About a month ago, I purchased an inexpensive K40 type machine from eBay with the intent to upgrade the electronics. It's no where near started, but I had a question before I began hooking everything up.
I also purchased a new AWC708C Plus DSP from eBay, downloaded the software from Sinjoe, but I have a question about one of it's basic functions. I can't seem to find a working user authentication code. 000, 123, 321, 608, 708 or any other random string just says bad (or invalid) code. It does play well with LaserCAD, I have basic control over the unit, so I'm happy with that.
My question tonight is, will I ever need to enter the user code for anything? It's not covered in the manual or software. I've tried Googling for it, but end up with "608" being the answer...and that doesn't work.
I'm looking forward to getting all the parts nested in the housing and wiring everything up! I purchased three Gecko G201X stepper drivers one to drive each axis including the powered Z table from LightObject. Long road ahead of me with a huge learning curve, so I'm hoping I can post questions on the forum and share anything I've learned as well.
I will try, but cannot guarantee, to photograph and document the process. I tend to get caught up in the fun of the build and forget to take pictures.
Soooooo......on the test bench, the 708C Plus worked fine with the Gecko G201X drivers. The powered Z table from LightObject came today and was easily put together in 20 minutes. While it's a neat little device, the machining is less than perfect. The aluminum rods that hold the tops and bottoms together are several hundredths of an inch longer than the screws they provide for moving the plate up and down. I don't think this will cause problems, but it's bothersome.
I'm currently tearing down the X-Y stage and filing down and deburring the horrible job they did on the extruded aluminum parts. I'll also be replacing the factory stepper motors with different ones.
The device has potential, but it needs so much work in my opinion. Any help with the user authentication code would be appreciated...
Dropped the cabinet off at a company to strip off the horrible blue and white paint a few weeks ago. It's now down to bare metal. China can sure crank out some crap. No efforts were made to remove the rust from the metal prior to painting. I have stripped the paint or powder coating off all aluminum parts, remachined new ones (proper belt clamps, aluminum pulleys, new belts, etc) -- going to have the cabinet powder coated and the aluminum parts powder coated with a candy chrome finish.
I ripped out the stupid, poorly designed exhaust baffle and will fabricate a larger 4" discharge on the rear. Just a little sandblasting to remove the heavy chunks of paint that wouldn't budge and rust and it should be ready for power coating.
Looking for recommendations on the CFM required for proper ventilation for a machine this size. Too many people have used dust collectors (piped outside), however, they're too powerful and will suck the parts off the Z-Axis table.
Also, has anyone tried using an inert gas for air assist (argon or perhaps CO2)? Just blowing regular air into a hole that's being burned seems like it could accelerate a potential problem.
There's a forum group on Google specifically for the K40 lasers and you'll find a lot of info there. Do some reading on the forum, the folks there are very helpful and if there is anywhere that you may find a K40 owner who can answer your question, it's there.
Ive tried argon gas. No real difference between that and compressed air.. -for my particular requirements........
Oxygen should be used to cut steel and im not sure you will be successful with anything less that 130 watts. There are other parameters as well that need to be in place .
Do post pics of your finished unit. I am in the midst of revamping my own piece of chinese crap. I am having issues with tube lasing and I fear that Sinjoe sold me a defective tube (on purpose) They sold me a POS rusted out malfunctioning RECI P16 power supply and then tried to pawn it off as normal. By the time the shtf... I was into the power supply end for nearly 900 usd.. shipping and replacement costs... aholes... I am not of mind to provide any sort of good word regarding their less than credible business practice.. anyway. I am rambling. Sorry.. I need to find an answer to my issue.
At this stage, it's more or less a box of parts...at least I know where every piece goes! I've got so much stuff in shopping carts from many different vendors -- almost ready to pull the trigger and order the bulk of the materials. What I have envisioned is probably way over the top for this particular machine, which is probably why my wife calls me overkillphil. I may have tacked on another $500 (in thought) because I'd like to replace the tube with a larger one, along with the power supply. It seems like every time I go to do something, I end up buying more than needed and decide to change everything at the last minute.
Here's some photos of parts laying out. Nothing special.
K40, AWC708C Plus, Gecko Drive G201X
Reply with Quote
I may have tacked on another $500 (in thought) because I'd like to replace the tube with a larger one, along with the power supply. It seems like every time I go to do something, I end up buying more than needed and decide to change everything at the last minute.
