Laser module postprocessor issue

[Loesch]

I just activated my laser module in Aspire 10.5 Trying to do a test and noticed that in the Toolpaths window, Select PP is grayed out and the pull down menu is empty even though I have many PPs saved in My_PostP. I continued and later when I tried to save the toolpath, I selected the Stepcraft laser post processor which I've used in Aspire 10 prior to the upgrade, but got an error that indicated that the PP was not compatible. Any suggestions on what is going on? Do I need to edit the PP for some reason?

I'm using an Opt Laser 6W unit on a Stepcraft D600 run UCCNC 1.2112

[Adrian]

Post processors need to have the new laser setup variables/commands in them to be recognised in that drop down. A laser pp that worked prior to the module works in a different way. You would need to edit the processor to use the new setup.

The Post Processor Editing Guide on the Help menu will show you what you need to add/amend.

[MAXJ]

I have a 6 Watt Optlaser that I need to connect to a CSlabs CSMIO/IP-M controller, so I will be very interested in the settings of the PP file

[ZipperHead55]

I am having the same problem (no post processors showing up in toolpath option, and when I use the "traditional" method of saving the toolpaths, I get an error upon saving ("Error upon saving toolpath.... compatible blah blah blah".

I know that this module is new, but it seems to be a hot mess all around: when I select the online Help and select "Adapting a post processor for lasers" I get a 404 error.

I don't have ANY of the materials/tool settings that are seen in the tutorial (making a carpenter's square). I appreciate that every laser is different, but to have to manually create all of these (instead of modifying existing ones, as per the tutorial) would go a long way to allowing someone to jump in relatively quickly. Having to manually modify the PP settings (even ones that I have found that are for laser use (I am using the JTech Axiom PP as a jumping off point (I have an Endurance laser), seems odd, and considering there is next to no support that I have seen for the laser module (besides the 3 tutorial videos), I am starting to wonder why there was an additional cost to be able to use Aspire to create laser files (it seems most people used other laser software) if there is this much "rolling up of the sleeves" to get the laser to work. Oddly enough, when I first got the laser (pre-version 10.5 and Laser Module) I was able to create a basic toolpath using the "old" laser tools and the JTech PP to confirm that the laser was going to work. Now, after spending almost $75CDN, I can't do anything, and there is NO information out there to get this thing working.

I should have known better than to be an early adopter, especially when I have to pay for the honour. Perhaps I should send Vectric a bill for using me as a alpha/beta tester.... I'm sure that solutions would be provided if that were an option.

Allan

[AdamJ]

Hi Allan,

There are a some issues with post-processors and the Laser Module and we can only apologize for that. I pushed up some changes to the documentation page that you mentioned being missing, which can be found here:

http://docs.vectric.com/docs/V10.5/Aspi ... index.html

If you could share the following I will try to help with this issue:

• The current post-processor you are using, and the one you used in V10
• The contents of your 10.5 MyPostP folder

There are two levels of filtering on the laser post-processors and almost certainly this is causing the issue. We filter posts by whether or not there is anything in the My_PostP, and then we also apply a laser-specifc filter.

We did include some "standard" lasers in the tool database, these were based on our own usage on test machines, but if you have migrated an existing tool datbase they may not be included. I've exported the standard ones we include and attached them if you would like to import them into your database.

Thanks,
Adam

[gregk]

Just to add to Adam's response, we ship a copy of the laser tools db with the software. You can import those into your main tool database. It can be found in C:\ProgramData\Vectric\Aspire\V10.5\ToolDatabase\laser_tools.vtdb.

Greg K

[ZipperHead55]

All of the postprocessors in MyPostP folder are the same ones that migrated over from 10.0.

I was using the Axiom_HHC_Laser.pp and Axiom_HHC_Laser_V2.pp from the JTech site (it worked before I updated to 10.5 and purchased the laser module).

I tried placing the modified files (I added the "LASER_SUPPORT = "YES" into the PP) in both locations (PP and MyPostP folder) and I keep getting the same error/issue ("Error occurred while outputting toolpath..... Check compatability.....").

Expecting the average end-user to figure out the rest of what is required to make the laser module work (as per the help document for the laser module/post processor) is a little much, I think. Again, I am regretting becoming an early adopter and should have just paid the money to get the DSP version of other laser software, but I have little/no desire to learn yet another software platform. And I should have read all of the info on the laser module and which hardware packages have support for them (https://www.vectric.com/products/laser-module) but I was expecting at least some support for some of the DSP versions of the popular laser attachment (JTechs laser for the Axiom Precision series of machines). Live and learn I guess. I guess that money (for the laser module) was poorly spent and I'll have to crack the wallet open to buy the other laser software software and wait until Vectric provides support for other laser packages.

