ℹ️ Configuring a K40 Co2 Laser for long tube life - Demonstration on a K40!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

*Thank you all so much for watching!* This video is over a year old, and *the K40 laser Monport sells today would never get my recommendation!* It's a much lower quality and there are a lot of user issues.

[@checksixivan4921]

Several questions for you… (1) At 3:54 you begin to run “the test”, and dial up the power to 17-18mA. At 4:50 ish you say success, it’s gone completely through, the machine is “completely calibrated” etc. What exactly was this test we are supposed to run every 6 months? Gone completely through? Was that the criteria for success? What was the material? What was the thickness? From watching the video we can’t even tell at which power setting it actually DID burn through completely. So how do you know it was at 17-18mA? (2) How did you come up with 17-18mA as being equal to 70% of the laser power? Where did you get that figure? (3) By relying on keeping the KNOB at exactly the same physical position (to achieve 17-18mA), if your project called for 100% power IN THE SOFTWARE SETTINGS, if your knob had accidentally been turned further clockwise you would now be running at MORE than 70% power and be damaging your tube. Is it not possible instead to set THE KNOB always full clockwise (full power) and then control the actual PERCENTAGE of power via the software setting?? SPEED and POWER are settings you must set in yourself EVERY time and you would simply never set >70% for power, and therefore never have a chance to overdrive the tube. Also, doing your way with the knob set at 17mA (which is what you say is about 60-70% -maybe, maybe not), and we choose 30% power on the software setting, what is now the actual power being used? Guess what, it’s NOT the 30 % you were thinking it was by setting that number in the software. It could be 18-21% only… Not trying to troll you at all - I love your videos. It’s just I still haven’t found a definitive answer to setting that knob correctly. The Monport manual says to use the knob to set 20-60% power - BUT THE DISPLAY BY THE KNOB READS IN mA- NOT percentage of power! Perhaps your answer to question #2 will solve all the mystery. Thanks for the vids!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

A lot of questions I can't answer in a text. 21mA is max power on a 40W tube. I repeat the test every 6 months to see if the laser power has decreased and adjust it accordingly.

[@johnsinclair3067]

A steep learning curve leveled out by your bulldozer of knowledge. Thanks a bunch!!!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

My pleasure John!

[@checksixivan4921]

Just to follow up and close this up with the definitive answer from Monport tech support. By the way, I posted this question on several K40 laser KZbin channels and of course, the answers were split as to which method they used. I personally want to run it with the power knob at full, and control percentage via the software. And, that is exactly what Monport K40 tech support states in their reply email (see below) They just have really ambiguous terminology/language in their operation manual, but the email clears that up by saying the “power” is in reference to the LightBurn percentage you set, and NOT the knob position. Hope this clears it up for anyone else who had same questions. Thanks From Monport tech support: Please find the instructions from our engineers below. Hello, when processing equipment, it is usually necessary to turn the power knob of the equipment's ammeter to the maximum for processing. The power in the manual refers to the power set in Lightburn, which should not exceed 70%, but in actual cutting, the specific power needs You adjust based on the thickness and texture of the material. Best regards, Ailyn

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Okay, I did tech support for Monport for over a year because they don't really have technicians. You can follow their advice, which is almost always wrong if you like. This time they got it partially right. You do adjust the power and speed for different thicknesses of material, but that's just common sense. If you have a mA reader, which you said you do, don't exceed 70% power on a 40W tube, which is about 17mA on their tubes.

[@JNKBCS]

Rich, I just bought the OMTech Polar and this video helped my understand that little dial in the back. Betweek you and Edmonds Workshopand others have helped an IT guy get in to the wonderfuyll world of Laser engraving. Keep up the great work!!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Glad I could help John; thanks!

[@billywhizzy]

Thanks!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Wow! Thank you so much! I appreciate the support!

[@billmeade8092]

I have been watching your videos for quite some time and finally purchased a MonPort K40 Lightburn edition a couple weeks ago. Everything on my mA meter works except the mA readout which is blank. I would like to do this setup but still waiting for MonPort support to get back to me. The last thing they sent was, "We will ask the engineer to check this issue and get back to you." I have asked for the manual to the Lightburn compatible board three times and still haven't had a response to that. I added a flow meter with a temp probe and need to connect it to 12vdc on the board or to maybe a water temp connection on the board. Needles to say I am a little disappointed in the support. Keep up the great videos, I am sure this will get worked out sooner or later.🤞

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I control the USA support Bill. If you open a ticket at cofcc.com/ I will handle it quickly.

