Cheap laser engraver?
- Thread starter Chris152
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I don't have personal experience of one, but I have seen a number of them available on Amazon, with comprehensive user reviews and photos. Might be worth checking there also.
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
I don't have personal experience of one, but I have seen a number of them available on Amazon, with comprehensive user reviews and photos. Might be worth checking there also.
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
Chris152
Established Member
Thanks both, video reviews will be good as I can see how they're being used - I don't know what half of what's written in the ads means.
Meanwhile, if anyone's using one at the low end of the price range it'd be good to read what you think.
Meanwhile, if anyone's using one at the low end of the price range it'd be good to read what you think.
kinsella
Established Member
I bought a similar version of attached photo from Banggood for around £80. its now a piece of rubbish on my desk. For some reason, it's now turned all the axis back to front. It's not a software issue and the 0,0 simply opted on its own to go the total opposite corner. Clearly a component issue inside it.
its basically unusable.
its basically unusable.
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novocaine
Established Member
Kinsella
the feed back comes from the stepper motors, to get both axis to switch like that is very very unlikely as they don't have any common mode failure in the hardware until they reach the interface.
Can I ask what software you are using to run the engraver? (I appreciate this response is really annoying but bear with me).
the feed back comes from the stepper motors, to get both axis to switch like that is very very unlikely as they don't have any common mode failure in the hardware until they reach the interface.
Can I ask what software you are using to run the engraver? (I appreciate this response is really annoying but bear with me).
kinsella
Established Member
Sorry for not replying earlier. Will have to check but it came with the device. Nothing recognisable. The issue is it can find home without being connected to a PC. My point is that is currently the opposite corner. when I then connect with the software and tell it to go to home ie 0,0 on X and Y. it goes to the same place. I'll double-check and add later.
novocaine
Established Member
Hi Kinsella
I did a bit of digging about as I couldn't go to the workshop.
it looks to come with an oldish version of S Carve software. you can use the newer version of the software which might help, it's downloadable, have a google. there is a setting in there for home but it might not do what you want if the following has happened.
for it to mirror it's home location would suggest something has gone fishy in the firmware (stored in EEPROM on the machine, hence home without anything plugged in), which the latest version of S Carve might reset. it's running on Gcode, which means something like an M206 code has been transmitted to set a persistent offset to home. this can be cleared from the EEPROM if you can send just the GCode without using the S Carve software (you'll need a universal g code sender /reader. with a Gcode terminal you'll be able to see what is being fed back to the PC which is really useful too.
I'm tempted by one just so I can play about with this.
I did a bit of digging about as I couldn't go to the workshop.
it looks to come with an oldish version of S Carve software. you can use the newer version of the software which might help, it's downloadable, have a google. there is a setting in there for home but it might not do what you want if the following has happened.
for it to mirror it's home location would suggest something has gone fishy in the firmware (stored in EEPROM on the machine, hence home without anything plugged in), which the latest version of S Carve might reset. it's running on Gcode, which means something like an M206 code has been transmitted to set a persistent offset to home. this can be cleared from the EEPROM if you can send just the GCode without using the S Carve software (you'll need a universal g code sender /reader. with a Gcode terminal you'll be able to see what is being fed back to the PC which is really useful too.
I'm tempted by one just so I can play about with this.
kinsella
Established Member
Yes, your correct, it is SCarve. Will have a go as you suggest and post if I'm successful.
kinsella
Established Member
Novocaine. It looks like I have the current version of Scarve. V1.91 already loaded. I also have a 3D printer so i get what you are saying but you are clearly more tech than I am. What software do you recommend to talk to the device in Gcode.? I use Cura and Octoprint on the 3D printer. but these will not talk to the device. Any suggestions?
Any other free laser print software recommended?
Any other free laser print software recommended?
novocaine
Established Member
Sorry Kinsella, it's hard without it in front of me.
I'd maybe try a serial bus monitor like Busbee or possibly arduino serial monitor (just because I've got it installed on my machine).
if that doesn't work, my next option would be to plug it in to a different machine, possibly a linux machine so I can use it's built in terminal, and see what happens then cry a bit then go looking talk to our CNC boys and get laughed at.
then I'd try something like
https://github.com/winder/Universal-G-Code-Sender
which I've never used but have been told it works to let you send gcode straight to the serial bus (you can find out where your engraver is plugged in by looking at the devices in windows settings)
if you can get it to talk then send an M503 command to it which will output all settings in the EEProm to serial.
I'd maybe try a serial bus monitor like Busbee or possibly arduino serial monitor (just because I've got it installed on my machine).
if that doesn't work, my next option would be to plug it in to a different machine, possibly a linux machine so I can use it's built in terminal, and see what happens then cry a bit then go looking talk to our CNC boys and get laughed at.
then I'd try something like
https://github.com/winder/Universal-G-Code-Sender
which I've never used but have been told it works to let you send gcode straight to the serial bus (you can find out where your engraver is plugged in by looking at the devices in windows settings)
if you can get it to talk then send an M503 command to it which will output all settings in the EEProm to serial.
