Sculpfun S6 Pro — Laser stops randomly during engraving (weird console errors)

LightBurn Hardware Compatibility GRBL
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1

Hey folks!

I’m running into a weird issue with my Sculpfun S6 Pro and it’s driving me nuts. :sweat_smile:

Basically, right in the middle of some engravings, the laser just randomly stops for no reason. No errors in LightBurn, nothing obvious… except for some gibberish with special characters popping up in the console (pic attached).

Here’s what I’ve already tried:

  • Swapped the USB cable
  • Tried a different USB port
  • Restarted LightBurn & the PC
  • Double-checked the G-code, it looks fine

…and still, same issue. :pensive_face:

I’ve seen people mention possible electrical interference, but nothing really concrete. Has anyone else run into this? Could it be something with the mainboard or firmware acting up?

Any ideas or tips would be super appreciated !

Thanks !

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2

What is your baud rate set at in your device settings?

3

That looks like a communications issue. It appears to be an intermittent condition.

  1. Electrical noise from a newly added nearby device.
  2. Poor connection in one of the USB sockets.
  3. USB socket on the controller board was poorly soldered. I had one let go on my 3018 CNC machine.
  4. USB cable too long.
  5. Laser frame was moved and not in its original place.
4

It’s currently set to 115,200 baud

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5

Here’s a bit more info about my situation:

The USB cable is about 2 meters long, and it’s the one that came with the laser. I’ll try swapping it anyway, just to be sure.

As for the laser’s position, I’ve moved it several times, even tested it outside the house but the issue still happens. :confused:

I’ve only tested it with my laptop so far. Could the problem possibly come from the computer itself?

I’ll also open up the laser and check the USB port soldering, just in case there’s a bad connection.

A few more observations:

Sometimes I get the errors after just 10 minutes, but other times it can run for 2 hours without any problems.

I noticed that just before the laser stops completely, the beam flickers a little.

6

New clue.
If it continues to move, suspect the laser overheating.
If it stops like you pulled the plug, suspect the power supply is overheating. Or it could be the controller board.

Do you see a correlation with running fast with lots of power with the early failure?

7

Thanks for the suggestions

The laser completely stops both the beam and the movement when the issue occurs.

I haven’t noticed any difference between different power or speed settings, but I’ll do some tests to see if that affects the problem.

I’ll still check for overheating, especially on the power supply or controller board, as you suggested.

1 Like
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I hope you find it soon. I am running out of ideas. :joy:

9

This is a longshot but some people have found that the laser module isn’t well grounded with the frame and static builds up causing similar issues. There are a few videos on YouTube showing procedures to address it. Basically it involves connecting a ground wire from the laser module to the Gantry, and another from the gantry to the main frame. Follow the routing of the factory wiring to allow for movement.

I would also suggest a better USB cable as the factory ones are not usually high quality.

2 Likes
10

I found a solution from a post in 2020 that had recomended to “Flah the Bios”.
I dont know what that means but it worked for that sculpfun user…and most of the possible solutions above had been mentioned and tried in that post also.

Consensus was..Communication issue.

11

If you haven’t tried it yet I would suggest using a ferrite core cable.

FerriteCore
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When I had communication problems this is how I solved it…

12

It’s a common problem…

13

Alright, I see that :sweat_smile:
I’ll try getting a better quality cable

14

Alright, I’ll try using a ferrite core

15

I’ll try changing the USB cable first, and if that doesn’t work, maybe I’ll try grounding it. I saw that suggestion too, but let’s say that’ll be a last resort :sweat_smile:

16

I guess I could try flashing the BIOS too it shouldn’t hurt, I think

I found this for the firmware it might be worth a try

17

I hope it works to you too. :wink:

18

You can also but clamp-on ferrite cores. Extras spread around on the other wiring could help too.

19

I just received my new USB cable with two ferrite cores.
I’m running some tests now and I’ll get back to you soon.

Hopefully it’ll work ! :crossed_fingers:

2 Likes
20

Cool, keep us posted. I hope that solves the problem!