DIY Laser Cutter/Engraver (CHEAP!)
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- I don't know why most people don't go this route to build a laser cutter. Can't wait till I get my hands on a 80 Watt Co2 laser tube, image what kind of power supply I would need to build then.
ZVS INFO LINK: adammunich.com/...
QUICKJOINT: inkscape.org/~...
ELEKSROM (to flash new arduino nano): wiki.eleksmaker...
N-Channel Mosfets I used in the final ZVS circuit: SD20N60
N-Channel Mosfet for Switch: 09N70P
EDIT: I fully recommend using the SD20N60 MOSFETS for BOTH the switch and the ZVS circuit. I used the 09N70P mosfet because I just had that on hand.
Optocoupler: EL817
1.8v Regulator: AMS1117
My Laser: 50 Watt
Laser Life Expectancy: From what I can gather, laser tubes in the 40, 50, and 60 watt range have a life expectancy of around 3500 to 4500 working hours. Thats roughly half a year until you would need to replace the tube, but its also very common for a tube to last much longer if you dont abuse it (over current/volt it) so dont quote me on this but I think you can safely assume a full year of service from a tube if treated right and used properly/regularly.
Control Board: Eleksmaker Mana SE
Cardboard thickness I cut: 1mm (100mm/min and 2 passes to cut. Note tube was not running full power)
Edit: According to people who have more experience than me on this matter, a 40 watt CO2 laser is capable of cutting 3-6mm thick acrylic in a single pass. This should give you an idea of cutting power.
Work area: About 9x15 inches or 22.86x38.1cm straight from the Eleksmaker frame they give you. It's also very easy to upgrade to longer t-slotted aluminum extrusions for a bigger size (bigger size would be better for more powerful/longer laser tubes).
I had to add a big heatsink to my Mosfet Switch because it would get so hot during cutting that it would stop switching the laser on and off.
Where did I get (certain item)?
Stop the video at 1:16 and look at my list of parts. I didn't include links to specific items because those links can either expire or simply not be the best deals out there and usually the best deals for things are found by doing your own research. I provided a parts list so you can simply type that part name into your favorite online store and see what prices there are for that item. However, I do get all of my parts almost exclusively off Ebay.
How did I connect the tube up?
Electrically speaking, the tube doesnt really have an orientation (positive or negative terminal) because it works both on HV AC and HV DC but as to which HV is better I'm not sure. I made sure NOT to SOLDER the wires on but just twist them on tightly with pliers and insulate with electrical tape, otherwise the heat from soldering could crack the glass. Physically speaking, the tube rests on a block of carefully measure wood that I attached garden hose clamps to with screws. I layered foam padding on top of that so screw is hidden and glass tube rests on something soft. The way the wood is attached to the extruded aluminum is with more pieces from the metal toy kits I mentioned in the video. I want to replace this construction because its still shifts around too much.
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18:04 Now that's exactly the level of sketchiness I usually call my projects done. Bare hanging wires is like my signature, until something shorts out and I have to remake it properly, which usually means just adding some more electrical tape. 10/10 explanation, I love the whole thing.
Lmao YES completely agree, prototyping is usually like that for proof of concept and if nothing breaks in the first five minutes I call it "finished" hahaha
The gate of a mosfet is essentially a capacitor. Once it's charged up you have to discharge it in order to turn it off. It's not a very good idea do use a pull down resistor for that though, especially not one with such a high resistance. The resistance of mosfets is dependent on the voltage at the gate, since the gate has to charge and discharge it takes a moment to due so, in this time it transitions from an extremely high resistance to an extremely low resistance. And the time while the resistance is somewhere in the middle is the time where your mosfet will generate the most heat, since part of the voltage drops over the mosfet while it is not fully on. Therefore if you wanna switch a mosfet on and off quickly, you should drive it by pulling the gate up to 5V or low to ground, not leave it floating and let the resistor turn it off. The ATmega328p on the Arduino Nano does pull the gate ground when you set the output low, and I guess it can't hurt to have a pull down resistor so that would be fine. But if you use an optocoupler to drive the mosfet, well that's not the best idea, it's always better to use some sort of push pull driver, that way you have better control of the exactly when you turn your mosfet off and most importantly you don't generate as much heat.
