I want to add diode laser to my mpcnc primo. My board is rambo v1.4
This one is the one i like purchase. Does anyone have this type of laser?
Is this enough or do i need more parts like power supply etc for this to use with my primo?
That ad looks super sketchy to me. The claims of it being 90W CO2 are beyond dubious…
Or slightly more budget concious, for 5W optical output
That’s at least proven to manage it’s claimed 10W optical output. For a diode laser, it needs a DC voltage source. The NEJE uses 12V, so it can be powered from the same DC source you use for your board, provided that it has the 4 overhead needed. If not, a separate 12V source works, you just need to connect the ground to be common with the board’s power supply.
The NEJE uses a PWN signal, which the standard V1 firmware can supply (I don’t know which pin it is on the RAMBo though, but I know it’s configured to one of them.)
2 Likes
Watch out for false marketing arguments. Sculpfun is simply “Overadvertising” on it.
Maybe a good piece of laser for engraving but for cutting you will have to be so patient: Cutting 6mm plywood in 15 pass from what we could read on it…
1 Like
Trying to purchase a diode laser module is ugly. There are lots of lies, misdirection, and bait and switch going on. Given all the “misstatements” just in the portion of the ad you post, I fear you won’t be getting what you expect and therefore won’t be happy with your purchase.
Given the look and the ‘S9’ in the text, the indications are this is Sculptfun S9 or clone. Sculptfun claims the S9 focuses much tighter than other diode laser modules and therefore cuts above its class. The few reviews I’ve seen of this module have been positive, but it is not going to cut like even a 40W CO2 laser. Personally, I own the NEJE A40640 laser module that Dan shows in his post and am very happy.
Getting a laser working on the MPCNC runs from plug and play to difficult depending on the laser. Here are some things to consider:
-
V1 has laser support enabled in its Marlin firmware for the Rambo. They enabled it around version 510, so you are running a version with a lower number than 510, you should upgrade the firmware on your Rambo board.
-
Lasers like these typically require 3A to 5A of power. They can be run off the power supply of your MPCNC assuming it is large enough. You need about a 10A power supply to run both your MPCNC and he laser. The power supply that V1 sells is 6A. Most of the laser setups I see on the forum use a separate 12V power supply for the laser.
-
You really want a laser that can be driven by 5V PWM. Most of the higher end laser modules can be driven on a range of PWM voltages including 5V PWM. The Sculptfun S9 just says 12V PWM in the blurb I read, but it is possible that 5V PWM will work. You should do your research before purchasing.
Assuming you have power to the laser, and it handles 5V PWM, getting it working should be as simple as plugging the PWM to pin 45 on the Rambo board, and connecting the ground between the Rambo board and the laser.
There are other things you may need including decent protective glasses. If you want to do cutting, you will want something to protect your spoil board, something to lift your work off your spoil board, and air assist will be very helpful.
2 Likes
It would be the first CO2 laser in history to emit laser energy in the 450nm range…
Sculptfun claim they use a very tight focus beam to achieve power that ’ is almost beyond the effect of 60W CO2 laser.’ and go on to claim a beamwidth of 0.1mm . I guess this is going to be the next ‘my product is better than yours’ attribute as Neje claim their A40640 module has a 0.04mm beamwidth. I seem to remember djk4linux Dave saying a while ago that he thought his bog standard 2.5W banggood laser cut better than his Neje 4.5Watt module down to its better beamwidth…however, seeing as these cheap modules use plastic optics
maybe Dave was just lucky and got a good one!
anyhow, this Sculptfun S6 Pro module is a 450nm 5.5 Watt max single diode laser and quite comparable to the Neje N40630…just twice the price.
I noticed this on the sales blurb…
I’m guessing it means 5 to 12V PWM signal @ 1KHz
2 Likes
Good catch on the PWM in the image, so in theory, this module should be easy to connect. Most modules that say 5V PWM will actually work with 3.3V PWM as well, though since the Rambo board is 5V, that is not an issue for AG. I’d not read the 0.04mm beamwidth for the A40640. Given my kerf in various materials, this measurement seems wishful.
AG, here is a picture with pins labeled. You want pin 45 which is middle row, left end. And the GND in Mike’s picture of the laser module can go to any of the column of ground pins.
1 Like