Lightburn glitches (slow, image shifting, etc.)

[iraso (Ira Sather-Olson)]

I’m having weird and inconsistent problems. Sometimes lightburn takes forever to start up when clicking on the icon. Sometimes when sending the file it shifts individual lines to the side. Not the whole image as if the camera is misaligned, but individual lines. Sometimes it doesn’t pick up that the laser is there.

Some of these issues could maybe be explained by an old USB cable, but I don’t think all of them would. If anyone has any suggestions I’m all ears.

[jkwilborn (Jack Wilborn)]

Ensure the memory of the Ruida is clear. Ruida cause strange issues when it runs out of memory.

[iraso (Ira Sather-Olson)]

I’ll give it a try. fingers crossed. Every time I think I fix it it’s good for 2-3 days and then goes on the fritz again.

[ednisley]

@iraso

Sometimes when sending the file it shifts individual lines to the side. Not the whole image as if the camera is misaligned, but individual lines.

That is typically caused by communication dropouts trashing parts of the file, so the USB link is the main suspect.

If the USB cable is more than about a meter long, then it’s definitely the cause.

@iraso

but I don’t think all of them would

All of the problems you mention can be caused by bad communications, so:

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However, for a machine with a Ruida controller, using Ethernet instead of USB cures a wide variety of problems:

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[iraso (Ira Sather-Olson)]

I got a new shorter cable, and that seems to be helping a lot. Now the program occasionally freezes though when it didn’t before. When it freezes it can’t even be force quit. The rest of the computer works fine, but Lightburn doesn’t and the only fix I’ve found is to restart the whole computer. Any ideas on that?

[ednisley]

@iraso

a new shorter cable, and that seems to be helping a lot

Basically, there’s no telling happens during a USB glitch. If LightBurn is waiting for a response that never comes and the wait involves something deep inside Windows that can’t be resolved by a new USB connection popping up, it may never recover.

The real solution is the Ruida controller’s Ethernet connection, per those earlier links and the doc:

Connect to a Ruida Laser via Ethernet - LightBurn Documentation

There’s some complexity involved in picking a static IP address for the laser, because you must avoid having the router automatically assign that IP address to another device through DHCP. With that in mind, once you get it working, it stays that way.