Also nobody uses a voltage regulator to drive an LED and an optocoupler is just an LED and a photo transistor. You generally don't control LEDs by the voltage but by the current. So assuming your LED has a forward voltage of 1.3 volts and you wanna drive it with 5 mA (you would have to look into the datasheet to find out how much current to supply the LED), you would connect a (5 V-1.3 V)/0.005 A = 740 Ω not only is that a lot simpler it is also a lot safer since your voltage regulator doesn't control the current but the voltage, which may very well lead to the LED in the optocoupler burning out with time. You can get away with controlling higher voltage LEDs by voltage since you can usually keep them in a safe voltage range easier. But in general, the way to drive LEDs, especially small LEDs is by controlling the current since that is what you want to remain constant. The forward voltage of an LED changes slightly with temperature etc. so it's not a constant, not to mention just slightly more voltage can easily increase your current a lot, as it generally is with diodes.
I appreciate your DIY approach and all. But you should really learn a little more about electronics. Your way to control the flyback transformer is quite unncesarily complicated and also not a very reliable way of doing it, which is probably not a very good idea if you wanna use it to control a 50W laser.
While your laser is obviously not running anywhere near 50 W, I still hope you're using safety glasses and also, the reason why your "laser cutter" is doing two passes is because it is engraving the outline of your design and not the lines of the design. That's a typical beginners mistake, if the lines in your design have any width it is gonna cut the outline of the line. You need to use single stroke designs. But you'll figure that out.
Honestly, thank you. The laser was put away months ago so Im not using it again till I make upgrades, I understand my circuit is....questionably complicated and at the time I was just rushing it. But comments like yours helps me understand WHY something is wrong and encourages me, compared to others who would rather discourage me from even trying because I may not be sure how something is PROPERLY done. Thank you!
@@SciCynicalInventing No problem man, nobody starts out as a genius. I know people on youtube tend to over react a little when things aren't done the way they consider correct. I guess some also just like to hate... But you know, you just have to ignore that.
Whenever you start a project, one thing or another is almost guaranteed not to work out as planned. But you have to start somewhere right?!
Just keep in mind that a 50 W laser deserves some respect. You can see the visible light emitted by the burning material where the laser hits, but not the infrared light emitted by the laser itself. This can make it seem less dangerous. And I know you're not running that laser tube anywhere near 50 W and you're not looking directly into the laser, but keep in mind that even 500 mW are more than you want in your eye. ;-)
Phino K.M. I think you may want to run some numbers on this as the capacitance of the gate is typically so small that a mega ohm resistor will discharge it in milli seconds. His 4kohm reisitor in micro seconds. Unless he is doing higher frequency >20khz? PWM the pull down resistor works great. Not saying you are wrong as you have provided him the ideal setup but I think it’s amazing he has gotten as far as he has. Amazing!
I just want to clarify something because it seems some people are getting the wrong impression.
This is how I built MY laser because it was to prove a point that you dont have to spend a lot to get a FUNCTIONAL laser cutter and engraver. Not to say its perfect, it needs a lot of improvements, and there will be a second video on this with upgrades for sure. I just felt I needed to say this because some people are babies that cant cut wood if it means risking a splinter.
I do appreciate all the constructive criticism though, thanks!
You may like to look at lasersaur (www.lasersaur.com) for ideas. It's an open source project :3
i have a question I want to buy a ( MCWlaser 60w Peak 100W Co2 Laser Tube(1200mm) Industry Grade + 60w Power Supply Engraver Cutter 110V ) on amazon when they deliver it how can i test it to see if it works i have 2 days to test it this is the first thing i want to buy is there a way i can make it turn on ? just to see if it firs caus i dount want a broken one and be out 550 bux
@SciCynical Inventing you one of the better diy people on here, they rarely say price until people ask in comments and came to wonder what co2 laser and mirror set up cost and thanks for putting it at start too
Looking to have a cnc and co2 laser build
As soon as i heard FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER, i knew i was in good hands
GreattScott?!
@@henyckmasensei no electro boom
Shocking observation.
UPDATE!
