Welcome to Our Community

Some features disabled for guests. Register Today.

help with a control cards on a 40 watt laser

Discussion in 'Laser Cutters' started by timothy mcachran, May 20, 2018.

  1. timothy mcachran

    Builder

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2014
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    hi
    i have a 40 watt co2 laser it is made by fs and the control cards went out
    need to know what is a good set is to get to replace the company has a set the cost is high you see
    a lot of cards on the market but how do yo tell if they are what a person needs the machine has two stepper motors and a red light pointer and the laser tube to control i see on the listing that a lot of people are talking about the 40k from overseas don't know about things when it comes to electronics am a master craftsman in wood for 45 yrs
    thank you for you time and the help if you can
    timothy
     
  2. BNMaker

    BNMaker Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2017
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    38
    A simple GRBL shield using your existing stepper drivers will set you back about $5

    Get an arduino Due to go with the GRBL shield and run G2Core and it will probably be a huge step up on the Chinese one.

    There are others, from Azteeg, Tiny, Smoothie, etc. but they have stepped drivers built in.

    It will require some fettling, but is pretty straightforward and there are plenty of instructionals on the net - just google ‘upgrade K40 controller”

    Heaps of help on the google plus K40 community: https://plus.google.com/communities/118113483589382049502

    As you don’t need much motive power, any 3D printer controller, Ramps board, TinyG, etc. will work, but you can add more functionality (like Ethernet connection, on-board storage, etc.) by selecting the features you want - just make sure the board you buy is easily configured. Open source or similar will be fine, and cheap.

    If it was me, I would choose a 32-bit controller with Ethernet.

    an Azteeg with the fewest number of drivers you need - x an y axes, plus bed height adjust?

    Controllers

    But if price matters, $25 will get you running from China

    Opensource Laser: Cheap Chinese Laser Engraver/Cutter Upgraded with Smoothieware Running on Azteeg X5 mini board
     
    #2 BNMaker, May 24, 2018
    Last edited: May 24, 2018
  3. BNMaker

    BNMaker Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2017
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    38
  4. WildBill

    WildBill Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2017
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    40
    I use the Cohesion 3D on my ACRO and K40 and works great with both. I has sockets for stepper drivers but also has a header available that will plug into the socket to connect external drivers.
     
  5. BNMaker

    BNMaker Well-Known
    Builder

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2017
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    38
    Cohesion is a Smoothie 32-bit variant, same as Smoothie, Azteeg, MKS, etc.

    After looking at various K40 machines, some come with external drivers, some use an integrated board.

    But, most of them seem to use Nema23s, so pretty much anything with a decent stepper driver like a DRV8825 will work fine.

    You can get a decent 32-bit with touch panel display running Smoothie for ~$100 on AliExpress. That would be a step up from anything shipped as standard on a K40
     
    #5 BNMaker, May 26, 2018
    Last edited: May 26, 2018

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice