Thunder Galvo Lasers: The Usual Suspects and Preparing for your 1 Hour Training

Thunder Galvo Lasers: The Usual Suspects and Preparing for your 1 Hour Training

Preface: The Usual Suspects are the things that most commonly get overlooked or are incorrect that can burn up training time on things that should already be checked and if not mastered. If you choose to not follow this guide you will likely encounter issues that this guide would rectify for new users, even for those that had another brand laser with Lightburn previously.


The Usual Suspects

Okay, now that is out of the way, here are some of the common things that, if followed, will assure you get the most out of your training:


Door Release Knobs

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What is usually missed in the process
The Aurora front door is supported by counterweights when the door is lifted open. For shipping, the counterweights are secured with knobs. The quick start sheet in the crate shows the removal of the knobs as part of the setup process..

If the knobs are not removed, then when you lift the front door, the door will not stay up when you release the handle.

Open the side doors, remove the knob, close the door.  Do this for both sides of the machine.

Then test the front door lifting and holding function.



Locate the knobs on the Left and Right sides and remove them.




Interlock Switch, E-stop and On Button

So there are a few steps to powering up your machine. Three pieces of hardware control what the machine will and will not do. Only the ON button has an indicator light for status.

Interlock Switch

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What is usually missed in the process
The interlock switch is the man power switch for the machine. It must be turned to the on position to operate the machine.

With the Interlock Switch in the off position, the machine will:

-Not communicate with your computer
-Not Auto Focus or move the Head up/down with buttons
-Not turn on the Work Area Lighting
-Not Laser anything

Green LED by the PLAY button will be on when the Interlock Switch is in the on position.


Interlock Switch Off
Interlock Switch ON



Estop Button

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What is usually missed in the process
If the interlock switch is in the ON position but the Estop button is pressed, these are some of the symptoms you will observe:

-Red Light at the ON button will be 100% off
-Solid Green Light on the button panel by the Play Button
-Work Area Lights will not change (Can be on or off, but will not dim or turn off/on with the button)
-Exhaust fan cannot be started from Control Panel Button
-Machine will not Auto Focus or move the Head up/down with buttons
-Machine will communicate with your computer
-Galvo head will not frame, Laser Source is off

Twist to release the Estop Button. You should then get a flashing light at the On Button



Estop Button Pressed
Estop Button Not Pressed (Cleared)


Take note at how much more of the orange ring is exposed when the Estop is not pressed.



On Button

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What is usually missed in the process
If the Interlock switch is in the ON position and the Estop button is clear, but the ON button has not been pressed, these are some of the symptoms you will observe:

-Lights are adjustable
-Red Light at the On button will be flashing
-Solid Green Light on the button panel
-Exhaust can be started and stopped at the button panel
-Machine will not Auto Focus or move the Head up/down with buttons
-Machine will communicate with your computer
-Galvo head will frame and Laser Source will be powered

Press the ON button. The red light at the ON button will go solid and all machine functions will be active



Software License

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What is usually missed in the process
If you choose to use Lightburn and not EZcad2, you will need to acquire the proper license for it. Lightburn is not included in the purchase of an Aurora laser from Thunder Laser USA. 

Most often, you will already have Lightburn but only for DSP versions for your Thunder Nova, Bolt or Odin. You can purchase an upgrade directly from Lightburn.

For more information about the Lightburn License, please see here.


In Lightburn, go to Help>License Management and check that you have Galvo listed


Exhausting

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What is usually missed in the process
You must exhaust your Aurora Laser either to a proper Fume Extractor or out of your space. The machine is shipped with a 4" Exhaust Duct and Fan. 


If you do not Exhaust your machine properly you might create the following issues:
-Focal Lens gets dirty rapidly
-Lingering particles
-Set off a smoke alarm
-Health Hazards
Exhaust your machine properly.

Work Holding

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What is usually missed in the process
The Aurora bed on a V1 and Lite has M6X1.0mm threads spaced out in a 25mmx25mm grid. You will need to utilize the proper length hardware for your jig hold downs. A example hardware kit is linked here.

The Aurora bed on a V2 is a T-Slot rail type bed with 25mm spacing on the vertical columns. You will need to get some T-Slot nuts and M6x1.0mm bolts to have hold down hardware for your jigs.


Driver For Windows and Lightburn

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What is usually missed in the process
When you install Lightburn, you need to make sure you install the Galvo driver at the End of the Lightburn install. Be sure to check the box and go through the setup.

If you miss this step, you can run back through the Lightburn installer again and check the box.

If you accidentally installed the EzCad2 driver from the included USB stick, you will need to uninstall it to be able to swap to the Lightburn Driver. Please see this video on how to do that.


Be sure to check the box for "Install EzCad2 driver (used by galvos). The naming is confusing, but that is the driver you need for Lightburn.


IO Ports

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What is usually missed in the process
The IO ports are what are used by the software to tell the Laser Machine Control board what to do and when. The IO is imported from the MarkCfg0 file or manually inputted.

Things that the IO controls:
-Red Dot On (UV)
-Busy Light
-Start Marking
-Door Protect

If you do not have the IO configured properly, then the software and control board may not communicate properly and functions will not work.

*Your Lightburn and Ezcad layout may look different depending on the version you are using

UV Laser shown, all other lasers can set "Red Dot" to none.


