I was in the process of aligning mirrors for our vertical XL and suddenly the laser does not fire anymore, there is an arcing sound and a light near the Anode (positive) connector of the tube on the very inside. Do you think the laser tube would go bad so quickly? how could we avoid this?

Question #: 13683

Question: I was in the process of aligning mirrors for our vertical XL and suddenly the laser does not fire anymore, there is an arcing sound and a light near the Anode (positive) connector of the tube on the very inside. Do you think the laser tube would go bad so quickly? how could we avoid this?

Current Solution

Can you check if there are cracks in the inner glass tube? Also, check to see if there is water between the inner glass tube and the outer glass tube. That will give you an indication of cracking in the inner glass tube.

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Hello, I have a blacktooth laser cutter, the machine has 10hrs of work, suddenly in the middle of a job the laser beam lost all power, I can still se the purple plasma beam but with no power or intensity, the tube is fine, water is running through and there is no arcing to the chasis or some other part. I think it might be a faulty PS how can I test it, Do I have a warranty on it?
To verify, you are still getting the laser tube to fire, but the laser beam is weak and cannot cut or engrave any materials correct?

Have you checked your tube's tungsten post terminals to make sure they are getting good contact?
The Laser tube and laser power supply both have manufacture warranty, please email customerservice@buildyourcnc.com for further assistance.
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Hello, I have a blacktooth laser cutter, the machine has 10hrs of work, suddenly in the middle of a job the laser beam lost all power, I can still se the purple plasma beam but with no power or intensity, the tube is fine, water is running through and there is no arcing to the chasis or some other part. I think it might be a faulty PS how can I test it, Do I have a warranty on it?
I have a 25 watt Epilog Summit Model 2000/25 laser engraver. I believe my tube is going bad due to limited vector cutting and no raster. Do you think there is a way to retrofit with your products to make it work well. Mirrors are new and mechanical is good. Thanks.
The laser tube is a consumable item in all CO2 lasers, unless the laser tube can be recharged. My laser tubes will most likely work as long as the mouts are the same size. Let me know the mount diameter and the length of space for the tube in the Epilog Laser Cutter and Engraver and I will let you know.

Additional Information:
My Epilog Summit (3.3) only works from Windows Millenium and 98. Notconsistently from WXP, but sporadic raster and vector combined does happen. I can't get it to work right w XP through Harvard Draw, Corel,Image Folio, Stika, DrawMagic or anything else I have. But Millenium isOK except for the advanced mapping to colors function is very difficult.When it does rarely accept a graphic from my XP system from CorelDrawEssentials or 8.0, it will allow complete control for photo etching -speed, power and shade mapping. It is the same driver for both mysystems but the control panel page looks different in the 2 computers. The laser takes 45 seconds to initialize after power on. You can use a USB to Parallel adapter cable for your laptop or modern computer connection. The laser needs the old style printer connection. Test your laser by holding all 3 power/focus/speed buttons until homed. Close the lid. "Online" for lase, any other button for laser off. Should be an audible beep every few seconds while your laser is functioning. This is not a motion test -only laser firing.
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I have a 25 watt Epilog Summit Model 2000/25 laser engraver. I believe my tube is going bad due to limited vector cutting and no raster. Do you think there is a way to retrofit with your products to make it work well. Mirrors are new and mechanical is good. Thanks.
Hi, I received a laser tube last week, and it was brokken in the packet. I tried to write to customer service but no answer so far. How do you handle this? The packet was not dammaged in any way. I was only able to see it was broken when it was complete unpacked.
When we receive an email pertaining to shipped product issues, they are forwarded to our shipping department. If you do not receive a response, for any reason, please contact us again by email, and/or give us a call at 281-815-7701

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Hi, I received a laser tube last week, and it was brokken in the packet. I tried to write to customer service but no answer so far. How do you handle this? The packet was not dammaged in any way. I was only able to see it was broken when it was complete unpacked.
Is there a specific process for aligning the x axis on the greenbull? There is mention of it at the end either the rail or gantry installation but I could not find it anywhere.
If you are referring to aligning the rails so that the rails are perfectly parallel:

It is important to make sure one rail (a rail at one side of the table) is perfectly aligned first. Do this by fastening one end of the rail to the table (flush with the table edge), then fasten the other end (flush with the table edge). The rail may not be perfectly straight at this point, but that's ok. This process includes the top and bottom rail, fastening and positioning simultaneously.

