Grad student attempting to troubleshoot software/machine for the first time without hired tech, trained on the laser but unfamiliar with the technical aspects-- will do my best to be clear.
Issue: we cannot set the origin on the machine.
In Lightburn: the device origin is set to the upper right (as indicated in the device settings and returns there when I tell it to go “Home”), the ‘Laser Settings’ are set to ‘Start From: User Origin’ and the Job Origin is set to start from upper right. Everything on the screen reads as if it is ready to be set manually on the console. These are the settings I would use prior to using the console on the machine to manually set my origin.
The issue starts when I send my file over and try to set the origin. I position it where I need it to be, hit “origin” on the console but when I hit frame it does not start from where I just set the origin to be (and where the software seems to be set up to allow me to set it to be)…but from the far right-hand side at (X=28mm, Y=216mm). It returns to this position each time I try to reset the origin.
As I was looking through Lightburn to see what this might be, I noticed that this is about the area that shows up when I hit, “Show Last Position.” After homing the laser, if I hit “Go to Origin” in “Laser” this is the area that the laser goes to. So it seems as if something is telling the laser to override my manual commands and use the last position as the cut origin.
What could be making my settings dictate that this spot is the new origin? Even when I try to manually set it on the machines console?
Using Absolute Coords brings everything back to the upper right hand corner of the workspace/does not allow me to set origin.
When I open up the ‘Move’ window after switching back to User Origin and hitting “Go to Origin” Get position puts that origin at X=28.03, Y=216.89-- this is where it keeps returning to regardless of my setting the origin on the machine. If I hit the house shape in move/laser, it does return to 0,0 in upper right though.
Using absolute coords, if you position a shape at various positions on the workspace, then frame. Does the position of the actual frame completed by the machine match the virtual position represented in workspace?
I want to establish if the issue you’re dealing with is a fundamental issue with the machine or narrowed down to potentially a workflow or feature issue with User Origin and Origin on the controller.
This may indirectly answer my question but want to confirm. If you push the Home button, then push “Get position” in Move window. What is the reported position?
Yes. While using absolute coords I am able to position the circle I’ve been testing with anywhere on the work space, sent it through, hit frame and the frame translates from virtual to laser/machine. I think that’s what you were asking?
There may be a sticker on the back of the controller housed in the cabinet. Or else, can you take a photo your display panel?
Alternatively, try going through the menu on the display panel. Look for a setting that reads something like “Origin setting”. Can you take a photo of that screen and upload here?
I don’t see any stickers, but here is the display/console from the machine.
The first image is the menu inside the Z/U button, and the other is the only “origin” type setting it lists directly… meaning there may be something else but this one actually said origin.
Maybe this is helpful… Here are how the current light burn settings in Laser/Move look. If I send it to ‘Home’ it goes to 0,0. That plus sign/mark near the 40 on the right hand side is where it goes if I hit “go to origin”. It’s what shows up when I push Show Last Position.
Update: We were able to get the machine back to its previous state! Thank you so much for your help and input. I was curious if anyone might have input on how something like that got changed? We had been doing individual student projects without any issues. The very last student put in their thumb drive, opened their work in light burn, and from that point forward we did not have the ability to change the origin to the current position/set origin. Is there something in someones file that can change the interface like that?