I made a recent video showing the improvements I made on this systen and also explaining the connections from the Arduino to the CO2 Laser PSU.
ruclips.net/video/w7B12Cl_7gU/видео.html
I am impressed by your ability to make something like this. I am not trying to be derogatory in any way but I don't think your little jar full water is enough to dissipate the heat generated by a 50 watt laser. I hope your laser tube lasted longer than a couple of hours. A little advise from an old man, do what you do well to make money and buy things from people who do what they do well. I learned this way too late in life. If you did this to prove you could do it, fine, I understand that and applaud you for it.
I really appreciated this advice, thank you.
Very cool...
To cut down on RFI/EMI.... Use shielded cables... Twisted pair shielded is better. and if you aren't using all of the wires in the cable, ground the unused ones. And ground the shield when prototyping. When grounding, based on the the frequencies induced, (An oscilloscope would be helpful...) you may need to use a combination of resistor, choke or capacitor. Then when you build the final version, place the HV and Microprocessor circuits in separate metal boxes. (Wouldn't hurt to have them in a boxes to begin with... use a bigger box while you are prototyping, so you have room to add stuff, then for the final version use smaller ones.) Run any external wires in a shielded cable. Don't run low and high voltage circuit lines in parallel to each other (even if they are shielded) and if you have to cross over, cross at 90 degrees.
Here is some good information on shielding...
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjdwZXVx6_gAhVExoMKHbi0Ap8QFjAKegQIABAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.analog.com%2FMT-095%3Fdoc%3DCN0326.pdf&usg=AOvVaw35l24064C9O6eBGbSUEpSm
If this video doesn't say "MAD SCIENTIST" loud enough, i don't know what does. :) Needless to say, it made me subscribe! Good job with that laser!
No one has commented on the sound from 18:29 to 19:00?
Is that a murder or a good time?
BRO WTF
oh he replied "LOL holy crap Im sorry yeah I know theres screaming at that part I should have mentioned in the video it was just my little brothers fighting at that exact moment hahaha Im also going to make some 3D printing related videos in the future too, thanks for being interested!"
Or both...
Im not sure if this had been covered, but using a regulator for your opto is unnecessary; being an LED, you can drive with 5v straight from ur micro through a current limiting resistor and that’s it. You can look up calculators or just use ohms law to figure the resistor value.
Nice project though!!!
Nawet nieźle :D Naprawdę się zdziwiłem gdy usłyszałem polski, masz świetny akcent! :)
It's called a pull down resistor FYI. Nice work.
Your knowledge of electronics is much more than my plumber's mind. Incredible work!
I need to get a laser to just just do text, or basically burn the paint off clear acrylic for a back lighting project. For days now I've been watching these videos, and although your build is superior, I just don't see anyone using it for any practical use. People do burns on wood that would most likely end up tossed out, or at best put in a milk crate in a cob webbed corner of the garage. In other words, in about 30 videos, I've yet to see anyone make anything interesting at all that's worthy of keeping out in the house as decor. Burnt wood is really all I see people using it for. Not trying to be negative, just can't understand it other than a hobbyist perspective in tinkering with tech. The box could be made better with a simple utility knife in my opinion. I mean how useful is a laser than cut card board? I can still highly appreciate your intellect, but is this more of a hobby to further your education? Or do you plan to use it for anything that can't be done with simpler tools? I recently bought a 3D printer for my same project and that too I see people spending 200x more for resin or pla to print something that looks horrible compared to a store bought $0.30 version of what they printed, hahaha. My overall project is in itself the hobby, but the things I need to buy along the way are just the tools I need to replicate the real world panels that can't be bought. Your video amazes me because of the science in it and the exploration in creativity. I'm just curious to why so many people find burnt wood and paper cutting to be amazing things and hoping I'm missing something of more interest.
One thing I don't like about all the programs I've seen for lasers and that's I've yet to see one that I could use a Sketchup file for, Cad, etc. At the very least Illustrator or Photoshop. I have tons of vector graphics that are highly detailed but from what I've so far seen, there's no way to import them. Just seems like vectors, or paths would be the more precise thing to go hand and hand with a
laser as well as easily changed data for quickly changing a design.
In any case, I applaud your efforts because you seem to at least be using this tech to exercise your brain rather than just one of the many that will most likely burn down their parents house very soon! :)
18:17 damn your neighbors having a little mommy daddy time or what!??