You are going to fasten the midpoint of the rail. Get a clamp ready so that you can freeze the rail in place. Look down the rail from one end. This is a good way to determine if the rail has a curve, or is straight. If there is a curve, move the rail midpoint laterally until the rail is straight while looking down the rail from one end of the rail. This may take a couple of people to do, one looks down the rail, the other moves it slightly until it is straight and then clamps the rail. Drill and fasten the midpoint when satisfied. Repeat this process, fastening at the midpoint between screws.

Now place the gantry on the table with the v-groove bearings resting on the one rail side. Add the next rail to the other side of the table. Position the rail so that it is directly under the other bearings. Make sure the gantry is at the extreme end and fasten the rail at that end. Move the gantry along the and fasten the rail as you move the gantry so the rail auto-positions itself.

Additional Information:
Thanks for your answer. So the next step is making certain that the gantry is exactly perpendicular to the x axis. Do you just place a square on the rail and adjust one or both chains as needed?
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Is there a specific process for aligning the x axis on the greenbull? There is mention of it at the end either the rail or gantry installation but I could not find it anywhere.
How do I order 3 specific lengths of lead screws in one order? I could only order a single total amount via the shopping process. I require 36", 60" and 14". If I order 110", I will get 79" + 31". Do I have to order 115" and pay for an extra 5" to get around this?
Just specify the full length in the quantity field in the shopping cart and give us a call to inform us of the cut lengths (you can also email customer service - link in the contact us page - link at the footer). We are working on a way to do this at the product page, but won't be finished for a few more days.

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How do I order 3 specific lengths of lead screws in one order? I could only order a single total amount via the shopping process. I require 36", 60" and 14". If I order 110", I will get 79" + 31". Do I have to order 115" and pay for an extra 5" to get around this?
For the XL Vertical Laser Machine I see it won't cut metal as it is only 80w. However, I noticed that you are working on 100w and 130w versions so will that be sufficient to cut through sheet metal? If so, how much longer until those are available?
Cutting metal with lasers even at 100W and 130W is difficult. The main problem is molten is a byproduct of lasing, which can severely damage the laser.
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For the XL Vertical Laser Machine I see it won't cut metal as it is only 80w. However, I noticed that you are working on 100w and 130w versions so will that be sufficient to cut through sheet metal? If so, how much longer until those are available?
good afternoon, a few years ago I bought them a combo engine, driver, bod. and power supply. But a few days ago there was an accident and was burned bod, bod buy them another driver 3.0amp the work well, but the 6.0 is not working, the green light is on, and the engine has has power. the power supply is 36v and 34v brand. if you could help me I would appreciate it very much thank you.
Did you connect the USB connector to the breakout board?

Additional Information:
YES I CONNECTED THE USB TO THE BREAKOUT BOARD
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good afternoon, a few years ago I bought them a combo engine, driver, bod. and power supply. But a few days ago there was an accident and was burned bod, bod buy them another driver 3.0amp the work well, but the 6.0 is not working, the green light is on, and the engine has has power. the power supply is 36v and 34v brand. if you could help me I would appreciate it very much thank you.
Hello, I am a student working on a CO2 laser. We recently ordered two 40watt CO2 laser tubes and two 40 Watt CO2 Laser Tube Power Supply at 220V. However, our school is unable to use them due to being 220v. Is it possible to exchange these for the 110v supply, or is there a way we can go about connecting it at 110v instead of 220v? Thank you.
Yes, if the power supplies were supplied by us, we will exchange them with 110v equivalent power supplies.

