Title: Laser Diode Driver Issue
Several years ago I followed a walk-through showing how to add a laser to a MPCNC (Mostly Printed CNC). The setup had a Nichia NDB7875 laser diode driven by a 12V TTL laser driver, like the one shown below.
The walk-through was comprehensive enough that someone with no laser experience (like me) could follow it without having to ask any questions. The laser was used on around a dozen jobs, then was packed away until recently, as I wanted to put it on to another CNC machine.
This other CNC machine is a custom build with a different control board than the original machine. Because the controller is different, I thought it would be a good idea to disconnect the laser diode and check that the driver was working with the new controller. For whatever reason, it wasn't, so I order a couple of replacement drivers. I connected the new drivers to a test load, and the current wouldn't hold steady, it just slowly crept higher and higher. Adjusting the pot did nothing. Both drivers behaved the same.
I'll send the replacement boards back, but now I'm wondering whether I should get hold of a better quality driver for the laser diode I have, which has had little use, or buy a newer, and maybe more powerful laser diode setup.
It would be nice to use the laser diode I have, as I wouldn't need to think about designing a new mount, but I plan on using the new setup a lot more than the old one and am wondering if I need something a little more powerful. The new machine was built for engraving wood, and I don't plan on doing any cutting with it.
So, my questions are:
Several years ago I followed a walk-through showing how to add a laser to a MPCNC (Mostly Printed CNC). The setup had a Nichia NDB7875 laser diode driven by a 12V TTL laser driver, like the one shown below.
The walk-through was comprehensive enough that someone with no laser experience (like me) could follow it without having to ask any questions. The laser was used on around a dozen jobs, then was packed away until recently, as I wanted to put it on to another CNC machine.
This other CNC machine is a custom build with a different control board than the original machine. Because the controller is different, I thought it would be a good idea to disconnect the laser diode and check that the driver was working with the new controller. For whatever reason, it wasn't, so I order a couple of replacement drivers. I connected the new drivers to a test load, and the current wouldn't hold steady, it just slowly crept higher and higher. Adjusting the pot did nothing. Both drivers behaved the same.
I'll send the replacement boards back, but now I'm wondering whether I should get hold of a better quality driver for the laser diode I have, which has had little use, or buy a newer, and maybe more powerful laser diode setup.
It would be nice to use the laser diode I have, as I wouldn't need to think about designing a new mount, but I plan on using the new setup a lot more than the old one and am wondering if I need something a little more powerful. The new machine was built for engraving wood, and I don't plan on doing any cutting with it.
So, my questions are:
- If I were to get hold of a better driver, which one(s) would be suitable?
- If I were to buy a newer setup, what options would be good for engraving wood at the relatively low speeds my machine will produce?
