I currently have the most recent update of the Lightburn software. My account is under [Email removed - Please do not post personal information on the forum]. I am currently using it on a SainSmart 3018 with a Genmitsu Laser Rotary V2 and I have a program question/issue. I have the rotary set up and turning correctly with the roller size and rotation set. My issue is as follows
I selected a rectangle to laser to establish the proper mm per rotation
When burning, the end lines of the rectangle (parallel to the axis or rotation) burn perfectly. The laser head (moving on the x axis) moves slowly and produces a deep burn as would be expected with the power and speed settings I have put in
However, when burning the sides of the rectangle (perpendicular to the axis of rotation), the line burned is VERY faint…almost not visible at all. The rotator (moving on the Y axis) seems to be moving the part faster than I have input and the laser power does not seem as strong (not sure about the power but the laser beam does not seem as focused as when it is burning on the “X” axis).
I have not made any programming (GRBL) changes AND have made a copy of my default machine program so I don’t loose my standard (non-rotator) settings
My roller diameter is 16mm
I am thinking I need to change my pulse parameter settings to allow the rotator to track correctly (slower) but do not know where to do this.
If you create a square in LightBurn, and engrave it on your rotary, does the resulting output look almost exactly like a square?
What speed and power setting are you using for your testing?
The 3018 used several different control boards. If you’re willing, please select and copy the initial connection messages from the engraver to LightBurn from the console window and paste them into a reply here. Knowing the Firmware Version helps us track down potentially unusual behavior from the controller.
In the Console window in Lightburn please request the machine Settings report by typing the Following:
$$
then press Enter.
Please scroll back and capture the report from the word ‘ok’ to the end of the settings with a leading dollar sign.
Thanks for the quick response. I will do so when i get home this evening. I can say now that my y axis steps per mm ($101) (with Rotator connected) is set on 800. According to the rotator literature, they are giving a pulse parameter of 127 as an example. Could this be the issue?
The attached viewed in notepad may be what you are looking for (only posting Y axis data)
“Desc”: “Y Step pin invert ($2)”,
“ID”: “0x20001”,
“Value”: false
"Desc": "Y Direction pin invert ($3)",
"ID": "0x30001",
"Value": true
"Desc": "Y Homing direction invert ($23)",
"ID": "0x170001",
"Value": false
"Desc": "Y Steps per mm ($101)",
"ID": "0x65",
"Value": 800
"Desc": "Y Max rate (mm/min) ($111)",
"ID": "0x6f",
"Value": 1000
"Desc": "Y Accleration (mm/sec^2) ($121)",
"ID": "0x79",
"Value": 30
"Desc": "Y Max travel (mm) ($131)",
"ID": "0x83",
"Value": 200