REVIEW & TUTORIAL - iDraw H Pen Plotter with Laser Engraver by UUNA TEK® (XY Drawing Machine)

Рет қаралды 22,851

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 86

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

*UPDATE: During the holiday season, use the coupon code ( THEDOTISBLACK ) to get 20% off on any purchase on* uunatek.com/products/uuna-tek-h-version-pen-plotter-a3-size-handwriting-machine-xy-plotter-laser-engraver Hello everyone! This is the iDraw H pen plotter by UUNATEK. So far, this is the best pen plotter that I have ever worked with! Thus, I have put a lot of effort in this video and spent a lot of time exploring this plotter. I know the video is quite long but there is simply too much to talk about it. Hope you'll find it interesting. Don't forget, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you use the coupon code ( *THEDOTISBLACK* ), you can get 15% off on any purchase on uunatek.com/ Don't miss 17:43 Speed test 1 (AxiDraw vs iDraw) ! And the laser engraver... LIKE. SHARE. COMMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! --- Website: www.thedotisblack.com Twitter: twitter.com/davidmrugala Playlist of Drawing Machine videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLbLdd1fdNg5yV46dFRn6YfPyczZWiec9- Playlist of Processing art tutorials: kzbin.info/aero/PLbLdd1fdNg5zPBMYYZLO2JVqMrBkK5Lux Support on PATREON: www.patreon.com/thedotisblack Become a MEMBER: kzbin.info/door/X4GSh1gpRuugPpjxu0gLmwjoin

@montytodd9978 Жыл бұрын

As a total beginner looking to buy my first plotter, this is a fantastic video. Thank you for making it.

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome, Monty. And if you have any questions, let me know.

@urticadesign3737 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this tutorial!

@marchalluz9543 Ай бұрын

Hello:) Does it detect the paper that I use? For example, I want to use an A4 paper. What are the settings I need to adjust on Inskape app and to the machine? I'd really appreciate your help.Thank you!

@metaphysicalArtist Жыл бұрын

Excellent presentation on the 'iDraw H A3 pen plotter' and 'LightBurn software'! I found the video informative and well-explained. I appreciate the insights, and covering tips for improving the product. Kind of surprised that it needs a light guard, I guess you and add one.

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

A light guard dir the laser adds additional protection. Without it you must always wear the protective glasses. But you can add one. It might be a hassle to find one though.

@edvocke9906 Жыл бұрын

Great stuff! Got an H about 2 weeks ago and appreciate all of the info.

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Hi Ed! Glad to hear that it’s informative. How do you like it the iDraw H so far?

@edvocke9906 Жыл бұрын

@thedotisblack creative coding It's great. I'm happy to see you found a way to manage the cords. It's a clever, stable device. I'm inspired to get the laser as well. Thanks for your videos, mate.

@carlschmiedeke151 Жыл бұрын

WOW, what an in detail video

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Indeed. I did it detailed because I remember when I bought my first plotter, I did not know anything and couldn’t find any good reviews and information.

@JJDigitalartStudio Жыл бұрын

I love your accent. This is so technical. But it makes beautiful art.

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Joyce! My accent adapts always to the location I am at. ;)

@JJDigitalartStudio Жыл бұрын

@@thedotisblack I thought that only happened with me. I guess it happens to everyone. Thank you.

@marchalluz9543 Ай бұрын

@SartajAnand 4 ай бұрын

What do you recommend between the H A3 and the A1 for an enthusiast? The larger format seems to open up more possibilities, but its larger footprint has me concerned too

@bildtankstelle7450 9 ай бұрын

Klasse Video! so funktioniert Verkaufen: nach diesem Video weiss ich genau, was ich bestelle und was mich erwartet. VIELEN DANK, sehr hilfreich :-)

@thedotisblack 9 ай бұрын

Freut mich, dass das Video hilf. Nebenbei, diese oder nächste Woche werde ich eine neue Review für den A1 Plotter veröffentlichen.

@juliapieczynska6296 9 ай бұрын

Does the plotter shake while printing? Without paper base, would there be a problem with precise drawing if the plotter would shake?

@pieterdesmijter420 Жыл бұрын

Awesome video ❤

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Thanks Pieter! Glad you like it. The video became too long but I didn’t know what to leave out.

@zark4711 10 ай бұрын

It would be nice to also compare the quality of the plots of the AxiDraw and iDraw. I see, you already made a different video about that. Did the quality of the H model change?

@thedotisblack 9 ай бұрын

Personally I use the iDraw H only. My AxiDaw A3/V3 is doing nothing for a year already. That said I am very pleased with the iDraw H. It’s super fast, accurate and easy to operate, especially with the base plate. I will not do a video comparing the plotters. In my opinion there’s no need. Both plotters are very good. Biggest differences are though: - the iDraw is faster when it comes to short lines. Continuous lines are the same speed. - pen holder plate of the iDraw has a stepper motor. It’s great and huge upgrade compared to AxiDraw’s stepper motor. - iDraw H needs less space to work with. The AxiDraw A3 for example, needs an area of A2 because the y-axis extends in both directions. It’s takes a lot of space. IDraw, on the other hand, needs less space. - software/plugins are the same. - however, one big difference is that the Axidrae is gentle to pen tips. It works with gravity. iDraw adds a lot of pressure. But personally I prefer pressure because the lines are stronger and no need for additional weight. … There’s more but it eventually it depends on the type of drawing, pens, ink and paper surface.

@zark4711 9 ай бұрын

Great extensive reply @thedotisblack, thank you!

@hakimabelbenyoucef4141 15 күн бұрын

hello I have a uunatek idraw H A3 and since a while when I plot the lines I trace are not plotted straight. On a simple line, I have 2 mm gap between point A to point B. How to config the machine to make the drawing straight and not unbalanced ?

@thedotisblack 11 күн бұрын

Check the wheels on the y/x axis, on both sides. You might need to tighten the screws until there’s no movement. It should be tight.

@hakimabelbenyoucef4141 11 күн бұрын

@@thedotisblack thank you for your answer will try to tight the screws. If doesn’t can I still ask your help ?

@raph0s Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review ! Does the laser cut can cover the whole A3 surface ? Does the weight of the laser is an issue when using the plotter ?

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Yes, the laser module covers/engraves/cuts the entire A3 area and the weight is not a problem. I've been using the pen plotter with the laser module attached at the highest speed. No issues at all.

@walterhynson2898 Жыл бұрын

My machine is almost identical and the diode type lasers present no weight problem

@metaphysicalArtist Жыл бұрын

Could you do a video with the 10W/15W Laser Head for iDraw H A3/A1 Size plotters and how different they are from the 2.5W in speed and cutting depth, I guess they would need a better Laser Subplate?

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

I am sorry, but I don’t have the 10/15 W laser module. In my personal opinion, if you want a 15 W laser, I’d rather buy a dedicated laser machine. The reason is simply, 15W is powerful and you will need a proper setup for the baseplate to avoid any damages below. That said, you can operate a 15 W laser with this plotter, but you have to be careful.

@ExclemationMark Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this review. Does this laser leave a black line on white paper after lasercutting?

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Hi Rowin, at 32:30 you can see for a short moment a cut out circle on ivory paper. The front has no soot, back side is slightly yellow (that’s normal without air assist and grill), and the inner side of the edge is dark brown where the laser burns through the paper. That’s normal, there’s always soot with lasers.

@ExclemationMark Жыл бұрын

@@thedotisblack Have you had the opportunity to try the 10/15W laser head as well?

@graphosxp Жыл бұрын

@@thedotisblack What if I layered 3 sheets of paper, would the center layer white paper have no burn marks? Also is it true that the lowest power laser model 500mW produces a smaller engraving dot per inch\millimeter than the higher 2500mW? Thanks for the *another* great video! Cheers!

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

No, I did not test the 10/15W lasers by uunatek. However I have a couple of 5W and a 20W diode laser machine. These are dedicated laser machines. In general, there shouldn’t be any problem with more power. Works the same, just faster. But you’ll need protect the baseplate better.

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

Actually, you shouldn’t layer sheets of paper to cut through. It will be worse and you’ll need more time and power. Rather separate the sheet of paper from below, raise with a honeycomb grid for example. I have some laser cutting videos where you can see it. The laser spot size depends rather on whether it a short or long focus laser. Short focus has rather smaller spots and is better for engraving, long focus generally has slightly higher spots and is better for cutting through thicker materials. 500mW is slow. You can always change the power of a laser and thus adjusting the intensity of the burning/cutting.

@leslie_sharpe Жыл бұрын

Thank you for such a high resolution review. Say you wanted to plot on an A2 piece of paper by splitting an image into two A3 sections. Do you think it's possible to could calibrate it perfectly enough to do that and so that there would be no visible seem between the two halves? Hope that question makes sense.

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

I understand your question and it is possible. However, you will need to calibrate the paper, extremely precisely. Of course it depends on the type of work too. Perhaps, to avoid visible “seams”, I’d divide the artwork in more sections. This way it’d look natural. Additionally, if you want to use an A2 canvas, you will need to work without the base plate. A2 does not fit between the frames.

@leslie_sharpe Жыл бұрын

@@thedotisblack thanks for that. it seems like it’d be a bit of a battle of the artwork became too detailed. I think in that case it’s best I bite the bullet on an a1/a2 plotter.