[@ronficca984]

Please correct me if I’m wrong. On my control board I put in 40% on the display. It shows 15 ma on my analog amp meter. In other words, I set the laser powered display percent to whatever gives me the correct milliamps. Please forgive me if I’m reading into this too much. I purchased a used machine and I’m getting a new tube for it. And I would like to set it up correctly.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

15-17 mA is the highest you want to go on a 40W.

[@ronficca984]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy Thank you.

[@ThomasCorcoran-n6p]

i have the same one now for a little over a year and its never went past 19 on th ma meter i saw in one of your other videos it went to 21, should i be concerned abiout that

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

17 is the sweet spot.

[@Crazy-bf6ip]

I'm using an Omtech K40 that I just purchased. I am creating a primitive shape like you have, turning the knob all the way left (min mA), and running lightburn at 100% power, fill, etc. However, when the laser is firing (which it does fire), it just sits at 4-5mA. Even if I gradually turn the knob to increase power, it does nothing. Is there a setting I am missing inside Lightburn?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

No, you probably have a defective mA meter. It's very common on the K40s. Contact OMTech for a replacement.

[@themacdoktor]

"That's what everybody on KZbin said to do." Welcome to tube laser heaven.🤣

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

🤪 I can't tell you how many people burn out their tubes in weeks because of YT Terry!

[@eduardengel1702]

Ofcourse I don’t know the high voltage psu from this K40, but on my machine, (80watt machine with the same amp meter) there is a potentiometer in the psu (look for a small hole on one of the sides) to do the same as you did at the amp meter. So you can use the regulator even more to finetune some of your engraving processes, and don’t have the risc of accidently turning the knob.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

That process is how most of the manufacturers do it Eduard, but there is none on this power supply.

[@terrypen]

How do I set my OMTech K40 to 18mA max when I don't have the 'fancy knob?' I'm sure that there are a lot of people in that boat! I'm in a nearby boat... I've replaced my Nano board with a AwesomeTech MG3, how would I set mine to have that max mA? If I set my settings to 40-60% it's approaching/bumping the 20mA spot, so I'm struggling a little bit with making sure I don't hit that number.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Can't help with all the other controllers Terry. Install a mA meter and set the power in Lightburn.

[@CrozetMom]

If you set the mAmp meter in this way - should you still need to stay below 75% on your project in Light Burn or is that unnecessary after this calibration is done (I have an OmTech K40+ but I assume it’s the same concept)

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Once you set the mA meter, you can use Lightburn at 100%.

[@robinstanfield1699]

How do you get the genmitsu to work can't get the software to work can you do a video on that please

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Lightburn will have CNC support in the fall Robin.

[@edriveria64]

Hello Rich I have been watching your videos for about a year now and can thank you enough for all you do for us, I have a Ortur Master Pro 2 SF I will like to get me a more powerful machine so I can do some acrylic signs, but I don't which machine to get. Monport K40 or else, Can you please get me in the correct direction.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Any Co2 would do the job Edward. The nicest one I have in the shop is the Gweike Cloud 50W.

[@edriveria64]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy Thank you so much for your time & info, am going to look into it.

[@merrillalbury8214]

What additional items would be required (ie chiller, air blower, etc). The $549 price looks good but know that is all that is required.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I only run a Co2 with a real chiller, the CW5200 with the compressor. That's all you really need, but I did and upgrade to air assist video as well, and I would recommend upgrading.

[@ANGELAWHISENHUNT]

Hello. I just got a monporty k40 with all the upgrades _I think_ I am very new and trying to follow this video. when I do this and turn my nobe on the machine my milamps only go up to 12 then start making a whistle noise. What does this mean? Also it looks like it is backwards like it is inverted.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

They've made lots of changes to the K40 for the worse since this video. You'll need to contact their support if they'll even answer you.

[@waterlilly62lori]

In my mA window it says water protection and laser signal are off. How do you focus your laser?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

The laser came with a focusing tool.

[@terrym3543]

I did a bunch of research on 40 W CO2 laser tubes. Most of the manufacturers recommend 12 mA as 100% power. Any more current than that and you are over driving the laser tube.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Okay, you can use yours at 12mA. These tubes produce 40W at 21mA.

[@jayathome3]

I've found the sweet spot on my k40 seems to be 13 mA, if i increase it there seems to be a loss in performance even though the meter shows a higher rate. Do I have a miss aligned mirror or maybe out of focus? . It seems a strange one to me and after lots of searching online I can't seem to find an answer.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I can't diagnose a problem in a KZbin comment with little information, sorry.

[@douglasmitchell4063]

Thanks Rich! Another helpful video! Take care.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Glad it was helpful Douglas!

[@anne7474]

I just got a 60w OMTech. How do I change the am meter on my machine? I don’t see a knob like in the 40k

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

You don't.

