Which is why we’re here.
I’m assuming that you’d be able to run the program under Wine for Linux. Something else I read implied it was a Java app so there may be a way to run “natively”.
I wouldn’t risk running the firmware updater in Wine though unless you had a way to recover.
Ok…I just ordered one.
I’m hopping that this will do a better job on my tiles than the J-Tech mounted to my CNC.
I would prefer for it to be able to run with Lightburn though.
I’ve blocked up the machine with hopes of trying the rotary fixture later… maybe today. Ran a simple engraving under LB control from my Chromebook…
I haven’t figured out a Z-lift mechanism yet so simply attached the laser module to a flat stick and clamped it to the X-carriage. Also had to fish the laser leads out of the cable chain for a few links in order to get some slack for focusing.
I’ve also got to figure out why I can’t use “User Origin” as I normally do. It frames properly where I put it but when I “Start” it crashes left. “Current Position” framed and ran properly in this test.
– David
What is your opinion of the laser itself?
What binary did you flash on it?
I got two threads and I’ve totaly confused myself as to which binary I need to flash on the jl1.
Can you drop it here, so I know I get the right one…
When you set it up in the device settings, what corner did you set as home?
It appears wired to home front/right…
The machine itself is a “tank” and very impressively built… the laser module is a low-powered (claimed 3W) laser module as you might expect. But I’ve been doing ceramic tiles and glass with a little Eleksmaker 2.3W laser for quite a while so I suspect this one will be useful as well.
Hookupis a simple 3-wire connection – +12V/Gnd/PWM – that should allow any number of other modules to be installed should you find it necessary.
– David
Yes, I’ve seen your work. Very impressive compared to mine.
I’m hoping a dedicated laser will up my game.
And for $80.00,what the hell, why not.
Jack,
@LsrSal’s zipfile is what I used… extract two files, “ROM.bin” and “upgrade.exe”. My post above is exactly what I did… it only took about a minute to actually to flash Grbl 1.1f on the board once I got my rarely-used Win7 laptop fired up and running. Nothing more than the Windows laptop, the zipfile, USB cable, and laser machine are required.
You’ll need to change a few GRBL settings to get things going in the right direction but the basics are there.
– David
I am expecting the programmer today, so I’ll give it a shot.
Thanks
Jack, I have no clue what that “programmer” is supposed to do. That’s why I tried to stress that the Windows laptop, the zipfile, USB cable, and laser machine were all that are required to flash the board… that’s all I had.
EDIT: Is the programmer required to “unbrick” your board?
– David
If you go back to post 10 and see the board. I purchased a ‘programmer’ that will allow me to write to the devices memory via the connector in post 10 photo.
I should be able to load it via that input.
They are called ‘st-link’ …
It should allow me to bypass the boot loader, I think… It also allows for a debug connection to the board, on ones so equipped… Don’t know if this one is…
It’s supposed to show up tomorrow…
Does homing work properly? I believe @LsrSal wasn’t able to get his to work. If so, what is position after homing?
If homing isn’t working, are you placing laser head at front-left before starting machine?
I was looking at this homing. The switches are located in the front/right.
When I first fired it up, it come home (front/right) then moved to the back/left… never ran anything to see what it did, but thought it was a curious boot sequence.
See post 37…
The machine’s limit switches are placed to put home in the right-front corner. The unaltered machine will home to the right-front and then run to the left-back corner upon power-up. After flashing Grbl… trying to home goes in the wrong direction, both X and Y IIRC. Changing the $23 Grbl setting ($23=1) now goes to the switches and leaves the laser in the front-right corner.
That said, I have never depended on limit switches and homing… in fact, most of my machines don’t even have limit switches. I usually like the freedom of placing the workpiece wherever convenient and frame to the workpiece. I normally use “User Origin” or “Current Position” rather than absolute coordinates and don’t depend on the laser being in a particular spot when I power on the machine.
So… did you configure Device settings with the home (origin) at the front/right?
No, I didn’t… TBH I didn’t think about it. But I was using my default “GRBL” Device which designates the front/left being my 0,0 and I do not set “Auto-home on startup”. As I stated in my last post, I don’t depend on limit switches or homing anyway.
So I just homed the machine since it has the switches… front-right. Reading the position yielded -2, 2 for X and Y… 2mm off the switches is correct, I think. Moving 100mm out into the workarea yields -102, 102… so it appears to be in Quadrant 2. I’d prefer to work in Quadrant 1 and need to figure out how to move my 0,0 to front-left. Maybe that’s why my “User Origin” usage crashes left even though it seems to frame properly? “Current Position” worked fine… 
In that case are you defining origin after power on each time?
My guess is that this is a front-left origin machine irrespective of homing location.
This is possible.
Based on what you’re saying try this:
$10=0
G10 L2 P1 X-200 Y0
Ok… here’s what I have decided. My machine is now behaving like all my other GRBL machines.
I’ve disabled the Homing cycle ($21=0) in Grbl settings. I’m removing “Home/Homing” from my vocabulary and ignoring limit switches and any position coordinates in LB.
“Origin” is my friend. I put a workpiece down and jog/position and lightly fire the laser where I want it relative to the workpiece and matching the “Job Origin” setting. I select my graphic and Preview to insure all looks right. I select “User Selection Origin” and “User Origin” in the Laser tab. Frame to insure all looks well and “Set Origin” and “Set Finish Position” in the Move tab. Frame once more for a warm fuzzy and “Start”. The job runs to completion and returns to the starting point.
Thinking only in terms of job/work coordinates is pretty much how I run my machines. If doing a “run” of pieces, I clamp a positioning fixture (square, strong magnets, blocks, etc) in place. I realize this is not sophisticated use of gcodes, homing, offsets, etc… but is less confusing for this old man.
– David
I run my machine the exact same way 
I have no need for a homing cycle.
