I am looking at getting into using a laser with my lr3 down the road. I am still well into the planning stage and researching what I need. I know I need eye protection and the laser module itself, but on the neje website they include a lot of items in a bundle and I am not sure if they are necessary. I would appreciate some guidance on all of this.
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You will need fume extraction (and I mean either a hell of an air extractor, or an enclosure with a fan and duct)
Furthermore, air assist is a must if you intend to cut, so an air pump and tuningâŚ
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Iâm not sure what the various bundles include anymore, but mine had glasses, an interface board and a testing board, with the aluminum clamp. It seems the current bundles include more, but other than a mount (of which there are MANY that have been created by this community) I didnât need anything else.
This is what I got and the price just dropped. Maybe Iâll get another as back up.
Mike
So am I correct in understanding that you donât need the interface & testing boards?
You need one of them for PWM control. Either will do the same, they have different on-board buttons.
If you are directly using PWM to the 12V power via a MOSFET or similar and powering the fan separately, you might not need the interface boards, but if you are using a PWM logic ploutput from a control board, then you do. The interfa e board takes the 12V and the PWM signal and then modulates laser power accordingly.
I think that having them is a very good idea, if you are not connecting the module to a controller board which is specifically designed for the correct laser output. What I mean by that is, the controller boards we normally use in the V1 machines can provide the PWM signal and can provide the common ground connection, but donât provide a a 12V power source that is enough amps to run the laser. This means you need to get that interface created on your own and I think the interface board from NeJe is a good solution that doesnât require any effort other than connecting the wires.
I found the test module useful to compare what power the system controller thinks it is providing as compared to the potential that NeJe considers the laser is outputting, I.E. is 50% with the controller the same as 50% with the NeJe testing unit.
Short answer (too late) get the bundle.
Mike
I have two laser machines, and both use my A40640 module. On one I use the companion board, on the other I directly connect the control board PWM to the laser. Their performance is very similar perhaps only varying due to a difference in firmware (GRBL vs. Marlin). This implies to me that the laser companion board does not have any active PWM components.
The companion board does make it easier to connect everything, and there are various places to mount it. I mounted mine in the top of my enclosure directly over the center of my spoil board. Iâve also seen it mounted on the Z axis and next to the control board.
It appears that there are two different âinterface boardsâ, one with a display and one without. You donât actually need either for normal operation. The displayLESS board does not really provide you with anything (hence no active components), in fact, some sites have the maximum power rating of a 2.5mm DC power socket as low as 2 amps, which is less than a 40Watt module will be drawing so you would be better off hard wiring the 12V power feed directly to the laser module wiring. The JST-XH 2.5mm connector on the laser module is also similarly under specâd at 3 Amps - hey-ho! The adapter board with the display however is quite useful as it provides a manual PWM signal to test fire your laser during the job setup if your computer is miles away and it also provides you with a display of your laser module temperature - at a hefty price ($29), That adapter board must have some silicon on it to provide those functions. âŚIâll leave it the imagination which adapter board you get in the âkitâ!
wowâŚjust noticed the price of the non-display board is $29 too âŚdaylight robbery!
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I know this thread is months old now, but did that kit come with the safety goggles? They are in the photo but not listed on the items list.
I purchased this kit a couple of years ago. It came with goggles (which does not mean the current one does), but I wanted to mention they are cheap and difficult to see out of, plus I believe they are the wrong color to be âmostâ effective at blocking the wavelength of this laser. I promptly replaced mine with a certified pair off Amazon.
Could I get a link to those glasses?
There was a recent forum topic with a list of suggested glasses. Iâm on mobile and cannot find it, but a forum search should easily find it. Here are the glasses I purchased: Laser Safety Goggles, 190nm-490nm⌠Amazon.com
Oh another thing, assuming Iâve built my LR3 exactly as the guide states and I plan to mount the laser to the Makita ring via the modified ring found in this forum, do I need an additional stepper extension wire?
You will need 12V power and the PWM signal to the laser board, or the 4 pin output from the control board to theblaser module. I chose to run a 2 wire pair from my control board to the laser board, and the 12V power cable to the 5Ă2.1mm power jack on the laser board.
You could use a stepper extension wire to do it, though the connectors wonât match up
Is there a guide to doing all of this? As I look into it I get lost more and more. If itâs not too much trouble, could someone share a photo of their setup? I am looking for ideas for the best way to arrange the laser components to the LR. I am planning on using the modified Makita Ring to hold the actual laser, but am not sure of the best placement for the rest.
Edit: I wanted to include that I am running the LR3 on a SKR board as recommended in the guide
closing old topic to help fight spambots