Running a diode laser on DIY CNC with AXBBE

[XYZ_Spec]

Hi all,
Having problems installing a diode laser.

I bought a diode laser and installed it like recommended by the UCCNC user manual.
Connected the PWM pin on the laser to isolated output 17 pin on port 1 (O17)
Enabled the laser plugin
Set up the laser pin in UCCNC

Problems I am facing at the moment:
1- Laser is on when I start the machine.
2- Running a engraving file through the laser plugin, doesn't work because the PWM is not being applied.
3- When laser pin is set to a value other than 0, the slave axis doesn't move.

Can someone help please
Thanks

[XYZ_Spec]

Solved a big part of the problems by adding an extra driver board that came with the laser kit, puting it between the AXBBE and the laser module.

But, the slave axis still doesn't work if the laser pin is set to a value different than zero.
Is there a fix for this?

[dezsoe]

Diode laser connected to pin 17 on port 1 (O17) and set up in the software.
Problem is:
When laser pin is set to a value other than 0, the slave axis doesn't move.

C axis is slaved to Y axis.
The laser pin isn't being used by anything else.

To have all information in one place I removed your other thread. It's Christmas, all of us is on holidays, so be a little patient.

What you still didn't mention is what version of UCCNC do you use? Also, as always, upload your profile for testing, please.

[XYZ_Spec]

Hi Dezsoe,
I have opened a new thread under "bug report", because i wanted to correct my mistake not putting it at the right place the first time, i was hoping you guys would delete this one, but sorry anyways.

Getting to the point:
Current version is 1.2113
Here is my profile file below

Thank you and Happy Xmas!

[dezsoe]

Thank you for the info. I was hoping that it's 1.2116, because there are problems with slaved axes in that version and it's known. However, I don't remember this problem on 1.2113. If you have a well documented laser then you could check if the PWM input is isolated on it. If yes then you could connect it to port 3 and check if the slave works fine when the laser output is set to a pin on port3.

[George M]

I had something similar to this at one time. Is your slave axis "C".
If it is you cannot use C when your laser is enabled.
I had to move my slave axis to A

[cncdrive]

Yes, thats a limitation, if the laser output is enabled then the C axis does not work.

[XYZ_Spec]

Thank you for the info. I was hoping that it's 1.2116, because there are problems with slaved axes in that version and it's known. However, I don't remember this problem on 1.2113. If you have a well documented laser then you could check if the PWM input is isolated on it. If yes then you could connect it to port 3 and check if the slave works fine when the laser output is set to a pin on port3.

Tried a pin on port 3 and it didn't work.

I had something similar to this at one time. Is your slave axis "C".
If it is you cannot use C when your laser is enabled.
I had to move my slave axis to A

Yep, this worked and solved the problem.
I had thought about this in the begining, but didn't even tried it because it didn't make any sense.

Yes, thats a limitation, if the laser output is enabled then the C axis does not work.

Will there be a fix for this in a future release?
Can i change it by myself somehow?
I'll need this 6th axis output in the future while running the laser.

Thank you, wish you all a happy 2024!

[dezsoe]

Yes, sorry, too many cookies... It was the laser and C, of course.

[cncdrive]

No, there is no fix for that, it is a limitation not a bug.
When you enable the laser then you can see that as the C axis automatically gets disabled when you apply the settings.

This limitation was implemented because the laser output takes up lots of communication bandwidth, so it is not enough to throughput all 6 axis data plus the laser data.