Ready to upgrade from my Modified K40... Thinking of this Monport 60W

JMartin · April 30, 2023, 4:28pm

I thought this post would be better served in my Monport thread, than my double line problem thread, which has been solved. Thank you to many, but probably mostly @jkwilborn … who was steadfast in his insistence that it was a hardware problem, and managed to push me through my stubbornness).

Well, I grabbed the Sharpie Marker and the 2" Hole Saw and got the Milliamp Meter mounted today. Haven’t wired it yet, but I pre-ran some wire the last time I had those goofy grey wire chases open (they’re a pain to get off). So it’s just some clipping and crimping tomorrow, to get things finished.

I also designed and 3D printed an angled doo-flatchie thing… to hold my wireless touch pad anywhere I want (notice the two massive magnets built in - it can be placed anywhere on the steel chassis).

I think it will go here:

I was just going to set it on top of the laser chassis… but I have premonitions of going to Left-Click and accidentally depressing the Stop button with my wrist. So I think it best to stick it in front of the control panel instead.

Jim

[Edit: Still waiting for it to arrive… in case you’re wondering."

jkwilborn · April 30, 2023, 5:17pm

Don’t hesitate to create a new thread if what you are doing isn’t reflected in the title… they are cheap and can help others directly find what you are doing…

This was a machine change from the K40 to a monport. Someone searching would never find this great modification… when the threads become > 20 entries it’s more difficult to find things…

One of these for ntm was over 130 … almost impossible to find anything .

It’s much better to have a section on a modification for a panel separate from a modification of a head or some other item…

I think this is valid for a new thread like wifi keypad/mount for monoport or something.

Maybe @JohnJohn can find a better home for it…

Great project, I’m sure others will or have read it…

I’m also sure others will want the stl file …

JMartin · April 30, 2023, 5:56pm

Thanx Jack.

When the TouchPad gets here, and I get it mounted, I’ll create a new thread for it. And likely create a link to the STL file somewhere… I’ve never posted a file before… gotta read up on Thingiverse or somthing like that.

Jim

jkwilborn · April 30, 2023, 5:59pm

Maybe they’ll move this one and you can continue on

Thanks… all of this is great content and appreciated.

Pretty soon you’ll be answering all of these questions and I can get back to my lasing

JMartin · April 30, 2023, 7:57pm

Milliamp Meter…
I wired it, I fired it, nobody got hurt.
All is well.

Jim

JMartin · May 28, 2023, 5:21am

So I thought I’d come back here, full circle, and update my Monport experience…

After a few weeks of back and forth, Monport first promised me that they would (in their words):

Make and ship the correct (transparent) cover plate.
Send me the parts needed to mount the Y-Axis motor in the center.
Send me the correct Bed Assembly, which will include the Hopper, the Blades and support for my existing Honeycomb Bed.

This was supposed to ship to me on 5/10/23. That did not happen. After waiting a few extra days, I emailed them several times asking for an update to the shipment of my replacement parts, and they backed off dramatically. After claiming that my emails were initially lost, they then said (again in their words):

The cover can be manufactured and sent to you. We will arrange that part ASAP after getting your reply. (Supposedly this had already shipped.)
It is confirmed that the Y-motor mount, the blade bed and the debris hopper are hard to develop because of the limitations of 60w. (Even though I have seen such units in other photos and even on their own website.)

They further stated that their message sent before was “mistransmitted.”
I guess that was their way of saying I had been lied to, when I was told that things were being taken care of. They have since agreed to provide me with the Transparent Cover, offered me a reasonable refund, based on figures that I had mentioned in previous email negotiations, and the choice of a free accessory (three different items were listed - I could choose one). Realizing that I was not going to get anything more, and wanting to put this whole misrepresented sale behind us… I agreed to their compensation and gift.

I am still awaiting the proper Lid to be manufactured and shipped, my refund was applied promptly to my balance due, and my upgraded Chiller is supposed to be delivered tomorrow based on FedEx tracking provided.

On reflection… I am happy with the overall quality of the Monport build, and the performance of the laser as it exists. I am still greatly disappointed that it was so badly misrepresented on their website and in their marketing materials (some of which have since been updated and some are still misleading their customers). There were features shown that heavily influenced my purchase decision, and they simply did not exist.

Now with several months of time spent in this wonderful lasering community, I can see that whether it’s Monport, or Omtech, or any other Chinese based manufacturer… this type of situation is not uncommon.

When a company says they have a U.S. presence, it can be as bogus as Monport’s Seattle Support address (which is a mailboxes-R-us type of location) or as frustrating as trying to communicate in broken English on China time zones. Don’t expect anything more, and you won’t be disappointed.

I have already modified my Monport machine, just as I had done to my no-name K40, and turned it into a productive tool in my shop. I love my CO2 lasers, and I can guarantee you that I will do even more diligent research and documentation when purchasing my next laser.

Yeah, that’s right… I’m hooked… gotta get me one of those Fibre Laser things next!

Thanx everyone for your help.
Jim

JMartin · May 28, 2023, 8:30pm

Wow… they just keep stepping in it…

From their website:

High-Grade Ports

Monport CW5200 chiller’s inlet and outlet ports are made of high-quality brass to keep long-term, non-corrosion performance and prevent any issues with leaks as it operates.

From today’s delivery:

The deceit is just pathetic. These “Brass” inlet and outlet ports are as PLASTIC as they can be. AND the drain plug.

Even my no-name, un-branded, non-chilling, CW-3000 Chiller had metal ports.

