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Thread: Mercury Driver Ramp Problem

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Victor, NY
    Posts
    1,288

    Mercury Driver Ramp Problem

    Alan Young recently posted a problem regarding the loss of power in a LaserPro/Pinnacle Mercury laser when enabling the RAMP function during vector cutting.
    I am convinced that there is a problem with the firmware and/or driver and it can be verified doing the following simple test:

    I am using firmware 2-24 and driver 3.42. Make a Corel 12 drawing with the images shown below-not necessary to be exact, just 3 separate images.
    Set line width to hairline and make color your vector cut color. Set parameters to :
    Black & White mode
    Advance to Relative
    DPI to 300
    PPI to Auto
    Pen Color to P=30, S=100
    RAMP ON

    Send file to laser

    Put a piece of scrap material (cardboard, matboard, wood, etc.) in the laser and autofocus. Set laser head to start point. Run test.
    Output should be a very faint outline of the three images.

    With same settings, EXCEPT with RAMP OFF, send image to laser and run test.

    Output will be missing first image and last two will be burned at higher apparent power than first run. If you immediately run 2nd test again, all 3 images will be burned!

    I then ran the same tests with same settings except P=100, S=100 and got the same results , except first image (square) on 2nd test was very faintly burned while others were solid burns.

    Conclusions?:
    1. It is obvious that power output is much higher with RAMP OFF rather than ON.
    2. I get same results with previous firmware (2-20)-have not tried previous driver.
    3. I sense that RAMP is not fully effective unless power level is close to 100%. I cut a lot of wood, 1/4" and thicker, and have had mixed results in the past from using the RAMP function-not much better when cutting acrylic.
    4. I cannot explain the residual effect of RAMP on the 2nd test as this is a new file which should be independent of anything which happened previously-really weird.

    I would appreciate it if Jerry and Alan wouyld run the same test to verfiy my results-and anyone else with a Mercury.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Ames, Iowa
    Posts
    112

    On the money

    You posting is right on the money. I will replicate your test tonight and report back.

    Alan

  3. #3
    Confirmed:
    With ramp turned off, first (of three) object is faint the first time but cuts the second time.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Ames, Iowa
    Posts
    112

    Power loss Confirmed

    Test confirmed First time with Ramp on no power,

    Second time with Ramp off, First square no power, oval and round corner square cut ok.

    If any one else can duplicate please post

    Alan

  5. #5
    That is not what I got.
    First pass with ramp on all three objects cut fine.
    Second pass with ramp off it only scores the first object. Minor unevenness in second and third object cuts. Uncut first object score is slightly darker at corners (which is what ramp is for).
    Third pass ramp off everything cuts but edges show some minor uneveness.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Ames, Iowa
    Posts
    112

    Ramp explanation

    I have attached a PDF file that I received from the dealer. It is technical Bulletin From GCC about how the Ramp Function should work. I found it very usefull in understanding how it should work and when it should work. It fails to mention that it does not work

    Alan
    Attached Files Attached Files

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Victor, NY
    Posts
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    Ramp Problem

    Alan/Jerry;
    Jerry- I got exactly what Alan got-first run with ramp on cut was very faint.
    Second run with ramp off first object very faint-rest cut OK
    Third run, ramp off, all cut OK. Will run again to verify
    Alan-thanks for the bulletin.
    George

  8. #8
    Hey Guys,
    I have been watching this post. Normally we don't support Corel draw because we sale EngraveLab. That is why I have been participating up until now.
    Do we all remember the problem that Chuck Burke was having? Where it was engraving the right speed and power through Corel draw but it would through EngraveLab? Come to find out we had to change his line width from hairline to between .001 and .004 and turn color management off to make it work correctly.
    Since ramping is a function that controls speed to obtain a consistent cut while cutting one axis as well as two axis at once, maybe this is similar.

    Has anyone tried changing line width and turning color management off?

    Kevin
    Kevin W. Huffman II
    Pinnacle Laser

  9. #9
    I do not have a cutting problem on the first cut, ramp on. I do have color management turned off so maybe that has something to do with it.
    The only problem I can see is that when ramp is first turned off, the first object just scores and does not cut. The subsequent 2 objects cut fine although not as clean as with ramp on.
    On the next run with ramp still off the problem does not exist and all three objects cut just a little rougher than with ramp on.
    I tried this on Helix MicroCadam to rule out Corel Draw. So it is the driver or firmware.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Ames, Iowa
    Posts
    112

    Line Weights

    I have color management turned off and have not had any problems with the line weight. I ask my LaserPro Rep to contact the company and see if they could reproduce it as well. I will let you know what I hear back. I have not tried cutting anything from another application. I will see if I can do this.

    Alan

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Location
    Victor, NY
    Posts
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    Ramp Problem

    Hi Guys;
    Jerry- are you running your test at P=30, S=100?
    George

  12. #12
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    Location
    Victor, NY
    Posts
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    Ramp Problem

    Hi Kevin;
    Thanks for your input. Did you run the test as described on one of your machines using Engravelab or whatever you use?
    Thanks
    George

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Victor, NY
    Posts
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    Ramp Problem

    Hi Guys;
    I reran the entire test-same results as detailed in photo below. This is not a line weight or color issue. I will run same tests with Adobe Illustrator but am pretty well convinced this is a driver/firmware issue.
    George
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. #14
    Hey Guys/Gals,

    I got the same thing in EngraveLab. They all cut with ramp on and only 2 cut really deep with ramp off.

    Lets try this, lets change our speed to 10% and our power to 6%. It all engraves, with ramp on or ramp off. You can definately see the differance though, when ramping is off the corners and starting places are much darker. With Ramping on you can see where it accomidates for corners and such.

    Ramping is a cutting feature. Usually when you cut anything your speed is not going to be 100%. (unless you are cutting some notebook paper) Even then your speed has to be about 60% and power 100% (25W machine). For a 60W+ machine the speed would have to be 100% and adjust your power.

    Now I am not saying this isn't a flaw. I am going to send an email to the head tech over at GCC to see what his reply is. I should have a reply tomorrow.
    Kevin W. Huffman II
    Pinnacle Laser

  15. #15
    George,
    No. S30 P100. That's about what I use normally for this type of material, S25, P100. It will not cut at S100, P30 on my machine.
    Last edited by Jerry Allen; 03-01-2005 at 5:11 PM.

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