I have ruined multiple tumblers in the last few days. I have also pulled off some pretty cool ones with the same file. However the laser keeps stopping at various places for no apparent reason. Could be 7 mins into a 1 hour burn, or 34 mins into a 1 hour burn. Very frustrating as, 1 - I cannot figure out why this is happening, and 2 how I can save the piece that this happens too. I have set my computer to not sleep, including the usb ports.
When it fails, there will be an error displayed in the console - what does it say?
1 Like
It is possible that you are getting a static build up or that your USB cable isn’t great? Issues like this are fairly common and there is a good video to watch about troubleshooting connection problems.
I too had several “machine stop” of my Sculfun S10 with Lightburn: after cutting 3mm of wood at 5mm/s 100% power, I had to write some abbreviations on the material (100mm/s and 50% power) . After a few seconds of engraving, the laser head stopped and the software signaled only “busy” and no strange characters on the console. Could it be a loss of connection due to the fact that I didn’t disable the USB shutdown in my notebook dedicated to Sculpfun (Asus Lamborghini VX6, bought in 2011, with Win7) ? This behavior happened twice and probably at the same laser pass step. Could it be something in the GRBL file causing the problem? Not only was it frustrating but there was a loss of material.
Let me know.
Usually not. In 98% of the cases, it’s just the USB connection. Make sure to use a high-quality cable (not the delivered one) and remove all possible electrical noise. You can try to exchange the power supply or add an EMI filter to protect the laser. Here are some more options: Guide to mechanical adjustments and maintenance
Thank you Misken of your reply,
but you are talking about a “random” problem instead the problem I am talking about is “deterministic”, since it always happens (for that machining) in the same point. Do not you agree?
Gino
Your description didn’t sound like it was completely deterministic. If it’s at the same time point, it could be due to some energy saving settings.
If it is exactly at the same spot or a particular file, then it will be the file. Sure. Also make sure you added the laser as type “grbl” and nothing else.
I think the problem was related to the USB energy saving settings, which I corrected (they should never shut down). Then I did a test by detaching the laser, and the (false) fabrication took place in full. The only thing I don’t understand from your answer is the phrase “you added the laser as type “grbl””: what does it mean and where should I set it? For Sculpfun S10 it is necessary to set this parameter, if you know?
Thanks.
Gino
In the devices section of the laser window, where you add the lasers. If you didn’t select “grbl” here, the controller might not understand the code that LightBurn creates. This could lead to a full stop at a certain point in the gcode file. But I guess this is already fine at your setup.
Yes, I done it…
Thanks for your kindly help.
Ciao
Gino