I am setting up a new OmTech K40 with an upgraded smoothieboard to run Lightburn on my Mac. How do I determine what to set the power on the laser displayed in the image? I have a meter on this machine…I just don’t know the steps to take. Thank you!
Congratulations on your nice new machine!
You must be very aware that it must be an Ammeter to be able to find out how much power you send to your laser tube. Most people install an ammeter after they have bought a laser machine without one.
On your display you see the percentage of your power supply, it can only be used as an “indicator”. Previously, they were analogue, i.e. a potentiometer with a scale. Min must not exceed 50% in order not to exceed the maximum allowable mA value for my 40 Watt tube. (16mA).
My advice if you don’t have an Ammeter - buy and install one.
Find out how many mA your supplier recommends as a maximum for your tube.
Just googled a bit, if it’s this machine you have an ammeter - that’s fine!!
I want to start by doing a material test, use the internal one from LightBurn, it works fine.
But, before you start, you still need to find out how many % on the machine’s display and in LightBurn correspond to mA on your ammeter.
As long as you get accurate information about your max allowable output power in mA, I would stick to the 16mA. Test and play with your machine until you feel comfortable with the machine.
Use some waste material and make simple tests with easy shapes and low settings in LightBurn and keep an eye on your ammeter, it’s fun and educational. Also, a ramp test, to find your real focal point, should also be on your work list.
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