LaserGRBL In Depth Tutorial - Part 2 - Open, Append & Save gcode files + Hint

[@mck-WeldingFabrications]

THANKS BRO. I'm a dummie when it comes to tech stuff, hence the reason I call it tech stuff.. I bought a Sculpfun S9 2/3 yrs ago and I've used it once tbh and I'm struggling with how to use it the correct way. I'm hoping these videos will help me to get to grips with this whole process so thanks for taking the time out to make these videos..

[@jonnafry]

Excellent presentation and extremely useful. Thanks for your efforts.

[@rodgerwaldorf4011]

Thanks for a great and helpful video , keep up the good work :)

[@Glasairman]

Guisseppe, I watched because of the need to cut multiplke shapes simultanoeosly and was disappointed that lasergrbl does not support arranging. Doing it in Inkscape is mewssy in my mind. Does Lightburn allow this arrangemnt function?

[@1QKGLH]

I have watched both of your tutorials (Pt 1 and 2). I am trying to find out how to export an image I made in Illustrator to a gcode so I can load it into my laser. You talked about opening an already created gcode file, but how can I create gcode from my raster or vector image?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, thank you for your comment. If is a raster file i.e. an image in either .jpeg or .png you can open them directly in LaserGRBL, which makes a good job in that, otherwise you will need some plug in or third-party app if i want to convert your image or vector beforehand. Alternatively, LaserGRBL can also open Vector files in .svg format. If you are trying to create a project with both cuttings and engravings, I recommend you have a look to the following video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZezn3mqjbqUfNE I hope it helps. Ciao

[@thejyhansenergy8424]

What do you think about alfawise A10

[@lilqueeniescraftingismypassion]

Can grbl be changed from mm to inches I am struggling to get good sizes for projects 😂

[@fventura1]

Great videos! Thanks. I'm trying to understand if LaserGRBL work with automatic air assist (like SculpFun S30 systems). Is it an available feature? Thank you!

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Fernando Ventura; thank you for your comment. You can set up LaserGRBL to start and stop air-assist from the settings. Have a look at minute 11:50 in the following video on how to do that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kInRo5lqnLSmidE I hope it helps Ciao

[@fventura1]

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop thank you very much. As far I can see, this GCODE strategy works only at project level. If I want air assist ON to cut and OFF to engrave, on the same project, probably I need to create 2 different projects to do that...? Will the projects be absolutely align on the same place when the machine stops and go again? I'm a completely newbie on this matter, of course :D. O would say YES but I don't really know it!

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Fernando Ventura, Yes, LaserGRBL is limited in what it can do and inappropriate for multi-layer or setting projects. If you have a home in your machine, i.e., microswitches, you can take that approach to break your project into multiple parts and home back before each part. When you break the projects into multiple parts, it is essential to maintain a fixed size and reference point so that when you import them back into LaserGRBL, it aligns on top of the previous one. The workflow is not straightforward, but it is the only easy way around with LaserGRBL. I hope it helps. Ciao

[@fventura1]

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop Thanks. I will try that.

[@russellmatthews595]

Hi greetings from Australia have been watching your videos a lot but im a bit confused so if you could help i would very grateful I like to make Balsa wood planes so i have been learning to use inscape with bit map tracing which i have a good understanding now, so the next problem is I would like to cut them out with a laser but very confused about how to set the g code up for laser cutting. do you think that NEJE 40 would be good for balsa wood max 5mm and birch ply 6mm. thanks for any help cheers.

