CO2 Laser Air Assist - Extra Ultimate Upgrade for Omtech / Ebay / Chinese Laser Engraver / Cutter
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- Опубликовано: 20 янв 2023
- Upgrade your air assist so that you can choose low pressure air for engraving or high pressure air for cutting! When the laser isn't working the air is cut off so that your compressor can take a break. Step by step details and a parts list:
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Excellent. I just did this same dual PSI setup on my Chinese 100W machine. Works perfectly and was not too spendy.
Glad to hear this worked out for you!
The best most complete video on this setup. I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much!
That was, without a doubt, the best explanation of its type that I’ve seen on RUclips. Well done!
Thank you so much!
Great video, great instructions. Make sure you watch the end. I skipped the light burn machine settings and could not figure out what was wrong. Once I made those changes everything worked as designed. Now to figure out how to disconnect the factory air pump
Glad you got it all sorted out Thomas!
I just got my AF2028. This will be my first hack for my machine. Thank you for the exceptional explanation!
Glad you found this so useful! It's really a game changer!
Subbed and watching the rest of your vids now. Thanks for covering a lot of things that other vids just gloss over. Hugely helpful.
Great Video! I had it working from Brandt's video with a single solenoid and I could have just been on standby regulating the air pressure regulator but figured there was another way. Came across this video and it's great! I didn't pay close attention to the diode requirements so it's currently working with high and low pressure, but I'm ordering the diodes as an insurance policy. I really appreciate the thorough instructions.
That's wonderful! I'm so glad that it helped. For the cost of the diodes, it's definitely worth the piece of mind.
Best Air Assist Video I've seen so far
Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.
Good job, one of these days I will get around to doing this
Please let me know how it goes!
In conventional solenid circuits it is good practice to prevent backEFM pulses reaching voltage sensitive components such as transistors. In the case of the Ruide controller there is no such risk because all of the input terminals are optically isolated.
Most nozzles have either a 4mm hole (12.5sq mm) or a 2.5mm hole( 4.9 sq mm). If you pull your solenid apart is it is simple poppet valve where a spring loaded rubber pad is used to shut the flow off against a 1.5mm orifice (1.76 sq mm). To get adequate flow out of your nozzle you are having to use 30psi to create sufficient FLOW through the MASSIVE restricion (1.76 qs mm) within your solenid valve. I have opened up my orifice to 2.5mm which will have limited the pressure against which the spring will seal but it has allowed me to use just 4 or 5 psi for my 2.5mm diameter nozzle.
Your use of two valves along with "Wind" and Status" is a neat control solution.
Sadly, you stopped the video before we could compare the engraving difference between high and low pressure air assist. We did not see what lens you were using or the type of nozzle and the distance between nozzle and work.......all importand factors to engraving success with or without air assist.
Thanks for a well explained installation/solution
Appreciate all of your insights!!
Thanks. You made that easy, I'm going to build one of those!
Glad to hear it! Let me know how it goes!
@@directedt3ch Thanks! It worked awesome! I would have never been able to figure that out without your video.
BTW I did ground to the chassis... never can be too careful with electronics ;)
@@douglarned817 Well done!
@@douglarned817 YOu are very welcome!
Love this setup worked without any issues love that the air blows only when engraving or cutting. As for the stock air pump. Can I just cut its power from the controller? Looks like it’s connected with some other wires and has silicone on it. Anyway I just want to disconnect it so it isn’t always running
Yes! That is what I did. Just disconnected that little pump from the electrical connection.
I'm doing something similar. I have the sculpfun S30 Pro 10 watt which has air assist but it's a little fish tank pump which is controllable in Lightburn- I like how it goes into the head and keeps the lense clear. I'm going to add a seperate higher pressure air assist hooked up to a compressor that is manually turned on/off with a flexible/movable tip so I can direct the air in different directions. I probably won't use the extra system very often but for thicker wood a higher pressure nozzle that I can move around will be very handy. I'm making the whole thing myself though- it's a very simple concept, the only part I'll really need are the tip and a way to mount it- I'll just control the psi either through the tank itself or through a sperate PSI connector/adjuster that's closer to the laser for convenience
Brilliant! I sure hope it works for your setup!!
@@directedt3ch I've got it added and I am loving the results. I ended up just scrapping the fish tank pump and use an 8 gallon compressor. Now I have the air going into the lens as well as a flexible hose that T's off from it and I can adjust its orientation, and it has a separate PSI adjuster thingy (can't think of the word for it) so I can run them both at different PSI's it really helps with cuts (most of what I do). It's manual now, so I have to turn it on by hand, though the adjustments are right next to the laser/computer- makes it hard to forget to turn on. I will be adding either a solenoid or more likely a ball valve so I can re-automate it in lightburn, but that's down the road a bit.
@@sannyassi73 Very cool! Nice work!
