[Noisebridge-discuss] lasercutter jam

Tony Longshanks LeTigre anthonyletigre at gmail.com
Sat Apr 13 19:46:46 UTC 2013


I tested using a piece of paper on the lowest setting....250dpi.
It finished cutting & I looked at the paper afterwards: no cut.
Also, it kept moving off the platen into the danger zone & having to be
canceled.
Also, the two options within RetinaEngrave that I see are between Raster
and Vector. I know the difference between these types of file.
Any chance you'll be around tonight?

On Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 12:36 PM, Ken M. Haggerty <kenmhaggerty at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi Tony: I showed Phil how to use the laser cutter the other night for
> engraving. Within RetinaEngrave there are two options: cutting and etching.
> (I am doing this from memory so "etching" may be "engrave.) There were two
> things I pointed out to Phil:
>
> • *Etching proceeds like an inkjet printer, not along vector paths*:
> i.e., it will go back and forth across the entire region to be etched, not
> along particular shapes or lines. For someone used to cutting with the
> laser, this behavior may come across as incorrect but it is actually
> correct.
>
> • *Make sure you have the correct etching resolution*: If the etching
> resolution is very high, the laser cutter will adjust the power to be lower
> than usual and will instead do *many* passes at lowered power, so it may
> seem like it is just going back and forth and not moving when it actually
> is making its way down your engraving, just *very* slowly. If you are not
> convinced then you can test on a piece of paper at low resolution etching
> to make sure everything is working.
>
> • *Power is controlled by the laser cutter, not the computer*: I think
> this is because we have a janky setup but the laser's power is adjusted
> using the dial on the cutter itself, not the "power" setting in
> RetinaEngrave. Speed, however, is controlled and adjusted within
> RetinaEngrave.
>
> • *The laser mirror may be misaligned*: Because the machine is janky, the
> mirror on the moving head that directs the laser downwards sometimes comes
> loose. **NEVER PUT YOUR HAND IN THE PATH OF THE LASER!** Instead, very
> carefully hold a piece of paper in the laser path, make sure laser power is
> not zero, and tap the "Test Laser" button on the machine (or whatever the
> phrasing is). The paper should light on fire. (Put it out quickly!) If so,
> turn the laser power back down to zero and adjust the head to the correct
> position. Test at the rightmost position, as the error will be greatest
> here if the mirrors are misaligned.
>
> -Ken
>
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 12:19 PM, Tony Longshanks LeTigre <
> anthonyletigre at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I spent some more time last night. I have yet to successfully laser-cut a
>> single image, which is somewhat frustrating. I worked with a friend who has
>> a Windows machine. We installed RetinaEngrave and Inkscape on his computer.
>> Got the laser cutter to work, as in to begin operating when we pressed
>> 'Go,' but it didn't cut anything. It moved across the paper rapidly as if
>> cutting, but didn't cut. Also it moved off the print bed (platen?) into the
>> "no cut zone" making that grating noise, so I Canceled & tried again after
>> jogging it far over to the right, only to have the same result.
>> Additionally, we got through all the steps of converting a JPG to vector
>> format by tracing the Bitmap, but nothing heppened after the final step,
>> where you "print to Full Spectrum Engineering." We got all the way to the
>> end & then nothing. These are some of the same problems Phil was having
>> earlier this week as described below. If anyone familiar with the equipment
>> is going to be around this eve, I'd be overjoyed to work with them on
>> trying to successfully laser-cut an image. I don't have a Windows machine,
>> & I haven't used a VM the way Casey described. Willing to learn, though.
>>
>> +11+
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 9:54 PM, Phil Spitler <phil at bonfirelabs.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Ok, It's firing ;-) The magnet had shifted.
>>>
>>> One more question I can't seem to find in the wiki.
>>>
>>> How do I tell the printer where "home" is.
>>>
>>> If I jog to a position, does it start printing from there?
>>>
>>> Also, the head is moving left and right but isn't moving top to bottom
>>> so I am just ending up with a single thin line etched.
>>>
>>> What does the "lock" button do in the app?
>>>
>>> Sorry for the newbie questions.
>>>
>>> Cheers.
>>>
>>> Phil
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *Phil Spitler*  |  Creative Technologist   |  *Bonfire Labs*  |  t :
>>> 415.394.8200  m : 415.571.3139
>>>
>>> Website <http://bonfirelabs.com/> | Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/bonfirelabs>|
>>> LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/company/235257?trk=tyah>
>>>
>>> On Apr 9, 2013, at 9:39 PM, Martin Bogomolni wrote:
>>>
>>> Click red button, try firing.   Click red button, try firing again.
>>>
>>> Make sure you also have dialed up the amperage so that the arrow is
>>> pointing straight up towards the back of the machine.   (I make it a
>>> habit to turn the knob all the way down when I'm done using the laser)
>>>
>>> -M
>>>
>>> On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 9:33 PM, Phil Spitler <phil at bonfirelabs.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Ok, back at Noisebridge and reducing the speed seems to have fixed that
>>>
>>> issue.
>>>
>>>
>>> My next issue is that the laser doesn't seem to fire at all.
>>>
>>>
>>> I tried pressing the 2 green buttons but nothing happens.
>>>
>>>
>>> The instructions also say that the small red button should be in the down
>>>
