Buildbotics and LightBurn
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No profanity, no gambling, no illegal activity, so sexual or pornographic material.
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No profanity, no gambling, no illegal activity, so sexual or pornographic material.
Posts not related to the Buildbotic CNC Controller are likely to be moved or deleted.
Buildbotics and LightBurn
Has anyone used LightBurn laser control software with a Buildbotics controller? I am looking at shading with adjustable power levels and not just turning the laser on and off.
Re: Buildbotics and LightBurn
You should be able to configure the controller as a PWM spindle and set speed range to match the power range that is output by the lightburn software in the form of 'S' commands. I haven't used lightburn but am assuming that it puts out 'S' commands in the gcode to control intensity.
You will also want to enable the 'dynamic power' and 'rapid-auto-off' features when configuring the controller.
These configuration changes are done on the Settings->Tool page.
You will also want to enable the 'dynamic power' and 'rapid-auto-off' features when configuring the controller.
These configuration changes are done on the Settings->Tool page.
Re: Buildbotics and LightBurn
you can use lightburn to create gcode for the buildbotics controller and use those files on the controller.
BUT... It will NOT control/jog/fire the laser in real time
you will have to use the jog buttons in the B-B controller and make macros to fire the laser for alignment
you will need to use the PWM on the B-B controller so you will need to set the controller the tool type "PWM-Spindle" and set the MAX_Spin to 255 in the settings tab of the B-B controller
NOTE: if you have a older B-B controller you may need a level shifter for the PWM as the older units only output 0-3.3v and alot of laser need 0-5v. I was lucky enough mine works with 0-3.3v.
NOTE: you will need to add G4 and G5 commands to the START and END GCode boxes under the Device Settings/Gcode tab or it will not fire.
G4 goes in the Start box and G5 goes in the End box
ALSO..... BEFORE you change your tool type make a backup of your current tool settings and after you setup the pwm-spindle make a backup if it. rename them laser and spindle respectively and you can change from one to the other in a few clicks and not worry about configing
The Macro buttons on the control screen are also saved in the backup as well
BUT... It will NOT control/jog/fire the laser in real time
you will have to use the jog buttons in the B-B controller and make macros to fire the laser for alignment
you will need to use the PWM on the B-B controller so you will need to set the controller the tool type "PWM-Spindle" and set the MAX_Spin to 255 in the settings tab of the B-B controller
NOTE: if you have a older B-B controller you may need a level shifter for the PWM as the older units only output 0-3.3v and alot of laser need 0-5v. I was lucky enough mine works with 0-3.3v.
NOTE: you will need to add G4 and G5 commands to the START and END GCode boxes under the Device Settings/Gcode tab or it will not fire.
G4 goes in the Start box and G5 goes in the End box
ALSO..... BEFORE you change your tool type make a backup of your current tool settings and after you setup the pwm-spindle make a backup if it. rename them laser and spindle respectively and you can change from one to the other in a few clicks and not worry about configing
The Macro buttons on the control screen are also saved in the backup as well
Re: Buildbotics and LightBurn
Thanks for the contribution.
Did you mean M4 and M5? G4 is the dwell command and G5 is not supported on the BB Controller.
In addition, laser users should be aware of two nice features:
* 'rapid-auto-off' - When enabled, the laser is automatically turned off during rapid moves. This prevents lines between marking or cutting positions.
* 'dynamic-power' - When enabled, the laser power is reduced proportionately during acceleration and deceleration. This prevents over-exposure at the beginning and end of lines.
One final note, I have submitted a request to Lightburn to integrate the Buildbotics interface into their product. I sent the email a few days ago and they have not responded. Any of you that are using Lightburn with the BB controller may be able to help make this happen by asking them to provide this feature. Feel free to give them my personal email (dougcoffland@gmail.com) and my personal phone number (925)577-9940.
Did you mean M4 and M5? G4 is the dwell command and G5 is not supported on the BB Controller.
In addition, laser users should be aware of two nice features:
* 'rapid-auto-off' - When enabled, the laser is automatically turned off during rapid moves. This prevents lines between marking or cutting positions.
* 'dynamic-power' - When enabled, the laser power is reduced proportionately during acceleration and deceleration. This prevents over-exposure at the beginning and end of lines.
One final note, I have submitted a request to Lightburn to integrate the Buildbotics interface into their product. I sent the email a few days ago and they have not responded. Any of you that are using Lightburn with the BB controller may be able to help make this happen by asking them to provide this feature. Feel free to give them my personal email (dougcoffland@gmail.com) and my personal phone number (925)577-9940.