Tangerine Tiger 04 Fixing the wiring

[@nicojk79]

I keep being amazed how much I learn and consolidate knowledge while watching your videos. I simply love how methodic and objective you are while solving a problem. Thanks for the great contributions to our community! I cannot wait to see how this tangerine tiger roars. Looking forward to the next session!

[@BigDogtheBear]

Hi Russ. Great project! It looks like the RF laser is a compact, self contained unit, unlike the usual fragile glass laser tube. Wondering whether mounting the RF Laser perpendicular to the back of the machine and shooting the beam directly onto what would ordinarily be mirror #2 would make any sense? Benefit would be eliminating mirror #1 mounting, alignment and potential power loss, easier air-cooling of the laser since it wouldn't be enclosed inside the cabinet. Downside would be a less compact installation with the laser housing protruding from the back of the cabinet a bit. Would it be worth the trouble of re-mounting the laser and eliminating mirror #1 in this way? Crazy idea I know. Look forward to seeing Tangerine Tiger in action. Thanks for your informative videos. Cheers!

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Glenn Thanks fiorthe comment because it wikktest your oores of Sounds like a great to lose a mirror and toe thuis save a 3% to 4% power loss. Sadly losing mirror 1 makes it almost impossible to set the Y axis true. From where you are sitting , point to something in your room that is 5 or 6 feet awat from you and below your shoulder height. Now breakdown ALL the X,Y and Z movements you would have to make to finish up with your arm dead parallel to the wall and the floor. The first x movement you make is going to have you pointing way off target because you need rotation adjustment as well as linear adjustment. . The same applies to the Z motions as you drop your shoulder to parallel with the floor. That will be a big piece of engineering to hold and adjust that big lump of metal tube.. No, when you understand how mirror1 works, it matters not how your lasertube is aligned except that the beam must hit the centre of mirror 1 ( within 1 or 2mm). With just 2 small adjusting screws the beam can easily be set to run horizontally and vertically true to the Y bearing rail.. In reality there are no upsides to your great idea, the simplest method still requires 3 mirrors. Thanks for the comment because now it will test your powers of 3D spacial imagination to undestand what I am saying about mirror 1. If you are a pool or snooker player it shouldbe easy. Best wishes Russ

[@greenacresfarms]

Hi Russ, I would be interested in the specific delay off relay that you are using. Could you please provide me with that as well as the schematic you have in this video for wiring of the air assist? Much appreciated, as always.

[@ltdeditions]

Great video Russ. Quite jealous of all your upgrades. Should be a bulletproof machine once you're finished with it! I agree with your thoughts on the wiring, it's a disgrace and downright dangerous. After I recieved my machine and had a quick look around, I decided to just rip all of it out and start from scratch. The only thing I didn't do (because I didn't have one at hand) is put in a contactor to switch the mains voltage. I did upgrade the emergency stop button to a better one, which should be able to handle the current, but it's not how I prefer to have it.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Technically I should have used a contactor for mains switching but this 10 amp relay is not continually switching (just on and off with the machine) and I had it to hand. Its a compromise that fits in with the rest of the machine!! Best wishes Russ

[@ltdeditions]

@@SarbarMultimedia What I meant (not sure if I understood you correctly), was have the emergency button control a contactor, which shuts off all the power to the machine, so you don't have all the power being used by the machine going through the emergency button. I've seen a lot of prolems with burned out emergency switches (especially in countries with 110V instead of 230V). I've also put relais on all the other switches, so they only have to switch 24V, instead of 230V. Much safer and more reliable than the "rats nest" of cables looping from one switch to the other.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@ltdeditions When I was designing machine tools many years ago what you are suggesting (and what I am doing ) was not allowed. Emergency stop had to be a MECHANICAL circuit break to make the machine safe. This was based on the principle that a contactor could possibly weld its contacts and not break even though you had removed the power. Yep, I have had may reports of melted E stops from USA. Even though our method of shedding load from the Estop my not comply with machine build regs, its a lot safer than the" Chinese standard" Best wishes Russ

[@ltdeditions]

@@SarbarMultimedia "I'm not an electrician by profession, but I understand quite a bit about electrics". I think you're being a bit too modest here ;-) If I'm not mistaken, these days a safety relay switching two other relais / contactors in series is considered to be safe according to machine regulations. I'm not an electrician either, but I have built my share of control cabinets following wiring diagrams drawn up by certified electrical engineers. But you're right, almost anything is better than the "Chinese standard" and as long as we're all staring at our machines with the lid open, a safety relay would be no more than an expensive boat anchor.

