@jay_s_uk i had tried that previous but just added it again with no luck.

@rhys161 You most likely need to invert the output, by putting a ! in front of the pin name (the example for M452 shows this), ie

M452 C"!exp.heater6" R255 F200

Ian

@droftarts Im using 3.5.3

Ill test it when im home and let you know.

Thank you

@FHesse I think the simplest solution for now is to set up a macro that does this:

use M451 to switch out of laser mode to free up the laser control pin use M950 to configure the laser pin as GpOut pin use M42 to set the desired PWM on that pin use M291 to prompt the user to press OK when focusing is complete use M42 to turn off the laser use M950 to deconfigure the GpOut port use M452 to reselect laser mode.

@FlashPackets I don't think the M3 and M5 commands will be doing anything, as you are using M452 S0 (non-sticky mode). If you want to use them, see https://docs.duet3d.com/en/User_manual/Reference/Gcodes#m3-spindle-on-clockwise

Ian

@hauschka I asked @dc42 about supporting lasers and spindles on expansion boards. He said:

Supporting lasers/spindles on expansion boards would not be impossible but would raise a few implementation issues.

I think it just hasn't been requested before, so currently there's no reason to spend the time implementing it. If you want, raise a feature request on Github https://github.com/Duet3D/RepRapFirmware/issues/new/choose so at least it's on the great big list of things to do!

Ian

@eponra if they are 2209s you should be running them in UART mode so change the jumpers
f7f563aa-e319-4fa9-9936-05d1039b549f-image.png

Even better solution: I hooked up the power wires for my laser to the bed heater output and made that a GPIO that I then turn on and off via gCode.

@infiniteloop I got it works as you described. Thank you!!!

Some detail for future reference.

Duet [PANEL DUE 5V_EXT] ==(orange)== Relay [JD-VCC]
Duet [PANEL DUE 3.3V_EXT] ==(green)== Relay [VCC]
Duet [PANEL DUE GND] ==(black)== Relay [GND]
Duet [out3-] ==(yellow)== Relay [IN1]
Duet [out4-] ==(blue)== Relay [IN2]
Duet [out5-] ==(brown)== Relay [IN3]

6673708b-eca8-40a8-8cd6-cf670a5a3606-image.png

83db91cc-387c-4398-8765-8e66b75b386f-image.png

config.g

; Laser mode M452 C"out6" R255 F200 ; Enable Laser mode, on out6, with max intensity being 255, and a PWM frequency of 200 ; FAN-as-IO setup M950 P0 C"out3" ; Red Laser M950 P1 C"out4" ; Laser Enable M950 P2 C"out5" ; placeholder

No strange behavior during power on nor power lost. Everything looks good.

Note: the board next to relay is isolated PWN to 0-10V converter, in case someone wondering.

@SanderLPFRG in the following I will assume that the engraving was done using back and forth scanning in the X direction, so adjust axis names appropriately if not.

Measure the X offset between adjacent lines in that engraving. Then try jogging the X axis back and forth a distance smaller than that and see if the tool head moves as expected.

Alternatively: construct a GCode file to engrave a short line in the Y direction, then move X a short distance (less than or equal to the offset), then engrave another short Y line, then move X back to the original position and engrave another Y line. Check that the X offset of the middle Y line from the outer two Y lines is the correct amount.

Another possibility is that the tool head is rotating about the Y axis as the belt or leadscrew pulls/pushes it first one way and then the other way. Such a rotation will affect the X position of the laser spot on the workpiece.

@shenbiand4 I found a thread about your motor on lightburn-forum.
The only confusing info about a replacement motor was the required shaft diameter.
Make sure, you measure your motors shaft, before you buy. NEMA23 steppers can be found with 5 ,6, 8, 10mm shaft and also 1/4 or 3/8 inch shaft.
If you pick the wrong one, you'll have to look for the right pulley for your belt.
All other requirements are pretty common, like 1.8 degree, 4-wire, 2.8A and 56mm motor length as you've already noted. Can't go wrong there.

The Oyo motors you've linked are almost identical, except for the D-shaft and wire length. I'd go for D-shaft, if I had to choose.

@WingedDonkey when you power up, expansion header pin 8 should be at 3.3V. It should go to 0V when you command the laser to turn on. If you are using the recommended connection then the output of the 74HCT02 should be 0V at power up and 5V when you command the laser on at full PWM.