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, russell matthews; thank you for your comment. The Inkscape plugin that allows you to export a project to gcode is a bit buggy and not working with the late version of Inkscape. If all you need is to cut the outline, I would suggest you convert your objects to path (most likely, they are already since you are bit mapping them), then save your file and open it with LaserGRBL, which works with .svg without problems you can see that tutorial here there is only a limitation regarding filled objects which I explain in the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5eqpXdplLOhfK8 When you import the .svg file, you are prompted to select the speed and the power. Regarding the NEJE E40 Module, it is a good Laser Module. It cuts tiny and clean and can tackle your projects without problems, but you may need to go extremely slow, like 100mm/min or perform the cut in multiple passes. If you expect to do a lot of cutting of 5 and 6mm materials, I would go for a 20W laser module; however, your machine must be capable to take high-power modules. Down is some links to the E40 Modue if you are interested. shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=886868&m=101855&u=3100176&afftrack= s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DeMnl8D I hope it helps Ciao

[@ginaswann9983]

Soo I just got Inkscape and they don't have laser anymore.. but plasma or laser.. and only path length and distance and the type of path.. and asking about the corners.. so what? I can't input power here anymore? Or did I download it wrong. Thanks for any help you can give, just starting out here

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hello Gina Swann, thank you for your comment. Sorry, I did not really understand your query. The Inkscape design should be exported using the JTP extension, which will give you the opportunity to set your power and speed parameters before exporting. I have an old video about the JTP extension here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnmqopeNdptgfJY where I show how to start up and work with it, this will produce a .gcode file extension. Let me know if I answer your question and if you need some other hint Ciao

[@Glasairman]

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop LaserGRBL now takes native svg output from Inkscape, as I discovered recently so you dont need to use Extensions any more

[@garyczerkas9924]

Hello, when I do an engraving, my finished engravings are reversed. The arrows on the left side of LaserGRBL go the opposite way when I hit them. I'm able to engrave okay by flipping the image I am doing upside down. Is there a command in LaserGRBL that will correct this issue or am I facing another problem?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Gary Czerkas; thank you for your comment. It is not a problem; you must switch the direction from the GRBL settings. to do that, you can follow my steps in this post whathowwhysolution.com/lasergrbl-and-lightburn-why-my-engravings-come-mirrored/ I hope it helps Ciao

[@garyczerkas9924]

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop That worked! Thank you so much.

[@michellerobbins4855]

Hello, I am a newbie with learning the Laser world, and you tutorials has help so much I do have a few questions: when opening a file i took a AI file converted it to SVG file it loads directly to the the target image screen so now i am unable to choose my different setting styles for my image. any suggestions? I thought that you can bring in an raster file type. Also in the Material MD list if you do not see your laser Module (LU2-4SF with 20w power and 5.5w ) what do you do to get your correct speed and power info?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Michelle Robbins; thank you for your comment. LaserGRBL can work SVGs, but it only recognizes paths without fills. Unfortunately, you cannot import files containing different formats like objects, paths, raster etc.. however, you could split the file or export the type of objects independently and use the append tool in LaserGRBL. Just mind the origin and dimension in your native software so they all align again in LaserGRBL About finding the right cutting or engraving parameters, I do test the machine/laser with each material, and I have a video showing that here kzbin.info/www/bejne/roSwlIN8i5p3fbs I hope it helps

[@AbzentMinded]

Hey there, I'm new to this. What's the difference between open file, and append file? What exactly is appending doing?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, @AbzentMinded; thank you for your comment. Opening a file does what you'd expect. It opens the file; append, in contrast, allows to open multiple files as part of the same project. Open one file, then use append to open one more file; you will see it appearing in the canvas together with the previous file. The function helps run projects with both engraving and cuttings. However, it requires e preprocessing of the files to match the coordinate system when appending. I hope it helps Ciao

[@AbzentMinded]

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop Thanks I appreciate it!

[@marcelodb1000]

Gostaria de saber se pode me ajudar. Comprei uma gravadora Laser, porem não consigo conecta-la com o Notebook, o programa não libera as ferramentas, como seta, e os outros. pode me ajudar por favor? Obrigado

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hola, marcelo d barreiro barreiro; obrigado per tuo commentario. I don't speak Portuguese. Therefore, I'll write in English. To give you better help would be good to know the brand and the model of your machine. Are you able to connect your machine to LaserGRBL? if yes, does your device has a home? If your machine is homeless, i.e., lacks microswitches, you simply need to unlock the device by clicking on the padlock icon at the bottom of LaserGRBL's interface. If your machine does not connect, then it is possible that you need to install the CH340 or CH341 driver. To do that, open LaserGRBL and head up to Tools > Install CH340 Driver. Once done, try again to connect and see if the machine moves. Let me know, Ciao