Speed Limits

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What is usually missed in the process
Read the manual and know your Galvo Limits. Lightburn will allow you to enter different speeds, without limits. So it is on the user to choose the right speeds. Also need to understand how the Start and End TC values are affected by speed....like scanning offsets on a Gantry Laser Machine.

You will need to know the limits of:
-Max Raster Marking Speed (Fill) 8000mms
-Max Vector Marking Speed (Line) 2000mm

Be careful when setting up a Lightburn Material Test that you do not go outside the operating limits.


Aligning Red Dot to Laser Output

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What is usually missed in the process
In the software you can scale your red dot and shift the frame in the X and Y directions so that it aligns with the laser beam that is doing the marking

Making sure that the red dot is scaled and aligned will make your framing more accurate which results in better final products


Framing after the engrave, you can see that the red dot needs some correction. Use the Device Settings for your Laser software to adjust the offset and scale to match the engrave.


Scaling Output

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What is usually missed in the process
You will need to scale the output of the laser so that when it is focused properly, you get the correct size graphics. Simple check is to make a 50mmx50mm square on a business card and measure and adjust.

The larger your square, the more precise you can measure and scale.

You will scale the X and Y axes independently and input the data into your Device Settings in Lightburn.




X Above, Y Below

Scaled for a 50mm square


Source Limits

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What is usually missed in the process
Read the manual and know your source Limits. Make sure they are entered into Lightburn properly and do not exceed them with the Lightburn Material Test.

You will need to know the limits of:
-Frequency
-Pulse Width
-Beam Spot Size


If you exceed the limits, the source may shut off, not mark or be damaged. In general, Lightburn allows you to enter limits into the Device Setting and limits your input in a layer setting. Be careful when setting up a Lightburn Material Test that you do not go outside the operating limits.



Multiple Auroras Connected to one Computer

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What is usually missed in the Process
So since the Aurora lineup is 100% USB based communication, there can be limitations to how the machine and your computer communicate. 

In a typical sense, the USB communication is Serial, which is one to one. Which means on your computer, only 1 piece of software can talk to the USB device at a time.

To make like easier, Lightburn tries to handle the communication restrictions automatically. This can cause communication to not work as expected if you have multiple machines. 

You must take precaution if you have multiple Auroras (even with different control board versions) connected and powered up at the same time. Even if you have a specific device profile selected, if the USB comms is set to AUTO and points to the incorrect device, that device will still frame and attempt to run the project file.

It is possible to use the non-auto port assignment to alleviate the issue. You will need to manually check the device profiles and coordinate the port numbers. 

Port numbers can and will change, so you have to check at each power-up.

You must manually select the proper Port that Matches the Device Profile that you have selected. If you allow (AUTO) you may have odd results



Multiple Instances Of Lightburn

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What is usually missed in the process
Since the Aurora line up of machines are USB serial, you can only have 1 window of Lightburn/Ezcad2 open at a time that has the same Aurora type device selected. 

You can use Dummy Devices in Lightburn if needed. (Lightburn is working on making it more Galvo friendly)

To the computer and Lightburn, the machines are not distinguishable, especially if they have the same control board. You can accidentally frame and run a UV project on a Fiber project. 

When you have multiple windows up that are set to Auto or the same device, at least one window will show disconnected even though you are definitely connected to the machine and it "was just working".


Only one instance of Lightburn is able to show Ready even though both are set to auto and the Aurora 50w device profile.


Auto Focus Dot vs Center Dot

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What is usually missed in the process
There can be 2 red dots shining on the bed. If you have enabled the center dot to always be on, then it will project from the center of the scanning head.

The Autofocus sensor is towards the front of the machine, closer to the edge of the bed. Place your object under the AF Red dot and press the AF button.

Be careful with round or overly reflective devices as they can cause the AF signal to bounce away or scatter. Putting a piece of painters tape over a shiny object helps.

To turn the Center Dot on, you can set it from the Device Settings>Ports and Laser Settings Tab in Lightburn




The Red Dot center is further back than the Auto Focus Sensor dot.



Engraving Way Out Of Focus

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What is usually missed in the process
 If you are too far out of focus, you can run a project with your usual settings and not even see a mark. Check your focus.

Manuals contain the focus distance. Please find them below:



Proper focus. Refer to the manual on how to Focus and what the proper distances are for your lens.


Enable Rotary

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What is usually missed in the Process
For your Aurora laser, you must enable the "Show Rotary Enable" button in Lightburn and Enable/Disable the rotary when needed.

Unlike on the Gantry machines that know when a Rotary is plugged in, you have to do it manually on your Aurora.

If you try to run a rotary job with the rotary not enabled, you will get an odd output.

If you try to run a non rotary job with Rotary enabled, you will get an odd output.



The "Show rotary enable on main window" needs to be enabled by going to Edit>Settings in Lightburn. It is in the column on the right, 4th option down.


The Enable Rotary button will show up in the Laser Window underneath the frame button.



Frame window with Rotary Not Enabled
Frame Window with Rotary Enabled





Now that you are ready let's get trained...book a 1 Hour Aurora Series Training Below:





    If you are a Thunder Laser USA client and still need Technical Support after exhausting the resources in the Knowledge Base, simply email support@thunderlaserusa.com and the Technical Support Team will promptly assist you!