>>> position but that button doesn't seem to have a down state.
>>>
>>>
>>> arghhhh... so close yet so far.
>>>
>>>
>>> Any ideas on this one?
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers.
>>>
>>>
>>> Phil
>>>
>>>
>>> Phil Spitler  |  Creative Technologist   |  Bonfire Labs  |  t :
>>>
>>> 415.394.8200  m : 415.571.3139
>>>
>>>
>>> Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
>>>
>>>
>>> On Apr 9, 2013, at 12:49 AM, Phil Spitler wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Great, so you think think it's just a speed issue? That is EXCELLENT
>>> news.
>>>
>>>
>>> I'll try tomorrow evening if I can get to NoiseBridge.
>>>
>>>
>>> I hope tomorrow I don't have the connection issue and therefore be able
>>> to
>>>
>>> get cutting.
>>>
>>>
>>> Much appreciated.
>>>
>>>
>>> Phil
>>>
>>>
>>> Phil Spitler  |  Creative Technologist   |  Bonfire Labs  |  t :
>>>
>>> 415.394.8200  m : 415.571.3139
>>>
>>>
>>> Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Apr 9, 2013, at 12:44 AM, Martin Bogomolni wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Slow down!   What you're experiencing is called stepper binding.
>>>
>>>
>>> Please lower the speed down, and you'll stop seeing the head do that.
>>>
>>> It's because the whole machine is 1) very dirty and 2) I just adjusted
>>>
>>> the head to ride the rails .. the pulleys have been loose and dragging
>>>
>>> for a long time, which means they can bind.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> =M
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 12:24 AM, Phil Spitler <phil at bonfirelabs.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> "some" progress was made.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Somehow the PC is now connected to the Laser cutter and it can control
>>> it,
>>>
>>>
>>> not sure what changed, it could have been the magnet, I also reseated all
>>>
>>>
>>> the cords.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> However now when I try to print a document from Retina Engrave, the print
>>>
>>>
>>> head shoots to the left side of the printer and keeps hitting the side of
>>>
>>>
>>> the case.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> It's as if it doesn't know where zero is. I am calling it a day today but
>>>
>>>
>>> may try again tomorrow evening.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Any idea on this issue?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks again.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Phil
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Phil Spitler  |  Creative Technologist   |  Bonfire Labs  |  t :
>>>
>>>
>>> 415.394.8200  m : 415.571.3139
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Apr 8, 2013, at 11:32 PM, Casey Callendrello wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This often happens when two copies of RetinaEngrave are running. First
>>> try
>>>
>>>
>>> rebooting the laser cutter computer.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> If that doesn't fix it, it means we've probably fried the USB board.
>>>
>>>
>>> According to the intrepid hacker who has one of his own, this can happen
>>>
>>>
>>> when the tube gets weak (which ours definitely has). Let's hope this
>>> isn't
>>>
>>>
>>> the case.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --Casey
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 4/8/13 11:19 PM, Tony Longshanks LeTigre wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hey, sending a quick note / desperate plea for help re: the lasercutter
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> to a few people I think have been knowledgeable on the subject. I was
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> supposed to give Phil (CC'd) a tutorial on how to use it tonight @
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Noisebridge & we ran into a wall. Tried everything we could think of,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> but RetinaEngrave persistently displayed an "Attempting to Connect"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> status bubble without ever succeeding or advancing past that stage.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Furthermore, we couldn't even get the laser engraver itself to jog or
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> move at all. The laser test worked, but that was it. We had several
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> others look at it & tried most every variable: cords, software, logging
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> in as different users, &c, to no avail. Among the few things we haven't
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> tried are unplugging or replacing the card that the connecting USB cord
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> plugs into on the laser cutter, and....suggestions? We do know, on the
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> encouraging side, that Martin B. used this lasercutter, apparently with
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> success, as recently as one day ago. CCing to Martin. (Sorry if you're
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> getting multiple messages.) Martin, do you think in the course of your
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "checkup" on the machine the other day there is anything you might have
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> changed that could explain this impasse?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for any help you can offer!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> +11+
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
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>> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>>
>>
>
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