I've gotten a lot out of your Omtech upgrade videos, so thank you for those. I see that those are your most-watched videos as well. I believe many of those viewers would like to see you do a project on your laser, showing how you use all of those upgrades. To us, it looks as if you upgraded your laser and never used it.
Thanks for the comment! You're correct, I've not posted any OMTech style content since upgrading the machine. There are a bunch of excuses (didn't know anyone would be interested, I was busily focused on craft fair season, then Christmas season, and hunting season, blah, blah). But point taken! I'll try and get something posted soon and see what the view counts might be. Thanks again!!
Thanks so much for posting this. I just installed mine before finding your video. Like me, you probably just watched snippets of Chinese videos with brief flashes of video to figure it out. I hard wired mine as well and sort of fumbled my way through the alignment. It wasn't exactly a linear process with the adjustment screws. I am SO happy not though to have the dot inline with the laser beam. No more misaligned dots due to the severe angle. Again, thank you very much, I know many people will find this very helpful!
Thank you, that’s very kind. I’ve been very happy with mine so far as well. As you pointed out, the adjustment screws on the combiner were the most difficult aspect to figure out. Based on the limited instructions that are available, it was 100% trial and error on how to get the laser beam aligned into the mirrors correctly. Someone could do a video just on that process alone. That was definitely a head scratcher!!
Thank you. Yes, fighting the red dot unit and rotating the tube to make adjustments makes good sense. On another note, I noticed that you upgraded the lighting. I did the same on my 60 watt unit and fried the 24vdc power supply. I ended up getting a15 amp and also a separate 5vdc supply. Keep an eye on it because it will get hot!
Thanks for sharing this. After seeing your video, I confirmed with OMtech that my tube was compatible. I then ordered one of these. Unfortunately, for me, I can't get the old part off. I even went too far and tried a couple of pairs of channel locks, but no luck. Fortunately, I stopped, before I did any damage. I guess I'll have to save this for my next tube. FYI: My tube is not new. It's a couple of years old, so I don't know if it's seized on or what, but it's not worth breaking the tube to find out. Thanks again, for sharing!
Hey, you're welcome. As you could tell in the video, mine was only hand tight, so it came off super easy. It may be possible that yours is seized. Thanks for the comment!
Great video, I have the same machine with the exact same tube, been thinking of doing this upgrade along with the Lightburn camera, you did a very clean install on both items, thanks for sharing these!
I have a laser with a Yongli tube that comes with this stock. It makes my other 2 laser jealous. I would love an adapter for Reci and other tube manufacturers, it's a really good tube. Not only for aligning the mirrors, also for framing the work pieces
LOL, I know exactly what you mean..."makes my other 2 lasers jealous"!! It's a great tool, once it's in place and dialed in properly. To your point, I just used mine again this morning using the Lightburn camera screen shot. The red dot was exactly where I placed it, while using the Lightburn software and the camera. Makes the job so much quicker and simpler.
Great video, thanks!! I'm not sure which side of the machine your wires are routed through, but mine route back through the left side of the machine as your looking at it and run back across to the controller and power supply. If that's the case you can just clip the wires going to the factory red dot and reroute them back to the new red dot and make your connection there with having to route the new wires.
Great insight. My power supply is to the right hand side as you face the machine, and so far, everything is working great. Fingers crossed! Thanks for the comment.
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br My power supply is also on the right but the wiring for my red dot and auto focus run across the back of the machine and enter the gantry on the left side. I just hooked mine up yesterday just trying to get everything aligned again! I guess when I moved the tube backwards to make room for the red dot it through off the alignment on the laser!
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br well an update on my install of this unit! My issues with alignment had nothing to do with the install of the red dot! However when installed my red dot ended up on the tube in the exact same way yours did which puts the alignment screws on the bottom very inaccessible! So to adjust the alignment of the red dot you have to loosen in to get to the screws make the adjustment and tighten it back into position. During this process the very tiny wires broke completely where it comes out of the unit! Be very careful with those wires they're very fragile! The worst part is you have to move them back and forth so much just screwing it on to the tube!
