XB-1060 laser engraver purchase - disapointing so far...

[David Somers]

Scott, Bert is right. When I referred to an extra tube in my list I was referring to a lens tube, not the laser tube. Lens tube is only about $30. The reason I got it was so when I go to switch lenses I dont have to pull off the one lens tube and dissemble it and put the other in place. I just swap tubes which are ready to go with the appropriate lens already in, clean, and ready to rumble. Worth it? For $30 why not.

[Scott Cowell]

An extra lens tube makes sense, just as you explained. - I had noticed that tubes cost as much to ship as to purchase, but I had not considered the warranty issue. The tube should last a while as advertised, and I don't intend to overdrive it at all. That just saved me some money. -

Has anybody done any modifications that they are proud of or found useful? I intend on adding an ammeter if not already installed. I have some LED strip lighting sitting on the shelf that may go nicely inside the cabinet. Maybe a digital thermometer on the in and outflow of the water circuit for curiosity sake. Maybe a beer holder. I would hate to spill my beer on my laser .

[Dave Stevens-Vegas]

I wouldn't buy a spare tube right away either. My FSL had a 90 day on the tube, period. There was a 1 year limited on all non consumables. You can get them quick, a few days from Shanghai or Shenzhen once they get them to the freight forwarder.

I wouldn't get a spare honeycomb either. We've cut several thousand square feet of melamine over the last couple of years. The melted melamine can clog the honeycomb. I clean it with Crudthug rotary wire wheel and MEK. The honeycomb is something that you can also get pretty easily.

[David Somers]

Scott,

I added an Ammeter to mine. Cheap and more convenient than using a multimeter.
I also added LED lighting inside my case. There was a Flourescent in there that was adequate, but I like much brighter lighting so I added a strip on the front of the inside of the lid, and also 2 shorter strips along the sides of the lid. Like everything I do, overkill. But it keeps me off the streets!
I wouldnt buy a spare honeycomb either. I clean mine....gawd help me, with "LA's Totally Awesome All purpose Concentrated Cleaner" AS SEEN ON TV!!!! Yes indeed. Didnt come with Ginzu knives though. Sigh. A mechanic friend suggested it as being reasonably safe to use and effective. I go it from the Dollar Tree store near me. I think any of the Dollar store clones carry it. I run it through a power sprayer and stuff melts off the steel honeycomb. Or a simple round bottle brush would work fine too.
If you get a CW5000 chiller you wont need a thermometer. It has one built in. I think a CW3000 (which is not an active chiller BTW) does as well though I am not sure.

My Honeycomb sat free on the top of the table frame. That drove me nuts. First the honeycomb was not square. And it was too easily jostled. Mine is a steel honeycomb which is nice because I can use Magnets to hold things down BTW.
So...I took the time to remove the honeycomb and put in the aluminum knife edge slats that are the alternate table. I worked my way around the whole table making sure that each aluminum slat was the same distance from the gantry so that the plane of the knife edge was parallel to the plane of the lens on the gantry. Once I confirmed it was spot on I loktited the adjusting screws for the slats so they couldnt wander with vibration. Then I put the honeycomb on top of that, got it as square to the XY axis as I could given the honeycomb was a bit cattywumpus itself, and drilled holes in each side of the honeycomb frame that went down into the table frame itself. I threaded the holes in the table frame so I could basically bolt the honeycomb into frame. Now it can't wander about and I had a fixed surface to work with but it was easily removable and also easily put back on exactly where it came from.

Then I found some inexpensive stainless steel rulers (any thin metal straight edge would work....these were cheap and neat looking) and I attached them to the honeycomb on the rear edge and on both side edges so they were in line with the X and Y axis of the laser. Now I had two corners that were known locations that were in my laser as fixed origin points, and I had edge guides that were squared to the gantry so now my anal retentive needs were pretty much satisfied.

I mentioned magnets I use with my steel honeycomb? I use some N52 rectangular magnets sized 1/2" x 1/2 x 1" long. Those have something like 38 lbs of force to them and easily hold sheet stock like veneer and ply down on the bed, even when it is warped. I got them from KJMagnetics.com. Part number BX088-N52. thin heavy bars of some sort will also work fine. But I like the firm hold of the magnets. These are thin enough that they are easily cleared by my 50mm lens. I have a slug of magnets I use for all kinds of purposes so this was a natural for me. BTW. I think you mentioned you are a Dad? I also assume you have pets? If you use nedymium magnets keep them under your control. They are very dangerous if swallowed by little kids or pets. A pair of them swallowed separately can end up near enough in the intestine that they snap together, even through the walls of adjacent parts of the intestine. If that happens you can develop gangrene due to tissue dieing under the pressure, or many other types of gastric problems. It is difficult for a Dr to diagnose, and likely only fixable through invasive surgery. Not good. They also tend to snap together vary forcefully and can fracture, causing injuries, or damage tissue if little fingers get caught between two snappy magnets. They are wonderful tools, but take care with them. (OK....off the safety soapbox!!! <grin>)

Another change I made was to move and replace my table motor's toggle switch. It was located low and on the right edge of the laser case towards the front. It was OK, but awkward to use and still be able to see what the table was using. The switch was a 3 position toggle with fixed positions. If your hand slipped off the switch it kept running in whatever direction it was going. I moved that to the front face of the lasers case and up higher where it was easy to use and see what the table was doing. And I replaced the switch with a spring loaded 3 position toggle so it returns to the center/off position if you release it. That has been a small but very nice change.

The next thing I might do is follow someone else's lead and add a little Raspberry Pi run camera to the laser, mounted under the table. That way I can see flames developing under there when cutting. Scott Shepherd was the one who first wrote about this on the forum. He has a large production shop and has had a few lasers toasted due to inattention on the part of his staff. Also due to an inability to see flames under the table develop until they were severe enough to be difficult to deal with and require an extinguisher instead of just a water spritzer. A current Raspberry Pi is only about $60. An HDMI camera for it is not much more. And a used HDMI monitor/TV from Craig's list or some other source would also be relatively little but give you constant monitoring of the underside of the laser. I haven't done this yet, but it is on my list for serious pondering.

Hope that helps!! A beer holder huh?? Hmmmmmm!

Dave

[Bill Carruthers]

Has anybody done any modifications that they are proud of or found useful? I intend on adding an ammeter if not already installed. I have some LED strip lighting sitting on the shelf that may go nicely inside the cabinet. Maybe a digital thermometer on the in and outflow of the water circuit for curiosity sake. Maybe a beer holder. I would hate to spill my beer on my laser .[/QUOTE]
Hi Scott - Like David and I imagine quite a few others, I added LED lighting - but rather than mount it on the lid or elsewhere I stuck it to the bottom of the gantry rail where it brilliantly illuminates whatever I am actually working on - I intend to wire it in more properly (eventually) but for now it works just having a 12 volt supply with the feed wire running in the gap between the frame and the honeycomb table.
.LEDOff.JPGLEDOn.JPGTempWire.JPG

[David Somers]

That is a nice idea Bill. I do like having the better overall lighting in the entire cutting area, but I might look at adding a strip like you did.

Thanks for the idea!!!

[Scott Cowell]

We all need to get off our soapbox once in a while, but never be hesitant to get on it.

I should clarify that my intention is to get a blade table and a honeycomb platform, not really a spare honeycomb. If one or the other, it will be the blade table to support the weight of whatever project I may be working on. Whether the honeycomb sits on top of this or in place of it when needed probably won't make much difference to me. I imagine most hobby users tend to figure out which they prefer and use that one most, but I do want the option. I figure I could cobble an equivalent of either of these if I had to, but some Chinese engineer has already designed and tested one that will fit my future machine, so I might as well have them throw that in the crate as well.

Magnets? I love magnets. I love neodymium magnets. And, yes, lots of care and precaution is warranted; especially with children and pets about. - I have had even the little ones smack and fracture. Good call on the warnings.

As for the LED strip lights: I had also thought about the bottom of the gantry rail as Bill did, after all, that's where all the action is (hopefully). Actual placement will be decided after the behemoth arrives. Yes, add lots. I know the machine can cut with my eyes closed, but If I am watching my laser and not the 42" flatscreen electronic pacifier it should be well lit. - I mean, it is for safety sake, of course. - As for cameras inside the box: I have seen a couple of examples including one motion-sickness-inducing example apparently stuck to the gantry/lens assembly. I have an off-brand "No-Pro" camera that I have strapped to a little one while at the Fair (loads of fun to see the Fair and rides from their point of view) that I would not mind leaving inside, and a few USB webcams sitting around. - I will have to look up Raspberry Pi project. I have wanted to start playing with Arduino type electronic projects. At this point I am still oldschool when it comes to electronic gizmos, using 555 timer circuits, micro relays and such. But I was a programmer back in the day, so I really should step up.

I think I also would have replaced the Z-axis toggle to a momentary, self-centering switch. A no-brainer modification.

