Hi all! upgraded from a ortur 5W laser to a 3000mw blue. Setup not going well. running in gerbl which I downloaded as instructed. Finally got the x and y to move but the laser will only fire at full power. I have inputted the $32=1 and $30=1000 in the appropriate places and no change. Also the stepper motor for the X axis gets hot. Please help!!!
Can you clarify if you just upgraded the laser module on your existing Ortur frame or if this is an entirely new laser system?
Based on some of your comments sounds like this is entirely new but want to confirm.
In either case, can you confirm which Ortur you’re starting from and if a new laser system what exactly you’ve moved to? If a new system, what can you tell us about the new setup? Provide as much detail as possible please.
In what way were you trying to upgrade from the Ortur 5W? Curious if you’ll get what you expect.
Sorry I was not clear. This is an entirely new system. It is a 3000mw blue. running on grbl -m3 (1.1e or earlier). In the lightburn console box it is refered to as a benbox laser 3.1 (c) mul 2015.06.06. I haven’t run a project yet but I can move the x and y axes. the laser power is staying at full power when I testr the fire button. Have tried inputting the $ values in the console box and in the device settings s value but has not helped.
These are contradictory statements. Benbox is a different firmware entirely which is why you’re probably getting this behavior.
This doesn’t really give me much to go on. Since this is running Benbox I’m going to guess this is an Arduino based board. Possibly Eleksmaker clone or CNC Shield variant.
What gave you the impression this was running GRBL 1.1e or earlier? It’s very likely that you’d be able to flash a GRBL firmware. If you do, you’d best apply something 1.1f or newer.
By the way, $32=1 is only valid from 1.1f.
this is a 3000 mw blue laser engraving machine. Their support told me it is compatible with lightburn however I am having issues getting it to run properly. I haven’t run any jobs yet until I am satisified it will work properly. the fire button only says on full power so I am not running any projects yet. the x and y axis move but after setting the origin it does not return to that position. I downloaded and installed the driver specified (ch340). I have tried multiple “fixes” and nothing works. I am totally frustrated. I also use a otur laser that is too small for my purposes which is why i ordered this new laser engraver. I am trying to explain the situation as best I can but I am not an expert on these machines. Thanks for your reply and am hoping I can get some help. Thanks.
, Stan
Benbox is not a supported firmware in LightBurn. It will not work as-is. If support is telling you that LightBurn is supported that likely means that they offer a separate firmware where you can switch it to GRBL. Did the laser come with a driver or software package that included Benbox (not the firmware in this case but the client software)? It might also include firmware images and flashing software, typically xloader.
From looking at the board and the fact that it runs Benbox I’m sure it’s based on an Arduino design. It has a Atmega328p. This means that it can run all the standard GRBL firmware.
What have you tried?
If you’re willing to go off-road with this you can upload your own firmware. It’s not particularly difficult but may potentially void whatever warranty you have.
The easiest way to do this is to install LaserGRBL and use the built-in tools to do it. There’s a menu option Tools->Flash GRBL Firmware.
You’ll get a window that looks like this:
Pick Arduino Nano as target, suggest you use v1.1h custom as the firmware option. You’ll need to specify the correct port for your laser. Then press OK.
After complete, power cycle the laser and then try connecting again with LightBurn and test results.
A few additional notes:
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Take a backup of your current settings by typing
$$into Console. You may want this on hand in case you need to reference settings. Normally these settings are preserved when you go from one GRBL firmware to another. Seems like Benbox is a fork of GRBL if it stores these parameters. -
There may be some additional configuration settings you may need to go through post GRBL firmware flash.
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Just to confirm, are you plugging the laser module into the 3-pin connector marked with “PWM, GND, VIN”? If not, this is likely where you should be connecting.
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You have S-value max set to 1000. Standard Arduino GRBL $30 is usually set to 255 and no real reason to change this. Check $30 after firmware update. Set to 255 if not already and change S Value max to match.
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I’ve noticed that you enabled “Enable DTR signal” in Device Settings. Unless absolutely necessary for your laser you probably want this off.
Thanks for your replies! I just got a email from their support. They sent me some files including 4 different software and a grbl software. They didn’t offer any insight as to using lightburn. They recommended Weidiao Master. Thanks for your suggestions. Sounds like it should work however one thing is stopping me from going any further. The x axis stepper motor gets very hot after only a few minutes and thats without burning a project. I don’t dare go further for fear of damage. Also the laser module has a two pin connector for which there are three possible connections. 5v, 12v and ld. I have it plugged into ld. This seems to work in the benbox software at least for low and high power.
Thanks again. My head is spinning trying to get all this sorted out!!!
Can you list out the specific files they sent you or a screenshot of all the files?
This is likely a hardware issue with the stepper itself or possibly the driver on the board. Try swapping cables for x and y. Does the issue stay with the original X motor? Or does the Y motor now the one to get hot. If it stays with the motor then likely the motor is bad. If it switches to Y then likely something with the cable or driver.
Did you make any changes to the driver configuration on the board?
Are there markings on the laser module connector? If it’s truly a 2 pin only connector then this is an on/off only laser. No PWM. Meaning you won’t get any power modulation which is what you’re seeing. Nothing you do on the software side will change this. Your only option in that case is to get a different module.
Can you take a photo of the laser module connector please?
At this point if you’re able to I’d consider returning the unit and getting something more modern and better supported. This sounds like a downgrade from the Ortur in many ways. Ortur is running a 32-bit controller and this one has a fairly dated although fleixble design.
I have not made any changes to the driver configuration on the board. there are no markings on the module connector. I do get a high power change with the benbox software. I swapped the y with a x cable and the y motor is now getting hot so probably cable or driver. I think I will return it.
Thanks so much for all your help!!!
I don’t see anything in the file list that would be a GRBL firmware file.
Good luck with your next purchase.
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