@@richardmccabe270 That was exactly my experience, minus the breaking of the wires. I think I just got lucky! For the laser tube itself to be positioned where it's supposed to be (water outlet tube pointed up for bubble escape), when the red dot is tightened down, the alignment screws are on the bottom (making them impossible to access. That's why it took me about an hour to finally get the red dot aligned with mirror #3. Now I'm not an engineer by trade, but it seems to me that if the threads on the beam combiner were just a bit shorter or longer, it would align better and make the entire process that much simpler. But what do I know...LOL
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br you could put a few wraps of thread tape on the threads to thicken them, they will engage earlier and the red dot housing will be snug. adjust the amount of tape as necessary to get it positioned how you want it
some thing I just found out that the power supply is all ways on, make sure that all power is off when not in use. I lost my power supply with only about 50 hrs of cutting in 1 year
While I'm awaiting this part from OMtech, I downloaded the instructions which said that the side with the adjustment screws should be up. I had assumed the threads would be cut such that fully tightened would point the adjustment screws so they can be readily accessible. Perhaps it would be a good idea to not tighten fully until adjustments are made?
Yep, in my case, the threads on the beam combiner did not match up with the threads on my tube where it would allow for easy access to the adjustment screws. It took a while to get the adjustment dialed in, that’s for sure. In order to get the air outlet on the top of the tube to be positioned correctly, I waited until the beam was dialed in before gently rotating the tube in its brackets. (I hope that makes sense.)
So I simply used the stock air pump to supply the air for the beam combiner since I have an aftermarket air system that I use with the laser itself. It only requires a few psi to keep the beam combiner cool and clear of debris. So far, the stock air pump has been plenty sufficient. Thanks for the question!
The beam combiner is far superior to the one that's provided with the machine. Being installed onto the end of the laser tube, the beam combiner provides much better precision and accuracy. In my humble opinion, the one that comes with the machine needs constant adjustments (at least that was my experience).
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br I'm saying that it's just a replacement for the normal red dot. I was hoping that it could also be used to adjust the mirrors. But that seems to only be possible to a limited extent. Only when the mirrors are optimally adjusted (normally with crepe paper) and the combiner is aligned with the beam can you use the combiner for control - or am I wrong?
Great Video. I've had my 80W Monport with a Yongli tube for a month, and my only gripe has been the accuracy of the red dot. This accessory looks great. Question- did you hook up the air cooling line, or just leave it out? thanks
Thank you! So I actually rerouted the supplied air hose for the nozzle, and connected it to the beam combiner. I then used my aftermarket air system to provide air for the lens and laser nozzle.
Great Video! I have not yet bought a laser, so i was wondering what the difference is between the factory installed red dot and the beam combiner? Is it the accuracy? Thanks.
Thanks! Yes, since the beam combiner actually attaches to the laser tube, once you have it dialed in, it should be much more precise than those that come installed from the factory. Oftentimes, the ones installed at the factory can be easily bumped, therefore requiring much more frequent adjustments!
I do not. I'm not sure how well the video would have turned out, given the challenge of accessing the adjustment screws. Once my laser tube was vertical (like it needed to be), the adjustment screws were on the bottom and back side of the tube, making them very difficulty to access.
Hi there, thanks for the question. I did make the air connection, yes! I connected the air line that was provided with the machine. Air is said to help reduce overheating of the air combiners lens, as well as minimizing dust that might collect on the lens. I have a separate after market air system installed that runs directly to the laser head.
@@MattEIce-cp4ogNot off the top of my head, I sure don’t. It’s whatever came with the original air pump on the new unit. I just snipped the hose and ran it straight to the beam combiner. I’d guess about 3mm, but don’t quote me on that. The instruction manual may say…
The beam combiner, once correctly aligned, provides a more consistent ‘red dot’ than the factory installed red dot devices. The air inlet aids in keeping the beam combiner lens cool and combatting dust accumulation. I rerouted the factory air supply to the beam combiner and I use the after market air supply for the laser head assembly.
What size your laser? I just got the MF2028 100 watt and I really wanted to install this. But shows it is only compatible with the AF2440-100 - 100W, AF3555-130 - 130W and the AF4063-150 - 150W. I assumed because of the distance between the tube and mirror one. Thx
My machine is also the MF2028, but it is the 80w machine, and not the 100w. That may be the difference. I had enough space to install the beam combiner and still have the metal protective cover installed on the other end of the laser tube.
@@smattt Since my laser tube came in a box to install when the laser arrived. I believe there is definitely room to push the laser tube back for this to fit. My home monport 80 W I installed the bin combiner with a replacement near one and used the power to the red dot to power the beam combiner so I'm trying to figure out if this will do the same thing instead of using a battery pack. Get the battery pack and how long do they last
@@darlalynw ive got the 2028 100 and it fits with no problem, i called om tech because the thread protechtor was over hand tight, they indicated it would work
Oh, it’s right around 1 5/8” long or so! They may have the exact measurements on the OMTech website, but I didn’t go and look. I just measured mine real quick…
I've gotten a lot out of your Omtech upgrade videos, so thank you for those. I see that those are your most-watched videos as well. I believe many of those viewers would like to see you do a project on your laser, showing how you use all of those upgrades. To us, it looks as if you upgraded your laser and never used it.
Thanks for the comment! You're correct, I've not posted any OMTech style content since upgrading the machine. There are a bunch of excuses (didn't know anyone would be interested, I was busily focused on craft fair season, then Christmas season, and hunting season, blah, blah). But point taken! I'll try and get something posted soon and see what the view counts might be. Thanks again!!
Thanks so much for posting this. I just installed mine before finding your video. Like me, you probably just watched snippets of Chinese videos with brief flashes of video to figure it out. I hard wired mine as well and sort of fumbled my way through the alignment. It wasn't exactly a linear process with the adjustment screws. I am SO happy not though to have the dot inline with the laser beam. No more misaligned dots due to the severe angle. Again, thank you very much, I know many people will find this very helpful!
Thank you, that’s very kind. I’ve been very happy with mine so far as well. As you pointed out, the adjustment screws on the combiner were the most difficult aspect to figure out. Based on the limited instructions that are available, it was 100% trial and error on how to get the laser beam aligned into the mirrors correctly. Someone could do a video just on that process alone. That was definitely a head scratcher!!
Thank you. Yes, fighting the red dot unit and rotating the tube to make adjustments makes good sense. On another note, I noticed that you upgraded the lighting. I did the same on my 60 watt unit and fried the 24vdc power supply. I ended up getting a15 amp and also a separate 5vdc supply. Keep an eye on it because it will get hot!
Did you by chance wire it up exactly as I did?! So far, so good on my end, but I’ll watch it just in case.
Thank you for this video, helped give me some courage to install mine, going to try it this week.
Good luck! Glad you enjoyed the video. The process was fairly straightforward.
Thanks for sharing this.
After seeing your video, I confirmed with OMtech that my tube was compatible. I then ordered one of these.
Unfortunately, for me, I can't get the old part off. I even went too far and tried a couple of pairs of channel locks, but no luck.
Fortunately, I stopped, before I did any damage.
I guess I'll have to save this for my next tube.
FYI: My tube is not new. It's a couple of years old, so I don't know if it's seized on or what, but it's not worth breaking the tube to find out.
Thanks again, for sharing!
Hey, you're welcome. As you could tell in the video, mine was only hand tight, so it came off super easy. It may be possible that yours is seized. Thanks for the comment!
Great video, I have the same machine with the exact same tube, been thinking of doing this upgrade along with the Lightburn camera, you did a very clean install on both items, thanks for sharing these!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad the videos were useful to you. That makes the effort put in, well worth it!!
Thankyou ever so much for your presentation it was first class and made life so much easier for this Red Beam installation🌝
You’re welcome. I’m so glad you found the video useful. Thanks for letting me know!
