I’m still very new to the scene (only got my first laser a few weeks back). I’m already getting sick of having to keep adjusting the position of my wood until it is exactly where I need it to be, especially because my pc is a few rooms away from the laser as I have managed to network in to it.
I would like to use a camera with lightburn, so I can just place my material, go to my pc and move my vectors to where they need to be, but I have 2 issues/things that need to be considered.
My laser (atomstack S20 pro) is in an enclosure that is only around 380mm high, so the camera would need to fit inside that and still be able to see the whole work area (so assume it would need to be a wide angled lens).
The second and more important thing to me, is that all of the camera’s that I’ve found that are specifically designed to attach to the frames, are all connected using USB (not an option as I am in another room).
Has anyone been in the same situation and have found a solution? I think what I need is some kind of wireless wide-angle camera that can be seen by Lightburn and be easily attached to the frame?
Change how you think about this problem, because the best solution does not require a camera.
I assume the laser has homing switches and that homing operates correctly when you turn it on. If that’s not the case, then other considerations apply.
With the laser head properly homed, you can use Absolute Coordinates so that the LightBurn workspace exactly matches the laser’s platform. You place an object where you want it in LightBurn and the laser will cut it at exactly that spot on the platform, every time.
You can then cut a fixture to hold objects at the proper spot(s). Put the fixture on the platform, drop the objects in place, align the fixture using Print-and-Cut, and It Just Works™.
For example, some plant markers in their fixture:
The template to lay them out:
Print-and-Cut alignment of template to fixture:
Much much much easier than screwing around with a camera!
Thanks for the advice. I have actually made a few fixtures for when I’ve been making batches of the same thing. The issue is that I cut many different things. If I set up a fixture for every item I was cutting/engraving, it would double my time to do a new item and will cost a lot of wood over time, to the point that I feel, based on other peoples camera setups, that for the most part, a camera would work better for me, except in the cases where I want to do a large number of the same sized item, in which I would use a fixture.
There isn’t anything I know of to do this. It has been asked about more than once.
We did get a hacked up version running for the Lightburn Pi, unfortunately it’s only for Ruida controllers. The concept is the same, maybe you can get some tips on how to get it running without the PI in between. This is the best I can suggest.
Thanks, I’ve now read through that entire thread, and although the solutions weren’t for me, it did set me down a path that could work.
I have an old laptop doing nothing. I could put it in the room with the laser, and install some “USB to IP” software on it, then plug the usb camera in to it and access it from my main PC.
I will test it with a crappy old web cam I have laying around, and if it works with Lightburn, get a proper camera for it and perhaps leave a message here to show how I did it
NEVER EVER use a laser like that!!! They catch fire instantly! You won’t make it to the other room until the full laser is on fire! Such lasers are not made to be left alone. You need to sit next to it all the time. Everything else is extremely risky!
A better option is to buy a $150 used old laptop to run LightBurn on, directly at the laser. If you leave the room, pause the job.
I fully understand your concern. I’m around 5 seconds from the laser, and I have an old phone on a mount pointing at it which is wirelessly sending the live video directly to my pc on it’s own screen. I also have a fire blanket and co2 extinguisher in the room and the laser is within a fire resistant enclosure.
The concept is the same, maybe you can get some tips on how to get it running without the PI in between. This is the best I can suggest.
