Another Laser Diode Engraving Thread

[halfnormal]

Also I never said that the JTech lasers did not support photo engraving. What I did say was that without some type of modification there was no support for the analog signal needed to do photo engraving.

Actually if you follow the information found here;

Here is more information of Andy's Shapeoko laser photo engraver build on instructables. He uses our PicLaser Lite software to engrave photos which will generate the Gcode for his grbl also. http://www.instructables.com/id/CNC-Las ... ng-Shapeo/

You will see that it is now possible to control the LASER power via PWM output from the GRBL sheild to the JTech LASER power supply. There is even a version of the PicLaser Light software tuned for the JTech LASER package.

What I see as exciting is that if you follow their lead, you will have an alternate software solution that could be plug and play with other LASER setups!

I have been very frustrated that I do not have a wide range of software selections when it comes to using a LASER with a CNC setup. Working together would make it invaluable to everyone since each software package seems to address different solutions to different needs. A vast untapped market is waiting for the unified software/hardware solution.

[picengravertoo]

Hi Jeff,
I want to apologize for the 270 cost on the encode price I could not find hard details and on my post I did say about , when I researched it this is the price I came up with.
On my next update I will fix this.

Also I never said that the JTech lasers did not support photo engraving. What I did say was that without some type of modification there was no support for the analog signal needed to do photo engraving.

Sorry, for any miss understandings, I have nothing but respect for what you are doing.

Thanks

Thanks and I except your apology Nick. As I posted previously, there is no need for any modifications to J-Tech's Laser system. I could use the US Digital PWM MA3 10bit or 12bit encoder also with there laser. Or just buy there laser head and use the Flexmod P3 driver like you and I are with the 10bit analog encoder, our DAC circuit design or Andy's LaserMode grbl. This Russian laser driver on eBay could be used also.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3A-analog-laser ... RL:US:1123

There are many laser control options available.

Jeff

[laserink]

Yes, Indeed.
The more options users have, the harder we as developers must work to provide a solid solutions.

Cheers Jeff:-)

[picengravertoo]

Fine detail requires precision control! I wanted to see how precisely I could laser diode engrave a US map with very fine detail and very small text.

Here is the original US Map image.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... l-1867.jpg

Here is the image after editing in our PicEngrave Pro 5 editor.

1867_Mitchell_Map.jpg (473.1 KiB) Viewed 6215 times

It's 10.00" by 6.35" in size and the file is 1,763,719 lines long and was streamed with PicSender. Our Nichia NDB7875 445nm 2.5W Laser diode is throttle back to around 2W Max power. Here is the final results on Poplar.

Map.jpg (411.62 KiB) Viewed 6215 times

The PicEngrave Pro 5 settings is shown in this screenshot for reference.

PEP5 Settings.JPG (214.77 KiB) Viewed 6215 times

Here is a short video of it engraving.



Here are the settings I am using with Andy's LaserMode grbl for our Shapeoko 2 Laser Diode photo engraver.

$0=53.0000 (x, step/mm)
$1=53.0000 (y, step/mm)
$2=640.0000 (z, step/mm)
$3=30 (step pulse, usec)
$4=2500.0000 (default feed, mm/min)
$5=2500.0000 (default seek, mm/min)
$6=64 (step port invert mask, int:01000000)
$7=255 (step idle delay, msec)
$8=10000.0000 (acceleration, mm/sec^2)
$9=0.0050 (junction deviation, mm)
$10=0.0060 (arc, mm/segment)
$11=25 (n-arc correction, int)
$12=4 (n-decimals, int)
$13=1 (report inches, bool)
$14=1 (auto start, bool)
$15=0 (invert step enable, bool)
$16=0 (hard limits, bool)
$17=0 (homing cycle, bool)
$18=0 (homing dir invert mask, int:00000000)
$19=25.0000 (homing feed, mm/min)
$20=250.0000 (homing seek, mm/min)
$21=100 (homing debounce, msec)
$22=1.0000 (homing pull-off, mm)

Jeff

[cvoinescu]

Can you take a really close macro image (or scan on a flatbed scanner) of a portion of the engraved image, maybe including a ruler for reference too?

