Recommendations for RDLC320-A Laser Controller Upgrade

[Steve Van Kley]

Hi All,

I have an SH-G350 60W laser and want to upgrade the controller to something better/newer. I've looked at the Mach 3 and others.

I currently have an RDLC320-A controller and was wondering if anyone had any experience/thoughts on what to replace it with.

The primary reason I want to upgrade is for a more reliable operator interface and better software.

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Steve

[Dave Sheldrake]

On a G350? to be honest...no...not much point.

It's like spannering a Ferrari engine into a Ford Focus

[Bill George]

Mach 3 wrong application . Look at LightObject dot com for some ideas.

[Steve Van Kley]

On a G350? to be honest...no...not much point.

It's like spannering a Ferrari engine into a Ford Focus

Ya, but after all they're just stepper motors and was I thinking I could possibly get better resolution out of them with a better controller.

[Steve Van Kley]

Thanks Bill - I'll check them out.

[Scott Shepherd]

I don't know if you can raster with Mach 3 or not. Seems like it's vector only. I've only played with it a little, so I might be wrong.

[Bill George]

I don't know if you can raster with Mach 3 or not. Seems like it's vector only. I've only played with it a little, so I might be wrong.

Mach 3 works great for just about any CNC, except a laser. Does not do Rastering as you said.

[Jeff Body]

My SH-350 came with the RDC6442 controler
Is an RDC6442 controller better then what you have? It uses the RDworks laser program.

[Rich Harman]

Ya, but after all they're just stepper motors and was I thinking I could possibly get better resolution out of them with a better controller.

Changing the controller will not get better resolution from your steppers. If your machine is like mine then you will have a separate driver for each stepper. All the driver does is take in the step/dir signals from the controller and move the stepper accordingly. The drivers are micro-stepping with dip switches that determine how finely it divides the full steps of the motor. If you adjust the driver then you need to also change the software settings so that the controller knows to send more pulses to the driver to get the same amount of movement.

It is unlikely that you will improve your resolution by changing the controller or adjusting the drivers - those are not the limiting factors.

[Rich Harman]

The primary reason I want to upgrade is for a more reliable operator interface and better software.

In what way is it unreliable?

As for software, I primarily use Corel Draw for creating. I mostly use the LaserWorks software to assign colors/power/speed and arrange the parts for efficient cutting. Mach 3 would come nowhere close to being able to run the laser as well.

[Kev Williams]

On a G350? to be honest...no...not much point.

It's like spannering a Ferrari engine into a Ford Focus

--so-- what's wrong with that?