Dude, what the hell was that... he didn't even hesitate either.
I think that was his brothers playing a video game or something ;)
I assume it's a TV show on the background, seems normal to him because he either knew it was on, or could hear that it was coming from the TV. But to the viewer who hear it right now, it does seem very worrying/odd. :'|
Finally someone made it! had the same idea a long time ago, but I didn't bother experimenting due to cost and safety. Anyways cant wait for your next videos.
This is pretty amazing. Just because you can't see the beam doesn't mean you can avoid laser safety glasses - in fact, IR lasers like CO2 are one of the better ways to go blind because you may be staring into the sun but you don't see it. The damage to your eyes is the same. The accidental flash if the beam hits something reflective can blind you or a bystander or your cute little pet dog instantly. Talk about that a lot.
The power supply to drive a CO2 laser at full power is multi-thousand volts and if you have even a few watts available, it will kill you instantly. To drive a 5W CO2 laser tube at full power requires the sorts of voltage and current involved in an electric chair. And yes, Hollywood depictions of electricity aside, a wall outlet can deliver that much energy.
We have amazing technology available to us now, let's use it responsibly. This is not just a point-and-click "I found out how to build it on RUclips" type of thing, this is a device that can kill and disable and maim you and other people. Get your safety priorities right, and I will be completely behind your innovation and creativity. Please be safe.
Thanks for making this video! I started with the exact same idea of taking a cheap diode laser kit and adding a tube to it before stumbling across this. It's about halfway done and this helps me to visualize how best to lay everything out and place mirrors and other components. I am using an actual laser power supply though lol.
LOL the pop n whistle was funny, also the gate with resistor part I really like, never would have thought about
that, thank you!
I'm no expert, but you could isolate all your long runs using Ferrite cores. You can also (and probably should) put them on your high-voltage lines to prevent leakage.
I have a few that I pulled out of a large-format printer that were used to isolate the long runs of the data cables.
Hey great video! Just one bit of advice co2 lasers tubes should never be operated at 100% power always keep it 60% or under so for 50w tube don’t run more than 30w also only use distilled water and put some ice in if ur water reservoir is that small! Or upgrade and use 2 gallons of water laser tube tends to heat up when doing long raster engravings
Thank you! I realize that and after posting the video I learned a lot more about these co2 lasers so I know not to over volt or over current these things, so overall its been much of a learning experience!
Ahh good ! That’s awesome yea ... I’m still learning myself .. I didn’t know shit about lasers I just bought the “k40” on amazon last month $400 n free shipping and I guess I was a lucky one cuz any Lil problem iv had has been my fault lol .... CAN YOU BUILD something like a conveyor belt for yours .... so it is basically like the glowforge laser cutter ?!?!?! I would love you build something like that for mine but I am only mechanical engineer I couldn’t do the programming for that lol
I’m impressed what you done here. I think it’s great. Nice job. Would like to see a step by step how you did this.
doing your own projects and quoting the great Eletroboom? You sir, have gained a subscriber!
11:14 Use a simple serial resistor (100 Ohm) instead of voltage regulator for the optocoupler. It much cheaper, and faster in switching....
Awesome project! Thanks for sharing. If I may, I would just have a suggestion. It would make a lot of sense to place the water in a more stable container and away from your electronics. Never know what could happen and ruin your project (or even worse). Thanks again for taking the time to share.
This is great! Love the project and the spirit in which it was built. But i have to say this because i have made the mistake and have been been shocked badly enough to lose consciousness and be sent to the hospital. I was powering a small tv flyback with a 6v lantern battery when it happened.
it's incredibly dangerous to hood the ht lead of a flyback transformer. The smallest defect in the insulation could become part of a path to ground with you being the conductor. The chances are low, but still high enough that it's regarded as a suicidal move by most in the electronics community. PLEASE use a non-conductive chicken stick if you feel inclined to play with high voltage arcs.
It may have been the cardboard, but it looks like your laser may need to work on the focus/alignment a little. I also think you may have over-engineered the optocoupler portion a bit, but I'm not sure what mosfet you are using so you may have been working within those limits. The actual prints towards the end looked pretty good, but there was a bit of deviation I noticed when tracing over the same line. A really nice starting point for improvements and I think the first improvement I'd make might be with that power supply. Seems you had a few issues to over come there, but you did it. I'd love to see how things work out in the long term and with really long projects/high usage. And maybe a larger reservoir for the water cooler.
