Vinyl Cutter Support Request

LightBurn Software
#1

The earlier threads are all closed. Wanted to second the idea of adding vinyl cutter support. I have a hobby laser (Lightobjects board) that i rarely use so haven’t been able to justify lightburn (but really loved the trial usage)

Just got a Vinyl Express cutter that is a rebranded red sail device, it didn’t come with software so looking at having to buy something. Would prefer to buy lightburn to keep both devices using the same workflow.

It seems the editor would be almost identical

Anyway - just a plug for the idea as I know you were entertaining it earlier in 2020

#2

It’s something we’d like to do eventually, but I’d need to get my hands on a unit and see how difficult they are to talk to.

#3

Check out the inkcut inkscape extension - it appears to support quite a few and has some info on the protocols they support. Looks like mine speaks HPGL

#4

Do you know if you have to change out the driver to use the InkScape extension?

#5

Let me get it working and I will let you know the details

#6

Finally had time to work on this. My device (and I would assume many others from the list of supported device in the app I am using) has a simple FTDI serial chip so is accessed as a standard COM port. Then the software passes HPGL commands - pretty basic go to this X and Y coordinate stuff as documented here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-GL

So nothing really proprietary that I could see.

#7

Your is the Vinyl Express system, correct? Do you have a model number or a link? Sounds like it would be a good place to start, so I might as well buy one.

#8

Mine is a Vinyl Express R II, Vinyl express rebrands RedSail devices such as those found here
http://redsailcnc.com/products.html#
I bought mine second hand and its a smaller one R450 I believe which it looks like they no longer sell
Checking the specs of the larger ones they do sell they call out HPGL as the language so I assume nothing has changed.

I’m not sure if there is a common one that it would be best to target, looking at Amazon/Ebay the USCutter ones seem popular. Looking at their specs they seem to use HPGL also
https://www.uscutter.com/USCutter-MH-Series-Vinyl-Cutter-w-VinylMaster-Cut-Design-Cut-Software
(Under spec sheets)

#9

I’ve ordered a small USCutter unit.

#10

I have a USCutter MH871-MK2 so I would be willing to help test.

2 Likes
#11

Happy to help and test as well from here @LightBurn , I have an AB-720 vinyl cutter (which has ARMS auto marking/cut recognition), which probably works with the same code as the ones from u.s.cutter if I don’t use the ARMS functionality. Cutter works over USB and USB stick, find attached 2 simple usb stick files (without ARMS to keep it simple), rename the txt to plt

Some settings a vinyl cutter need to cater for blade offset, depending on blade and some other factors for a 45 degree blade (there are other blade/degrees on the market, 45 degree is a blade for general usage:

  • Blade offset (just for my combination cutter/blade 0.38mm)
  • Overcut (just for my combination cutter/blade 0.50mm)

The pressure (blade force) and speed is regulated on the model itself like as the u.s.cutter ones I believe, therefor does not need to be embedded in the plt code.

Lightburn is capable of importing and showing the files. That’s a start :slight_smile:

Test with absolute position on.txt (5.9 KB) Test with absolute position off.txt (5.6 KB)

Capture
Capture540×534 14.6 KB

Capture.LB
Capture.LB1920×1030 179 KB

2 Likes
#12

Those files look like HPGL movement commands so that is a good sign.

What does your device show as when you plug the USB cable in, is it just a COM port or do you see something else?