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Hello, I am a student working on a CO2 laser. We recently ordered two 40watt CO2 laser tubes and two 40 Watt CO2 Laser Tube Power Supply at 220V. However, our school is unable to use them due to being 220v. Is it possible to exchange these for the 110v supply, or is there a way we can go about connecting it at 110v instead of 220v? Thank you.
I work with carpet & padding and need to cut carpet to create clean 90 degree corners, and patterns for inlay's. The work area would need to be a minimum of 12 ft by 15 ft. Is there an affordable kit that could accommodate this size
The largest cutting area machine we have available is our greenBull 6X, which allows a cutting surface of 6' x 12'. The limit of our machines is the x-axis being the width, but you can elongate the machine as far as you require, being 15 Ft. or more.
I would highly recommend a visit to our R&D page, which allows you to post ideas/requests and to view the current tasks that we are working on!
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I work with carpet & padding and need to cut carpet to create clean 90 degree corners, and patterns for inlay's. The work area would need to be a minimum of 12 ft by 15 ft. Is there an affordable kit that could accommodate this size
I connected the electronics (for 2 x 4 feet) that I ordered from you. But how do I check if I connected all the wiring properly. There is neither any light on motor drivers nor on breakout board. And the motor shaft also does not move before and after the power supply is given.
Did you connect the USB connector to the breakout board?

Additional Information:
YES I CONNECTED THE USB TO THE BREAKOUT BOARD
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I connected the electronics (for 2 x 4 feet) that I ordered from you. But how do I check if I connected all the wiring properly. There is neither any light on motor drivers nor on breakout board. And the motor shaft also does not move before and after the power supply is given.
How can we check our 1.5kw spindle. we get a dL error after we start to cut. it spins up fine. We checked IGBTs in the VFD and they're not shorted. We suspect intermittent short INSIDE the spindle. What do you think?
dL usually stand for a short that is occurring within the spindle or spindle wiring. I would recheck the wiring going from the VFD to the spindle, as well as the terminal on the spindle where there should've been some soldering required. We usually tend to either heat shrink or use electrical tape to cover the terminals so no contact or arching can be present.

Also depending on the VFD you have please adjust the setting pd008, to the voltage that is required (110V/220V).

If the issue proceeds please contact use at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com, for further assistance or replacement.
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How can we check our 1.5kw spindle. we get a dL error after we start to cut. it spins up fine. We checked IGBTs in the VFD and they're not shorted. We suspect intermittent short INSIDE the spindle. What do you think?
I have a green lean machine that I acquired from a friend that had to move cross country and could not take the machine with him. It was partially disassembled and stored in his garage. Unfortunately, he lost a couple of parts I cannot easily replicate. Is there a parts list anywhere for this machine so that I can order replacements?
Yes, you can contact me at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com to get the full BOM for that machine.
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I have a green lean machine that I acquired from a friend that had to move cross country and could not take the machine with him. It was partially disassembled and stored in his garage. Unfortunately, he lost a couple of parts I cannot easily replicate. Is there a parts list anywhere for this machine so that I can order replacements?
THERE HAS BEEN A CELL PHONE BASE INSTALLED IN THE FIRE TOWER. PANELS ARE VERTICAL AND LOCATED ABOUT 75 FEET AT TOP OF UNLIKE SOME TOWERS I HAVE SEEN NO ROUND DISKS BEAMING LIGHTS. NIGHT, TOWER MATERIAL DARK. DOES THIS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE RELATED HEALTH ISSUES WITH RF EXPOSURE IT POSSIBLE RECEIVE-ONLY TRANSMITTER ?
There has been a cell phone base installed in the fire tower. The panels are vertical and located about 75 feet at the top of the tower. Unlike some towers I have seen there are no round disks and no beaming lights. At night, the tower and cell phone material are dark. Does this make any difference in any related health issues with RF exposure and is it possible the tower is a receive-only transmitter ?
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THERE HAS BEEN A CELL PHONE BASE INSTALLED IN THE FIRE TOWER. PANELS ARE VERTICAL AND LOCATED ABOUT 75 FEET AT TOP OF UNLIKE SOME TOWERS I HAVE SEEN NO ROUND DISKS BEAMING LIGHTS. NIGHT, TOWER MATERIAL DARK. DOES THIS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE RELATED HEALTH ISSUES WITH RF EXPOSURE IT POSSIBLE RECEIVE-ONLY TRANSMITTER ?
I am interested in using the Mach3 USB interface board. I was wondering if there was a way to run a torch height controller with this board for use with a plasma cutter, and if so do you know of any THCs that will work. Thank you.
Yes, you can connect a THC, Torch Height Controller, with the Mach3 USB controller. The THC uses the inputs to determine if the z axis needs to move up or down according to the arc of the plasma torch. The THC connects its outputs to the inputs of the controller so the controller will be informed of the states of the plasma torch.
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I am interested in using the Mach3 USB interface board. I was wondering if there was a way to run a torch height controller with this board for use with a plasma cutter, and if so do you know of any THCs that will work. Thank you.
Hello, My friend has purchased the Redfly and I am helping him a little with it. We are both very new to CNC. I am using fusion 360 at the moment. This can tool path and create gcode. I was wondering if Mach 3 or similar is still needed. Is there a tutorial you could point me to that explains how to get the Gcode from the PC, via Serial to the Redfly?
Fusion 360 is a program that allows you to design in a parametric 3 dimensional environment and also provides a great CAM toolset. Fusion 360 will produce the gcode with the CAM capabilities. The gcode is used to move the machine in various ways in order to mill the material; however, software is needed to interpret this gcode and cause the machine to move according to the gcode instructions. This is called control software. So Fusion is CAD/CAM, and you still need "control". Mach3 is one example of control software for milling and is highly recommended.