[@ralphzito7609]

Hi Russ I'll be going up the same road with my build, I'm using the Ultimate air assist and the off delay on the extraction fan. What's your opinion incorporating an auto/manual switch in the circuit for the extraction fan as well? As an aside can the RDC6445G also control the startup of a water cooler at program start as per air assist, or would you run the cooler at power up? Thanks for your valuable DYI laser incites and subtle humor, really enjoy your videos. Best regards

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Ralph Yes it would be a good idea to incorporate a bypass switch for the fan for those instances when you want to run the machine with the arrow and pulse button ie cutting without a program. It is a bad idea to have the water turning on and off with the program because the water circulation in a pond pump and reservoir system will stir the water in the reservoir to aid radiation cooling. Also, every time you start the program you will get a water error because the flow does not start quick enough to trigger the flow switch before the first laser switching signal. If the laser tries to switch on without water flow it will stop the machine. Best wishes Russ

[@ralphzito7609]

Thanks Russ Duly noted, did not think about the delay in the water flow, I'll make sure my cooling system comes on at power up. Ralph@@SarbarMultimedia

[@gerhardkoekemoer5526]

Hi Russ. How about mounting the red dot pointer from straight above on the x axis and then just adjust the offset the the beam to the dot. This can perhaps help with the alignment.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Gerhart It all depends on what you are trying to achieve with a red dot. Seems like a brilliant idea. People have two goals. 1) dynamic beam alignment without the need for the scorch method. In practice I have designed and made 8 red dot pointer systems and they all nearly worked but all required me to start at mirror 1 and use the scorch method for final precision alignment. I have used and experimented with several different types of beam combiner systems.. They all have to also be set to align with the invisible beam. This task is like trying to find the end of the rainbow, you know it's there somewhere but trying to exactly touch it is near impossible. So with my final logical analysis a few videos ago (red dot disappointment?) I proved why I had been wasting my efforts. I hate it, but with a logical and methodical approach , the scorch test can quickly deliver perfection. 2) A red dot on the work to identify where the beam will.land. This again seems like a good idea but until you have studied it's accuracy and reliability at every part of your machine's work area, you will never understand why trusting that red dot is an act of faith rather than logic. Apart from the inherent error caused by the beam not striking the sweet spot on mirror 3 PERFECTLY at ALL points on the table. the intense light of the spot tends to "burn" a much bigger footprint on your retina thus causing uncertainty about exactly where in that spot your beam will land . I know I may sound like a killjoy but I don't consider and uncertainty of +/- 1mm satisfies the goal you are trying to achieve. The mechanism that produces the best accuracy because it is fixed to the machine frame, is two red scanning lines set at 90 degrees to each other. It is still not perfect but it guarantees that your cross hair follows the CNC positioning coordinates faithfully regardless of how your beam wanders. Thuds half the potential error has been nullified. I learnt about these uncertainties a long time ago and neither of my machines ( and now the Tangerine Tiger) have them fitted. If my eyeball assessment is inadequate and I really need to ACCURATELY know where my beam will land, a quick blip of the pulse button gives me the PERFECT answer. Best wishes Russ

[@paulbritton187]

I think the most important thing on the Laser module input current spec is that it says 12A average, peak upto 15A

[@fyrstorm2010]

Very interesting video.

