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Thread: 80W RayFine - just dropped half power

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2016
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    San Rafael, CA
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    80W RayFine - just dropped half power

    Hi there - Its been a little while since I've commented on anything as I mostly lurk in the shadows and read and read and read....and I really still have so much to learn its tough to feel like I can add more value than so many of you - but I wanted to thank those of you that do comment since I have learned so much from so many of you. Thank you.

    The problem that I've run in to is with my 80-watt Ray Fine 1390 that I imported from Blanca last November. Aside from the normal growing pains and adjustments that go with a Chinese import things had been going fairly well until today when I was a third of the way through a cut file with 3 rows of text that I was cutting out of 1/8" baltic birch. Things seemed to be going ok - but when I went to pull the cuttings out of the machine only the top row had cut through - and the bottom two rows were not even close to cutting through. I know that most will think its an alignment issue (trust me i checked) - - but I am dead center on all planes - - I spent a long long time getting there - and i rechecked and its all still pretty perfect.

    When I went to run further tests i noticed that my Ma reading at 60% power was only registering 8-10 Ma on my machine - which is about half of what I normally would see. When i went into the software and upped the power via RDWorks to 100% - the Ma reading only went up to 12 Ma....well below the 32 that I should be seeing at 100% power.

    I went into the Vendor settings and checked to make sure the Min and Max were set at 1 and 99%. and they were.

    I also puled out the Multimeter to make sure that 220v were still making it to the power supply and they were (line conditioned and steady at 222v)

    What could be causing this?

    I am at a total loss. What do you guys think?

    I've emailed Blanca as well and will update this thread with her thoughts when I get them.

    Thank you in advance.
    Ryan
    1390 80-Watt RayFine CO2 laser with RDWorks

  2. #2
    Sounds like you have a dead tube and/or PSU.

    By the way, easy check to diagnose possible beam clipping issues where you lose lots of power- right after a reasonably long job runs, touch all metal parts to see if they're warm. Often if you're clipping a beam on a mirror or your air cone it'll heat up quite a bit (though not always).

  3. #3
    It is likely a power supply, in my opinion.

  4. #4
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    May 2016
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    Bert and Matt - Thank you for your replies - I agree I think its either the PSU or the Tube. What surprised me was just how fast it went from 'normal' operation to being pretty much dead....I thought for the tube at least the power loss was somewhat gradual....maybe I'm mistaken on that.

    For a test - this morning I swapped in the original PSU (which was replaced under warranty since it had intermittent operating issues ie. sometimes worked fine...sometimes didn't work at all) and when I wired it in and used its "test" button I was still only getting up to 12-14Ma on the meter. Makes me think that the issue must be with the Tube....right?

    Anyhow - I've heard back from RayFine and they think that its the PSU and they are sending me a new one and would like me to return the one that is in the machine now. If the new PSU does not solve the problem she mentioned potentially replacing the tube under warranty with EFR. Sounds like I'm going to be down for a while.

    If anyone else has any thoughts or suggestions/questions I'd appreciate any/all help.

    Cheers!

    Ryan
    1390 80-Watt RayFine CO2 laser with RDWorks

  5. #5
    Check the HT line, the chinese high tension lines are pretty poor quality and can *leak*
    You did what !

  6. #6
    I don't know much about your machine as I've only used Galvo Fiber Laser. The only thing I could say is that Ray Fine still support your machine. I bought 1 from a Chinese company and they stopped supporting or providing warranty after 1 month. I'm ordering my next machine with Ray Fine!!!

  7. #7
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    May 2016
    Location
    San Rafael, CA
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    Dave -

    Thanks for the reply - when you say to check the high tension lines for 'leaks' - - would you be able to provide a bit more direction?

    Are you suggesting that there could possibly be a 'leak' or discharge of power leaving the power supply on its way to the terminal on the laser tube? How might one test for this or find the leak? I have basic understandings of wiring and laser systems - but I've always tried to steer clear of the HT line side of things.

    Thanks again,
    Ryan
    1390 80-Watt RayFine CO2 laser with RDWorks

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
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    Ryan, Dave is in the UK but he will be back. Turn off the power and let it set for perhaps an hour or longer, remove the cover on the tube and the HV lead is the heavy red lead. Looks kind of like a spark plug wire. Examine it and the route it takes back to the power supply. Look for black or sooty marks where it might be arcing to ground. Another way that is safe only if you keep your hands away is power it up with the covers removed, lower or turn off the lights and do a test run. Watch for the arcing and listen for the sounds. Turn off the power and wait again before touching anything.
    Last edited by Bill George; 04-12-2017 at 6:51 PM.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  9. #9
    You're welcome Ryan.

    How to test a power supply:

    http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...ade-CO2-Laser/

  10. #10
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    He already has a mA meter and it shows low.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill George View Post
    He already has a mA meter and it shows low.

    It shows low with the tube hooked up there could be a problem with the tube

  12. #12
    Bill covered the HT line stuff really well Ryan

    On the tube, it's possible but the mode of failure for a DC tube is usually slow decline or instant failure, it's rare to see them lose power half way through a cut in the way Ryan is talking about even in the event of heat buildup. I'm wondering if the signal wire is providing the correct voltage.....0-5v

    humm just on the off chance Ryan, check the screen to make sure the laser maximum power hasn't been set to 50% or such like, it's unlikely halfway through a cut but possible I guess.
    You did what !

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill George View Post
    He already has a mA meter and it shows low.
    That Instructable also has some safety tips and best practices that might help isolate and test the PS.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    It shows low with the tube hooked up there could be a problem with the tube
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Sheldrake View Post
    ...the mode of failure for a DC tube is usually slow decline or instant failure, it's rare to see them lose power half way through a cut...
    Good info Dave. This is is my understanding too and why I guessed PS.

  14. #14
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    Dave -

    I have some instructions via RayFine and their PSU supplier to check the voltage on the signal wire...I will be doing that tonight when I get home from work. The two things that they want me to check for are:
    1. connect 5v and IN on laser power supply and then press the test button and check the MA reading
    2. check the voltage between GND and TL - at 100% power it should be reading 5v at 70% power it should be reading 3v (or a little more)

    I'll run these tests tonight and see what the readings are.

    Thanks again to everyone on the site for their help and suggestions.

    I inspected the HT line and didn't see any black spots or any signs of arcing....so maybe it is the signal wire.

    Also - first thing I checked was the Max Power setting - wondering if maybe I had 'clocked' the machine on accident....I checked at the controller and also in the Vendor settings. neither were an issue (even though I hoped it was just that simple!)

    Cheers
    Ryan
    1390 80-Watt RayFine CO2 laser with RDWorks

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Iowa USA
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    Ryan as I recall this is your second PS, if not ignore. But check carefully for a loose connection as screw terminals or pinched wire going to that PS, it could very well be that.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

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