I just wondered what diode did you use, was it something like a 1N4004 etc, excellent video and I have seen a few, but but not all have the diode fitted, which is important
Thanks
Rick
I used a 1N4001 diode. The link is in the description. :)
I have air assist from cloudray and their solenoid valve has two inputs and one output. Se when signal is low, I gel low pressure on output, but when high, I get hight pressure.
That is handy!
I enjoyed your detailed RUclips video, and I think we have identical machines, except Kt322N controller
I'm having a problem. I wired the LP solenoid to the status terminal and air flows as soon as the machine is turned on. The HP solenoid works fine
When I'm running a job with the Lightburn air assist turned on, both solenoids are on.
I assumed that the output terminals would be live only when the laser is on. I'm finding that this is the case only with the HP solenoid wired to the air terminal
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Dale
I wish I had a good answer for you - I tried to look at the port descriptions for that controller here: www.manualslib.com/manual/2437203/Ruida-Kt332n.html?page=17#manual but I'm still not sure what they are trying to say about the status port.
I will follow the guide! My machine have a "warning lamp" connect on status. You think its secure manteind this connect?
I can't say for sure. I'd think that connection will go on whenever the machine runs and can't be controlled via lightburn with the air assist toggle.
with the air flow control valve how do you know how much pressure you are letting through and what would you suggest to dial it in for the best engraving? Or just trial and error with some test engraves?
I just set it for a minimal airflow. For engraving you just need enough air pressure to keep smoke and debris away from the lens.
badass video. Do you know what the outputs would be for this mod on a TROCEN CONTROL CARD AWC7824? I want to do this to a Boss HP 3655
I don't have a trocen controller so I can't say for sure, but I think a little bit of research will get you the answer you need. I found this for a similar trocen controller - forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/air-assist-clarification/61377/9
Great video. I wish I would have found this first. I set mine up with the single solenoid. I’m having an issue where sometimes when I hit start in lightburn the pressure on the in-line pressure regulator drops to zero. Would the diode help this? Thanks.
No, the diode is to protect the controller when the power is removed from the coil of the solenoid. I haven't had any similar issues. I could just be a bad or sticky solenoid. I've also heard that if the incoming air pressure is too high it can affect the ability of the solenoid to open.
@@directedt3ch ok thanks!
i have the 80W OMtech and mine has the air pump for the head (just for purging) i can use this same setup with the purging pump and hook my air compressor to the aux air switch on my controller, correct
Yes. You would just need one solenoid and lightburn would only control your high pressure. The integrated pump would be your always on low pressure.
I just tried setting this up today. I followed along. I got the solenoid firing when air assist is on in lightburn. But when it shuts off it’s still letting a little air through. What am I missing?
When you say it's still letting a little air through, do you mean through to the cone on the laser head? If that's the case I'd check to make sure that your solenoids are closing fully. If your compressor still cycles occasionally even when neither solenoid is open, you could have a small air leak in the tubing before the solenoids that is allowing your pressure to drop. I will note that my compressor still cycles on occasion, but it hasn't bothered me enough to hunt down the issue. It could just be that these solenoids are relatively inexpensive and not machined perfectly.
Do the relays really need to have a free wheeling diode installed? I thought the Ruida controller had built in protection. Also, I was hoping I'd be able to do on/off with the laser on/off rather than status so its not blowing air when the laser isn't actively cutting or engraving. I wonder if there is still a way to do that?
I've heard that too. But for the cost of the diodes, I'd rather not find out that the Ruida controller isn't protected.
So I wired the solenoid wrong because I was confused about your blue wire with the white stripe being shown over the negative terminal. Will the switched polarity damage the diode? I have it wired correctly now but my solenoid will not open. The led lights are on regardless of what I choose in light burn.
If the diode is in wrong, it will be short essentially. It's there to prevent possible damage to the controller. But you can try it without to see if that helps.
Does that diode go in both solenoids?
The cutting goes perfect but when I go to engrave, both solenoids light up...
Wondering what I dit wrong...
Yes, there should be a diode on each solenoid. Pay attention to the direction of the diode. When engraving, your low pressure solenoid (connected to status) show engage. The high pressure solenoid (connected to wind) will only engage when air is toggled in lightburn, assuming you've made the proper change to enable it.
Great video, thanks. Which ruida are you using? For some reason my setup isn't working with status. I get the high air pressure on cuts when connected wind and 24v but the other valve isn't tripping. I can't figure out the issue, it's connected to 24v and status, but the valve isn't opening.
Try testing out the second solenoid by connecting it to +24 and ground. This should cause it to open. That will narrow down the problem area to either the controller or the solenoid. I've heard of several people getting bad solenoids sent to them. My controller is the RDC 6442G-B.
@@directedt3ch I appreciate your reply. The solenoid works when hooked to the power and ground. However, when both solenoids are hooked up to how we want them with wind and status, the one that is giving me issues (wind) is always dimly lit, whether or not it should be switched. But this doesn't mean air is coming out. I tried wiring them in series thinking it was a power problem, but I run into the same issue. Maybe it's the wind pin that's not allowing a complete circuit? I'm also using a higher gauge wire than you and maybe it's too thin? Idk, I'm stumped at this point. I also tried different 6 pin connectors but that doesn't seem to be the issue. Could it be an issue with the controller?
