MKS DLC32 V2.1 + P-DA-01 + LaserTree 30W – Not cutting at higher speeds / Laser shuts off with driver

I’m using an MKS DLC32 V2.1 control board with a LaserTree 30W laser module. I’m also using the P-DA-01 Driver Adapter (VER 1.1) as the laser driver.
My goal is to cut 1mm thick cardboard (paperboard) cleanly and efficiently.

Here is my wiring setup:

From the TTL Output port on the MKS DLC32:
• Yellow → TTL signal
• Black → GND
• Red → 12/24V (power)

These 3 wires go into the Input C terminal on the P-DA-01 adapter (same color and order):
• Yellow → TTL
• Black → GND
• Red → 12/24V

From the Output B terminal of the driver, I connect the same 3 wires to the laser:
• Yellow → TTL
• Black → GND
• Red → 12/24V

The issue I’m facing:
• At slow speeds (around 500 mm/min), the laser is able to cut.
• When I increase the speed, it only engraves the surface – it doesn’t cut.
• When the P-DA-01 driver is connected, the laser begins cutting but shuts off completely after 1–2 seconds.

Test I’ve done:
• I disconnected the 3 wires from the P-DA-01 output and connected the laser directly to the MKS DLC32 TTL Output.
• In this setup, the laser works and stays on.
• It cuts properly at low speeds.
• But still, the cutting performance at higher speeds is not sufficient.

My GRBL settings:
• $30=1000
• $31=0
• $32=1

My questions:
1. Is this wiring sequence and choice of Input C / Output B on the driver correct?
2. Is there a known issue with the P-DA-01 driver causing the laser to shut off like this?
3. Should I be using Output A instead of Output B?
4. Is this system (MKS DLC32 + P-DA-01 + 30W laser) capable of cutting 1mm cardboard cleanly at higher speeds?

According to some experts and user feedback, it should be possible to cut 1mm thick cardboard at speeds around 1500–2000 mm/min in a single pass with a 30W laser. But in my case, anything above 500 mm/min fails to cut.

I’m attaching photos of my setup below. Any help, suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated. :folded_hands:

Thanks in advance!


I assume the 30W is input power, not optical output power.

Since the DLC32 is only rated to supply 25W at 12V or 50W at 24V, might help if you told us the supply voltage.

All these boards do, is remove the 12/24V line from the DLC32 and replace it with the newer bigger power supply that’s plugged into the board.

If the laser module is running off 24V, you should be able to direct connect it to the dlc32 board. If it’s 12V you need the daughter board to handle the extra current needed.

:smiley_cat:

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Hello,

What’s the voltage of your power supply? If it’s 12V, this could be why it shuts down, since your Laser source needs 24V.

If you are using 24V power supply that came with the laser head, make sure flip this switch to the correct position:

I’m not sure why you even need this P-DA-01 adaptor board. The MKS DLC32 already has a TTL output.

Laser power will always be less if you move faster.

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I first powered the MKS DLC32 V2.1 board with 12V. In this setup, the laser was directly connected to the TTL output of the MKS board.

At 12V, the laser worked but with very low power.

Then I supplied 24V to the MKS board, and the laser was able to cut. However, it could barely cut 1 mm cardboard at 100% power and 500 mm/min feed rate — and sometimes even that wasn’t sufficient.

Because of this, I decided to test the P-DA-01 driver that came with the LaserTree K30 diode.

I connected 24V to the P-DA-01 driver, but this time, the laser shuts off about 1 second after starting the cut, and it doesn’t cut at all.

My question is:

Why does the P-DA-01 driver shut off the laser when I connect 24V?

Is the power supply insufficient?

The optical output power of the LaserTree K30 module is specified as 30 watts.

But I believe the input power should be around 240 watts.

This is because the LaserTree K30 contains six 5.5W optical output diodes.

A single LaserTree diode with 5.5W optical output is typically rated at 40W input power.

Based on that logic:

6 × 40W = 240W input power should be required.

So I’m basing my calculations on this assumption.

So you need the daughter board to handle the 10 amps of current consumption.

There is really no active components on the daughter board. The best thing I can suggest is to let it run and when it fails check the daughter board for 24V and a valid pwm signal. These are pretty open so you can just measure the values at the connector.

:smiley_cat:

1 Like

You should have received the correct power supply with your laser diode.
According to the manual posted earlier, that’s a 24V, 8 Ampere supply.

Additionally, if you are using the Adapter board, you need to flip the switch next to the DC input to “Ext Power”.