Explain controllers

[Adam Less]

Being a newbie, can someone explain replacing controllers to me? My new Weike laser arrives soon and I've read the default controller it comes with is pretty basic. I read a lot about replacing the controller with a better one. Is this easy to do? Is it relatively plug an play or are there complexities to it and what exactly can doing that improve? Ie. Does it allow you to use better software or software that will allow you to print from Corel? Just wondering if I should be preemptively considering that. Was looking at the LX-07 DSP for example.

[Dave Sheldrake]

The Lx is the AWC 708C (or 708C Plus) excellent controller, very future proof BUT designed for use with RF tubes originally so many of the features will be of little benefit.

That or the Ruida or Leetro is pretty much what you are stuck with. None of them give good greyscale results and most require dithering to get pictures out of them (think news print style)

No real point in changing the controller and can be a pain in the neck if it goes wrong

[Gene Uselman]

I have the LO- R5 dsp and it runs RDworks- I think that what you use is a truncated version of RDworks- that is why I went for the R5. That said... I think that Marco/tech has some input into what the program with LX and can ask for changes to be made. I originally had a Leetro controller with LaserCut and I preferred RDworks as it operates more like conventional vector graphics program with more control over the output to the laser.

[Clark Pace]

The Lx is the AWC 708C (or 708C Plus) excellent controller, very future proof BUT designed for use with RF tubes originally so many of the features will be of little benefit.

That or the Ruida or Leetro is pretty much what you are stuck with. None of them give good greyscale results and most require dithering to get pictures out of them (think news print style)

No real point in changing the controller and can be a pain in the neck if it goes wrong

Call me stupid. When I had my ULS machine I remember it doing grayscale using a dither to attain grey scale? Has it changed? How else would a picture to look like gray scale? I use mainly acrylic. My wood engraves using my Redsail look outstanding?

I guess the one way I can think it could be done is by varying the power? But there still would be limitations.