Now I think I might go purchase my own Eleksmaker engraver and some other parts...and once I am done having fun lasing things, I might try my hand at making my own laser cutter/engraver.
And that ending felt a bit abrupt, but still an awesome build.
How did you connect the hv transformer to the co2 laser tube?
So I used a flyback transformer powered by a ZVS driver and it really doesnt matter which orientation you connect the wires in, only that you dont SOLDER the connections on the tube because it can make the glass crack. So i twisted on my wires tightly with pliers and wrapped them in electrical tape
Instead of isolating the lines through an opto-coupler, why not design your circuit with freewheeling diodes to provide a return path? That would also possibly solve the static problem, since the excess charge has a return path.
Well, that is in fact the cheapest cO2 laser I ever done did see, but it is also the sketchiest. LOL! Good work.
Well done! That was fantastic and I'm thinking about using some of your ideas for my own CNC machine. Like you, I wasn't real happy with the working area of the K40-type laser for the kind of work I want to do. Very ingenious use of spare parts laying around, too. Just the sort of thing that I like to do. My current CNC has a 2x2 foot envelope with a 4" Z axis and I'm getting ready to start building it's big brother. I think I could get a lot of useful work out of this on my current machine. Thanks for the great ideas!
Why not add a fly-back diode in parallel to the load? This will shield your microcontroller from undesirable back-EMF and is common-place in many MOSFET switch circuits.
That placement of resistor is a genius move 🙂
LMAO. ELECTROBOOM. I'm still giggling.
Inspirujące :o.
Swoją drogą świetny akcent :]
Those 40w Chinese hobby lasers are $385 on Ebay. Why not just buy one of those, gut it, and use all the parts, lenses, power supplies, controller, etc. on your larger gantry table? As a bonus you'll also have working design and control software.
"Nawet nieźle" :D
tak niezle :D
You can use a Solid State Relay to send a signal from your arduino you might be surprised.
Very nice work. That is really excellent.
Awesome project, thanks for the video. I am SO glad you upgraded the mirror mounts. Have you seen the video with the cow eye and a laser cutter? I was just imagining that mirror flopping around while the laser being energized. Anyways, way to go!
Using this elekslaser since 1 year now, i suggest 2 major upgrades : grbl1.1f for the arduino and another software (i use lightburn). With those (simple) modifications, my elekslaser is so easiest to use !
Awesome! Thanks so much for the detailed explanation. How did you figure out the electronics? Your extremely clever! What are it's cutting maximum capabilities? I'd love to see another video of you pushing it to it's limits.
gr8 video, one question ? can u adjust laser to cut at 45 degree angle? I son makes foam planes and there is 45 degree cuts, I want to make a laser cutter but want e able to do the 45 degree cuts, cheers Graham
you can always use a sharp knife or look up wire foam cutters.
Awesome video! Thanks for including the software tips at the end.
Didn't notice anythin in the video about current limiting. We made something similar here in local makerspace. But opted for a pre made hw supply. These tubes take around 40KV or more to start an arc and then you need to limit the current to something like 15-20mA, naturally by loewering the voltage. So how do you ensure that your zvs driver and that flyback transformer dosn't put out as much as it can? By the way 40w with 50.8mm lense will cut 4mm plywood easy. We even did 8mm with some dificulties.
25MM mirrors seem to be what everyone is using? I bought 20mm and now not too sure about them on long travels since
I was going for a good size cutting area.
Great vid mate ! Try light burn, iv just switched to it, flood fill is a lot quicker than raster.
Very cool nice diy. I use a smoothieboard for my upgraded k40. I really like lightburn software.
Nevermind the safety creeps, this is great work! I am curious about how you sourced that laser tube, though. If it's in the video, i missed it. Thing looks like it was salvaged from Dr. Evil's volcano base. Awesome work, sir!
Jesus the carriage is quite the piece. Looks like my kinda part.
I learned a lot watching this, thanks
Can you put together a kit for electronic noobs? I would love to have one of these cutters but do not understand electronics enough to build my own circuits. Wondering if this could be done for $500 shipped
Small correction regarding the use of Rubbing Alcohol!
