Light Burn will not run the layered drawing I have Created in LightBurn - HELP

Community Laser Talk
1

Hello,
I’m a nub to lasers and LightBurn but I have been a CAD operator for 40+ years so I the LightBurn program is not a foreign software to me.

I have created a LightBurn drawing that i want to use to test my new laser and figure out power and speed for my laser. When i test my drawing by starting the PREVIEW command, the preview runs perfectly. But, when i send the send the START command to the laser, the laser starts by moving to the first object (a 1/2" diameter circle) to engrave/cut (line mode) and engraves about 1/2 of the circle and then the laser stops. but the LightBrun program is still running because the program notes that it is “busy”. Laser just sits there while LightBurn is reporting it is busy with the time ticking away. I cannot figure out what the heck is going on. Anyone have an idea? I can share the drawing I created so it can be reviewed for some type of error, but I’m stumped and need HELP!
Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Manilla Envelope Laser Hole Cut Test r3.lbrn2 (139.6 KB)

2

This isn’t going to have anything to do with the design itself.

Your computer is almost certainly losing connecting with the laser. This is one of the most common problems that people experience so there’s some value in searching the forum for similar circumstances.

Common causes:

  1. bad USB cable; or bad USB port; eliminate any hub if you’re connected through one
  2. noisy electrical circuit; do you have any other large equipment kicking on while the laser is running; a compressor or fan perhaps
  3. static discharge from the laser which disrupts USB connection
  4. radio interference

I’d start with trying a different high quality USB cable. If you have other peculiar symptoms search for those in the forum. Otherwise work though the list to see if anything jumps out at you.

3

In order to test the therory that the USB cable is bad, see if you can save the file to a USB drive and plug that into the controller and run…

4

This was a big help.

I was using a brand new high quality 30 foot USB cable. I replaced that cable for a 3 foot run of the mill cable and now everything works perfectly.

Problem solved. :grinning:
Thanks for your help!

5

Just out of curiosity, were you using an “active” USB extender cable. I ask because I’ve been using a 30’ Tripp Lite “active” extender between my PC and my OLM2 Pro for about a year, without issue, so it can be done. That’s why I was wondering what kind of cable you were using (idle curiosity).

6

i was mistaken, my usb cable is 40 feet, here is the link to the amazon product:

Amazon.com: GOSYSONG Printer Cable 40ft, Type A to Type B Printer Cord 2.0 High Speed Printer USB Cable Compatible with HP, Canon, Dell, Epson, Lexmark, Xerox, Samsung and More (Blue) : Electronics

look like it may be defective, i think i will returen it for a replacement.

7

It’s worth nothing a 40 foot cable grossly exceeds the maximum permitted length for USB 2.0 cables:

USB 2.0 provides for a maximum cable length of 5 meters (16 ft 5 in) for devices running at high speed (480 Mbit/s).

No-name cables from the usual Amazon sellers tend to come from the sketchy side of “barely adequate”, so it’s no surprise the thing doesn’t work in real life.

Get your money back and move on … :grin:

8

OK,
All these comments were VERY helpful. I still needed a LONG USB 2.0 cable so after careful consideration and Paul’s comments on his use of a long cable I did a little research and purchased a new cable. This time I got a 33 foot “active extension cable”. This is the product link on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004A6NWEQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
This cable works PERFECTLY!
Thanks to all for your help with this…much appreciated :grin: