A few years ago I purchased my first 3D printer, a DIGGRO which had a few (mostly forgotten) issues but they treated me well with a 100% refund as well as letting me keep the printer. After being entertained by dkj4linux’s fun with lasers, I’m curious if the printer frame would be a good place to begin digging my laser rabbit hole? I’m comfortable with mechanical things and managed to get a burly up and running with no issues thanks to great documentation and help from these forums, I’m just not one of those people who can look at a schematic and say ‘put a 100K resistor there and you’ll be golden’. I have no idea if it’d be useful or not but the board’s IDed as : LGT_KIT_V1.0 and even if a new board were required I figure the framework/steppers might be a good place to start with?
Would just like to hear from the many much smarter than I here if this would likely be a worthwhile project? If so I figured I’d start researching what I’d need and even if it’d take a few months to get things from China, I could always find enough yard work, painting, etc. around home to keep me busy until my ship came in.
Actually, I think that’s a dandy idea. I repurposed my first 3d printer, a Mendel I2(?) A-frame machine, for laser and it was surprisingly easy. That little Mega/RAMPS-based machine is still running today, carrying a little 2W L-Cheapo laser module… my buddy uses it to engrave coasters and put logos on his woodworking products.
I did that conversion several years ago but IIRC I simply started unplugging and removing everything extruder and heat bed-related (and limit-switches which I never use)… leaving just a simple little 3-axis machine to play with. Adding a laser module was about as easy as it gets… you need just +12V power and a PWM signal for laser intensity control and just strap it on the carriage. I used the M104/M105 fan control signal remapped to pin44 on the RAMPS board at the time… but I don’t think that’s the way they’re doing it now. Robert (@robertbu) and Jeff will know for sure how to set up a Marlin-based laser machine. I’m using GRBL pretty much exclusively now but Marlin will work just as well.
Anyway, it’s pretty straight-forward to wire in the laser, you’ll have an actual Z-axis to help with focusing, and you can do everything I’ve been doing with tiles, glass, craft sticks, and chipboard… with nothing more than a little low-powered laser, 2 to 2.5W will work fine.
Thanks much for the reply! I’ve really enjoyed your thread about fun with lasers and the things you’re doing. I just get a little nervous when I don’t know things (couldn’t honestly say I know the real difference between GRBL and Marlin for example) but had a FORTRAN course in school, taught myself BASIC and got fairly proficient, and learned MasterCAM V. VIII on my own so figure I can learn things, just not as likely to jump into things with the potential for harm as I was in my misspent youth. That’s why I figured I’d ask questions as well as go back thru some past threads as IIRC you’ve made some recommendations for a laser in the past and as I say, I can wait for a slow boat from China while I try to educate myself.
I’d welcome any recommendations for sites/books etc. where the electronically challenged can attempt to learn the necessary ropes.
I built my laser with the schematics from elchepo lasers and perf boards am now looking to replace it with a self contained unit or maybe 2 of them will one higher power one work or should a 2.5 watt and a higher power one be needed?
Hopefully you’ll be able to work with the controller board that’s on that 3d printer now… surely, it’s some flavor of Marlin and I think you’ll find plenty of help here on the forum. Just don’t unplug anything connected to stuff other than the extruder, heat bed, or limit switches… and hopefully you’ll be able to connect to it and jog/drive it around as you learn how to use it.
If you can’t figure it out and/or if push comes to shove… rather than go to China for parts you might be able to get controller board recommendations (without the slow boat delays) from forum members and/or use the V1 shop’s offerings. The more current and mainstream you stay, the more likely someone will be able to help.
Sadly, I’m really slowing down now and struggling to remember stuff… especially now that I am not actually building any machines. I’ve been in a weird funk/malaise over most of the past year and a half and am finding it really difficult to stay motivated… even on stuff I’m ordinarily interested in. But I’m trying to keep up and will help as I can…
That’s my hope, or at least keeps it active. I’ve always enjoyed learning new things, some actually useful to me. There’s no definitive proof but many believe keeping your mind active may help stave off things like Alzheimer’s and there’s only so many Crosswords, Sudokus, Jumbles, Acrostics, Cryptoquotes, et al I can do before I need to do something else.
Don’t know if your condition was Covid related but I know the pandemic put me into a weird funk/malaise at times, I sure as hell never thought I’d reach a point in my life where being allowed to buy toilet paper would be a hi-lite of my day. I know I got lazy but am trying to get back in the routine of walking everyday, IMO one of the best things you can do for yourself. Don’t know how much I’ll get done over the summer, I live 5 minutes from the ocean and after being cooped up for a while I just want to get out and about for a while. But I know the knowledge gained here won’t go to waste.
I agree about these forums, I’ve been in a few, mostly car/motorcycle related but this is by far the best one I’ve ever been in as far as people getting along and being so helpful. I feel lucky to have stumbled upon V1 as I’d remembered years ago that Sears had actually run TV ads advertising a CNC router and that’s what I was searching for when V1 popped up. The man who said he’d rather be lucky than good sometimes wasn’t lying.
Yeah, I did have a brief bout with the covid but that was just a couple of months ago. I hadn’t put that together as I’d been in the funk/malaise long before that. I’ve been thinking it was more related to the uncertainty and craziness in the world we’re living in right now… it’s depressing times, for sure.
That’s why I figured I’d ask questions as well as go back thru some past threads as IIRC you’ve made some recommendations for a laser in the past and as I say, I can wait for a slow boat from China while I try to educate myself.
There’s no definitive proof but many believe keeping your mind active may help stave off things like Alzheimer’s and there’s only so many Crosswords, Sudokus, Jumbles, Acrostics, Cryptoquotes, et al I can do before I need to do something else.
I know I got lazy but am trying to get back in the routine of walking everyday, IMO one of the best things you can do for yourself. Don’t know how much I’ll get done over the summer, I live 5 minutes from the ocean and after being cooped up for a while I just want to get out and about for a while. But I know the knowledge gained here won’t go to waste.