Replacing the A5 Laser with the M50

I have the new M50 laser module and I want to replace my A5 pro laser with it. I see that the A5 pro laser has a three pin plug and the M50 laser has a four pin plug although it only uses three wires. The question in my head is two fold. 1, di I need to use the included wall wart adaptor or will the power from the A5 pro be adequate to power the M50? And, Do I need to use the included adaptor card where I plug the existing three pin plug into the card and use the wire included with the M50 to go from the adaptor to the M50 laser? I tested it with the adaptor card and no power supply, but I don’t want to risk burning anything up in the laser from inadequate power.

Hi,

you need to use the interface card that came with the M50 module. Otherwise you cant send the signals from controller to the head. You should use the second power supply together with the original since the original supply isn’t designed for the M50 head and can’t power the whole system.

Atomstack itself says: “The M50 laser module can be installed on any engraver model of the Atomstack A5 series and can be used without any additional setup.” and they say the opposite: “No, you need the board”
I tested it and the signals came in properly.
The 3pin cable fits in the 4 pin socket (look at the boards: the naming on the pins tell where to stick it in.)

In the other thread, they say: Yes, you can. The A5 board supplies 5A, the M50 needs about 3A, so this should be no problem too. https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/replacement-head-for-the-a5-pro-40/51177/6

But Im still not quite sure if it will work over long time. (I´m actually waiting for my adapter board from china and I don´t dare to run it without and if the full capacity can be used without the adapter board…

Hi,

Did any of you have any success using the M50 module on the A5? Did you have to use additional kit or was it just plug and play? Did you notice a big improvement in the cutting performance?
Many thanks
Andy

I purchased the upgrade from Atomstack and it came with new laser head and board plus two leads. One lead is for the A5 and the other is for other makes. I was also worried about the power but after investigation I was assured the extra power supply was not needed. I have now been using the machine for about 5 months and there are no problems. Cutting is vastly improved and engraving time has also been reduced. I’m more than pleased I did the upgrade. Big plus is the board has a power switch and that lets you run the machine without the laser head powered on. Good for checking what is going to be done without wasting any material.