Advice for buying AWC608 Controller - Lightobjects concerns

[RexJaguarius]

Hello everyone,

I have a AIP laser which is a several year old re-branded chinese k40 style laser. A local company clearly bought these laser and slightly upgraded them. Since I have had the laser I have added air-assist, proper mounted quick connects for the water pump, outlets for the exhaust system, adjustable tube mounts, and more. This moshidraw (v6) laser will not cut anything other than paper, but it is engraving quite well.

I am on the verge of spending the $500 + to get everything I need to switch to the DSP, but I have some serious concerns I hoped people on the forum might help with. The purchasing page for the AWC608 has a link to a manual for the PREVIOUS dsp sold by lightobjects, and nothing for the current one. I would really like to see the diagrams and specs, for instance my y-axis stepper motor slips at even medium speeds and it appears to be the shaft of the motor itself that slips, not the gear. What mmore powerful nema 17 motor would I buy to replace the existing 1.2a motor, compatible with the lightobjects dsp? Or is this simply a function of what stepper driver I use?

Also, there is a link to a youtube video on the ACW608 page that does not exist when clicked. I have already made a small order to lightobjects and had no problems with it, but I must say that I am very disturbed by the idea of buying such an expensive piece of equipment from a site with no instructions and broken links. I've also seen that people have had to request the software on the forums because it is not included and there is no clear instruction as to how to get it. It seems obvious that this package of gear will be a useless pile of electronics without software.

Can anyone share their experience with the actual installation, setup and usage of ACW608? For instance my laser has an old power supply, certainly not pwm but possibly analogue. The connections terminals are labelled "24v gnd k k w blank k". Since I can't access any documentation on this dsp, I have no idea whether I'd need to spend the additional money to replace the power supply or if I can use the existing one for now. Also it seems others sell this DSP, but I have seen reference that the firmware is custom for the lightobjects buyers?

I have read some of the posts in this forum, but that really can't replace the information usually found in documentation or a wiki. In regards to the software Lasercad - is it good? What are the capabilities? I really wanted gray-scale engraving because moshidraw (as terrible as it is) already does halftone. Although there is information in this forum, it's impossible to say what the most up to date feature list is.

Typically I would immediately dismiss the plausibility of ordering from a site with broken links and missing information, except that others seem to have had good experiences with lightobjects. Any information that could set my mind at ease would be appreciated. I would really hate to end up with a laser crammed full of new electronics that could become as relatively useless as the moshidraw electronics. Please don't take this request as negative, I simply like to do my research and I am finding that the information is not available.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[todmaerin]

Rex,

Your questions will be better answered by Marco, but I'll take a stab at answering them.

I have had no problems with Lightobject since I started investing in this laser project. Everything I've ordered has shipped promptly, arrives packed very well, and has arrived exactly as described. Phone and technical support have been outstandingly patient with me as I've bumbled my way through my own upgrade. My only problem is that I didn't listen to Marco's advice, and sure enough, sooner or later, his predictions have come true. Sure, I'm only one testament to Marco's operation; poke around the boards and you'll find the feedback is overwhelmingly positive.

Firstly, buy the DSP kit for $580. I chose to piecemeal my upgrade and wound up getting nearly everything in the kit anyway. As far as I know, the AWC608's that Marco has are the 2012 DSP, and at least board version 7. Lightobject will provide you with all of the software you need, plus wiring diagrams and a step-by-step PDF to perform the upgrade. While you're at it, consider picking up spare or replacement mirrors and a decent lens.

Secondly, I'd advise you to buy a new laser PSU anyway. It's another $205, but it's a stable and clean PWM power supply and will enable you to do proper rasterized engraving and grayscale. The stock PSU's are, now that I'm discovering, complete garbage.

For your upgrade, you'll want to have fresh wire (I used 22 guage for fine wiring and 16 guage for power links), electrical tape, a multimeter, and the reading materials Marco will provide. Go through the guide once without removing things to get your bearings. If you're keeping your stock PSU, the wiring isn't 1:1, but it isn't difficult to figure out. If you have trouble, ask on the boards here ensuring that you include your PSU's pinout labels.

MAKE SURE EACH COMPONENT IS PROPERLY GROUNDED.

Regarding Lasercad, it gets the job done. It's a decent enough interface for job preparation and as an interface to the laser. I wouldn't try to design anything complex in it though; it's pretty primitive for vector manipulation and rather finicky. I personally use Corel X6, export my cdr's to .plt, and import them into Lasercad from there. It's not the only way to do it, but it works for me.

I'm much happier with the performance of the upgraded laser. All totaled, I've only invested 15% of what an Epilog 16 would run me for very similar performance.

