Wont stay connected, Longer Ray5 20W

[thelmuth (Tim Helmuth)]

@MikeyH

• I could not find any line that told me the laser was on COM3.
• There was no mention of the CH340 driver, but I did not have to install it. Built a new Device for the S30 laser and it connected.

Expand Ports (Com & LPT)

[Biged421 (Ed)]

Ok so I am thinking of just buying a new laptop that I can run lightburn on with my lasers I have 2 but I dont know what to get, Windows 11 Home? Windows 11 Pro? I dont want to have the same issues with the laptop that I have with my PC. What do you think???

[MikeyH (Mike Hembrey)]

My bad, did not spot that. Thanks.

[MikeyH (Mike Hembrey)]

Expensive bandaid and it may not solve the problem.

You said you replaced the USB cable. What with? If it is not a shielded cable with the ferrite supressor on it (big knot), you replaced cheap with cheap.

I had a USB connector come loose on my CNC controller board. Tape up the plug at the controller so it is fixed in place and see if you still get the disconnects.

[Biged421 (Ed)]

Like this one??

[MikeyH (Mike Hembrey)]

Yes, but make sure it has the right connectors on both ends for your setup.

[ednisley]

@Biged421

Like this one??

I am always suspicious of Amazon listings with contradictory or irrelevant bullet points:

• “Ferrites on both ends” but the picture shows only one core
• “Shielded in 24 karat gold” is total nonsense
• No mention of the length

I’ve had good results with CableCreation active extensions and Anker for shorter lengths. I cannot tell if those are available in Germany where the listing suggests you are.

[Biged421 (Ed)]

I am not in Germany but I am having a hard time finding this cables, I will try Cable Creations and Anker, Thanks for the info.

[Biged421 (Ed)]

I Went on both sites and neither has a USB A- USB B with a Ferrite cable. Any other suggestions on where I can get a cable? I am having a hard time believing that it can be the cable when the cable works on my laptop to my laser just fine but I don’t know enough about it. I just have a feeling that I am going to buy a expensive cable and I am still going to be in the same boat.

[Biged421 (Ed)]

I didn’t get that one says it wouldn’t be here for 16 day so I ordered this one, I am having a hard time believing that it can be the cable when the cable works on my laptop to my laser just fine but I don’t know enough about it. I just have a feeling that I am going to buy a expensive cable and I am still going to be in the same boat.

[MikeyH (Mike Hembrey)]

I hope the length is not an issue. The USB standard says 15 feet maximum length, but I usually recommend 10 feet. That said, there are users that have reported using 20’ cables so we are crossing our fingers.

[ednisley]

@Biged421

still going to be in the same boat

Wish you’d mentioned the cable was 20 feet long.

Unfortunately, any long unpowered cable, no matter how good, will work poorly. The problem may not lie in the cable, but in the marginal performance of the USB drivers on at least the laser controller end.

That the cable works in other circumstances does not imply success in the peculiar setup required for a laser controller switching high currents in consumer-grade hardware. If it just barely works in one setup and just barely doesn’t in another, the trouble isn’t entirely in the cable.

Some previous discussions cover the problems:

USB Cable Issue

I have just purchased a Gweike Cloud RF laser, using with Lightburn. The supplied USB cable works fine but it’s very short. So I bought a nice long one, 5 metres length. USB C to USB A, I use Macs. It’s a good quality cable, but I don’t seem to be able to make a connection when I plug in to the laser and to my Mac? Any suggestions/fixes most welcomed. I came across a really useful post by @BillieRuben who seems to have knowledge of these machines and setting up, any idea Billie ? tia

Light Burn will not run the layered drawing I have Created in LightBurn - HELP

Hello, I’m a nub to lasers and LightBurn but I have been a CAD operator for 40+ years so I the LightBurn program is not a foreign software to me. I have created a LightBurn drawing that i want to use to test my new laser and figure out power and speed for my laser. When i test my drawing by starting the PREVIEW command, the preview runs perfectly. But, when i send the send the START command to the laser, the laser starts by moving to the first object (a 1/2" diameter circle) to engrave/cut (li…

My Cherokee Beast

WOO HOO !!! I got everything working right , FINELY !!! What was the problem? It turns out to be the USB to Controller board cable was faulty. That was the only thing I failed to check and that was it. I have a bad habit of buying one to use and one to loose. When I thought about the cable being bad, I got the cable out the spare controller kit and that one worked. I feel really stupid sitting here thinking how I spent 4 to 6 weeks crying and trying to fix this thing and never though…

[Biged421 (Ed)]

How about this one? Its cheap though.

[ednisley]

@Biged421

How about this one?

IMO, any cable over about a meter long requires special care, because everything else is not under your control.

Ferrite-core cables usually work up to 2 m, if only because OEM cables are typically junk and anything will be better, but that does not meet your length requirement.

The CableCreations active cable I’ve used will probably improve the results, although it does not have power injection at the laser end:

Amazon.com: CableCreation Active USB 2.0 Extension Cord (16.4 FT), USB A Male to...

I got the USB 3 version which also seemed to work well with USB 2 ports, although I have not used them with a GRBL laser controller. How they will behave with your setup requires experimentation, alas.

My rule of thumb for Amazon: I avoid buying anything technical from a seller with a name I cannot pronounce.