Changing laser on Ortur Laser Master 15W Desktop Laser Engraver

Community Laser Talk
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Question… I now own the Ortur Laser Master 15W Desktop Laser Engraver ( version 1? … no frame, just arm. ) . ( https://www.gearbest.com/laser-engraving-machine/pp_009731781853.html ) It’s "15watts laser” is really about 4.7watts output.

I have been thinking of swapping its original laser with a different one…

Looking at the “Eazmaker 15W 15000mW 450nm Blu-ray Laser Module - Black”. It has Output power: 15W / 15000mw". ( https://www.gearbest.com/laser-module/pp_009558584217.html ) It has a 15watts OUTPUT power.

Will this just swap out? ( plug and play )? Im worried the power consumption will be too much for the Ortur Laser Master 15W Desktop Laser Engravers power supply as it is designed around an Ortur controller and a 4.7watt laser. If I just “swap out” the old laser with this new on, I believe it will draw too much current.

SO… would I just “power” the new laser with a different external power supply, ( 12vdc and GND), which is capable of handling the current of this new laser, and “control” the new laser, by means of the “PWM” pin from the Ortur motherboard or such?

Does this make sense? Isn’t the PWM pin controlling the power to the laser?

Am I missing something? Anybody have a different laser or suggestion? Like the Ortur Laser Master 15W Desktop Laser Engraver, but want more power! LOL

Kerry

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Hi kerry

Ortur power supply and motherboard is able to supply up to 4.5 amps of power through the 12v rail. (For clarification the PSU only supplys 3amp, bit if you upgrade the PSU the board can handle UP to 4.5amp)

Therefore, although not “officially” supported, as long as the laser you getting respects the wiring:
Black = Ground
Red = 12v
White = PWM
(note ground is shared)
You should be able to connect both
From the quick view i seen though, you might need double check the wiring but seems pretty Plug and Play.
image

Of course you can alternativly supply power differently however i am unsure how you will share the grounds.

3

As a personal note
Strange reviews (watches?), and the module seems quite small to be a 15mw module.
However i know of Ortur costumers that successfully upgraded their laser modules for 15mw with direct plug and play.

4

Thanks for your help. That is pretty much what I thought.

The power supply for the Ortur says" 12vdc @ 3000mw output" ( 3amps ), so I will power the new laser separately.

I also think a “GND is a GND”, so if I tie 2 GNDs together, they are essentually the same. I will double check this… )

Still… if anyone else thinks differently, would love to hear. kerry

PS… yes, strange “watch” reviews! LOL

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I am not an electronics engeneer nor my knowlage goes that deep.

I think you are right as well but dont want to guide you into something i am unsure of.
(For clarification the PSU only supplys 3amp, bit if you upgrade the PSU the board can handle UP to 4.5amp)

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Gotcha! Thank you!

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Just as an FYI, there are no 15W diodes. Not 15W of draw or 15W of output.

The most powerful diode made is ~7W - nobody has made a more powerful on than Nichia of Japan.

1 Like
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Bo, so you are thinking this is false advertising…? ( https://www.gearbest.com/laser-module/pp_009558584217.html ) It says it has a 15watts OUTPUT power, but again, maybe this is exaggerated… damn… :slightly_frowning_face:

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As i said, if you read the reviews they talk about a watch. So maybe search a bit more?

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Oh hell yes. Hardly anything true in that ad.

They claim its a Class 4 laser:

hazards may also apply to indirect or non-specular reflections of the beam, even from apparently matte surfaces – meaning that great care must be taken to control the beam path. Class 4 lasers must be equipped with a key switch and a safety interlock.

I doubt that the manufacturer of those diodes is Nichia, as they would be too expensive for the Chinese manufacturers. In bulk a Nichia NUBM diode is more than US$50.

They ‘pump up’ a 3-5W diode by over-volting it in pulses to allow it to cool between firings. Putting additional voltage in gives it much more power than the manufacturers recommend, but also shortening the life of the diode from 100,000 hours to tens or hundreds of hours.

So the light pressure put out is equivalent to that of three 5W diodes, for a millisecond or so, which is why they claim 15W.

The problem is that they don’t do a good job of getting rid of the heat, so slowly the heat soak builds and builds and eventually the diode fails.

You can run a Nichia for hours at full power - they were designed to do that. Try running a Chinese diode rated at 15W for an hour or two.

And just as a comparison, the $200+ price tag for that unit is more than double what I paid for a genuine Nichia with advanced controller that has all sorts of protections against thermal runaway, low voltage, high voltage, a proper 1024-step PWM control chip from the US.

A great resource for diodes is laser pointer forum (https://laserpointerforums.com - the ugliest site on the internet, but chock-full of info). There’s a couple of US manufacturers that contribute there and the amount of tech info is huge.

You can’t go wrong just buying from these two guys on eBay:

www.ebay.com/str/barnettunlimited

www.ebay.com/usr/dtr-lpf

Barnett has a genuine Nichia at 7W-15W (by pumping) at almost the same price as that one on Gearbest.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/7W-15W-CNC-Laser-Engraving-Module-w-G-7-Lens-Turbo-Fan-NUBM44-V2-EZ-XL/323187380620?hash=item4b3f78118c

2 Likes
11

On that diode you recommended, do you also have a CC PSU recommendation that pairs well with it?

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This is the same design as the one I use: https://www.ebay.com/itm/5A-SCU-Blue-Laser-Driver-12VDC-TTL-For-NDB7A75-NUBM44-NUBM05-NUBM-06-07-08-46-49/263801328863

X-Wossee designed, but made in HK by the looks.

But, my packaging is different from the module from eBay - square and low-profile. I will take a pic and show you.

I have three brand-new modules and one lightly-used (development only) that I was going to put on eBay. All with glass lenses, driver, heatsink, fan.

I’m happy to send you the used one to play with, if you like it you can make me an offer. I paid about US$100 plus shipping, but it’s used - I would be happy with half that.

It’s done less than ten hours.

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Bo, This looks like a TTL. I need a PWM. ? are they compitable?

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They are synonymous, for the purposes of laser signalling.

Transistor to Transistor Logic refers to the 5V signal, Pulse Width Modulation is the method used to switch that signal.

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Well, it is obvious that you know a lot more about this than I do. ( and that is a good thing! LOL )

So with TTL, a voltage from 0vdc to +5vdc, will switch the laser on or off. SO… my current laser has 3 wires… +12vdc, GND and PWM. That is all. If I swap your laser in place of mine, It looks like I could power it using the +12vdc, supplied by the engraver. right? But I am unsure how to “control” it. Yours has a +5vdc and gnd connector for the “TTL modulation”. How do I use my single “PWM” line to do this? Trying to understand…

PS… considering the laser offer… just need to be sure I know how to set it up…

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Diode is gone.

But, as I said, TTL and pwm are synonymous. The 12v you refer to is the overall input power. That goes through modulation to produce a TTL signal at 0v-5v, controlled by pwm.

If you reasearch ttl andpwm, you will have a better foundation to work from

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I sent you a PM yesterday if you’re still interested in selling. Just let me know.

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I thought I replied - you were the person it is ‘gone’ to :wink:

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endurance laser company sells a true 10W single laser and dual laser 15W and 20W. 7W is not the most powerful laser made https://endurancelasers.com/diode-lasers/10w-endurance-laser/

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Endurance are not a well-regarded vendor.

The most powerful diode made is by Nichia of Japan - it’s 7-8W.

Endurance lie. Plenty of evidence of that.