[@MartonMedia]

What relay you use for the delayed extraction switch off. I am going to install that along with the ultimate air assist on my machine.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Frode Add your disguised email address to another comment (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) and I will send details and a circuit diagram. Best wishes Russ

[@Smagany]

@@SarbarMultimedia Could you be so kind and send me these details and diagram also? krzysztofsmagaDOTyahooDOTcom . Thanks in advance! Your videos are lifesaving!

[@RichardRocket1]

Wow...what a huge project...how does this system of 30 watts compare to the old tube system of 100 watts?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Richard I have no idea at the moment. That is what I hope to establish. I have been told that this 30 watt RF tube can cut like my 70 watt glass tube. I have my doubts BUT certain things , like the diameter of the beam being only 2mm diameter (supposedly) means an incredible high light intensity is already compressed into a very small footprint even before the lens. All great experimental discoveries to understand rather than just use. Best wishes Russ

[@JeanCarlosPerezEscobar]

@@SarbarMultimedia Truly a great project that will mark an evolution to the manufacturers of the machines, from now on you must be working on your idea. You have to make a comparison of both systems in terms of price vs life time. I look forward to the next video until I see the machine working. Greetings thanks to you for all your ideas.

[@patprop74]

Keep watching the Channel and you will find out, Russ doesn't rest on his laurels, Before long we will see this Tiger in action.

[@anandreddy6835]

Please make video for fibra laser machine wiring

[@macswanton9622]

I'm picturing wondrous results

[@williesims8655]

Okay Russ I am confused..... I worked for Harbor Freight they are a U.S Based company so just how did you get a freebe Harbor Freight Light! LOL thanks for the great vids

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Willie I am aware that Harbour Freight are one of many large US tool vendors BUT I have never had any dealings with them and am wondering how you made a connection, Best wishes Russ

[@williesims8655]

@@SarbarMultimedia sorry for the off topic comment it was just a bit of humor for me to see that little blue flashlight, They are given away at Harbor Freight with a coupon (read the little label on your light it is distributed by Harbor Freight) They are great little work lights and very popular store item. Back to Topic you mentioned that with our U.S 110v Standard I may have an issue with the Amp load on the switches, So should I change out the emergency switch to a higher amperage?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

HI Willie Aha.... Yes, I have never looked . That light is very useful and arrived in a little package of "gifts" from a very grateful US correspondent who I had helped get a refund on a rubbish tube and also helped him set up his machine. It matters not that it was a freebie, it's just a great little aid. If you are planning on using 110v (I know you often have the option of 220v) then no, you do not need to change the switch but you must unload all the ancillaries onto a separate extension block. Items like the water pump,and the air compressor . Do not use any of those sockets on the back of the machine. The ES switch will handle that basic 110v current draw from the machine but it's the extras that will exceed the 10 amp rating of the switch block. Even if you hunt around for a different more expensive replacement you will keep bumping into this 10A limit. Best wishes Russ

[@patprop74]

Cheers. It is ridiculous how they wire things up in china, Every little K40 I converted I basically striped ever wire and connector out and started fresh, takes less time to properly rewire the thing then it is trying to figure out what they did lol I am actually pretty surprised there are not more electrical fires caused by those imports

[@terrym3543]

Another very good video, thank you. I think you're going to find problems with your RF laser power supply. You should never run a power supply like that past 80% continuous. I realize you are not going to have a continuous load of 12 amps but over time this may become a problem. I would like to encourage you to watch a video series on KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZfSd5ZvZsdrqLc The link I provided is for the third video in the series. But you may want to watch it from the beginning. In the videos he is running a similar power supply to yours at 100%+ It lasted approximately an hour. I think your power supply really needs to be approximately 14.5 amps. At any rate, this has been a very cool build, I can't wait to see it to the end.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

I am assured I can run this at 100% so I will do so when I try cutting with it. In the interests of discovery it is essential for me, you and Cloudray to know if the product they are selling and providing technical advice for is fit for purpose. As I make clear, Cloudray have supplied this laser and power supply for me to test. I plan to do just that. Thanks for the link I will watch and learn because at present my experience with RF is ZERO. I shall definitely be comparing it with glass tube capability. Best wishes Russ