Windows Users: Do not plug the USB cable from the machine to your computer prior to installing the Lightburn flavor of the Ezcad2 driver

QUICKSTART VIDEO:

Complete Guide:

Windows Users: Do not plug the USB cable from the machine to your computer prior to installing the Lightburn flavor of the Ezcad2 driver as detailed in the steps below

Preparing Yourself and the Laser:

You will need these items to successfully install and setup.

1. Thunder Laser USB Thumb Drive ( This contains important configuration files you will need to load into Lightburn. )
   
2. Thunder supplied USB-A to USB-C Printer cable
   
3. Computer used to to connect your Thunder Aurora
   
4. Internet Access to Download Lightburn Software.
   
5. Laser MUST be on  (please push in and twist to reset your E-Stop button to verify the E-Stop is not active. Lights and the red focus beam spot will work even when an E-Stop is active) 

Step 1: Download Lightburn:

Need to go to Lightburn's webpage and grab the installer file if you do not already have a copy.

Pick Your Version for your OS

Lightburn Website

Whether you have a Lightburn key or you want to start of with the trial you will be going to https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/trial-version-try-before-you-buy Scroll down a bit on the Lightburn Download page and you will have 4 options to choose from: Pick based off your OS Windows 64bit Windows 32bit Mac OS Linux 64 *Note that you do not download a specific "Galvo" version, Lightburn is one software that can work with Galvo and Gantry lasers

Step 2: Installing Lightburn and Galvo Control Board Driver:

This is a critical step for Windows Users. Do not skip! You will not be able to communicate with the machine or get the READY state in Lightburn. Even if you have Lightburn already installed for a different style machine like a G-code or Gantry, you need to run this installer step.

MAC users can skip this step as there is not an install process like this for the Driver on MAC.

Notes on the install

Galvo Driver Install

In most situations downloaded files will be stored in your Downloads folder. Find the Lighburn Installer executable file and by double clicking it, it will start the installation process. Follow the prompts and give the application proper permissions will be the first part of the installation. Once the Lightburn installation is completed, the application install you will be asked to install the supporting drivers. This is a MUST to be able to communicate to the laser.  If you encounter issues while installing the Lightburn Ezcad2 driver, please see this article.

Now you may plug in the USB cable from your computer to your machine. For Windows Users, you should now have a USBLMCV# device in your Universal Serial Bus Devices in your Windows Device Manager

Correct Driver Installed for Lightburn	Incorrect Driver Installed
	Laser Mark Control Board V# under BJJCZ devices means the native EzCad2 driver was installed.

If you have the wrong driver installed, do not fret. There are ways to swap between the native Ezcad2 Driver and the Lightburn flavor of the Ezcad2 driver. If the driver is correct, you can skip these videos.

Here is a video that discusses the process of swapping between Lightburn and EzCad. You need to swap from EzCad to Lightburn. Start at the 2:54 mark in the video.

Step 3: Importing the the EZCad Config File (Device Profile Creation)

For this part of the install you will need to have the Thunder Laser Thumb Drive inserted into your computer. The Config file and Lens Lens Cor.(correction) files are machine specific and are necessary for proper machine function. 

Create a New Device In Lightburn

In order for you to create the device in Lightburn, you must have the proper Lightburn License. For more on that, please see this article: The Lightburn License - Everything you need to know about it

Laser Window In Lightburn	Device List Prompt in Lightburn
If you already have devices set up because you had Lightburn before, then click the Devices button in the laser window to get started. Otherwise, Lightburn will open to the Device List Prompt Automatically

If you used "Find My Laser"	If you used "Create Manually"

Loading the EZCad Config File

Note that Lightburn reference the markcfg7 file but we recommend the markcfg0. Lightburn will pull data automatically from the Param Library folder as well for default timing values

Click "Import EZcad Config"	Navigate in Thunder USB to markcfg0 file

                                                

      Confirm EZCad config file has loaded along with the lens cor. file.  The lens correction file is lens specific to the lens size installed on the machine. The stock lens will vary by which Aurora model you purchased, be sure to refer to the Aurora Manual for more information.

TIP: Naming the Laser and associating it with the lens will make it easier to differentiate between lens profiles. See Images below.  It is recommended to have a unique Device setup in Lightburn for each lens that you plan to use on the machine.

Cor File Confirmation	Device Naming

      Even though the markcfg# file had the Door Sensor information correct, it does not appear to import correctly. The correct door setting is IO Port 15 and Low. To access the IO port settings, go to edit>device settings in Lightburn. Depending on your version of Lightburn, the Device settings window may have tabs. This is a bug in Lightburn that is scheduled to be fixed in version 1.7

Failure to input the correct setting in this section for Doors will allow the machine to run with the lid open. You must complete this step before operation.

Incorrect Dorr Setting	Correct Door Setting

Creating multiple devices with different COR files is fairly simple. Follow all the steps above in addition to this final step.  You will need your Thunder Laser Thumb Drive again. 

Basic Steps	Reference Image
1. Select the ICON for Device Settings in the Top Tool Bar 2. Under the Basic Settings section select the "Load Cor File" button. (Note that depending on your version of Lightburn, the settings may be displayed in a Tabbed window) 3. Navigate to the file location of the COR file you want to import 4. Select the File and click Open

Confirm that laser is ready and now it's time to start testing. See videos below to start your first projects.