Preface: This guide will walk you through the physical replacement of the controller. Be sure to read it completely and understand that the machine will not react like normal until the controller is configured correctly. If you attempt to use features like autofocus, air assist, to run a job etc, the result may be unexpected and damage may occur.

Before you remove the DSP from the machine, if it is still responsive, use Lightburn or RDworks to pull a copy of the Machine settings which will help expedite the replacement process. Lightburn also attempts to take automatic backups and save them to your computer (more information on this further down in the article).

Physical Replacement:

Power off the machine and unplug it from the wall before you begin work.

Locate the DSP Controller:

Bolt Electrical Panel Location	Bolt DSP Controller Location

Nova Electrical Panel Location	Nova DSP Controller Location

Odin Electrical Panel Location	Odin DSP Controller Location

How To Remove and then Reinstall:

Tools Needed:

Phillips Head Screwdriver (Red one from tool box)

Controller	Controller with Plugs removed

Mark the Controller Before Removing	Remove these 4 Screws to Remove the Controller

Reinstall the controller in reverse and prepare for power up by not plugging the X and Y driver connections and the CN5 Connector. Refer to the picture shown below. Everything is connected except for the 2nd, 5th and 6th connectors on the right(vertical mounted controller as shown) or top (horizontally mounted controller).

Controller Placed Back into Machine	X and Y Driver and Tube CN5 Connections unplugged
The RED LEDs should be to the right or Top. If you go ahead and plug in the Power and HMI connectors to the controller before you screw it to the machine, it will help make sure you mounted the controller correctly.

Configuration After Replacement:

Step 1: Initial Power Up:

For the initial powerup, you will have to wait until the controller times out or cancel the homing by pressing the ESC button or Cancel button. Since the X and Y axes cannot move, the homing sequence will run until it is timed out or canceled.

Older Screen	Newer Screen
While the system is Resetting, press the ESC a few times to abort.	After you click the prompt to allow the Machine To Home, this will appear for about 60 seconds After 60 seconds, the machine will initialize the rest of the functions and allow you to utilize the screen

Check the Language and set back to the desired language. If it is already in your preferred language, then carry on.

If your Screen Looks like this, Click the image for the guide	If your Screen looks like this, Click the image for the guide

Step 2: Reconnect to the Machine

Step 3: Flash the Firmware

All DSP's are sent with Nova\Odin firmware that is compatible with the V8.4 and older TL Timers. If you have a Bolt series machine, you will need to flash the firmware.

Please see this guide and contact us for the firmware:

How to Flash Screen (HMI) and Controller (DSP) Firmware on a Thunder Bolt Laser using the Screen and USB

Step 4: Restoring Machine Settings:

How to find your Machine Settings backups:

      Search your computer for .LBset files and find the one that corresponds to your Machine. If you have multiple machines, you may have multiple files. If you are unsure of the file that you have, email it to support with your machine type and we can review and confirm. Use the built in search functions for Windows and Mac.

Lightburn Automatic Backups

These automatic backups are stored near where Lightburn stores your presences configuration file.

In Lightburn, Select File, Open Prefs Folder*	Once in the Prefs folder, Select Backup\Machine Settings

*Depending on your vintage of Lightburn, the link to the Prefs folder might be right under the FILE listing or in a sub-menu 

Inside the Machine Settings backup folder, there will be folders for each controller you have connected to with Lightburn. They will not have names like "Nova" or "Odin" etc. Inside each folder is a backup file that may be usable. 

Write Machine Settings (If available)

      If you were able to locate a backup copy of your machine settings you can download them to the controller and skip the full configuration steps below Otherwise you will have to complete the Manual Configuration shown further down in the next section of this article and skip the steps shown here

Here is how to write the Machine Settings File to the controller.

Step 1: Edit>Machine Settings	Step 2: Click Load From File
Note that depending on which software version you have, the Machine Settings may be listed under Laser Tools.	Navigate to where your machines settings file is and select it.

Step 3: Write	Step 4: Click OK
This will write the loaded settings to the machine

Once you have written the machine settings you can power off the machine, plug in all the remaining connectors for the X and Y Drivers and then power up the machine. Allow the machine to home and then begin Lasering again.

Manual Configuration

You only need to perform these steps if you were unable to transfer your machine settings. If you were able to transfer your machine settings then you should have everything you need to run assuming you had good machine settings.

Step 1: Load Base Machine Settings:

Use the Lightburn Machine settings window to send a basic settings file for your machine to the controller.

Machine	Download Link
Nova 24	Nova 24 Base Settings
Nova 35	Nova 35 Base Settings
Nova 51	Nova 51 Base Settings
Nova 63	Nova 63 Base Settings
Bolt	Bolt Base Settings
Odin 22	Odin 22 Base Settings
Odin 32	Odin 32 Base Settings

*If your machine is not in the table, then you will need to use the file on the controller and complete the configuration with it

Here is how to write the Machine Settings File to the controller.

Step 1: Edit>Machine Settings	Step 2: Click Load From File
	Navigate to where your machines settings file is and select it.

