current status / todolist

before next laser day

  • vacuum dust out of rails and drive belts
  • belt tensioning
  • clean down the air assist slats and lens
  • soak and clean slats and tray
  • sort out the requisite damp cloth

next laser day

  • run speed/power/passes testing
    • test a grid around 1000/80/2 in 3mm pine, then 1500/75/3. (baseline 650/100/1, but there are faster ones that got almost through, so 1000 is probably not the max)
    • 6mm say a baseline might be 200/100/1, but 400-600/100/2 just gets charred and goes nowhere. start with the clean cut result from 3mm, 1.5x the passes and 0.7x the speed. grid it out from there.
    • figure out the fastest allowable single pass engraving without sacrificing quality.
    • there are links online to other test files.
  • do mog’s thing
  • make proper corner jigs. 25 long and 20 wide seems to be the go?
  • cut a moebius strip
  • experiment with other materials, including a rock or two, and cardboard
  • run an experimental art or two
  • run the full stack of living hinge test cards

eventually

  • make the camera behave like dude managed to
  • make gallery pictures linkable to their related post
  • I could do with a jig that fits around the laser head and points at exactly the laser dot location.
  • put the little hand-shaped wire holders around my table to keep wiring in place
  • set up shelf and boxes for materials

critical path to production

  • use FH and lighthouse for promo art - get websites up and whatever, and I’ll need svg files for those, and I’ll still eventually have to make a logo for the laser side too
  • put all the product options through the laser, then post them up separately on the website, then handoff
  • file system planning

people and places to leave sample kit around

  • just friendly: downstairs with mandy, say hi to all my neighbours with house numbers on acrylic (ehhhh expensive though) or I guess we can spray finish it, give b a notebook thingy, drop a mandala on v
  • at the board game shop (and other game shops)
  • leave a selection of options with niki
  • at dance
  • on the desk at 3bros lol
  • commissioning personnel nameplates

issues

it’s not turning on: check e-stop, power switch on right, and key turned. also check plugged in, etc.

lightburn tells you yourlaser is busy: check the COM port is at COM4 instead of COM1

jiggles where the line should be straight/curves not as they should be: probably a belt tensioning issue.

stopped in the middle and blinking red at you: hit stop on lightburn, open preview window (icon that looks like a tv on toolbar), use slider to go to just about where you were, and select “start from here”.

(not yet tried)

In lightburn I recommend turning on advanced settings and using optimisation settings to set the priority layer -> group. apparently this makes it cut piece by piece instead of jumping all over the place?

extra passes at decreased power helps with fire-detection-in-error issues apparently

other assistance can be found at

fb groups https://www.facebook.com/groups/1554309237985182 https://www.facebook.com/groups/falconlaserengraver https://www.facebook.com/groups/439605296411167 https://www.facebook.com/groups/289685249114284 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2232030250381502 https://www.facebook.com/groups/newtolaserengraving https://www.facebook.com/groups/lasercuttingengraving https://www.facebook.com/groups/lightburncommunity https://www.facebook.com/groups/3048640425270025 https://www.facebook.com/groups/LaserEngravingAndCutting https://www.facebook.com/groups/1562665357839728 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182674569310365