-Tod

[RexJaguarius]

Thanks for your reply Tod. Your review is very positive which is great. I guess the impression I am getting is that although the links to documentation and diagrams do not work, they are provided with support from the team here once you purchase the kit?

As far as upgrading the power supply, I am just trying to avoid spending that other $205 right away although I intend to get a better supply eventually.

I guess if the conversion of autocad/corel seamlessly works in lasercad, I won't be too worried about the software itself. Corel is fine for me.

I'm still wondering if anyone has information about gray-scale rastering?

[todmaerin]

Rex,

The tutorial that Marco provides is for one general use case-- the K40's that he upgrades from his supplier. There are quite a few factories that supply clones, and each one can be nominally different in appearance while being greatly divergent in components and quality. It really is a crapshoot with these cheap things. Think of the tutorial as a means to find the way ahead; it helps you move in the right direction. IF you hit an obstacle, you've got the forums and Marco to turn to for help in getting around it.

There's only one error in the wiring diagram that I found: it doesn't reflect the power run you need to make from the DC24V power supply to the X-stepper driver. Other than that, it was spot-on to the end state wiring of the machine.

Also, to be able to do grayscale engraving, you need a proper PWM (pulse width modulation) laser power supply. While my stock Laser PSU claimed to be capable, the real test came from attempting to engrave a rasterized portrait. The end result was that everything that was gray was treated as black. I was going to put the purchase of the power supply off til next month, because I could wait for grayscale engraving, but my machine has developed a sudden grounding problem (evidenced by the flashing of the control panel to "waiting..." every so often.) I've checked all of the grounds and verified that they're good; this must be a leaky PSU.

While it can be tolerated, I don't really want to stress this tube any more than I have to, so the PSU is getting replaced.

Did I mention that you need to make sure everything is properly grounded?

-Tod

[spektrum]

Last week I placed my order for the upgrade kit, and it arrived 6 days latter at my place in Australia. The box was very well packed. All of the components look great. As yet I have not yet had the time to install the upgrade kit, so I can tell you about the performance. The software link was sent to my email along with user manual and wiring diagrams.

[RexJaguarius]

Rex,

The tutorial that Marco provides is for one general use case-- the K40's that he upgrades from his supplier. There are quite a few factories that supply clones, and each one can be nominally different in appearance while being greatly divergent in components and quality. It really is a crapshoot with these cheap things. Think of the tutorial as a means to find the way ahead; it helps you move in the right direction. IF you hit an obstacle, you've got the forums and Marco to turn to for help in getting around it.

I realize that, I have made vast strides redesigning the hardware in the month or so I've had the laser. I've pretty much torn it all down and rebuilt it mechanically, and I'm good with electronics so I am confident in my ability to use the tutorial wisely. I definitely expect hickups. when I installed the laser assist head from Lightobjects in my 'clone' for instance the entry hole in the top of the assembly for the laser was a tiny bit higher than the old one, and that necessitated making adjustable laser mounts and changing the position and adjustment all of the mirrors. Ouch.

Did I mention that you need to make sure everything is properly grounded? -Tod

You did. Enough so that I have heard you and will make sure I'll take your advice on the power supply into account as well - expensive hobbies damnit! lol

[RexJaguarius]

Last week I placed my order for the upgrade kit, and it arrived 6 days latter at my place in Australia. The box was very well packed. All of the components look great. As yet I have not yet had the time to install the upgrade kit, so I can tell you about the performance. The software link was sent to my email along with user manual and wiring diagrams.

Thanks spektrum, I'm encouraged that sufficient documentation does exist, but I guess it's only available once you've purchased the dsp.

[spektrum]

I found that youtube had plenty of videos on this controller.

Last week I placed my order for the upgrade kit, and it arrived 6 days latter at my place in Australia. The box was very well packed. All of the components look great. As yet I have not yet had the time to install the upgrade kit, so I can tell you about the performance. The software link was sent to my email along with user manual and wiring diagrams.

Thanks spektrum, I'm encouraged that sufficient documentation does exist, but I guess it's only available once you've purchased the dsp.

[rushmore1305]

if you go to the page where its K40 machine in this forum you can find my build log, i would say don't even think about it and go for it, the DSP is by far the best investment you will ever make, the guide that is emailed to you when you complete your purchase is very very easy to understand and follow, granted i had some stumbles along the way but strictly because i did not follow the guide all the way, and even then, this FORUM stepped up and helped me resolve the issue in no time, almost every single question i had asked had been answered with in the 12 hour period, which is unheard of from any other company, Marco has great knowledge and understanding how to run a business, i would and do fully support this company