Step 3: Write	Step 4: Click OK
This will write the loaded settings to the machine

Step 2: Input and Output (IO) Checkout

Need to use the Diagnostics screen to check out the IO to verify that the IO responds. When you press each axis Endstop/Limit switch, the corresponding IO point should toggle between Grey and Red on the diagnostics screen. To access the diagnostics screen, Press your MENU button and then select the Diagnostics screen option

Older Screen Diagnosis View	Newer Touch Screen Diagnosis View

See the below table for the Points to Check on the Diagnostic Screen:

IO Point Common Name	Older Screen Diagnosis Name	Newer Touch Screen Diagnosis Name	Description/Link
X Axis Endstop	XLimit-	X-Left Limit	Back Left Homing Switch for X Axis
Y Axis Endstop	YLimit-	Y-rear Limit	Back Left Homing Switch for Y Axis
Z Axis Upper Endstop	ZLimit-	Z-Upper Limit	Autofocus on Novas, Limit Switch on Bolt\Odin
Z Axis Lower Endstop	Zlimit+	Z-Bottom Limit	Z Lower Endstop, down near crumb tray
Chiller Water Alarm	Water Prot	Water Cooling	Signal from chiller, plugs into the back of the machine
Doors OK	IF	Lid Protection	Machine Protected Work pause error.
Autofocus (Bolt\Odin)	N/A	Auto Focus	Touch Post Sensor in the Laser Head
Air Pressure	N/A	Blow Protection	For Machines that have a Sensor that stops them from running.

Air Assist Protection

Depending on your machine model you may have air assist protection enabled (Oem Bolt Plus, Pro and some Odins or even aftermarket kits), If you don't have the digital sensor you may skip this step.

How To Enable	Sample Air Sensor
If you have a Machine with an Air Pressure sensor, you will need to enable its. This guide will walk you through enabling the protection. Currently this does require RDworks which is a free software.

Step 3: X, Y and Z Direction Checks

You will need to verify that when you press a direction arrow on the screen, that the laser moves the selected axis in the correct direction and that the machine can home itself ok. You will need to adjust the machine settings for each Axis as directed in the below steps. But first we need to get familiar with where to find those settings.

In order to change the Direction Polarity or Invert the Keypad Direction, you will need to access the Vendor Settings in the Machine Settings.

How To Access the Machine Settings Vendor Section	Each Axis (X,Y and Z) will have their own section

Reading and writing:

Use Read to upload the Current Values	Use Write to Download your Changes

X/Y Test and Adjust 1:

First, with the machine powered off, move the Laser Head to the middle of the bed. This will allow it to move in all four directions without immediately running into a wall.

Then power up observe how the machine starts up and attempts to home. The X axis should go to the left and the Y axis to the back of the machine.  If either axis goes the wrong direction, Esc Button to cancel or Estop the homing sequence. Power off then machine and unplug the X and Y axis Driver connectors(Connectors with the D1 and D2 cables, see the pictures up above in this article for reference).

Power the machine on and adjust the machine setting as follows to correct the axis motion:

IF	Axis "Direction Polarity" is	Then Change and Write
X Axis Went to the Right
X Axis Went to the Right
Y Axis Went to the Front
Y Axis Went to the Front

Then power off, plug in the connectors as needed, then power up and re-run the above test. If the machine homes properly, go to the next step. Otherwise adjust the machine settings until each axis homes properly.

X/Y Test and Adjust 2:

Now that the machine can home properly, we know the motor direction is correct for the controller. Now we need to check the keypad direction arrows work right.

Power up the machine, let it home. Then try to use the right and down arrows to move the laser head.

IF	Axis "Invert Keypad Direction"	Then Change and Write
I press the Left or Right arrow button, and the X axis moves in the incorrect direction
I press the Left or Right arrow button, and the X axis moves in the incorrect direction
I press the Front or Back arrow button, and the Y axis moves in the incorrect direction
I press the Front or Back arrow button, and the Y axis moves in the incorrect direction

After you Write the changes, test again with the Direction Arrow buttons. Confirm that the direction the head moves is proper and then go to the next step.

Step 4: Auxiliary Function Check Out - Auto Focus

To test the autofocus, you need to have already checked that the AF Sensor or Zlimit- depending on the machine, is working in the IO.

On your Nova Series machines, it would be best to remove the laser head to limit the crash potential.

Z test and Adjust 1:

1. Be alert and ready to E-stop the machine if a crash is imminent. 
   
2. Place material on the bed in the proper position for an autofocus
   
3. Initiate the auto focus from the controller screen on the machine.
   

If the bed lowers and clears the AF eyes\Touch Post and then continues to go towards the bottom with no sign of stopping, E-stop the machine or abort the homing process.

IF	Z Axis "Direction Polarity" is	Then change and Write
Z Axis Went Down towards bottom abnormally
Z Axis Went Down towards bottom abnormally

Z test and Adjust 2:

Now that the motion direction is correct, we need to check if the Up and Down Arrows work correctly.

IF	Axis "Invert Keypad Direction"	Then change and write
I press the Down or Up arrow button, and the Z axis moves in the incorrect direction
I press the Down or Up arrow button, and the X axis moves in the incorrect direction

If the system autofocuses properly and moves up and down properly, then proceed to the next step.

Step 5: Calibration - X, Y and Z axis

You will nee to check that each axis move the correct distance when commanded so that your cuts come out to the correct size. Please see this article for further instructions. 

Step 6: Calibration - Auto Focus

For the Bolt and Odin series that use touch posts, you will have an offset that you need to dial in for your auto focus. You can use this article to dial it in.

Other Considerations:

Air Assist Control

Wire Swap

This is mostly applicable to machines built in 2020 and beyond or if you have sourced a controller from a 3rd party vendor like Ebay, Amazon, or CloudrayLaser.com etc. The wiring for the Air Assist Changed in 2020 and coincided with a firmware change by Thunder Laser. In order to get the dual air assist to function for High and Low, you may need to swap the brown wire from Out1 to Wind on the Ruida DSP CN1 connector. To test, first do a small project where you engrave a bit of text onto a circle. Set the Engrave layer to Low Air and the Line layer to High Air. Send the job to the machine and test that the air will toggle to High on the cut. If it does not, power off the machine and perform the wire swap shown below and retest