I have a laser with a Yongli tube that comes with this stock. It makes my other 2 laser jealous. I would love an adapter for Reci and other tube manufacturers, it's a really good tube. Not only for aligning the mirrors, also for framing the work pieces
LOL, I know exactly what you mean..."makes my other 2 lasers jealous"!! It's a great tool, once it's in place and dialed in properly. To your point, I just used mine again this morning using the Lightburn camera screen shot. The red dot was exactly where I placed it, while using the Lightburn software and the camera. Makes the job so much quicker and simpler.
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br I'm thinking of 3d printing an adapter. Maybe with the air assist it won't get too hot
@@sebamop Oooo, game changer alert! Keep me updated, if you do. I'd be interested in checking it out!
Great video, thanks!! I'm not sure which side of the machine your wires are routed through, but mine route back through the left side of the machine as your looking at it and run back across to the controller and power supply. If that's the case you can just clip the wires going to the factory red dot and reroute them back to the new red dot and make your connection there with having to route the new wires.
Great insight. My power supply is to the right hand side as you face the machine, and so far, everything is working great. Fingers crossed! Thanks for the comment.
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br My power supply is also on the right but the wiring for my red dot and auto focus run across the back of the machine and enter the gantry on the left side. I just hooked mine up yesterday just trying to get everything aligned again! I guess when I moved the tube backwards to make room for the red dot it through off the alignment on the laser!
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br well an update on my install of this unit! My issues with alignment had nothing to do with the install of the red dot! However when installed my red dot ended up on the tube in the exact same way yours did which puts the alignment screws on the bottom very inaccessible! So to adjust the alignment of the red dot you have to loosen in to get to the screws make the adjustment and tighten it back into position. During this process the very tiny wires broke completely where it comes out of the unit! Be very careful with those wires they're very fragile! The worst part is you have to move them back and forth so much just screwing it on to the tube!
@@richardmccabe270 That was exactly my experience, minus the breaking of the wires. I think I just got lucky! For the laser tube itself to be positioned where it's supposed to be (water outlet tube pointed up for bubble escape), when the red dot is tightened down, the alignment screws are on the bottom (making them impossible to access. That's why it took me about an hour to finally get the red dot aligned with mirror #3. Now I'm not an engineer by trade, but it seems to me that if the threads on the beam combiner were just a bit shorter or longer, it would align better and make the entire process that much simpler. But what do I know...LOL
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br you could put a few wraps of thread tape on the threads to thicken them, they will engage earlier and the red dot housing will be snug. adjust the amount of tape as necessary to get it positioned how you want it
Thank you for this video. Subbed!
Thanks for the sub!! I’m glad the video was useful. 🫡
some thing I just found out that the power supply is all ways on, make sure that all power is off when not in use. I lost my power supply with only about 50 hrs of cutting in 1 year
That’s a great reminder. Thanks for posting it!
While I'm awaiting this part from OMtech, I downloaded the instructions which said that the side with the adjustment screws should be up. I had assumed the threads would be cut such that fully tightened would point the adjustment screws so they can be readily accessible. Perhaps it would be a good idea to not tighten fully until adjustments are made?
Yep, in my case, the threads on the beam combiner did not match up with the threads on my tube where it would allow for easy access to the adjustment screws. It took a while to get the adjustment dialed in, that’s for sure. In order to get the air outlet on the top of the tube to be positioned correctly, I waited until the beam was dialed in before gently rotating the tube in its brackets. (I hope that makes sense.)
HI thanks for the video, where do you connect the air inlet and how much psi is required. does this require a second air pump?
So I simply used the stock air pump to supply the air for the beam combiner since I have an aftermarket air system that I use with the laser itself.
It only requires a few psi to keep the beam combiner cool and clear of debris. So far, the stock air pump has been plenty sufficient. Thanks for the question!
If I understand correctly, the laser beam has to be 100% aligned. So it's just an expensive replacement for the normal red dot.
The beam combiner is far superior to the one that's provided with the machine. Being installed onto the end of the laser tube, the beam combiner provides much better precision and accuracy. In my humble opinion, the one that comes with the machine needs constant adjustments (at least that was my experience).
