Hi all, novice to lasers and laserweb.

CAD & CAM Tool Chain LaserWeb/CNCWeb Suppport
1

Hi all, novice to lasers and laserweb. I have a CNC that uses a PlanetCNC controller and I’m trying to figure out a couple things:

  1. My 10w Sunwin diode laser (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I69U2SG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) has a TTL line. Does a diode laser have the capability to modulate power? I’ve been reading on some other sites that they cannot.

  2. On my PlanetCNC output board I can send modulated power based on spindle speed (S) code, but when I connect this to the TTL it looks like the laser is simply on or off regardless of voltage (0-5v) being supplied to the TTL channel.

  3. Is there a way in Laserweb to simply have a pure On/Off signal (M3/M5) control the laser from generated gcode? I’ve been messing with it for a couple hours and the only thing I’ve been able to do is change the S value. Rather than S, is there a way to send M3/M5?

Thanks for your help and patience with me.

2

Regarding questions 3, under settings/gcode you will find 2 fields : tool On and tool off. This is on LaserWeb4 as is the version you should be using

5b871e044441efc12e22786ab07e1945.png
5b871e044441efc12e22786ab07e1945.png1080×1920 110 KB

3

http://1.it appears to have a PWM input on the Yellow wire.

  1. I would check that the PWM control levels are compatible. Some CNC’s use 0-10V I believe.

What does the PWM output of the CNC controller look like.
…You can put a DVM across it and run a program with specific S values min-middle-max and see if it runs 0/2.5/5vdc respectively.

Does the laser work standalone
…I would also connect the PWM input on the laser to gnd and then 5V and see if it turns on/off under either of those cases.

The output of the CNC would need to have the same voltage swing and in the same direction.

A scope is invaluable for this situation.

4

Ariel and Don,

Thank you for your help. I figured out that I could change the output on my cnc controller to PWM. That fixed everything for me. Laser is pulsing now and I can use Laserweb perfectly. Very grateful for the developers and this community’s willingness to help.