Install Mach3 onto the computer that will connect to the redFly(CNC electronics), then configure the Mach3 parameters for the machine (motor tuning, plug-ins, inputs/output, etc.). Home the machine, load the gcode into Mach3 and the machine will move according to the gcode.

A word of caution, since you are new to CNC machines, make sure you familiar yourself with the machine and the movements of the machine specific to how the gcode is arranged with respect to the coordinates of the machine. Try with very simple gcode until you get a very good understanding of how the machine will move.
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Hello, My friend has purchased the Redfly and I am helping him a little with it. We are both very new to CNC. I am using fusion 360 at the moment. This can tool path and create gcode. I was wondering if Mach 3 or similar is still needed. Is there a tutorial you could point me to that explains how to get the Gcode from the PC, via Serial to the Redfly?
How do I secure the non-motor end of the lead screw for my 'Book' machine build? Does it just sit inside the bearing or do i use a nut to lock it in place? I did not see any instructions for this in the book.
Use a clamping collar (if you are using an ACME lead screw) or a couple of 1/2 nuts (if using an allthread) against the bearing to keep the bearing in place and make sure there is no axial play.
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How do I secure the non-motor end of the lead screw for my 'Book' machine build? Does it just sit inside the bearing or do i use a nut to lock it in place? I did not see any instructions for this in the book.
Limit switches for axis. The print shows that you can wire the limits either n.o. or n.c. so if this is correct I would need to tell the board in the software how to look at these limits, I'm either going to get an input or loose an input depend on how i wire it.
BYCNC Response:
This is correct. You will need to use a method appropriate for the software you are using. Also remember that NC switches are typically wired in series, while NO switches are normally wired in parallel.

User Response:
I am using the cnc planet software for your USB board. Are the limit configurations in this software?

BYCNC Response:
Yes, Planet CNC software is compatible with the use of limit switches. Configuration information will depend on your specific application. You can view Planet CNC's information here: http://www.planet-cnc.com/files/CNCUSBController.pdf
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Limit switches for axis. The print shows that you can wire the limits either n.o. or n.c. so if this is correct I would need to tell the board in the software how to look at these limits, I'm either going to get an input or loose an input depend on how i wire it.
How do I wire up multiple E-stop to breakout board, does each E-stop need there own pin? If not since there are only 4 screws on stop 2 for no and 2 for nc do you just splice the wires together if your only using 1 pin? Thanks
https://buildyourcnc.com/Item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-e-stop-button-switch-safety#prettyPhoto/0/
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How do I wire up multiple E-stop to breakout board, does each E-stop need there own pin? If not since there are only 4 screws on stop 2 for no and 2 for nc do you just splice the wires together if your only using 1 pin? Thanks
Hi my names is Minh Truong I would like to said thank you very much for your video I got the system mach3 working fine but one thing I can NOT set and config the digitizer on the board IN4 I am not sure how to setup because in the Mach3 pin 14 for digitizer Please shoe me hoe to set it up for the digitizer.
Can you send me a link to the digitizer you are using?
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Hi my names is Minh Truong I would like to said thank you very much for your video I got the system mach3 working fine but one thing I can NOT set and config the digitizer on the board IN4 I am not sure how to setup because in the Mach3 pin 14 for digitizer Please shoe me hoe to set it up for the digitizer.