Back with the same problem...LightBurn cannot find COM3,

[BarryFriesen]

Hi there,
I posted the below info back in February of this year, and I am now running into the same problem as before. The RDWorks Driver that fixed it last time is not fixing it this time.

Sunday night used laser and as I shut down the computer for night, I got the Windows updates available message so I selected update and shut down. The next day and on, I cannot reestablish a connection between Lightburn and Com3 (USB port). Assuming it might be related to the last update, I removed it but still no go! The laser control box in Lightburn says disconnected and when I try to start or send I get file transfer failed, machine may be busy or paused. I have cleared files from the Ruida and reset, no go. When I unplug my USB from the laser my computer rings a tone recognizing that it has been disconnected so…? On the laser control window in Lightburn my connection option is only auto and usually there is COM3. Could that be it? If so, where/how do I get it back? I have been using this machine for 2+ years and never had an issue. I just got a large order too…of course. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you.

I have Windows 11, Ruida 6445 laser, and the laser is plugged in by USB (COM3 is the name of the port). Computer is plugged into ethernet.
I’ve been struggling with this for the past two days trying everything to find a solution. My laser is unusable right now and it’s beyond frustrating.
Any help is most appreciated. @LightBurn Thank you!

[cloxart (gianluca gava)]

I am connecting to RUIDA with a network cable… never had any issues for 3 years

[BarryFriesen]

I didn’t have any issues for the first 2 years…until February of this year when I initially posted with this same issue.

[cloxart (gianluca gava)]

if you do have a network cable around it may be worth a try, especially if you have work to do now you cannot connect

[BarryFriesen]

I am plugged into a network/ethernet cable.

[JohnJohn (John Johnson)]

@BarryFriesen

The RDWorks Driver that fixed it last time is not fixing it this time.

Windows 11 has all kinds of strange permissions and requirements.
I would attempt to Install RDWorks as an administrator or roll back the Driver in Windows 11 if it was updated.

@BarryFriesen

the laser is plugged in by USB (COM3 is the name of the port). Computer is plugged into ethernet.

@BarryFriesen

I am plugged into a network/ethernet cable.

The better Ruida controllers can make use of an ethernet cable. A few folks on staff connected their lasers to their switch or router (often mistaken for a modem) and they haven’t looked back.

If you decide to attempt this, please work through the following post to verify your settings.

How do I connect a Ruida controller with Ethernet?

Setting up a Ruida controller to connect via Ethernet isn’t hard, but it’s not quite as simple as just plugging it in. Follow these steps: 1) Get the IP Address of your computer: For Windows: Open a command prompt (click the Start button, type CMD, and hit enter). Type IPCONFIG and press enter. You’ll see something like this: [image] The one labeled ‘IPv4 Address’ is the interesting part - this is the network address of your computer on your local network. The first 3 groups of numbers …

[LightBurn (Oz)]

@BarryFriesen

On the laser control window in Lightburn my connection option is only auto and usually there is COM3. Could that be it?

Yes - If you don’t see anything other than (Auto) in that drop down list, it means that LightBurn can’t find any virtual serial ports with Ruida devices on the other end. This can happen if you have a bad USB cable, missing driver, dead controller, etc. It means there’s something wrong with either the physical connection to the laser, or something wrong with the USB communication (driver issue, conflict, etc).

If you re-run the LightBurn installer and click the box for the FTDI driver at the end of the installer, does that help?

@BarryFriesen

I am plugged into a network/ethernet cable.

What cloxart was suggesting was to plug the laser into the network, not the computer. It’s possible to connect to a Ruida controller using a network cable, but if you’re not very tech savvy it can be a bit of a pain when you first set it up.