Auto Focus Dual Head Laser on a Ruida Controller

[tantrim (austen)]

How do I go about setting up Auto Focus on a dual headed laser? One laser is a 80w and the other is 150w. Each have their own Auto Focus red pins.

I would like the ability to use both lasers in 1 project and have each focus on different heights.

For example, engrave with the smaller laser and then cut with the larger laser. Both ideally would be at different focus heights.

Is that possible with a Ruida controller?

[ednisley]

@tantrim

Both ideally would be at different focus heights

Looking at the manual for a 6442 controller, I expect both focus pens are wired to the same LimZ- or LimU- pin: the first pen to hit the material sets the focus position. Although there are two laser control outputs, there does not seem to any provision for independently moving the two heads in the Z (or U) axis.

So I think the two heads are intended to operate at the same focus height.

You could defeat that by setting this head at a different, ideally higher, point on its mount, so auto-focusing the other head puts this one at the right height. It wouldn’t be convenient if you had short jobs with different heights for the higher head, but if you’re running production you could use a step gauge to set whatever offset you need for each material at the start of the run.