VLS 6.60 Connection lost while engraving

[Tom Moore I]

My Universal Laser VLS 6.60 is about 5 years old and just recently when engraving at different times the machine stops and on the computer screen a window appears saying Connection Lost. Sometimes it will do this repeatedly other times it works fine. The unit has not been used that much and I am still a novice at this. I have tried changing the printer cable, seperating power supplies to the laser, computer, blower and air compressor and still it happens. It seems to happen most when I turn on either the blower or compressor while the laser is running. Is there a possibility that the printer cable is picking up interference from either the blower or compressor? The cables are in close proximity to each other. Any ideas? Thanks Tom Moore

[Mike Null]

Tom

Welcome to SMC. I used to have similar problems when I was running a ULS several years back. Mine was generally cable issues which I usually corrected by reconnecting the cables. I think in your case I would uninstall the laser drivers and reinstall them reconnecting the cables at the same time.

Before you do that call ULS and get their driver updates.

I always kept my laser on its own circuit but I doubt if the other machines are your issue.

[Ross Moshinsky]

Universal and Trotec lasers need a constant stream from the USB port. I tried a new, low power computer with ours and no matter what settings I had, the usb wouldn't keep the power. So my guess is your USB port is turning off. I put a much older PC on the it and it ran fine with no connection issues.

[Scott Shepherd]

I think there's a similar thread floating around the forum right now and you nailed the issue. It happens when the power spike from turning on the blower or compressor kicks in. That's the same problem that several others are reporting in that other thread, though it has not been confirmed. It's my understanding is that USB is an all or nothing communication protocol, meaning if one packet gets lost, it wipes the entire transmission out, where Serial is much more forgiving.

Are your blower and compressor on the same circuit? If so, I'd try to move them both to another circuit, try it again, and see if that resolves it. I believe they tell you to have a dedicated circuit for just the laser, and that's probably why.

[Richard Rumancik]

While moving the two motor loads to another breaker is a good idea, it might not be enough. When you said you "separated" the power supplies did you mean separate breakers?

I would suggest keeping some distance (at least 6") between the USB data cable and the noisy power cables. You could consider a shielded USB cable, maybe even one with ferrite chokes if you can find one (e.g. Tripplite.)

Check that the grounding of all circuits is satisfactory.

Also, do you have any TVSS device (transient voltage surge suppressor) or SPD (surge protection device) on the computer and laser itself? You should have something, even if it is only $50 "surge suppressor" power strips. Ideally you have a suppressor on the breaker panel and a second device on your computer & laser system. The pricing is all over the map, you can find a $100 TVSS or a $1000+ TVSS. Maybe talk to an electrician (who has experience in this type of thing), or perhaps your electrical utility has a staff engineer that could give you some advice.

You can often get good deals on eBay but first you need to figure out what is suitable for your situation.

[Tom Moore I]

My Universal Laser VLS 6.60 is about 5 years old and just recently when engraving at different times the machine stops and on the computer screen a window appears saying Connection Lost. Sometimes it will do this repeatedly other times it works fine. The unit has not been used that much and I am still a novice at this. I have tried changing the printer cable, seperating power supplies to the laser, computer, blower and air compressor and still it happens. It seems to happen most when I turn on either the blower or compressor while the laser is running. Is there a possibility that the printer cable is picking up interference from either the blower or compressor? The cables are in close proximity to each other. Any ideas? Thanks Tom Moore

Hello I got it contact with ULS he said to try a new cable and a powered USB hub. Also I have the laser on 1 circuit and the rest on another but the cables are close to each other. I will try these and let you know. Thanks Tom

[Brian Leavitt]

Length of USB cables can be an issue as well. I have to use USB repeater cables on both of my ULS machines or communication can be spotty at times.

[John Volkmar]

One other thing to check is that you have turned off USB Suspend setting in the Advanced Power Options menu. This can cause this issue as well.