@@caseygriswold8617 That is the only thing I can think of :( You did make the change to the settings in Lightburn to activate wind pin, correct?
@@directedt3ch Yes. But I never added the diode! I thought the thing that looked like one that came on the solenoid was one. That must be what caused the issue.
@@caseygriswold8617 The diode is there to protect the controller. Is it working now?
Great😊 what happens wen the machine it's power off? Air blows anywhays?
No. The solenoids close down, and no air flows.
hi, did you put the diode on the high or low pressure valve or on both? Anyway, congratulations, nice video, well explained, greetings from Italy
There is a diode on both the high pressure and low pressure solenoids.
Will this still work without the diode in the solenoid??
@@TJ001100 It will, you just risk damage to the controller. You'll notice the diodes on page 29 of the manual - www.ruidacontroller.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/RDC644XGS-Control-System-V1.3-Manual.pdf
I’m very confused and need help. Pin 5-6 show 24v with a multi meter but as soon as I plug a solenoid it drops to like 4.4v. Nothing changes when I run a file with air assist on. I enabled air assist from vendor settings. The led on the solenoid is constantly on. I really don’t understand what’s going on.
That is an odd one. How about pins 4 and 6?
Nice job. I like what you did. My only suggestion, is NEVER tin stranded wire when used in the screw type connector. Over time, the solder and 'flow' and allow the connection to become loose creating a high resistance connection. Use a ferrule instead. Now since this is a low power connection, nothing bad will happen ans there is not enough current flowing to cause the issue.
I appreciate the tip!
I liked the idea but why not just use the stock air pump for low and the compressor high. That way compressor air isn’t used except for cutting which would cut down on compressor cycling.
That would be another solution!
That is what I did. Works awesome.
I am currently doing the same, but manually. I have the high pressure air on a ball valve, and on board low pressure compressor to a switch on the side of the laser. I would like to switch to electronic valves, but how are you connecting the on board compressor as it’s running constantly, are you switching it on with a relay or letting it run and bypassing air thru electronic valve?
@@jimreykdal7477hey I was thinking of this as well. Did you wire it up using one seloniod or 2? (Ex: hook up the stock compressor to the seloniod?) Or did you use one seloniod for the high pressure only? Thanks
@@jimreykdal7477also how did you wire it up?
I just did this with Rudia 6442s controller and my low pressure comes on with no air assist in LB but so does the high pressure. regardless if in LB it is set to off or on. I have High on the 24v and Wind, Low on 24v and status. Not sure why the high also comes on.
You did toggle the settings in lightburn for Machine Settings > Vendor Settings > "Enable Air Assist Output" correct? - ruclips.net/video/TtJXPyLM_Bc/видео.htmlsi=XEb2dDDlVAbpz678&t=1952
Morning, have a question about the thumb screw on the "LOW Pressure" side. How do we know what PSI is coming out to set it? thanks
You just need enough pressure to keep the lens clean. If you can feel airflow out of the cone, you're good.
@@directedt3ch Install a small air pressure gauge (oil filled) 0 to 40 lbs. on the exit side of the low pressure side and then you can set it to what pressure you want without guessing.
@@greysonvalleyrrbarnesville152 Thanks for the tip!
I think I missed it somewhere but the cylinoid with the diode is that high pressure or low pressure?
Both solenoids should have a diode. It protects the controller.
@directedt3ch thx you for your response back 👍
Why can’t the diodes be installed in the control board connector?
It's best to disipate that electricity closest to the point of generation (i.e. the coil).
I'm not sure where you explained the reason for the diodes(missed it somewhere). What does it do?
I probably didn't mention it in the video. Inside the solenoid is a coil of copper wire. When energized, the magnetic field moves the metal rod that opens and closes the airflow. When you denergize the solenoid, the magnetic field collapses and current is induced into that coil of wire and without the diode, that current goes back to controller. The diode is a "one way" valve that only lets energy flow from the controller to the solenoid and prevents that back current from damaging your laser controller.
@@directedt3ch Awesome thanks!!!
@@jimreykdal7477 You are very welcome.
8:50
Do you have info on diode?
How do I differentiate the two solenoids?? Is the solenoid with the diode the high pressure one?
Both solenoids should have a diode (it protects the controller). The solenoid connected to "Wind" is the high pressure side and the one I connected to status is the low pressure side.
@@directedt3ch thank you🙌🏻
@inc55 Thanks for asking the question I was going to ask 👍
Buon giorno per proteggere la scheda RUIDA si potrebbe prendere il contatto dalla scheda ruida per azionare i relè optoisolati e con un alimentatore esterno che passando dalirelè azionerebbe la bobina? Grazie molte
I think that could work too!
How much you pay for that co2?
You have to re-engineer it?
Scary.
These models are quite inexpensive compared to some of the others out there, so you know going in that you'll have to do some upgrades if you want the best performance.