hi, i have a home made laser etcher with a dlc32v2 control board and im using the laser tree lt-80w -aa -pro as the burner. i have two separate power supplies, one is chinese 12v 60w i use for the board and motors. the second is a 12v 120w chinese powersupply iuse to power the laser.
my question is why is the fan on the laser slowing dramatically during longer stretches of burns?
the 120w should be plenty for the 80w (total?) laser and fan i would think?
im waiting on a different power supply at the moment
thank you for all your hard work!
I am assuming your fan runs all the time the laser is on. If so what does fan do when it sits for long periods and laser not active?
It runs constantly. It seems as if power supply is being pulled down during operation.
I assume this is the fan on the 80W laser module?
If this is a new setup, how do you know it’s speed isn’t controlled by it’s internal circuit? Many of the modules will control the speed of the fan. My NEJE 40630 controls fan speed and it’s only about 5.5W…
Check that this is your laser module. Reading the manual and specifications of this module, it only draws 36W, 12V@3.A or 24V@1.5A. I have no idea where the 80W marking on the module is supposed to refer.
The dlc32 board can supply enough current, about 2A, for this module, but requires a 24V supply.
You can read it’s limits on the following graphic from the dlc32 manual.
If I understand they way you have it wired, I’m pretty confident it isn’t a power issue.
When I turn mine on, it’s fan runs at high speeds for a few seconds then shuts off… maybe it’s doing what it should be doing…
My suggestion follows that it would be very easy to ask the vendor if this is proper operation… they should know. Should be quick and easy… and no guessing.
I shall give it a try with the manufacturer. Thank you for all you guys do!!
not totally abnormal, assuming is not a massive power drop on fan power
However seems to me one of your power adapters is not doing the job it should do!
But some fan reduce on RPM when laser is pushed to the max is normal… mostly because the laser drivers are built a bit cheaply
You could actually put some multimeter probe on the 12v line and see the level of power drop
shouldnt go much below 11v on those max amp moments
Thank you I shall give that a go also!
Forgot to add, if the 12v drops too much … sub 11s
Theres a bit chance of controller to crash as its power regulator might not be able to keep up.
This is part of the reason most brands went to 24v
12v at both power supplies is good but I’m only using fluke brand meter. I don’t have a scope yet but it may be time to try to invest. Thank you
Not sure you need a scope per se.
What you might do is over spec one of your power adapters
Whatever it uses say 12v 3amps, get a 12v 6amps
I feel one of them is not up to snuff
is not unusual that they are unable to hold amps output after a while.
Something about cheap switching power supply electronics.
the power supply is 10 amps. i have a feeling i should investigate power supply from adifferent supplier. thank you for your help.
im going to let this rest for a while. thank you everyone for the hard work!
Did you measure the supply voltage?
If it didn’t go down, the supply is probably ok.
10A should be plenty…
12.4v at the power supply terminals. I’m also thinking about increasing size of wires. I’m using prefab cables. I need to measure at the laser. But I’m still learning. If I can fire at a standstill I can get better idea. Thank you for all your hard work here.
Sounds like it’s OK… what did the manufacturer say?
I doubt you have power issues … find out if it’s operating correctly, it is or it isn’t.
If it is operating properly, all the money and time you’ve invested is for naught.
Might add a bit a patience to it…
Excellent advice
Well apparently the fan is doing what it’s supposed to do during burns. I finally heard back from manufacturer.
Thank you all again for all your hard work!