You should state "Isopropyl Alcohol".
Most Rubbing Alcohols are oil scented and contain a skin moisturiser that would contaminate the mirrors.
thats a great channel starting, keep going, man
Ok...
I need a mini laser engraver...
As affordable as possible...
Capable of engraving / cutting soft metal like copper, silver , and brass
(for making medals, badges, , and coins....and not much else... )
Any suggestions?
Nice. I just had the exact same idea lol. Funny I'd stumble apoun this. I was looking at the cheapo frames for regular laser engravers, and was like... well.. whats stopping me from upgrading the laser and driver and turning it into a laser engraver/CUTTER? Lol. See somehow beat me to it XD Well done.
how do i know how much W a laser needs to cut cardboard?
Thinking of buying a cheap cutter. They offer it with 1,6 W 3W 3,5W 5W or 15W.
Any idea?
Amazing job mate!
Fantastic laser video! I wonder how long it would take to cut an oak tree down...think it could?
im only asking myself if the optocoupler was the same as a diode on the 5 line
Just curious why not just drop the voltage before the controller instead of using an optocoupler? Seems more complicated the way you have it
Hello there u r really genius , very nice video , wish if u can tell me some advice about my Eleksmaker A3 pro
i bought one i load the pic the laser working and flashing but the three motors don't move at all they have power i feel it by touching them , they don't make noise just they don't move at all can u pls advice me how can i fix it , thanks
Wheres the radiator keeping the water cool??
what kind of laser driver did you use? also did you cut through the box or did it only mark it?
and make sure you limit the amount of milliamps through that laser. at the right level these tubes last for thousands of hours. if you exceed it. they only last for tens of hours
Try the hershey-text plugin in inkscape for Single-path vector fonts, no more doubled outlines when you want to do quick and clean labeling or text. Great Build btw! 👍😎
Thank you, I'll check it out!
Great and bold work
Nice video dude. Good stuff, really learned a lot of shit here. I work with large format printers like 5 meter wide, but still trying to assimilate the experience to cnc and 3d printing.
Thank you! Yeah I admit its quite a learning curve because there are so many systems out there for controlling these machines in software and hardware. Damn those 5 meter machines must be expensive. Glad you found this vid informative!
I come from for lack of a better term the bio robotics sector of pharmaceutical research and I designed a laser base microscope again for lack of a better term. We closed down that division years and years ago and I ended up with a lot of the products but sold everything I might have some scrap Mount and I know I have a few mirror stands but I also have a machine shop that I could make any of this stuff with. The gimbal mounts are a little bit more difficult to make but I have made a 400 pitch thread before for fine adjustment I do have a great big bag of fine adjusters however so I can probably make most of the odds and ends that you have here. I really want a good laser cutter where I can cut a decently thick piece of phenolic plastic for a project that I want to attempt. I also am interested in the artistic ass that of this equipment. I might be calling on you for help LOL
It is possible use this for make hole in pvc pipe
maybe i missed it, but why didn't you just buy the $400 laser and the frame? then move everything to the frame
I dont want to jinx it but...
Not one dislike!
Thank you!
Edit: nevermind...
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
SciCynical Inventing there’s always one. You may as well go put it on yourself. Lol
Really great progress! I really want one. How often well the tube need replacement? $125 for an 80 watt seems like a great price. Almost too good to be true. Are you sure they are really 80 watt?
seems indeed 2 good to be true.. same with his optics prices..
13:50 for the love of god man just orders some PCBs! i cant imagine trying to make a circuit like that without one. awesome project tho!
Good video bud! Nice laser 🤩 I think I’ll try the same 🤙
no whood cutting?? Really great video by the way. I have a solid diode one and it cuts 5mm mdf with 22pases at 700speed
What power?
Next video: home made fusion reactor. And when I plugged in my 2MW laser the whole...
Great project 👍
Watched this video hoping a normal person like myself could build one. 4 minutes in I'm like..... Yeah I'll just buy one off of Amazon
nice job!
So if you were going to mount this to say a mpcnc machine, and have it where the machine can control the on off, would it largely be exactly the same as what you built?
Yeah basically the same thing, i dont know if it would be cheaper or more expensive though.