I have seen many videos with red-dot pointers hitting WAY off the actual laser contact point, including on MANY manufacturers product videos. (Sidebar: Isn't it amazing how many laser manufacturers have poor quality, 240p, shaky, dark, out of focus, one-handed cel phone videos - taken of a project piece that does not cut all the way through, with the smoke extraction off, red-dot pointer 1 1/2" away from the contact point, etc, etc?) In my head I have figured out how to solve this on the cheap. If it works I will certainly share it. If it doesn't I will either keep trying, give up and hope that nobody remembers I said anything, or share my follies and failures for a laugh. - I figure the in-line, beam combining lens route is probably best, but that just adds another beam path to align, and a potential (though likely small) power drop in the laser as it travels through another piece of refractory glass. - All of that means that I won't pay much extra for a red-dot pointer if it is not already included. If it is cheap but not included I can have them add this and later hijack the already laid wires and circuit.

And what is wrong with a beer holder? I know, I know: Don't drink and engrave. I have heard it since I was a kid. School assemblies and all that jazz. - Oh, wait... That was DRIVING. Never mind. What is wrong with a beer holder? The Pacific Northwest is full of hand-crafted liquid encouragement. How many great stories start with, "So, my buddy and I were sitting around drinking iced tea..."? Heck, I might just stick the beer holder onto the chassis with neodymium magnets. This would make any necessary repositioning my malted adult beverage more convenient whist maintaining the safety and security of the laser and beverage.

Speaking of safety: I already have at least six portable fire extinguishers strategically located around the home including at the top and the bottom of the basement stairwell, but I will conveniently locate one next to the laser once it arrives. One of the above posts mentioned a water spritzer (micro extinguisher!) and that sounds like an easy add-on. But, what do you guys use for actual extinguishers? I know we all hope to never use them, but we have got to have them close by. I remember when the Halon fire extinguishers hit the market years ago. Heavier than air gas with no real mess or residue. This sounds best to me, if they are still readily available. I haven't seen them in the hardware stores but I see that you can order Halotron extinguishers online. Just thinking: Old type A extinguishers that spray liquid + 20 kilovolt machinery=BAD. Drychem extinguishers that blast out clouds of dust vs. optics and precision moving parts=BAD. CO2 extinguishers can cause quite a cooling effect on the fire as well as the equipment; danger of cracking sensitive parts and pieces. Still less cleanup and danger than the fire itself. So, of the readily available types of extinguishers I lean toward the CO2 extinguishers, but what about halon? Anybody using that? And of course, even the dry-chem extinguisher will leave less of a mess and cleanup than A LASER ENGRAVER ON FIRE. - And I figure the best safety plan is to pay attention to what I put in the laser to begin with, and for God's sake, stick around and monitor the darn thing.

Again, thanks for all the input, advice and opinions. I am starting to shop my wish-list and specs to vendors. Lucky for me my wish-list actually looks a lot like some of the ready made machine packages with a few extra pieces thrown in the crate.

Scott.

[David Somers]

Evening Scott!!

Guess we are filling your head huh? Need aspirin yet? <grin>

You asked about fire extinguishers. I tend to stay away from Halon because of the cost, and also because of health issues with them if you breath it. Not deadly, but not highly recommended either. A CO2 extinguisher might serve you better. No residue or clean up. I found mine used at a Fire Extinquisher shop by calling around and saved a bundle. So far as the spritzer goes, that is actually what I use most. In fact, have never needed the CO2 unit at all so far (I am knocking frantically on wood having said that now.) A little water spritzer can knock out any flames from a cutting operation provided you have been watching the laser. If you walk away to pee or get more beer in the kitchen when you are cutting there is no telling how much of your machine will be left when you get back. A water spritzer and vigilance is the best bet. Ask Scott Shepherd. He has lots of tales and photos to share. (actually....he already shared them if you search the forum!)

Raspberry Pi in this case is pretty simple. Scott Shepherd has a thread on it and includes the only line of code you need to add to the unit to make use of the camera. Can't beat the resolution.

I may be wrong, but I think most folks who have tried to do inline red dots have not been happy with the power loss due to the setup. I can't remember who, but someone here had setup a unit with a red dot that dropped into the optical line for the laser so you could use it through the lens. THen it flipped back up out of the way. He built a little cutoff into it that kept the laser from firing if you accidentally left the LED in line when trying to run the laser. I will try to find that thread for you tomorrow. The basic red dot they provide is dirt cheap. No sense saying no to it. But you could look at ways to firm it up so it doesnt end up being wayyyyy off the mark all the time. Usually that is just cause of sloppy fit on the bracket that holds it. Once you work to resolve that they are pretty handy. Not necessary, but handy.

