connecting plh3d-6w laser heads to openbuilds acro-system: getting ... · • position the black...

1 Connecting PLH3D-6W Laser Heads to Openbuilds Acro-System: Getting Started Guide

Opt Lasers, 2018.

Connecting PLH3D-6W Laser Heads to

Openbuilds Acro-System: Getting Started Guide

Table of Contents 1. Attaching the Laser Head to the X-Y CNC ........................................................................................ 2

2. Connecting the Electronics .............................................................................................................. 5

3. Installation and Preparation of Software ........................................................................................ 8

a) Installing the Arduino Environment ............................................................................................ 8

b) Loading the Arduino Batch .......................................................................................................... 8

c) Establishing First Communication with the Machine .................................................................. 9

4. Adjusting the Focal Distance of the Laser Head ............................................................................ 12

a) Powering on the Laser ............................................................................................................... 12

b) Adjusting the Focus ................................................................................................................... 12

5. Engraving for the First Time .......................................................................................................... 14


Opt Lasers, 2018.

1. Attaching the Laser Head to the X-Y CNC

• The parts needed for mounting the laser head on the X-Y CNC are shown below:

• The following are reccomended for the assembly: o Hex keys: 2mm, 3mm o Double-sided tape o Standard terminal adapter


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• First, rest the laser head such that the 4x M3 x 6mm mounting holes are facing up.

• Position the black anodized Aluminium mounting plate over the laser head such that

the mounting holes are aligned, as shown in the photos below.:

• Then, attach the mounting plate to the laser head using 4x M3 screws (the smaller

ones) with the washers.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• Insert the 4 larger screws through the outer holes of the mounting plate, and then insert

the plastic spacers on them from the other side, as shown in the photos below:

• Position the subassembly on the CNC carraige. Align the threaded plates from the

other side, which act as nuts, against which to fasten the screws.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

2. Connecting the Electronics • Conect the laser head to the CNC machine using the terminal as shown in the photo

below.

• Attach double sided tape to the back side of the terminal as shown in the photo below.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• Use double sided tape to stick the terminal to the back side of the CNC carraige.

• Connect 4 of the wires (GND, VCC, ANGGND, TTL) from the extension cable to the

pins on the Arduino PCB, as shown in the photo below.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• Connect power and USB cables to communicate with the computer

Attention: the power supply must be able to power the unit with 12-24 V and at least 80

W of power.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

3. Installation and Preparation of Software

a) Installing the Arduino Environment

• Enter the original Arduino website https://www.arduino.cc and download the latest

IDE appropriate for your system and then install it.

b) Loading the Arduino Batch

• You’ll need the right version of GRBL, in our case Grbl v0.9j ATmega328P 16MHz 115200baud, which we download from: https://github.com/grbl/grbl

• After clicking on the link, the page with the HEX code will open. We copied everything to the notepad and saved it under the name wsad.hex, selecting the option "all files"

• Next, download the Xloader program from:

http://xloader.russemotto.com/XLoader.zip

https://www.arduino.cc/

https://github.com/grbl/grbl

http://xloader.russemotto.com/XLoader.zip


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• After connecting the CNC to the PC via the USB cable, run the Xloader program and

do the following:

o In the "Hex file" field, specify the path to the previously prepared Hex file

o Specify the device as Uno (ATmega328)

o Set a baud rate of 11520

o Enter the COM port that will be used to connect.

o After completing all the fields, click „Upload.”

c) Establishing First Communication with the Machine

• Download the LaserGRBL program from: http://lasergrbl.com/en/download/

• Install the program and run it.

• Select the appropriate COM port, set the baud rate to 11520, and then click Connect.

• If everything is working as it should, the machine should present its version of the GRBL and it should be possible to send commands to the machine.

http://lasergrbl.com/en/download/


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• The next step is to test communication with the machine.

ATTENTION: sending this command should cause the laser head to emit light. It is

imperative to take appropriate safety precautions. This is dangerous and there is a

possibility of injury if appropriate precautions are not taken.

• To test the communication:

o Click on the field to send the G-code.

o To turn on the laser, enter "M3 S15 G0 X10 Y10."

o To turn off the laser, click on the „lightning” icon in the lower left-hand corner

of the screen.

o Reset the position of the laser head by clicking the „home” button.

• If everything is working properly, the laser should turn on and the CNC should perform the appropriate movements. In this case, the next step is to configure the GRBL.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• To configure the GRBL, click on the "GRBL" menu and select "GRBL Configuration.” Enter the values shown in the table below, click "Close" and agree to the changes.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

4. Adjusting the Focal Distance of the Laser Head

a) Powering on the Laser

• Place below the laser head the material to be engraved

• Send the command "M3 S10" to the head

ATTENTION: sending this command should cause the laser head to emit light. It is

imperative to take appropriate safety precautions. This is dangerous and there is a

possibility of injury if appropriate precautions are not taken.

• If the spot is too weak or too strong (e.g., if the material is burning), the value of the

parameter S can be freely set to any value in the range of 0-255 to adjust the laser

power, where 0 produces nominally no light, and 255 produces full power.

b) Adjusting the Focus This can be performed by either of two methods:

#1. Manually using the controller - Note, this method changes the focus setting of the laser

head by default.

• Rotate the lens focus adjuster so that the smallest laser spot is obtained at the desired

focal plane.

#2. Manually adjusting the laser head position - This method does not affect the default focus

setting of the laser head.

• Slightly loosen the 4 screws securing the mounting plate with the sledge head so that it

can be moved up and down.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• Manually adjust the position of the laser head so it is at the desired height such that the

beam is tightly focused on the material to be engraved

• Tighten the screws when the laser head is in the desirable position.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

5. Engraving for the First Time • If the program has been properly configured, open the Notepad program and enter the

G code shown below:

, (Header)

M3; SET LASER MODE

G0 X0 Y0

G90; absolute positions

G21; metric

, (Header end)

G1 X10.0000 Y0.0000 Z18.1000 F2000 S180

G1 F2000 Y10.0000

G1 F2000 X0.0000

G1 F2000 Y0.0000

G0 S0 X30.0000 Y5.0000 F10000

G3 X40.0000 I5.0000 J0.0000 F2000 S180

I-G3 X30.0000 5.0000 J0.0000 F2000

G0 S0 X15.0000 Y0.0000 F10000

G1 X25.0000 Y10.0000 F2000 S180

G0 S0 X15.0000 F10000

G1 X25.0000 Y0.0000 F2000 S180

G0 S0 X0.0000 F10000

, (Footer)

M5; Disable the laser

G21

G90

G0 X0 Y0

M5

, (Footer end)

• Save the file as "test.nc" choose "all files" in the dropdown.


Opt Lasers, 2018.

• Go to the "File" menu, select "Open file" and then specify G code file we just created.

• Prepare the material on which to perform the engraving. Its working area should be at

least 15 x 45 mm. The engraving will start from the lower left-hand corner of the

machine.

• To start engraving, click "Run Program."

Note that this will power on the laser.

• The final result should appear similar to the image in the photo:

connecting plh3d-6w laser heads to openbuilds acro-system: getting ... · • position the black...

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