@leslie_sharpe Жыл бұрын

One more question. How does the plotter generally determine the path it travels? Or where it begins on an image and where it ends? Is that something that the software determines/optimises automatically with an algorithm? Or does one need manually determine/define the order of paths in an SVG. For example, with your pencil test, it creates the outline first, and then fills it. Or in that case is the outline and fill separated layers? Hope that makes sense. @@thedotisblack

@thedotisblack Жыл бұрын

@leslie_sharpe good questions. First of all, you can work and should work with layers, especially if you work with different pens or types of drawing elements (hatches vs. lines). In InkScape you can assign your drawing elements to separate layers. The plug-in of iDraw will draw each layer separately, or you can turn off the layers that you don’t want to draw, and only draw what is visible. Second, within each layer or in general the drawing can be optimized. The plug-in provides you with three options, either keep the order of the drawing path as it has been drawn or reorganize the order to speed up the drawing process.

@leslie_sharpe Жыл бұрын

So helpful to understand this detail. I've ordered an A1 model. A week ago I had barely heard about plotters. Now I'm a bit obsessed. Thanks mate. @@thedotisblack

@marchalluz9543 Ай бұрын

Hello! Is it possible to use an A4 or any paper other than A3 with this machine? Thank you!

@thedotisblack Ай бұрын

Of course, you can use any size, you need to set up the paper size in the settings of InkScape or what ever you use. The maximum drawing area is A3 though.

@walterhynson2898 Жыл бұрын

for less money

@map3033 11 ай бұрын

In terms of hardware, it's shaved to the bone for profit... yes - for the money you can build a level better machine

@alitalalhaidar6488 10 ай бұрын

What does it take to adapt the A3 plotters to make them work for larger paper sizes?

@thedotisblack 10 ай бұрын

Actually, I will receive an A1 pen plotter in the next weeks and will do a review video on it. A3 is great but I often need larger formats.

@alitalalhaidar6488 10 ай бұрын

@@thedotisblack Looking forward. Keep me posted please

@Rooftopaccessorizer 6 ай бұрын

where do i get a laser module? is it only for that plotter? I have the axidraw v3, i hope i didnt buy the wrong one

@thedotisblack 6 ай бұрын

If you go to the website, you have several options to select from for this plotter, including the laser module. The laser modules work only with the iDraw models 2.0, H, A2, A1 and A0. These models have strong frames to hold the additional weight and the microcontrollers have the necessary plug for a laser module, including additional power adapter. The AxiDraw platform is not made for laser modules unfortunately.

@PIRANHAE 8 ай бұрын

Hello Sir, instead of using Incscape to plot could you use Lightburn for plotting with the pens? If so can you explain how to do it. I hope you can answer my question. Greetings from Belgium

@thedotisblack 8 ай бұрын

Lightburn is for laser cutting and engraving only. It does not control the pen holder plate and thus it is not possible to use it for pen plotting.

@PIRANHAE 8 ай бұрын

@@thedotisblack Lightburn can work if the pen is activated with a servo . I have a Eleksmaker A3 en can switch between laser en plotter and they work both with Lightburn.

@thedotisblack 8 ай бұрын

You can you use Lightburn for the laser module on the iDraw. However, I checked the Lightburn forum and some people manage it to work for pens but only if the pen holder plate has a servo motor. The iDraw has a stepper motor, it doesn’t work with it. Lightburn does not control the z-axis. Please correct me if I am wrong. Here is the link: forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/can-lightburn-be-used-with-a-pen-in-place-of-a-laser/10498/16 But I don’t know why people would like to use Lightburn for plotting. If you like to use some features of it, you can always edit your images there and export an SVG and then plot it via GRBL or InkScape. You will have more control over your plotter with these apps. Why do you want to use Lightburn for pen plotting?

@PIRANHAE 8 ай бұрын

Because i find Lightburn easy to work with instead of Inkscape thats my peronal opinion@@thedotisblack

@Kimberlymogan 4 ай бұрын

If you’re using paper, cardboard, etc and not cutting, why use a laser?

@hosearmando6953 Ай бұрын

Hello, I have UUNA TEK H A3, and I tried in config to connect it, but it cant :((. Can you tell me what specific to do?

@thedotisblack Ай бұрын

Sorry for late reply. Did you manage to connect it in the meantime? If not, please describe what the actual problem is and what you did to connect? Do you use the plug-in in InkScape?

@hosearmando6953 Ай бұрын

@@thedotisblack error to connect to COM3. This happens when I go in my extension Idraw 2.0, i tried a lot of things but dont know the problem

@thedotisblack Ай бұрын

@hosearmando6953 check different usb ports on your computer first, COM 3 might be occupied by something else. (You can look in your device manager.) In the plug-in/config you can also change the COM manually. Everything should work automatically though. Additionally, uninstall InkScape, delete the plug-in and reinstall everything. Update your USB drivers on the laptop and try again. Look on UUNATEK website, they also include driver updates, install them. It sounds like it is your operating system that causes the problem. It does not recognize the microcontroller.

@thedotisblack Ай бұрын

Btw, COM issues I had only when I had the laser cutter connected and wanted to use the plotter in parallel. I don’t know, but you might have something else connected via USB, for example a Wi-Fi dongle, microphone, keyboard, etc.