So, on the K40 that my hackerspace got from FullSpectrum – the UI had both power/speed, as well as an analog control on the front panel. If I wanted to do this, would I simply hook up the 5v PWM up to the other side of the analog dial?
What is the means of switching between the analog and digital controls
There isn’t any switching. It’s in series so to speak.
So to use the UI with the full range you would need to set the pot full open? Could you add a switch and a relay and run them parallel with a set of N/O contacts on the pot and N/C contact for the pwm for the UI?
I don’t want to switch between them. Having the dial allows me to get precise settings and adjust things while cutting/engraving.
I think the issue Alex is trying to point out is that if they are in series and the pot is at 50% then you might only get 50% of whatever setting you set in the UI. Without some circuit or switch to toggle control to either side both will limit the current. But it would give you potentially finer control over the output power.
@Domm434 , that’s exactly the point of what I’m trying to do. So for example if I’m cutting card stock, and my power is too high - instead of aborting the entire thing and redoing settings, I just dial the power back while it’s going.
This also means if I use a piece of software that’s designed to vary the power to the laser, and not just pulse width, I can adjust it for darkness, etc.
@ThantiK sorry, I misunderstood what you were tryin to accomplish seems like a pretty awesome way to dial in a piece of work since materials like wood can vary in density from piece to piece and fine tuning my be required to get the results you need.