Hi there,
I used the search function and Google to find a helpful first setting for basic materials like balsawood (in my case 4mm) but found nothing.
I found a site with a “BasicPowerScale Tool for LightBurn” but sadly there was not mentioned that it is for CO2 Lasers. I was really wondering (as a complete beginner in laser) why the creator marked it with mm/s as LB recommend mm/min with diode laser.
Then I made the first burn test and noticed that even with same value in mm/min the results was not as promised. So I recreated the PowerScale and Engraving and made new testfiles.
As soon I have tested them I will add them here for all who want something usable for their 10W diodes
Maybe I will modify it for all 5W modules as well then if there is enough interest.
Greetings, Phil
P.S.: If you already have some data for standard materials like leather, jeans cotton, acrylic, paper, black annodized aluminium and so on please post it here so we can make a nice collection of working values. Thanks!
The reason it’s not really there is that it varies from machine to machine and along with material.
The best way is to read about how people have done similar material and test it to find the best power/speed for you machine/setup. It takes time. Lightburn has a ‘material’ library that is very useful.
It shouldn’t matter, but is there for the convenience of the user. Co2 machines inherently run faster, so to keep the numbers smaller they use mm/s.
Many led lasers do not have control boards that can do all the functions that the ‘power scale’ uses. Pretty much designed for DSP controllers.
Who promised you what?
The techniques used to make that power test are advanced Lightburn traits. I still don’t understand them. It just makes me curious that you could create the same kind of test. Seems to me the grbl controller cannot do all the things the power test does…
Follow you instincts, I am far from knowing all … there is…
If so, it’s perfectly capable of creating test patterns meant for diode lasers… You can choose your speed units as well as specifying that your laser only uses Max power for power range.
I just got my AtomStack S10 10wat laser. I too am looking for starting points for the various materials. In the SD card that came with the machine is a Materials starting list for GBRL unfortunately my model is not specified only the 5w diode machines are listed. I have searched everywhere and cannot find starting points to get me into the ballpark. I will be emailing the manufacturer to see if they have an updated list. Even the GBRL driver does not mention my machine. If I get an answer that is helpful I will share here. I guess the 10w lasers are still too new.
@jkwilborn Thanks for your criticism, this pushes me even more to success That you haven’t realized it to accomplish a simple power-test should rather make thoughtful yourself instead making others down to your own uncertainty.
@berainlb Yes, this was the tool I have used, and the values it created was so wrong to my 10W laser, that 100% laser power barely marked the balsa wood.
I entered what I had to and hoped it will give me useful results as real “tool” but 30000mm/s is no real useful value for diode laser. So my guess that this preconfigured values are for CO2 lasers only is justified
@Diana1 I will do the test of my power-scale and engraving-test probably this weekend so that I can offer it to all who wants it very soon. It will be a layout for DIN A4 (210mm x 300mm) but in LB it is easy possible to rescale
I’m confused by this statement because every aspect of what you’re describing is configurable:
speed units
power range
speed range
settings to create the labels
layer/operation type
This is a tool that generates a test pattern suited to your laser based on your inputs. It’s not a static LightBurn file meant for a single laser model.
I think it’s great that you’re exploring more and planning to create something usable by others but want to make sure you’re properly characterizing the tool.
I did create a minimal test and found out some starting settings. However, My LightBurn software just updated, and the update includes a Materials Test. YAY! Unfortunately, I don’t know how to use it and I see no info on what size material I should be using. Should I write something in the preset block, is that to name the material I am testing? I see I can change the speed and power and save the info? What does ht refer to, image size, or number of blocks? What does Y center on speed and X center on power mean? Do I press the fire button then open the test so I can see the framing? I don’t see a fire button on the controls of the test. Sorry, newbie here.
