Converting Rabbit 3040 clone to DSP Controller

[mnippard]

Hi all I'm new.

I'm a member of the Sydney Hackerspace http://www.robodino.org and we have a laser very much like a rabbit 3040 with NewlyDraw software and controller card.

We are planning to switch to DSP control and I just want to check what to order to make sure we don't miss anything.

So the shopping list so far is:

DSP commercial or the lite/pro if it would suit us better

2x http://www.lightobject.com/2-Phase-45A- ... -P453.aspx (I will find out what steppers we have soon)

Limit switches

And maybe a laser power supply (I need to check if ours is PWM capable)

Is there anything I've missed?
Has anyone converted a similar laser to this DSP?

Thanks for your time.

Max

[mnippard]

Forgot to add we have a 24v power supply.

Sorry for double post, but I can't edit above post on iPad.

[Tech_Marco]

You may need two stepping drivers, two limit switches, a 24V 8A or higher current power supply. The laser power may work. The conversion should be similiar to the DK40 laser machine

See the link: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=650

Marco

[mnippard]

Thanks Marco,
We have ordered and you have already shipped them. (very fast shipping, thanks)

We ordered the DSP controller, 2 of the stepper drivers I mentioned in the first post and a 24v power supply.
We have lots of micro switches here and the Laser power supply we have may work with the DSP.
If not we will order a laser psu from you later.

I'll post the settings and other details here once we start the conversion.

Thanks.

Max

[mnippard]

Is it possible to run phcad without the DSP connected?
We would like to prepare jobs for the laser on a PC outside the workshop where the laser is.

[Tech_Marco]

Sure you can. FYI, if you want to create more complicated images, you should install CorelDraw V12, V13, X4 and then install the Plugin module on top of the Corel. Then, you can output image for engraving/cutting direct to the machine.

Marco

[mnippard]

Marco, do you need to have the DSP plugged in to the PC install phcad?
It just asks to connect or cancel when I tried to install phcad without the DSP.

[Tech_Marco]

Just confirmed with the tech that only a specail version (V 4.19) is capable to run the PHCad without the DSP controller attached to the PC. Let me know if you need that

Marco

[mnippard]

Does Version 4.19 output files compatible with the current phcad version and the current DSP hardware?
If it is compatible we would like a copy.
Thanks

[mnippard]

We have it working! http://youtu.be/gmlIitagIAQ
We still need to adjust the speed and acceleration settings, But the DSP works really well so far.
Our machine had optical limit switches and they go high instead of low when the laser head is in the home position.
To fix this you just change the "Limit_Lever:" drop down box to "High level effective" in Manufacturer Parameters.

Our stepper motors are quite small so we ended up using Gecko G251X drivers.
The G251x drivers are connected to the DSP by 3 wires.

Code: Select all

DSP Board             Gecko driver
PWM+ ----------------Step
DIR+------------------Direction
GND-------------------Signal GND

[mnippard]

Is it possible to set the engraving to Y_swing?
In the settings there is 4 options: X_swing, X_unilateralism, X_swing, Y_unilateralism.
Should the second X_swing be Y_swing?

The PHCad manual says:

Engrave parameters: Choose engrave or cut after engrave to set the parameters:

Speed: speed of the laser while engraving. Power: max laser power of the laser while engraving. Scan gap: interval of each scanning strip, in other words, resolution of the layer. Engrave mode: there are four modes: X_swing, X_unilateralism, Y_swing, Y_unilateralism,

X_swing: engrave the graphics in two ways(higher speed) X_unilateralism: engrave the graphics in way(slower speed) Y_swing: engrave the graphics in two ways(higher speed) Y_unilateralism: engrave the graphics in way(slower speed)

Is there a way to enter Y_swing manually? To get around the problem until it's patched.

[Tech_Marco]

I noticed that and I believe it's a typo on the software. We're going to launch a new software by the end of October. A few newer features may be added to the card as well. Stay tuned

Marco

[mnippard]

Y_unilateralism mode only moves the Y axis. This means the whole image is engraved on one vertical line.

The X_swing and X_unilateralism work OK on our machine, but Y_swing would be better.

Please make sure both the typo and only moving the Y axis get fixed in the next version of PHCad.