I have seen several of what seems to me (a newbie to lasers) a contradiction in exactly what is the difference between a Ruida 6445 for the ‘G’ and the ‘S’ variants. I have seen (in this, other forums, and in various manuals) where some say the ‘S’ is the “Super” version. It is supposed to be “better” than the ‘G’ ; I see some say it is for 2 versus 1 laser tubes (but otherwise the same); I see some about a real-time clock (or not); some about different encryption; etc.
As a newbie this is very frustrating. I don’t even know what to look for. Is there an ‘authority’ on this or must a newbie suffer the same route as the more established laserers ?
Also, I see both ads (online) for different variants and different prices and then different firmwares for them. What’s up with that ?
I just bought a 60W CO2 machine that came DOA. It is new. It came with a 6442G but it goes bonkers. I’ve seen various posts suggesting troubleshooting methods, but I don’t get too much from them. The seller has not been any help. The manufacturer (of the whole machine) has not been any help. I tried a ‘contact us’ with Ruida but have gotten no response.
At this point I’m looking at replacing the entire control system. Yeah, that’s kinda like burning down your house to kill the rat; but that rat is dead ! It now looks like there are sellers with prices all over the place on both 6442’s and 6445’s (both ‘G’ and ‘S’ variants) and even on the …GT5 or …GT7 models.
So, can someone here set me straight or point me in the right direction ?
Doesn’t really answer your question. I mentioned I was doing a controller upgrade. Light Object had the best prices when I was looking. I will post the link below. Just realize that you will need to make the hole bigger to fit the 6445 control head. That’s why I’ve been putting off the upgrade.
Thanks Jeff, yeah I’ve seen it reported that a bigger hole is needed. I can handle that. At least it looks like it will otherwise fit. I saw the dimensions are in the various manuals.
I still haven’t ordered anything yet and I’m still on the fence if I actually will or not.
It’s my night to cook and honey baby just got home, so…
Hi Jack, Yeah, I’ve downloaded all the manuals thus I have those dimensions/drawings. I still have not ordered anything. I’m still contemplating. My biggest hesitance now is that I’m seeing lots of Ruida controllers on the market, but I’m still getting different info. Like I said before, the info about the differences between a 6445 ‘G’ and ‘S’ are all over the place. And now I’ve seen an ad where they claim that the ‘S’ will replace EITHER the 6442 or the “old-style” (whatever that means, possibly 2018’s) 6445G units. And yet other people swear there IS no difference. There’s a fella on this forum (I looked at his webpage) who has different firmware files for the ‘G’ versus the ‘S’. I have the Ruida manual and they, of course, show the different panels (with their keyboards and 5" (or 7") display). I saw one ad that said the display was 800 and another that was 854 (like it says in the manual). I guess that’s either a typo or a generalization. But the Ruida manual itself contradicts itself from text in one area with text in the model comparison chart (which does not compare the ‘G’ and ‘S’)(look at the green areas and the display is the 480x320 (the 3.5" numbers). It really looks like careless cut&paste of the documents to me.
I asked my wife and she it vehement that I not dump the laser (sorry Jeff ) but she’d kinda prefer that I get a 6445 over a 6442. Especially since I’d probably shelve the 6442 stuff and never try to trouble-shoot it. It would probably go on the shelf with my other non-supported CNC controllers. I’m getting quite a collection of those now (not counting the ones that I either used, blew up, or returned).
I’ve watched a few more videos. Several for the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th time. It looks straight forward enough to swap the whole shebang out. But I’m still on the fence. I do, and have always, considered the issues associated with expendables like lenses, mirrors, the tubes themselves and such. And of course materials. But I was expecting something to at least work initially. It really spoils it for me when something arrives DOA.
BTW, I made a deal with the seller that I would accept a small, partial refund (more like a rebate or discount) in exchange for me dropping the 2 year warranty. Which, between you, me and the fence post was no good to begin with. At least that small refund/rebate will help defray the cost of a new controller. Only issue now is that, according to Amazon customer service, I have to be the one to request the refund money from the Chase bank (where my account is closed!). Go figure. The ‘anti-Midas’ touch I guess.
But thanks for the drawings.
regards,
Bronco
Now if I could just get some straight answers so that I would know what to buy (assuming I go that route).
I have now sent and received 6 messages from vendors who advertised Ruida 6445 controllers. I asked them for the differences between the 6445G and the 6445S and 4 of those 6 said essentially the same things, such as "We want to remind you that we currently only provide 6445S. The information “6445G” on the listing should be wrong. We apologize for the inconvenience." So they are NOT even selling what they advertised !
One of them said that they ONLY have a 6442G instead of their listed 6445G. So I could see that IF I ordered one of theirs then I would have waited for it to arrive and found it not to be what I ordered and then I’d have to send it back, make a claim for a return, and get it all messed up and kill yet more time! Then I’d STILL have a dead laser machine. Well, it’s just only another summer wasted, right ?
Is there no honor ANYWHERE ?