[@danielletoadvine262]

I know this video is several months old but hopefully someone will see my comment, I followed these steps exactly (I think) and the highest my ammeter will go is 12. When I hit test it fires at 17 so not sure what I’m doing wrong. Thanks!!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

You may need to set the S-Value Max in the Device Settings to 1000 Danielle. If not, it may be a bad ammeter.

[@michaelk5889]

I just leave my amp meter knob fully turned clockwise and never command LB over 70%. Is that acceptable?

[@danielletoadvine262]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuyI’ll look into thank that you for responding!

[@cynthiamorales9924]

Thank you! Amazing video!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Glad you liked it Cynthia; thanks!

[@MrMalik918]

i'm new new but, i have an omtech k40, and tried this but 100% on lightburn and cranked the dial to the ammeter all the way up. and never got to 17 while running, it hit 11-12 while running ... now, in manual i put the head over my scrap wood and hit the manual fire button, a little over halfway turned the ammeter reads 17mA .... i *think* this should be just the same? can anyone confirm or deny when this is seen

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

It should be.

[@MrMalik918]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy ok, in that case i will leave it well enough alone... this is my first laser, and ive had to fumble thru to align the mirrors, its been engraving fine but ran a test card and the results aren't perfect so, may also have to try to align mirror 3 better .... i'm still learning the fullness of it, only owned it maybe 2 weeks now, and trying to be done and done with calibrations and learn the rest ( i definitely appreciate the reply!)

[@TheBignozza]

Thanks for the video very interesting. I have fitted a Monport v2 Lightburn card into my machine unfortunately I don't have a adjustable meter, so was wondering If I lowered the S-Value in Lightburn and changed $30 to the same figure would this have the same effect. Hope to hear from you. Kevin.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

No, you have to add a meter and measure the mA with different powers.

[@davidelder5399]

Great advice, as always 👍

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Thanks David! 👍

[@mikeguidry49]

SO extremely helpful Rich! I have the exact laser and was never clear on how to set the ammeter but I never set my power in lightburn any higher than about 70%. How do you focus without an adjustable but like you modified?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Glad it helped Mike! I use the adjustable scissor jack to focus.

[@mcclarnon1974]

do u have a video on the scan offset tool in lightburn, I have a co2 that I have double lines and I'm not finding a good video on it

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Double lines on a Co2 is usually the IR beam hitting the nozzle on the way out, and requires a mirror alignment.

[@mcclarnon1974]

@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I did all that and also made sure it was not hitting the nozzle and still getting double lines, the lines are not way out of focus double, just slightly side by side double, I've seen other videos talking about it but u seem to explain things well on ur videos to where I understand em better so I thought maybe u would have a video on it perhaps, thanks

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I don't Micky, but it's either a mirror alignment or the nozzle that create dbl lines.

[@pavendort]

I recently swapped the OMTech board in my K40 with a Monport Lightburn board. This disabled the power control buttons entirely. I have mA meter installed, but have no method of adjusting output. Running a material test it was blowing through plywood at 10% power, and pushing 12mA at 10%. I don't want to run the test and end up frying my tube. Any suggestions on how to adjust power without a potentiometer?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

They're all different.

[@karllaun2427]

Hello Rich. I recently updated my K40 with a FluidNC board so I could use Lightburn. Your videos have been invaluable in getting me up to speed. The one thing that I hadn’t been able to find anywhere was guidance on what percent power in Lightburn correlates to the milliamp settings I had been manually setting with the knob. Through my own experiments, I’ve found that about 55% equates to 15 ma. I was thinking it would be nice if there were a scaling setting in the software that would let you use 0-100% for these situations.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Well this is it! Hope it helped Karl.

[@karllaun2427]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy Very helpful. The difference with my controller is that the knob is no longer functional after the installation. Power control is entirely through software. The analog ammeter and the laser control button are the only items on the control panel that still work. I do test fires through the macros in the console.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Then you'll have to install a ammeter Karl.

[@dawnmielke2278]

Are you using a specific file to do this or can I use any file? I’m sorry if that’s a dumb question, I’m very new to laser engravers.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Just a primitive shape.

[@martindedera6242]

Ahoj. Koupil jsem si laser od vevoru K40 a nemohu se snim připojit k Lighburnu, můžete mi poradit co stím? diky.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Většina laserů K40 má řídicí desku M2 Nano a není kompatibilní s Lightburn.

[@martindedera6242]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy a doporučil by si mi nějakou jinou desku?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Opravdu nevím, co je k dispozici ve vaší zemi. Nejsem fanoušek Co2.