[picengravertoo]

This is a 2"X2" cropped out section of the edited image I used to generated the gcode in PicEngrave Pro 5. It is 100DPI resolution.

Map1.jpg (54.77 KiB) Viewed 6174 times

This is 2"X2" section I scanned from the engraving in the same area. It was scanned at 100DPI so it will show how good the detail was reproduced at the same resolution.

Map2.jpg (46.31 KiB) Viewed 6174 times

If you want to zoom in on them closer, save the images I posted and blow them up. You will see they will both equally pixelize.

Wood is not the best material to reproduce an image with any laser, but using our software programs, Andy's LaserMode grbl and with our Skapeoko 2, I'm real happy with the results we are achieving. White materials will reproduce the best shades and detail because the outcome is closer to true 8bit grayscale.

We do offer distributor discounts for all our software programs. Contact us through our web site for more details.

Thanks.
Jeff

[cvoinescu]

That's not bad at all. Thanks.

[cozmicray]

So
To use a JTech diode laser for engraving
one must add some type of hardware between G-shield
and the laser driver input?
A Flex_Mod P3 or something
to convert Z commands (with grbl laserMod)
to the right voltage/timing for JTech input

Is there a means (software) to PWM the JTech otherwise.
The H2 input can be modulated with > 2.8 volts

Is there a way to get modulation signal out of G-shield / grbl
to drive the input port for engraving?

Tnx

[picengravertoo]

We finished our J-Tech laser quick change mount for our Shapeoko 2. Only 1 turn on each of the two clamp screws and connect the power plug & PWM plug and it installs very quickly after the spindle is removed from the machine. We are working on refining our design and Jtechphotonics will be offering these quick change mounts for there Shapeoko 2 Laser kits in the future.

DSC04565.JPG (318.59 KiB) Viewed 6060 times

DSC04566.JPG (456.69 KiB) Viewed 6071 times

DSC04567.JPG (476.28 KiB) Viewed 6071 times

The J-Tech laser driver is industrial grade and is the only FDA Safety Compliant laser system available for the Shapeoko or any other CNC machine you want to add a laser diode cutting/engraving add on to. If your looking for a complete solution for adding a laser to your shapeoko, I would not recommend purchasing any other laser kit marketed for adding on to the Shapeoko and only to find out later, it does not meet FDA Class 4 laser guidelines/regulations.

The G2 lens that comes with is a very high quality. The G2 we purchased off eBay from DTR would not focus to such a refined small beam as what we are getting with J-Tech's G2 lens. The lens that comes with J-Tech laser kits photo engraves with just as much fine detail as the 3 element glass lens even when using the same step over/Pixel Resolution. The focusing is a little more critical then the 3 element glass lens and the flatness of your material is also. Since there G2 lens outputs 30% more burning power then the 3 element glass lens does, the driver can be set to 1.5a max and the laser diode will last so much longer. J-Tech's G2 lens is very good for cutting and laser engraving photos with fine detail and we know of no other offering a G2 lens of this quality.

Jay & Andy worked together and branched the LaserMode grbl to work even better then before.
Here is the new HEX download for it.

http://www.picengrave.com/downloads/mis ... y-grbl.zip

[picengravertoo]

So
To use a JTech diode laser for engraving
one must add some type of hardware between G-shield
and the laser driver input?
A Flex_Mod P3 or something
to convert Z commands (with grbl laserMod)
to the right voltage/timing for JTech input

Is there a means (software) to PWM the JTech otherwise.
The H2 input can be modulated with > 2.8 volts

Is there a way to get modulation signal out of G-shield / grbl
to drive the input port for engraving?

Tnx

No hardware is needed when using J-Tech's PWM driver and Laser Diode kit. The LaserMode grbl flashed to the Arduino UNO will allow you to run X,Y & Z for spindle use with a $L0 command, or switch to PWM laser use with a $L1 command. Pin 11 & ground just needs to be wire to the Modulation in on the J-Tech driver. Our Shapeoko is using the gshield also.