And these were ALL here in America (albeit they were selling Chinese parts).
RDC6445S (includes 6445G, adds ability for vendor to optionally activate an encryption function so system will timeout and lock out for the client if agreed payment installments are not met)
RDC6445GT5 (includes 6445S, 5" touchscreen, updated UI, better hardware stability) (see it here)
RDC6445GT7 as above but 7" touchscreen RDC6445G-MOD5 more customizable interface.
The RDC6442G is pretty ubiquitous, tried and true, but it looks like Ruida are promoting RDC6445G as the updated version (if you have space for the screen), and there are also some interesting new options available with the touchscreens.
Cloudray yesterday on the 6445S/G had a breakdown but it’s not there anymore. I believe the 6445G is the old version and is now the 6445S. Even the one I ordered from lightobject sais it was the G and I received the S.
Unfortunately my LightBurn trial (actually the extension thereof) expires today. This is one of the biggest issues that I have, but I don’t have a solution. When I pay my hard-earned money for a product, from anywhere and of any type, then I expect some sort of decent tech support.
My 60W CO2 laser machine arrived DOA. It still does not work properly. I am told that the 2-year warranty is worthless (on this forum). We are supposed to pay our money and pray we get something that works. What a concept ! Sounds to me like a ripoff. I guess we are all sheep, but don’t tell anyone here on the forums. But I’m sure my absence from your industry (if that’s what you call it) will not make more than a glass of water in the ocean of difference. Yet, if ever. At least somebody is getting rich. I am retired. I live off of a monthly social security check plus $3/hr BELOW minimum wage for my wife. My IRA is disappearing FAST. Thank you for that and all of the wonderful support here on this forum !
My 6 weeks of trial LightBurn is up tonight in a few minutes. That should have been more than enough!
Also, I have asked that my account here be deleted or cancelled. Don’t expect to reply to me here.
My brand new laser machine is still not working. It arrived DOA. I did not get any info to get it fixed. I never got any reply from Zekebtuy or Ruida. Here, on this forum, I was told that anything coming from China was junk and that I could only pay my money and pray for something that worked.
I’m not made like that. I do not ‘pay then pray’. I would have expected any product to work out of the box. Perhaps it was expecting too much to get answers here unless it was a way for some people with a variety of motives to get what they wanted. I just wanted what I originally paid for. I guess that was asking too much.
Someone once said something like: ‘all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing;.’ I guess evil will win according to this forum.
If you send an email to support@lightburnsoftware.com and explain the circumstances of the trial license they are typically very generous about extending the license as they want people to know what they are getting before they buy.
I’m not sure if that’s what anyone said. In any case that’s not the takeaway. The takeaway is that the class and type of laser that you are buying into and from the seller that you are buying from offer a certain level of QA and after sales support. This is more a message about being aware of what to expect and what you’re getting into. It’s only relatively recently that US based importers are bringing these lasers into the country and having them ready to ship. It used to be that all of these shipped from China at time of order. There’s a certain expectation that comes with that type of purchasing experience.
Note that you can get the level of customer support and likely experience that you’re looking for. It’s just going to come at a cost. Epilog and Trocen are likely to give you very good support and build quality. Others like Thunder Laser and Boss will get you a better experience with Chinese source lasers. The means are out there. But again, at a cost.
I don’t think your basic expectation that things should at least basically work is unreasonable. The sellers of these are typically pretty good about making things right although it takes time. Where did you purchase the laser? Have you been working with them? Ruida wouldn’t typically be working with end customers directly.
I have no idea what you’re getting at with this. Did something happen off-line? I haven’t seen anything but support and encouragement to you here. And @micrololin made an incredibly generous offer.
Who’s saying this is too much? Go after the seller and get them to make it right. But at the same time, do some troubleshooting to help them make it right. You can adapt to the reality of the situation and help yourself out of it or let it dictate your experience.
Please stick around the forum for longer than a few days before coming to this conclusion.
I highly suggest you remove the panel and take a closer look for obvious damage. You’ll need to do this anyway if you want to replace it.
Yes that makes sense, the 6445S includes all the same features as the 6445G.
Same story with the 6442G vs 6442S except the S stood for something different in that case, however in both cases the S version was a superset of the standard G version, so “Super” is fitting.
Athough… is the super feature still super if 95% don’t use it or know what it does? And it’s priced the same and confuses buyers?..“Superfluous” might be a more fitting descriptor?
Confusing models & marketing strategies aside, the main thing is that the 644XG series has proven itself for the most part to be affordable, robust, and reliable - though sadly not (yet) for @anon87034102.
Thanks BTW for your offer of assistance on that front with the KT332N, along with your first suggestion of a keypad replacement, both ideal first steps towards isolating the problem on a shoestring.
) but she’d kinda prefer that I get a 6445 over a 6442. Especially since I’d probably shelve the 6442 stuff and never try to trouble-shoot it. It would probably go on the shelf with my other non-supported CNC controllers. I’m getting quite a collection of those now (not counting the ones that I either used, blew up, or returned).
