Laser cutter, part II

[madbodger]

I didn't get a reply to my email for a couple of days, I assume because they were celebrating the New Year. Then I got a note reading:

1. NOw we comfirm your machine is 110V 2. Please check the laser tube has the broken or not inside.  and then tell us, because we think it is mostly the laser tube broken Much apprecaite
I explained that the

Comments

[randomdreams]

SO COOL. I AM ADROOL.

[perspicuity]

i was expecting to read something like "found dead rat in interlock, removed rat; also found 2 lb brick of illegal somethingsomething and the vendor replying "keep complimentary rat, send something something back please"

#

[madbodger]

I agree on the band name!

$618 plus $340 (yeek!) for shipping halfway around the world. Gotta love an eBay vendor who calls themselves love-happyshopping (I chose them mostly because other bloggers had bought stuff from them with decent results).

[keith_m043]

I think the traditional response to the results of the burn test is "Groovy!"

[madbodger]

You can actually see the results in the picture - the piece of paper in the upper left has a hole on the lower edge, toward the right - that's what the laser did to it.

[keith_m043]

The spot next to the [what looks like a coil] in the baby schematic there?
Awesome!

[madbodger]

Yep (it's a fuse in this case)! That schematic was from when I suspected the laser power supply wasn't getting power, so I was tracing out the wiring in the engraver. The wire colours aren't much help (ground is blue, +5 is blue, +24 is blue, etc.). I'm tempted to rewire it with more appropriate colours, since I'll be replacing some of the guts of it anyway.

I'm planning on using IEC colour codes for the AC wiring, the usual PC power supply codes for DC power, and whatever's left for everything else. For your reference and mine, here's what I have in mind:

functioncolour
AC hotbrown
AC neutralblue
safety groundgreen
logic groundblack
+5VDCred
+24VDCyellow
laser enableviolet
laser onorange
laser powergrey

[dglenn]

Hey, just how small a hole will this thing make in, say, a very thin sheet of brass? Or aluminium foil? I've been trying to make very small, very round holes by purely mechanical means for a while, with consistently fuzzy results.

But sure enough, everything at every distance is equally fuzzy, so I do at least get the advertised infinite depth-of-fuzziness.

[madbodger]

While it's a treat for paper, cardboard, wood, rubber, and (some) plastic, it's not so good for metal cutting. A Nd:YAG laser is a better choice for that sort of thing. I'm guessing from context that you want a nice round pinhole. You could ask your artist friend to make one with a needle and aluminum foil. Or you could use a very tiny drill, like I did.

[dglenn]

I've tried with various sizes of pins and needles, and a few materials (mostly aluminium foil, but also thicker aluminium cut from a V8 can, and a couple thicknesses of brass), as well as different approaches to stabilizing the material I'm punching through and keeping the pin straight. I have yet to achieve an actually round hole. :-( And my smallest drill bit is way too big.

I'll keep trying. (Or break down and buy one from Lenox Laser with birthday money, but the prices there are just high enough to give me pause.)

[madbodger]

You can pick 'em up on eBay for $10 as well.

[gale_storm]

Great music!!!

[madbodger]

Cute icon!

[gale_storm]

Thanks! Little Sleipnir, who runs around here every night during her elevenses!