Unreal.

Jim

jkwilborn · May 28, 2023, 9:10pm

I think you stepped into it… you keep trusting them

We’ve all had this type of experience from some of these Chinese vendors… the documentation is always behind… probably what caused the initial problem with all the parts that were lacking… they found a lower cost version…

Go take some of your blood pressure medication and chill out… such is life with these… you pay low dollar and guess what you get…?

Take it as part of the ride… or expierence

Could have been worse, one guy waited for a couple of months and they seemed to have lost his whole machine somewhere… he found it on Craig’s list. Had to go to a neighboring state and file theft charges, then had to have it transported… he was lucky the shipper sent him a photo of it, clearly identifying the machine…

Seems the label was lost, after a couple months in a shipping depot, it was sold as an unclaimed item…

Took him over 3 months to get his machine…

Hang in there … try and relax

JMartin · May 28, 2023, 9:15pm

Yeah, I know. Gift horse in the mouth kind of thing… I mean they were trying to make things more palatable. I just wish there was ONE item on their website that wasn’t misrepresented.

I’m heading to Target to get some more Distilled Water… maybe the break will help.
(And for the record… I’m not on any form of medication. Yet.)

Thx.

Jim

jkwilborn · May 28, 2023, 9:22pm

Here’s a good to know about coolants from Laser Gods…

I’ve run OMTech coolant in mine for 18months … it can freeze here…

I ran distilled water with a single drop of anti algae, from an aquarium store, when I was 1100 ft lower in altitude with little chance of freezing…

JMartin · May 28, 2023, 10:38pm

Yup. Read that article a while back. My CW-3000 was just distilled water. I know it does not actually chill… but at least it was a closed loop system and kept bugs and other what-not out. I even wired up the alarm output into my K40 (since it had no flow meter) so that anytime I tried to fire up the laser without the chiller working, it would not. I tied it into the hatch switch circuit as well.

The Monport 60W already has a flow sensor in it, so it’s just the Input hose and Output hose to deal with. This CW-5200 is certainly louder than I was expecting, but I’m expecting years of service out of it anyway [knocks on wood].

I’m going to have to add a few drops of Dawn (thought I had some here, but I don’t) and some Algaecide to it later this week.

Jim

jkwilborn · May 28, 2023, 10:52pm

I have the 5202 which has dual outputs… it’s actually just a series line.

Refrigeration goes out for laser 1, back in, that return then goes to the other output for laser 2 and that return goes back into the refrigeration .

Mine didn’t work when I got it… I used the 2nd loop for a 12’ line of copper tubing and ran that part into a beer cooler with ice/water… A low cost heat exchanger until I got it working…

You can purchase those hose nipples and replace them with bronze versions that are pretty resistant.

Here is a couple of manuals… both are pdf, remove the .txt extention

CW-5000-5200-Chiller-Manual.pdf.txt (390.6 KB)

cw-5000_5200_industrial_chiller_maintenance_manual.pdf.txt (1.5 MB)

jkwilborn · May 28, 2023, 11:50pm

Forgot to mention you can remove the flow switch from your K40 and route it through the 5200. That will take advantage of over/under temperature along with flow and power fail of the chiller.

Uses the smarts of the on board temperature controller in the 5200… it’s a simple wire addition…

Mine is wired similarly.

JMartin · May 29, 2023, 12:09am

Already sold the K40. Didn’t see the need for both, so after I had the 60W up and running, I listed the K40 on Craigslist (where I got it from back in November) and got my investment back, plus a little. The new owner is already up and running and particularly liked that it was a K40 running Lightburn. I kept the CW-3000 chiller for the 60W, and gave him an unused aquarium pump system. But now I have the CW-5200, so I just listed the CW-3000 on Craigslist also.

For the record, I had the same connectors between my 3000 and my K40 as you’ve shown.

jkwilborn · May 29, 2023, 12:28am

Do you have the chiller wired to your 60W?

JMartin · May 29, 2023, 1:00am

No, the 60W has its own flow switch… If the water ain’t flowing, it ain’t glowing.

The k40 didn’t have a flow switch, so I just tied into the normally closed circuit in series with the cover switch. If either one of them opened, the laser wouldn’t fire.

I didn’t see the need to tie the CW-5200 into the Monport, since it takes care of that internally.

jkwilborn · May 29, 2023, 4:33am

It won’t halt it for a failure to maintain temperature, both high and low, but the 5200 will…

What’s on the 60W is just a flow, nothing else…

Just a thought…

JMartin · May 29, 2023, 5:14am

Valid point.

Perhaps a rethink is in order.

JMartin · May 31, 2023, 5:46am

Added 4 drops of Dawn Liquid and 4 drops of Tetra Algaecide today (shaken, not stirred).
I now have enough of both leftover to service my next 200 Co2 Laser purchases.
Or a few hundred drain and refills, I guess.

Jim

JMartin · June 14, 2023, 4:15pm

Just another update on the Monport / Customer relationship challenge.
They did in fact build and send me the transparent cover that I was expecting.
It arrived yesterday (DHL from Hong Kong) in a small wooden crate.
Well packaged. It was a simple 8-screw and 4-bolt swap, with a little time for hinge adjustment. The hardest part was the nearly hour and a half spent peeling the protective covering off the acrylic.

Happy with the result overall.
Thank you Monport for at least making this piece match your marketing materials.

Now I can observe the laser from my other desk, instead of having to look down inside only from above.