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A simple XY laser engraver/cutter

Discussion in 'Laser Cutters' started by HPB, Nov 2, 2016.

A simple XY laser engraver/cutter

A simple XY laser engraver/cutter

Discussion in 'Laser Cutters' started by HPB, Nov 2, 2016.

A simple low-cost XY plane laser engraver/cutter inspired by the Much 4 laser build, with minimal parts and assembly time. Uses standard off the shelf components in almost 90% of the build with the exception of the axes motor and wheel mounts which need to be 3D printed.

laser engraver v-slot extrusions linear rails 2020 2040 plotter grbl
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  1. Skibo

    Skibo New
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    THANK YOU. I just placed the order. I'm not afraid to tinker, but not knowing what all the pins do certainly would have made it interesting. I can't wait to get started!
     
    #61 Skibo, Jan 28, 2017
  2. Skibo

    Skibo New
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    WOW, thank you. Just got the board you designed from Tindie. SO much more elegant than grabbing an Arduino and some shields. Everything worked the first time I plugged it in. HIGHLY recommend!
     
    #62 Skibo, Feb 7, 2017
    HPB likes this.
  3. HPB

    HPB Well-Known
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    Thanks! I'd really appreciate it if you could leave me a review on Tindie :)
     
    #63 HPB, Feb 7, 2017
  4. Skibo

    Skibo New
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    Done and done! (or will be in a few minutes).
     
    #64 Skibo, Feb 7, 2017
    HPB likes this.
  5. ImagClaw

    ImagClaw New
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    @HPB, I was looking at your image (Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet) and I like the simplicity of it. Having said that the CNC xPro controller has a PWM output on it. Are there any specifications a laser driver would need aside from 5V telling the laser driver what power to output on the driver/laser itself? I ask bc I have a C-beam already setup and would hate to build/replace one controller with another. Thanks in advance.
     
    #65 ImagClaw, Feb 7, 2017
  6. HPB

    HPB Well-Known
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    Yeah switching controllers can be really painful since you have to redo the configurations and customisations again. I do not think any other special considerations are needed. Its advisable to have some form of isolation between the PWM input and the laser driver such as an optocoupler. This would usually be on the laser driver. You don't want the controller to get damaged if something goes wrong with the laser driver and it backfeeds voltages higher than 5V. However this is not absolutely needed and many driver chips have protections built in to avoid just this. But when things go up in smoke its really unpredictable.
     
    #66 HPB, Feb 8, 2017
  7. HPB

    HPB Well-Known
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    A quick update: I finally designed my own laser driver that didn't cost the moon. It can output upto 4A of current and operates in pulsed mode controlled through a PWM signal or in continuos wave mode where the output current can be controlled through a potentiometer. This should light up lasers upto 5W.

    All files including the Gerbers, a hookup guide and a parts list is available in the zip file below.
     

    Attached Files:

    #67 HPB, Feb 18, 2017
    Mark Carew and David the swarfer like this.
  8. Skibo

    Skibo New
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    This is awesome! I may just build one of these for the the other diode I was looking at. Thanks!
     
    #68 Skibo, Feb 18, 2017
    HPB likes this.
  9. Anthony Bolgar

    Anthony Bolgar Journeyman
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    For those that don't want to build their own driver, DTR Lasershop has great drivers for around $20.00
     
    #69 Anthony Bolgar, Feb 18, 2017
  10. HPB

    HPB Well-Known
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    #70 HPB, Feb 19, 2017
  11. HPB

    HPB Well-Known
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    An update: I have a new 4-axes motion controller at that is currently being crowdfunded. It supports upto 4-axes, works with LinuxCNC, Mach3/4 and pretty much any other software. It has four 4A Toshiba drivers onboard and plenty of other features. Checkout the campaign on Crowd Supply.
     
    #71 HPB, May 31, 2018
  12. Sean McLaughlin

    Sean McLaughlin New
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    Thanks so much for posting this build! I'm very excited to try building my own.
    I have a ton of parts from when I unfortunately backed the cobblebot kickstarter back in 2015 and when I came across this build I decided I had to build it.

    Unfortunately I have dozens of normal sized solid v wheels, both in delrin and metal, and not any mini v wheels, so I took the liberty of modifying the x and y gantry for use with the larger wheels. I'm not an expert in cad, but the initial test setup i printed in PLA and the wheels fit the 20x20 rail perfectly, Just kicked off the print of the Y Gantries in PET so I can start building in earnest. Now I just need to shop for a "fricken laser beam"...

    Modified files attached in case anyone wants to check them out.

    A couple of questions if anyone is around in the near future
    1. Metal vs Delrin wheels, the metal wheels were "custom machined" by some chineese manufacturer that cobblebot was supposedly working with so not the official openbuilds metal v wheels, they appear to be made of aluminum, and as far as I can tell are perfectly round, is there a significant advantage with going for metal over delrin? IIRC I have something like 36 of each type of wheel because someone at cobblebot sent the metal as a "free upgrade" and didn't remove the normal delrin wheels.

    2. If you were building this from scratch today would you still go with the 1.6W module or would you go with one of the 2.5w Chinese lasers that come with their own ttl driver that seem to be all over ebay for around $40 - $60?

    Thanks again for the build, and for any advice you can kick my way.
     

    Attached Files:

    #72 Sean McLaughlin, Jan 3, 2019
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