Hi Everyone,
I just converted a Full Spectrum Hobby 40W CO2 laser over to a Ruida RDC6442S controller. It was a fairly large project, but I got it fully operational. One last issue I am having is with the Laser’s max output power levels. I installed a new 40 watt CO2 laser power supply, which for the most part is working well with a new 40 watt tube for engraving and low-power cuts.
The issue I am having is with the laser’s maximum output power/current. At between 80-99%, the laser is only putting out 8 milliamps with a new tube that is rated for 16 milliamps. To make sure the current meter on the laser was working correctly, I measured the current with my multimeter and it also measured 8 milliamps at 99% power. To make sure the PWM signal from the Ruida controller going to the power supply was working, I used an oscilloscope to measure the duty cycle with the laser’s min and max power set at 90% and the PWM duty cycle was registering 90% on the oscilloscope.
So, with the current meter and PWM signal working properly, I took a chance that the 40 watt power supply was not capable of achieving the power needed for my tube, so I replaced it with a new 50 watt power supply. Unfortunately the 50 watt power supply did not increase the laser output current, which was still hovering around 8-9 milliamps at 80-99%.
So I am stuck. The only thing left that I can think of is that the tube is bad, but it is new and the core has a nice healthy pink color to it. Does anyone have any ideas on why the laser is maxing out at 9 mA?
Also, can someone explain what the Laser pre-ignition frequency of 5000 Hz and Laser Frequency of 20,000Hz in the Ruida’s configuration? I tried adjusting the default ignition and operational frequencies but I saw no discernable difference in laser output power levels.
Thank you very much in advance for any assistance you can offer me.
Philippe