using xylotex board in combination with chinese low cost machines.

[conradpi]

I bought this low cost 40w laser but the software that came with it could not
cut vectors properly.
I had a xylotex board laying around so I tried to use it to control the laser.
That was so easy the machine uses steppers so I unplugged from there board
and hooked it to mine so I could control the 2 axis that was very easy.
then I had to find a way to control the laser on/off.
I checked there board and notice 2 wires going to the laser board with a
+- so I check with a AA battery if it would trigger the laser and it did,
another 15 min later I was controling the machine with turbocnc for vector
cutting.
I did it by using the start stop from the spindle control pin 14 on the xylotex board.
The only drawback is that you have to modify the G-code to replace the Z
axis movement with a M03 M05 command but possibly there maybe a software like mach2/3 that could convert that file so you don`t have to.
Another good thing is that you keep the functionnality of the original board
by plugging back the wires(5 min) to the original board and can engrave with there software.
Best of both world.

[SORCHEROR]

what laser did you buy,and how much did it cost?
thanks,steve

[conradpi]

I bought the yh40 but I suppose these are pretty much all the same like the
ie300.
you can get them for about $1000 plus shipping.
that is a very good price.
the only thing is that they sometimes arrive with broken tube.
I would suggest asking them to ship the tubes in a separate box.

regards.

[joecnc2006]

Is this the one you got?

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Desktop-Lase...ayphotohosting

Joe

[conradpi]

yes that is exactly the one.
the tube was broken when i received it but they replaced it at no cost.
it is 40w pretty powerful for the price.

regards

[conradpi]

I just want to say that I don`t understand why the laser machines like epilog and others are so expensive,how can you justify $10,000 a laser is so simple to manufacture.
I think that the prices should go down dramatically in the next year.
Anyway mine is working very good, if a board with a windows driver could be installed it would be a perfect machine.

regards.