[Jerome Stanek]

My LG500 came with LEDs on the bottom of the gantry Really helps light up the work area

[Scott Cowell]

I had already run into a story of a laser fire when searching for importing stories. Some unfortunate poster (can't remember who) had his machine catch fire while he walked away. He posted a picture, and that picture has been my desktop wallpaper for about a week. It is a red and black cabinet with a little bit more black on the top than the manufacturer intended. Just for the reminder.

[Bill George]

I have lots of dry chemical extinguishers around but did you ever try to clean up after using one? That's why I bit the bullet and purchased a new CO2 one.

[John Noell]

FWLIW, I added a 2nd red dot pointer, at 90 degrees around the lens tube from the first. Just raise or lower the table until the two dots merge and you're in focus. Additionally, I do a lot of uneven surfaces and when I test 'frame' the engraving (which on Chinese machines means the gantry outlines a rectangle around where it is going to engrave/cut) one dot accurately shows the top and bottom of the rectangle and the other shows the sides. However, it would work better if one the dots was a different color.

[David Somers]

Scott,

Here is the link to Steve (scott) Sherpherds link about the raspberry pi camera.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...t=raspberry+Pi
The one line of code you need to run from its command prompt is shown about 2/3's down the thread.
A Rasbpberry Pi, current version, should run you in the $60's on Amazon, fully loaded.
An HD camera for it will run about the same if I remember right. Plus a cheap HDMI monitor, maybe a cable. That is it and you now have a camera you can put anywhere. Very sharp and clear.


Dave

[Dave Stevens-Vegas]

I should clarify that my intention is to get a blade table and a honeycomb platform, not really a spare honeycomb. If one or the other, it will be the blade table to support the weight of whatever project I may be working on.

Were I to choose one or the other I'd go with the honeycomb. If you are engraving only it won't make much of a difference but for cutting many apps work better with the honeycomb particularly smaller parts. Because you can't control the tool path on the low cost machines, and by this I mean manually intervene in the CAM and tell the machine to cut the inside before it cuts the outside, some parts may either fall between the slats or lean from flat and the remaining holes aren't cut correctly.

If you can swing it, get one of each. I've never had an issue with the honeycomb moving on any of the machines I've used.

I've had a couple of fires in my machine but I was able to blow one of them out or on the bigger one take the material out. At both the Techshop SF location and the Chandler location I've seen the results of fires that needed an extinguisher. In both cases the machines had to be stripped, clean and have some parts replaced. On the worst one on mine the LED strip on the gantry burned off. I did take the mirrors and lense out and clean them as well as the rails and inspect the belts and wiring. Depending on how and what's burning it's going to be a likely wood or the plastic you are cutting, which is a type A extinguisher (the material catches on fire first) and if it gets out of hand, the components of the machine, perhaps electrical components which are a type C, will go up. I have a couple of type ABC in the shop. That's what they have at Techshop as well.

[Bert Kemp]

2 Things Dave 1 never leave a machine while its cutting never! and 2 keep a spray bottle of water on top of the laser works way way better then blowing. Blowing just adds oxygen and in most cases will make the fire bigger

Were I to choose one or the other I'd go with the honeycomb. If you are engraving only it won't make much of a difference but for cutting many apps work better with the honeycomb particularly smaller parts. Because you can't control the tool path on the low cost machines, and by this I mean manually intervene in the CAM and tell the machine to cut the inside before it cuts the outside, some parts may either fall between the slats or lean from flat and the remaining holes aren't cut correctly.

If you can swing it, get one of each. I've never had an issue with the honeycomb moving on any of the machines I've used.

I've had a couple of fires in my machine but I was able to blow one of them out or on the bigger one take the material out. At both the Techshop SF location and the Chandler location I've seen the results of fires that needed an extinguisher. In both cases the machines had to be stripped, clean and have some parts replaced. On the worst one on mine the LED strip on the gantry burned off. I did take the mirrors and lense out and clean them as well as the rails and inspect the belts and wiring. Depending on how and what's burning it's going to be a likely wood or the plastic you are cutting, which is a type A extinguisher (the material catches on fire first) and if it gets out of hand, the components of the machine, perhaps electrical components which are a type C, will go up. I have a couple of type ABC in the shop. That's what they have at Techshop as well.