![]() ![]() Super Gerbil: a successful Kickstarter project offering up to 5 axis control for CNC, but is also applicable to lasers. The Mini Gerbil has dedicated firmware which optimizes the PWM, speed profiles and the USB communication. It uses a powerful (but cost effective) 32 bit Arm processor called STM32. Mini Gerbil: a recently designed replacement to a successful Kickstarter project. The small but mighty Mini Gerbil controller for K40 laser Both provides G-code motion and laser power control.ĭSP based controllers use G-code as input, but are expensive specialized circuits that really belong in their own category. ![]() Smoothieware and TinyG are open source firmware derived from Grbl. One kind is Grbl, an open source firmware. One of the key differentiators between controllers is their dialect of G-code. ![]() Technical descriptionsįor those interested in the technical details, this section is for you. ![]() You may prefer a product that has dedicated support provided by the vendor.ĭetails as known at time of publishing. Support – some products have no support, and you’re reliant on the goodwill/knowledge of the user community.3rd-axis capability – for some users, the ability to control a Z axis table or rotary via G-code can be important.Quality of the engraved images – gray scale looks better than dithering, and 16 bit is much better than 8 bit.Ease of upgrade (the technical effort and complexity).The work-around is to use the K40whisperer software which emulates the proprietary G-code so that your K40 can be accessed by software other than MoshiDraw / LaserDraw / CorelDraw.īefore we step through available controllers in this K40 controller review, let’s be clear on what factors matter…. It runs an unknown propriety form of G-code, making it hard to work with.It’s expensive for what it is – outdated technology.This simply means it can only switch on/off at one set power level, so you miss out on the improved images that gray-scale engraving brings It provides only dither-mode engraving.It has very limited control of cutting in corners, which is likely to result in burnt corner points.It’s just a motion controller which has not been integrated with the K40’s digital control panel for laser power. It is the standard controller that ships with each K40 laser. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |