EZCAD2 control card: FBLI-B-LV4 A (with rotary option included).
Laser works fine with Lightburn software.
Now I have also already got a rotary chuck “D80”. Connected it to the laser but nothing happens when I test it in Lightburn. Doesn’t move, doesnt’ lock up, nothing.
But the original reseller tells me they only sell the laser unit and cannot support me.
I think I have found what is missing : I am now looking for the correct stepper motor driver that is compatible with my laser controller card (FBLI-B-LV4 A) for the D80 rotary chuck as this seems to be missing
Can someone help me which stepper driver I need to buy that works on the FBLI-B-LV4 A control card to make the D80 rotary work?
I have found DM542 seems to be a good driver.
I would then have to put this between the controller card and the stepper motor
I use the DM542 for all my projects, solid microstep driver for any stepper 4.2A or smaller. 5V-24V inputs no switching or resistors. Question though, sounds like you have a 4 pin connector on the back of your machine, or you would have had nothing to plug your rotary into. Sounds like you opened the case and there was no microstep driver. So question, was the connector wired to the BJJCZ board or not connected to anything? Assume it is a aviation type GS16-4?
Sometimes these are built for external stepper driver, and some rotarys are sold with a extra box that contains a power supply and a microstep driver. Usually these have a 3 pin however. (This may be dated, haven’t seen one done this way for a while)
What is commonly called an ezcad2 or BJJCZ Lite board, comes with or without axis extension. You can tell by the A after the barcode. Was that way a couple years ago anyway.
If your board has 4 DB connectors, it is a “Standard” board. Difference is Lite is around $250 and will control 1 external axis. Standard is around $850 and will control 2 external axis. Then there is the EZcad3 board costs twice as much looks completely different.
This video is old, but a must watch if you are wiring a microstep driver to a BJJCZ board.
So it’s interesting, when I do anything CNC + on the board goes to + on the microstep driver, but with the JCZ board + is the common and pulse+ and dir+ from the board wire to the Pls- and Dir- on the microstep driver. Jeffery notes this in his video when he points out his setup was originally using pin 11 as the common which did nothing.
Here is something cool I found on amazon
Hi Al,
Thx so much for answering so fast. much appreciated!
I did indeed connect my rotary to the GS16-4 plug on the rear of the laser case.
As it fit, and they controller card version A “supports rotary”, I thought it would work like that.
But I haven’t opened the case yet, will do that this weekend and take photos of everything that’s in there.
On the invoice of the laser when I bought it (second hand) there was no mentioning of any driver, all other info was there, so I presume there is no driver installed in the case.
I will be able to answer your questions as soon as I’ve opened the case.
Do you think it is wise to add the DM542 to the available power supply or should I buy an external one to power it, just to be safe?
Kind regards, Jan
Thanks for the schematics and the photos, will already study them a bit as I’m not very familiar with electronics, though I know how to solder + will take care of the insulation of the soldered contacts.
I’ll get back to you if I have more info from my side.
Hi Jack,
Yeah, I bought the laser secondhand, was very new. the first owner make a mistake and bought the wrong laser type.
I want to use it for silver and gold engraving and cutting, already did some first tests on flat surface and engraving and cutting copper up to 1.2 mm went quite fast and with good quality.
Sadly I made a mistake and thought the driver would have been in the laser unit, but it doesn’t seem to be there.
I couldn’t buy the rotary from the original producer of the laser as they don’t sell them separately.
With Al’s info I’ll go to work and I’ll get this fixed with all of your help here.
Again, also to you abig thx for your reaction and help.
Cheers, Jan
Typically with these everything gets its own power supply when possible. Should be room in the case, not a big unit.
Stuff I build Ill throw in a multi voltage PS to save some room, but I think the laser builders opt for simplicity/ durability of single voltage units.
Really curious what the GX16-4 is wired to. If anything. Keep us posted, take lots of photos.
Here are the pictures we took, al lot becomes more clear now.
Main power supply (LRS-450-24) could be powerful enough to support the driver I think.
All cables are nicely labeled from the factory, that will help me al lot.
Controller card if different than on the invoice : BJJCZ LMCV4-FIBER-M REV : 20171014
The power and digital signal connectors for the driver for the stepper motors are there, all labeled as well.
I guess the only thing I will have to do now is check the diagram of the controller > Driver > Stepper motor connector (4 pins) and swap what is needed to make it all work.
I do have another last question about the driver itself :
Can I use one of typte DM542 or DM542T? The DM542T seems a better version already so I would o for that.
Please have a look at the images, i think now I’m already getting very close to a solution and can make it work without too much hassle.
I will post the first three images here, the next three will come in the next post as that seems to be limited for me atm.
Any input from you guys again, I would be grateful for.
Thx for your reply Enno,
The LMCV4-FIBER-M seems to be able to control two motors I think, so if I want to add another one later (with it’s own driver again) to move the gantry up and down for better engraving control, I might still consider it.
That will only be done if I ever feel it’s improving the engraving I need to do.
Cheers, Jan
I can’t see the whole thing, but I think that is still the “Lite” board, 1 motor connected at a time.
Only difference with the DM542"T" I think is you have to switch between 24V and 5 V on the inputs. The DM542 is 5V-24V no switch. I’m pretty sure either one will be fine.
If using the same terminals on the main power supply for both laser source and microstep driver, really be careful about getting all connectors secure. I see builds with added hot glue over the completed terminal connections.
My layman’s take on it is you are adding up to 4.2A to the PS, look at what the Laser source draws and make sure you have some wiggle room. Set your microstep driver equal or below the stepper motor’s rating. Set dip 4 to half holding amps. The rotary will likely draw less then full, but it is turning on and off and holding (quickly and a lot) the same time the laser source is under power. I only know enough about this to be dangerous, just be aware.