[@marcelodb1000]

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop Good afternonn, I sent you a video by email if you can analyze it and send me feedback, thank you

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Marcelo, I haven't received any email with the videos. Please check that your message was successfully sent; alternatively, try sending the link to the following address: [e-mail] Or you can upload it to your KZbin Channel and share the link. You can set your video not listed so nobody can see it. Ciao

[@rontancrede8570]

How do you size and position the frame and lock it in?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Ron Tancrede; thank you for your comment. You cannot change the engraving dimension of a gcode. To set your origin, you need to jog (move) our machine using the arrow buttons to position the laser head in correspondence with the lower left corner of where you want your project to be, then click the icon with the world (the 4th icon) to set the origin. Be mindful of your engraving area to not collide with the machine boundaries. I hope it helps. Ciao

[@sandrodelnegro7694]

ciao e grazie per le preziose spiegazioni, volevo chiederti ma è possibile inserire anche nel g-code i comandi M7 e M8 per un laser NEJE 3 max?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Ciao Sandro Del Negro, grazie per il commento e i complimenti. Si puoi inserire qualunque blocco di gcode che desideri dalle impostazioni inclusi i 2 commanid per l'aria compressa e l'estrattore fumi. Per fare ció clicca su Grb > gcode troverai 3 sezioni dove puoi inserire i blocchi che ti servono. Nel tuo caso dovrai inserire M07 ed M08 sotto la sezione "Header" and M09 sotto la sezione "Footer". Header e Footer dovrebbero essere sritti allo stesso modo in Italiano altrimenti é scritto come Intestazione e piè di pagina rispettivamente. Ho un video in coda dove mostro l'istallazione del Airassist, ma sará live nelle prossime settimane. Per tanto ho estratto una piccola parte di quel video dove mostro esattamente come configurare il controllo del'elettrovalvola in LaserGRBL. Attendi qualche minuto affinché si live. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6GrqoqIbZ2hgpI PS. É una bozza per cui audio e colori potrebbero non essere ancora definiti. Spero che la mia risposta ti sia utile. Ciao

[@sandrodelnegro7694]

Ti ringrazio molto per la tua esauriente , precisa ed utilissima indicazione. I miei più sinceri complimenti per la preparazione e disponibilità che dimostri. ancora grazie per la fattiva e concreta collaborazione !

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Ciao Sandro Del Negro, grazie a te per il commento. Mi fa piacere essere stato di aiuto. Divertiti con la tua macchina laser. Ciao

[@aztecwarrior1421]

How do you text? For example i want to engrave dog tags.

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hi, Aztec Warrior; thank you for your comment. What do you mean by doing text? LaserGRBL does not offer tools to design. Therefore, you should create your design, even a simple text, in another software, e.g. Inkscape, and the simplest way is to import it as an image in laserGRBL. I hope it helps Ciao

[@sujitbagchi9909]

Light burn explain setting

[@dailyshop4634]

can we make G COD file in coreldraw software

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hello daily shop, thank you for your comment. I just reply to your other comment, there are Plugins to work with CorelDraw, however, you can convert .cdr files to gcode with some third party software like Filestar. Alternatively, you may save your file as an SVG in Corel than open it with LaserGRBL which supports it (see my tutorial part 4), however, bear in mind that everything should be as a path or curve, also LaserGRBL is mostly accepting Inkscape SVG therefore when converting try to make the SVG in saying Unicode or simplified, and remove any style. I hope it helps Ciao

[@tomhutchins1046]

Ok dumb question of the year. How do you close the file?

[@MiddleRoomWorkshop]

Hello Tom Hutchins, thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, there is no option to close a file, the only way is to either open a new one or restart the software. If you intend to prepare a new file, simply open it, this will clear the canvas and render the new file instead. Ciao