

ANGLE, this adjusts straightness of the beam output, leave at zero

GALVO1 or 2 =X -- in normal use, GALVO 2 = X

GO TO POS. AFTER MARK- set to 'galvo center', the red light will then be pointing close to the lens's dead center

-the 'shapes' stuff below, these can be tricky, and you'll need to read up on those.
"NEGATE"- checking these boxes will REVERSE that mirror's output, NOT CHECKED is normal..

The 'scale' numbers, note the arrows after the box, more in a minute...

Once you're to this point, you need to figure your actual focus point. Best way I've figured on these things is to take some scrap, a 2" x 6" piece of plastic or metal will be fine, and stand it up against something that you can lean it on at LEAST a 45° angle, even steeper is good. Now draw a skinny rectangle about 4 or 5" long, an redline it, making sure the long ways fits on the slope of the plate, using as much of the top-to-bottom of the plate height as possible. Hatch it, and set the power for 10% and speed at 2000 or so. Engrave it. If in range, only a tiny section will engrave at all, and THAT'S your focus point! (If it doesn't engrave, adjust focus range or power until it does) Once you have an engraved speck, you need to make a focus tool from a wood dowel or piece of plastic or whatever, make it the length from the edge ring of the lens to where it engraved. Now you'll always know your focus point :) --And this is important also for accurate sizing, because if you're lens is above focus, engraving will be too large, below focus, too small...

Now to adust for size...draw a square box, as close to as large as the work area as possible. Assuming a 150mm work area, a 120 x 120mm box will be fine. You also need to be able to accurately measure the box after it's engraved. So draw a 120mm square box, get something to engrave it on, set the focus with your new focus tool, then engrave the box...

Now measure it. Here's where those arrows come into play. Click on the axis-galvo you measured, it says 'desired mark size', which is 120mm, then 'actual mark size', here you enter your measurement, lets say 122.24mm, then hit ok. You'll find that the 100% will now be automatically adjusted to 96.369%. Do the same for the other axis. Then engrave again. The box should now be really close. Depending on your needs, you can fine-tune by manually adjusting the percents, or leaving it be.

Back to the 'shapes', using a square you may find the box you engraved is tilted, fat, skinny or trapezoid shaped as the shapes indicate. The anomalies are adjusted here, and you'll need to read up on that :)

For now, the next step is to hit the 'other' menu tab, then the 'red light pointer' button, which brings up it's dialog box. What you're doing here is aligning the red light to the actual engraving. So FIRST, outline engrave a fresh big box onto something. Then redlight it. The dialog is pretty self-explanatory-- your box as of now is WAY off on alignment, but probably pretty close to size. Offset X and Y does just that, moves the red output left or right , up or down. The size scale you adjust until it's right. Tweak until it's as close to dead on to the engraving as possible. Invaluable for setting up, or re-engraving. I want to note, the sizes to enter go to 3 decimal points, but the software will accept to 4 decimals-! Which is necessary for FINE tuning. But write down your figures, the shown number rounds up or down...
ALSO note, even though the redlight and engraving will match up after the fact, they won't line up while engraving- this is because your offsets affect only the 'setup' light, when engraving the red light's not adjusted, and follows the un-adjusted path... ;)

All I got for now, good luck-


http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/redlite.jpg

[David Barnes]

Kev got through the first part of getting focus. I need to get some larger pieces of material tomorrow to continue. It does seem like it is on the right track I am able to get a mark now.

[David Barnes]

Thanks Kev I am definitely on the right track just have to get the bows out and will be good to go. Thanks for all the help.