Diode laser guys, What are you running?

Brent Dowell

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My 2.8w Jtech laser had died, So I bought a cheap "6watt" diode laser on ebay. I was pretty sure at the time the 6 watts was way over rated, lol.

It's been working ok, but seems likes it's lost a bit of power from when I first started using it and I keep ramping up the power a bit.

I was happy with it at first, but it seems a little hit or miss.

So, I've got another jtech 2.8w on the way.

Just wondering what settings you guys are using?

How many amps?
Typical Speed/power settings ?

Thanks!
 
For starters, I've kept the jumpers on the driver board on the first three positions, which I think means about 60% of its capability. Until I get farther along, that will let the diode coast and save some life.

I've done some 'sign' type engraves on the covers of some of my shop stuff - mostly lines, etc. - that work well at 80% power and 50ipm. Now, that's 80% of the power allowed by the jumpers so, in my case, that would make it run at about half power.

I've been experimenting with photos using Lightburn. So far, the most satisfactory photo ran at 80% power, 300dpi using grayscale and 3000mm/min. I've got a lot farther to go on those things, though.

And yes, I tend to go back and forth between millimeters and inches at times! :) In VCarvePro, I usually stay with inches because of the stuff I've done; in Lightburn, I've stuck with mm.
 
Just did a power scale test yesterday. Looks like 3000mm/min (50mm/sec) is about the sweet spot as far as speed goes.

Thanks again Bill!
 
i have the 2.8 watt as well, and it is set up with the help and advice from jay himself (very good customer service that guy). i run at 100%, for lines and such, i stick to between 10-30 inches per minute, as to photos, i hang with the advice from robert johnson, using jarvis dither, and adjusting the speed to the photo involved (not that fast for darker photos, and a bit slower for lighter photos). for photos, i usually run 2-3 tests to dial it in to my satisfaction. it also depends on the material being used. for photos, i prefer that they be done on as clear, and as over all white color of maple.
 
Redid my power scale test. Seems ok. I'll need to check the out put on the driver board with my multi meter later just to see what I have it set at. I was pretty sure I had it at a decent and 'safe' value before, but this is definitely useable.


20191021_084330.jpg
 
That's just the cheap borg 1/2" ply I use for my record crates.

I'm running a test on gray scale versus jarvis versus dither right now.
 
My first impression was that grayscale showed better because it's darker. But, I can see that Jarvis shows more detail, so it gets the vote.

I tried grayscale and dither on a photograph with a lot of delicate shading and decided grayscale will work best. Based on your test, I'll have to give Jarvis a try.
 
Could be the cheap ply too. I'm not quite ready to give up on gray scale, but the jarvis is a bit easier to work with I think. If I slow that down a bit i think the jarvis will look even better.
 
Yep,

I used the grayscale, jarvis, and basic 'dither' from the lightburn settings.

The farthest left one is one of the first ones I burned with the Ebay 6w using gray scale.

The one in the middle is when that laser started to fade.

The one on the right I just did tonight with the 2.8w Jtech using the Jarvis Dither.

It'll do. I might try experimenting with the grayscale some more with the 2.8w, but I might have to go a bit slower I think.



Crates.jpg
 
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