HTH David

@dc42 Hello. The Beta 3.5.0 with segments of 0.02 is sufficient for my aplication at the moment.
We build this custom laser printer cut brain implants and the programs are quite long - 10's of thousands arcs connected together. Usually takes 3 days to cut one batch. During these last 6 motnhs we come up with a series of methods to minimize the offset in position from the first features cut to the last ones. We figured out there is no more mechanical possibilities for this offset to be happening. We even added temperature control on the whole printer.

I believe there may be some rounding going on in the system. We also notice this offset is larger on y axis.0002.png

Do you believe we could benefit from adding encoders to the Nema17 stepper motors?
by the way we use 1600steps/mm
Thanks

@Dizzwold See https://docs.duet3d.com/User_manual/Machine_configuration/Configuration_laser
This needs a little updating (on my to-do list!) but is good guide to get started.

Raster clustering, which speeds up raster engraving, is supported in RRF 3.5.0-beta3 and later. Lightburn supports this, I don't know if other laser gcode generation software does. RRF also supports G2 and G3 arcs in laser mode, though Lightburn doesn't!.

Ian

Awesome, thanks!
The short answer I glean here is that options exist for the setup I wanted to do and it isn't exactly reinventing the wheel. But there are some minor potential issues with setup that may/may not be addressed in coming releases.

Guess that's enough to start working towards laying out the CAD. And choose which board gets dedicated to the application down the road.

@jay_s_uk I've added a feature request to Github: https://github.com/Duet3D/RepRapFirmware/issues/941

Ian

droftarts created this issue in Duet3D/RepRapFirmware open Add current job XY min max values to OM #941

@nico_1994 said in Running a Further Laser Y1200 from DUET2 ethernet:

As @o_lampe says, use ! in the pin name to invert the pin, with the caveat that this works in RRF 3.x, but not RRF 2.x. You don't say which version of RRF you are using, but I would advise you to use the latest release version of RRF 3.x.

Open topics:
Other topics I still wane research / figure out in the next weeks are:

Water flow sensor

See https://docs.duet3d.com/en/User_manual/Tuning/Triggers#water-flow-sensor-failsafe

Water temperature sensor

Add another temperature sensor using M308
For supported temperature sensors see https://docs.duet3d.com/User_manual/Connecting_hardware/Temperature_choosing

Bed probing / Z-height calibration

See https://docs.duet3d.com/en/User_manual/Connecting_hardware#z-probe

Safety contact in the casing (detecting an open casing and shut down laser automatically for eye safety), based on this forum post

Create an input with M950, then use triggers to control what happens when the input is triggered, as described in that thread.

Turning on/off LED lights

See https://docs.duet3d.com/User_manual/Connecting_hardware/IO_Neopixel_DotStar

Turning on/off air assist

This can either be controlled as a tool fan, so behaves like 3D printer's part cooling fan, or as a manually controlled fan using a macro. See https://docs.duet3d.com/User_manual/Connecting_hardware/Fans_connecting

Turning on/off red laser dot

Configure a GPIO output with M950, then control it with M42. See https://docs.duet3d.com/User_manual/Connecting_hardware/IO_GPIO

...

The extra one is probably how to fire the laser when stationary, so you can align the mirrors. RRF 3.x generally doesn't allow for the laser to be fired without a G1 move, as a safety feature. There is a However, there are a number of workarounds. Probably the easiest is to create a dummy axis (e.g. U) using M584, and send a movement command which will fire the laser e.g.

M584 U6 ; define U axis G92 U0 ; set U axis position to zero G1 U1 F60 S255 ; turn the laser on for one second at full power

Adjust the G1 F parameter (feedrate, which is in mm per minute, so 1mm of movement at 60mm/min = 1 second) and laser power (G1 S parameter) for suitable time and power.
There is a feature request for better control over this, rather than using the workarounds: https://github.com/Duet3D/RepRapFirmware/issues/697

Another subject that comes up is framing, where the area to be cut is outlined by the laser toolhead (or the red laser dot), without actually cutting, so you can check the material is in the right place. This is usually controlled by the laser software, and the laser controller is connected by USB, so the laser software can send the movement commands directly to the controller. Duet/RRF controlled machines can be connected over USB, but running jobs this way misses out on many RRF-specific features. RRF doesn't have framing built-in. However, it may be possible to do something like the Only probe where part is to be printed script, run at the beginning of a job, and then have the option to cancel before proceeding with the job.
If you're planning on using Lightburn, see https://forum.duet3d.com/topic/34581/frame-job-boundaries/6; hopefully this feature will come soon.

Ian

T3P3 created this issue in Duet3D/RepRapFirmware open Low power M3 control for laser focus. #697

@o_lampe Thank you