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br I'm saying that it's just a replacement for the normal red dot. I was hoping that it could also be used to adjust the mirrors.
But that seems to only be possible to a limited extent.
Only when the mirrors are optimally adjusted (normally with crepe paper) and the combiner is aligned with the beam can you use the combiner for control - or am I wrong?
@@PilaStone That's correct! Only once the mirrors are optimally adjusted, would I begin the alignment steps on the beam combiner.
Great Video. I've had my 80W Monport with a Yongli tube for a month, and my only gripe has been the accuracy of the red dot. This accessory looks great.
Question- did you hook up the air cooling line, or just leave it out? thanks
Thank you! So I actually rerouted the supplied air hose for the nozzle, and connected it to the beam combiner. I then used my aftermarket air system to provide air for the lens and laser nozzle.
Great Video! I have not yet bought a laser, so i was wondering what the difference is between the factory installed red dot and the beam combiner? Is it the accuracy? Thanks.
Thanks! Yes, since the beam combiner actually attaches to the laser tube, once you have it dialed in, it should be much more precise than those that come installed from the factory. Oftentimes, the ones installed at the factory can be easily bumped, therefore requiring much more frequent adjustments!
Do you have a video of the alignment process after you installed the combiner?
I do not. I'm not sure how well the video would have turned out, given the challenge of accessing the adjustment screws. Once my laser tube was vertical (like it needed to be), the adjustment screws were on the bottom and back side of the tube, making them very difficulty to access.
Did you connect the air line to the combiner? Is the air even needed?
Hi there, thanks for the question. I did make the air connection, yes! I connected the air line that was provided with the machine. Air is said to help reduce overheating of the air combiners lens, as well as minimizing dust that might collect on the lens. I have a separate after market air system installed that runs directly to the laser head.
@@FlashHikesjust got mine in today, do you happen to know what size air line connects to the beam combiner?
@@MattEIce-cp4ogNot off the top of my head, I sure don’t. It’s whatever came with the original air pump on the new unit. I just snipped the hose and ran it straight to the beam combiner. I’d guess about 3mm, but don’t quote me on that. The instruction manual may say…
What exactly does this component do? Also, what is the purpose of the air inlet in it?
The beam combiner, once correctly aligned, provides a more consistent ‘red dot’ than the factory installed red dot devices.
The air inlet aids in keeping the beam combiner lens cool and combatting dust accumulation. I rerouted the factory air supply to the beam combiner and I use the after market air supply for the laser head assembly.
What size your laser? I just got the MF2028 100 watt and I really wanted to install this. But shows it is only compatible with the AF2440-100 - 100W, AF3555-130 - 130W and the AF4063-150 - 150W. I assumed because of the distance between the tube and mirror one.
Thx
My machine is also the MF2028, but it is the 80w machine, and not the 100w. That may be the difference. I had enough space to install the beam combiner and still have the metal protective cover installed on the other end of the laser tube.
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br Thx, I'm ordering mine. This is much easier than the replacement mirror one - beam combiner I have on my Monport 80 watt
@@darlalynw I'm in the same situation - I have the 100W MF2028 and I have to see if it'll fit. I hope it does.
@@smattt Since my laser tube came in a box to install when the laser arrived. I believe there is definitely room to push the laser tube back for this to fit. My home monport 80 W I installed the bin combiner with a replacement near one and used the power to the red dot to power the beam combiner so I'm trying to figure out if this will do the same thing instead of using a battery pack. Get the battery pack and how long do they last
@@darlalynw ive got the 2028 100 and it fits with no problem, i called om tech because the thread protechtor was over hand tight, they indicated it would work
Now that you have had it for two months was it worth it?
Yes, 100%. I have zero regrets, and the consistency is undeniable!
How long is the beam combiner?
Oh, it’s right around 1 5/8” long or so! They may have the exact measurements on the OMTech website, but I didn’t go and look. I just measured mine real quick…
@@FlashpointWoodworks-fp6br thanks!