LaserUser.com Forum (formerly RDWorksLab)

Like the title time to look at getting some better control over my small Laser in particular for engraving. The stock Nano M2 board works really well when teamed with Inkscape and K40 Whisperer compared with the more or less abandoned and useless LaserDRW.

The board I settled on is a 5 channel Chinese version of the open source one normally available here http://smoothieware.org/getting-smoothieboard in the case of Oz we don't have a local seller and some of the others had no stock. So off to Evilbay Link for a board to have a look at. For those of you without the up to $50 USD postage deal in my case buy from who you feel appropriate.

I had no definite plans for the board when I ordered it but I have three 3D printers and a small CNC router plus the Laser that are worthy candidates for an upgrade as a plaything. I decided to have a glance at Lightburn and see if it would speak to the board for a start so I downloaded the trial version and installed the Smoothieboard drivers and seems they like each other.

So over the next few weeks/month depending on life the plan is to swap the controller in my Laser over to the Smoothieboard. Nothing more for now but it's going to be a work in progress with details as it gets played with.

Some links and nuts and bolts reading on the process moving forward http://smoothieware.org/laser-cutter-guide

After some playing on the bench and some tests everything looks like it will talk to each other so sort of moving forward with it just slowly due to other commitments.

As part of upgrading my current main PC I have shuffled some bits around and made available one of my Mini ITX W10 pc's. These are 32Gb of storage (plus sdcard if needed) tiny and fanless and more than up to the job of running a Laser board. What it will give me is a WiFi enabled Laser just needing a Keyboard (wifi) and Monitor plugged in. Likely the monitor will go on an Arm of some sort attached to the Laser body too keeping the footprint minimal. To keep as much stray electrical noise away from both the PC and Smoothieboard they will both finish up in a separate enclosure (I brought 10 really really cheap) as shown with both boards stacked and an appropriate cooling fan fitted near the driver IC's.

There is plenty of room to mount the PC in it's current enclosure but I like the idea of keeping it with a metallic RF shield around it instead of just plastic or nothing in the case of my current controller which is in the open bolted to the front wall.

In between reroofing my Shack over the last week in between the Winter Rain and Wind also building a new PC for 4K video rendering off my Drones and CAD work project has stalled totally. Both jobs done and dusted now.

Playing with my little Intel Atom and Smoothie board beside the new rig maybe I can use the 3.5" drive bay holders from the case after all in the Laser job Loving the NVMe drives on the new toy.

Tim, you are a busy and ambitious young[?] man. I remember those days 30 or 40 or 50 years ago.

At just over 50, deluded to think I am up to re roofing more than ambitious - Ouch Back to stuff tomorrow to recover.

If you need any help with the smoothie board or laser in the future, check out the Makersforum.

https://forum.makerforums.info/

Larry Gonshak wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2019 If you need any help with the smoothie board or laser in the future, check out the Makersforum.

https://forum.makerforums.info/

This little corner of the world suits me fine and suggesting members post elsewhere for guidance instead of here isn't helpful to this forum at all.

Tim Mellor wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2019 This little corner of the world suits me fine and suggesting members post elsewhere for guidance instead of here isn't helpful to this forum at all.

Hey Mate, I did not intend to insult you. This site is 99% Ruida controller users that use RDWorks.
The site I referenced is 99% K40 style Chinese Laser and smoothie users. In fact the inventor of the Smoothie board, Arthur Wolf, also has a strong presence there too.
I have also recommended the site to Gene and he was very cordial about checking it out.
I have found valuable information on dozens of other forums that reference other forums.
I am sorry that I tried to be of assistance and hopefully expand your knowledge base.

Good Day!

No insult was taken but suggesting content from this Laser Forum belongs elsewhere FIRST does nothing to help this Forum. Forums come and go and content governs this fact.

As an EE I can more than hold my own when it comes to electrical and electronics and this project might just help someone out who is sick and tired of RDWorks and Ruida or has a blown controller. If people gain from it great and if not then they have no need to read it.