Thanks for the video I am planing to buy a 100cm x100cm on eBay 15w you think it can cut foam and small gauge plastic I want to do custom led lamps and signs and stickers you think I will work I admire you're job you are a genius thanks for the video!
support.epiloglaser.com/article/8205/75869/laser-wattage-performance
15 watts will be enough to cut foam and plastics but there are so many variables to consider like lenses, color of object (blacks are a bit easier to cut than whites), and thickness of object to cut. If youre engraving, 15 watts is perfectly fine, cutting is another thing. To cut thick stuff with a 15 watt laser you might need to do multiple passes and/or go slow with the laser. Granted I dont have much experience with solid state lasers but Im certain 15 watts is plenty for small stuff.
A death star engineer I see
Why couldn’t you just use a back emf diode on the original circuit on the input
Or could you recommend one for cutting?
I want to make a laser cutting machine of size 4'/6'(feet).can it possible with this kit what u described. seggest plz..
This is bad ass! Love the Polish ;)
you could mod a k40 to do the same
I am in the process of designing my own laser cutter and I was just wondering how much grounding is really necessary. Also, is it ok to ground to the ground terminal of an outlet or should I run a wire directly from the machine to the ground outside my house?
Grounding is important when you have sensitive electronics nearby or not isolated to a high voltage source. What I would first concern myself with is simple isolation of the sensitive electronics from the high voltage power supply. Of course high voltage can create static electricity on surfaces so grounding the chassis of the frame and/or HV power supply is always a good idea but may not be necessary if you connect the high voltage lines correctly. So what im saying is it depends how much grounding or isolation you need based on how you design it. I would start with isolating and putting the sensitive electronics as far as possible from any high voltage sources and see if there are any issues with simple testing. Thanks for the comment!
Edit: Grounding to an outlet can be unreliable, but can work. Grounding straight outside may be impractical, but can also work.
@@SciCynicalInventing Thanks for the advice! I've grounded the frames for all my control boards and your video may end up saving me a lot of time and money. :D Thanks!
wow you are hardcore greatjob
Next video ... Do a DIY fire extinguisher for when your house burns down. JK Nice work, but by god make this thing safer please.
Dont get why you use the AMS1117 on the pwm circuit to power the optocoupler. 22Ohm resistor on the output? Thats not the right way to do it. Single resistor for PWM circuit is enough (5V- 1,3V)/20mA = 185Ohm.
The 5V regulator 68Ohm resistor is wrong, it just waisting power and doing nothing. Voltage regulators need capacitors on input and output to properly regulate. Why dont you use 12v from load directly to output of optocoupler. It can handle 35V and 09N70P have high VGS = 30V voltage.
Its been a while so i cant remember the reason behind every decision but it was mostly trial and error and thats why the values might look screwed up. I think I tried to bias the regulators with resistors to "hold" them at a certain voltage rather than use a capacitor like I should have. I didnt even realize I could feed the optocoupler and mosfet 12v directly, thank you for this comment! Ill improve this.
I don’t get how the mirrors reflect the laser onto the print head since it’s always moving. Can you explain how all that works?
the mirrors reflect the beam along the parallel line of movement - so as your cutting head moved the actual laser beam is being made longer and shorter. Once it reaches the laser head it is then reflected downwards and focused via a lens.
I buy the 40w that shown on ebay and the tube dont last too much making the thing useless... i dont know if im doing some thing wrong or is the natural working time of the tubes... like 5 hrs ... i change the tube 2 times thanks
Have you hooked water cooling to it or are you running it at too high of a power?
You should be use a lot of water... I use 17 lt to a 50w tube
Mosfet as a switch: where is your 10 Ohm gate resistor?
Opto-coupler. Damn. Stand back- there is some heavy science in here
Over engineering the protection. Just add a diode to the 5v to stop a back feed.
0:20 doesn't big M mean mega?
Couldn't you also use a zener diode to isolate the back end?
Yes, ideally, using a simple diode will prevent a back feed instead of going full optical isolation.
Hey How did you get them to sell you the laser frame by itself or did you just buy the unit all in one?
From what I remember, there is an option on their website when you are buying it to just buy the frame and the electronics without the laser
What was that screaming at around 18:00-18:30 minutes in the background? That was horrifying