[@martindedera6242]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy děkuji za ochotu.👍. Ať se daří.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Moje potěšení! 👍🎅🏽

[@reedzik]

is it possible to buy somewhere that ammeter alone ?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Yes, you can get the analog version on Amazon: amzn.to/3otHFQF

[@reedzik]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy thank you for reply , the usual mulitmeter I have, I mean the one that can be set to a given number of milliamperes

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

cloudraylaser.com sells them Greg.

[@reedzik]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy thank you.

[@jessetutterrow4320]

Useful video for those with CO2 lasers. When you said 70% power does this mean that a 100 watt laser would only develop 70 watts of optical power?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

It is capable of 100-105 or more depending on the manufacturer, however, you use up the Co2 very quickly if you go over 70%.

[@Dekweekschuur]

Hi Rich, Can a diode run 100% without problem Or also better to stay under 80% power

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I have for a long time with no issues. There is no real data on this from the manufacturers, but I don't think it matters that much personally.

[@custompc5232]

Rich, can you confirm whether Monports GRBL board for their K40 works with omtechs, seems to be a fairly simple switch over but you have much more knowledge than me. Omtech arent shopping their version overseas and VMS charges to much even tho its a good board with loads of options for future upgrades. Really want to get mine up and running after ripping it to pieces and rebuilding it bigger but so used to lightburn i dont want to keep having to bounce back and forth with different software

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I cannot, since I don't know which version they're using and if the wiring is the same. You CAN make any K40 laser work with the Grbl board, however I can't say if it will be plug-n-play. You may have to change the limit switch wiring or even create a new limit wiring loom based on the connector they used. If there's a ribbon band plugging into the control board on yours, you'll need new limit wiring.

[@bil111978]

Just 1 question, the meter you said take to 17 or 18 that would be 70% of lasers power. I found mine only goes up to 18. Wouldn't that be 100% power?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Nope.

[@bil111978]

So that means cranking my ma meter far as it will go (18) my laser would never produce 100% power anyways?

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

I misread the question. Yes, if the mA meter says 17-18, that's about 70% of the tube's power for a K40. A Co2 should never exceed 70% of the rated power or you'll burn up the Co2 really quickly.

[@woodsdmd88]

Rich, My ma meter on the Monport K40 doesn't go any higher than 4ma even at max power and 100% in lightburn. Is there a setting I'm missing or is something wrong with the machine? It has been like this since I got it.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Try opening the power bay door and unplugging the network cable that goes from the power supply to the mA meter on both ends, and then reconnect it. If that doesn't work, open a support ticket at cofcc.com/ Dana.

[@woodsdmd88]

Tried that no luck. When I press the test fire button the ma meter reads 20 but when I set lightburn to 100% I only get 5ma so I'm thinking it is something in lightburn.

[@jasonstrickland5251]

hey rich! hey i have upgraded my k40 with the monport board to run LB, however, my dial doesn't do anything anymore. the meter still works but the dial does nothing. is there any wiring hacks that you happen to know of to get that going again. not really a huge deal, i have never had to run my laser more than 40% anyway but hey what the heck.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

No, just work off the mA meter and keep it below 18mA.

[@jasonstrickland5251]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy no worries, I will do that. I am replacing my tube today, I regrettably, and against my better judgment, am one of those guys who ran it at 100 in the beginning 😆. Just wanted to make sure not to over heat this one! Now I think I saw in one of your videos, I have watched sooo many in the last few weeks, that there is a setting in LB that you can limit the power globally so that LB only uses the percentage of that number instead of the max of the tube??

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

You can only do it if you have the LED potentiometer and the Ethernet from the power supply to the potentiometer Jason.

[@jasonstrickland5251]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy Thanks Rich! i really appreciate it!

[@jasonboren7440]

I’m thinking of buying a cO2 laser to add to my shop. $3500-4000 budget for laser chiller etc. Any recommendations? I like the k40 videos you did but would like a larger work area.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

This is the best desktop all-in-one I have found Jason. No need to buy anything else, everything is in one package, built into the machine. The Gweike Pro II 50W is $3099 complete, and if you use my coupon code you'll get a couple of hundred off on the price. Plus they are the oldest and largest manufacturer of Co2 lasers and they're support is phenomenal. Coupon code: LAHOBBYGUY

[@merrillalbury8214]

Your shortest video I can remember.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Yes, but a necessary one! The #1 support question is about the ammeter settings Merrill.

[@mikebillot5221]

you have Fahrenheit gauges!!

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Yes I do Mike! amzn.to/45sVwYX

[@mikebillot5221]

@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy thought your came with it.

[@waterlilly62lori]

My mA meter doesn't work, it just stays at 0

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Your door has to be closed to activate the security switch.

[@asstudio2613]

Чем больше информации, тем полезнее для нас конечно) я под✍ ся, а вы?.

[@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Я надеюсь, что вы получили хорошую информацию!