Allan

[Adrian]

Problem is there are so many variations of laser setups that it's next to impossible for them to provide post processors for every combination and if they tried people would get just as frustrated with the assumptions they had to make.

The post processors you were using will still work in exactly the same way they were working before the update for the toolpaths you were using them with then. If you want to use the new laser specific toolpaths then you have to use the new format post processors.

It's not just a matter of putting the "LASER_SUPPORT" statement. There are new sections and variables that need to be added as well. Really it should be the company supplying the laser upgrades that supplies the new post processors.

[jamin35008]

Is there any update to this issue? Im able to get the post processor to work and display in the laser cut & fill post processor drop down as long as the post processor isnt saved under My_PostP. As soon as I move it under My_PostP it fails to display under the laser post processor drop down.

[ZipperHead55]

I'd love to see some resolution, particularly since I paid for the Laser Module, and sooooo many people say "Modifying postprocessors is easy!". If it's so easy, why haven't I had any takers on my offer of $20 to create a working postprocessor for my laser (Endurance 10W)? It's been over a month. It seems many companies are good at SELLING a product, but not so great at SUPPORTING their products. This is more of a blast at Endurance, but Vectric seemed to be quick to cash in on the burgeoning "bolt on laser" market, but only seemed interested in the low-hanging fruit (DIY lasers running GRBL) and not on the prosumer market that uses handheld controllers (ie non-hobbyists that are more interested in carving/burning things than being coding gurus and tweaking things "under the hood". It's sad that I'm contemplating taking my old ShapeOko2 (5 years old) out of storage in my shed just to be able to use the laser and laser module that I bought for my high-speed CNC machine. Just goes to show that you shouldn't so quickly discard "obsolete" technologies.

Allan

[wb9tpg]

Allan, I did some reading on Axiom and it looks like GRBL but I could not find any documentation from Axion on how it's configured. The old J-tech pp you referenced didn't use any M4 commands I would have expected to see on a real Grbl machine. Does Axion support GRBL Laser Mode ($32=1 on my Shapeoko) and the M4 Gcode command?

were you varying power during acceleration / deceleration before or was it fixed power?

[gkas]

I'd love to see some resolution, particularly since I paid for the Laser Module, and sooooo many people say "Modifying postprocessors is easy!". If it's so easy, why haven't I had any takers on my offer of $20 to create a working postprocessor for my laser (Endurance 10W)?

Well, Axiom hardware DOES NOT support PWM, the ability to control laser power change. Their support only goes as far as ON/OFF of the laser, as provided by their own laser driver. As far as I can tell, the Endurance Laser also uses PWM, as do most laser hardware I've seen. Good luck getting a software driver to support a hardware feature that doesn't exist. Also, the Endurance web site seems to be woefully inadequate on providing technical information. I guess I'll have to pass on your GENEROUS offer of a whole $20.

[ZipperHead55]

I'd love to see some resolution, particularly since I paid for the Laser Module, and sooooo many people say "Modifying postprocessors is easy!". If it's so easy, why haven't I had any takers on my offer of $20 to create a working postprocessor for my laser (Endurance 10W)?

Well, Axiom hardware DOES NOT support PWM, the ability to control laser power change. Their support only goes as far as ON/OFF of the laser, as provided by their own laser driver. As far as I can tell, the Endurance Laser also uses PWM, as do most laser hardware I've seen. Good luck getting a software driver to support a hardware feature that doesn't exist. Also, the Endurance web site seems to be woefully inadequate on providing technical information. I guess I'll have to pass on your GENEROUS offer of a whole $20.

I understand that I won't be able to get greyscale and anything other than on/off for the laser, but I can't get even that, hence my frustration. I'm also angry at myself for jumping in on the Laser Module right away, since I presumed I'd be able to utilize some of the capabilities and not have to "fake it" the way it was previously done, and I wasn't aware of the trial (for the laser module) at the time of my purchase. I doubt I'll get a refund, but I suppose it can't hurt to ask, since I can't use the module.

Allan

[ZipperHead55]

Allan, I did some reading on Axiom and it looks like GRBL but I could not find any documentation from Axion on how it's configured. The old J-tech pp you referenced didn't use any M4 commands I would have expected to see on a real Grbl machine. Does Axion support GRBL Laser Mode ($32=1 on my Shapeoko) and the M4 Gcode command?

were you varying power during acceleration / deceleration before or was it fixed power?

To be honest, I'm not sure what Axiom uses, but I assume it's not GRBL. I think my brain is broken from trying to figure out the 3 different things I am trying to get to work together: the laser, the CNC machine and the software. From my understanding, there are (at least) 2 types of boards: GRBL based that use a PC to control them, and DSP/HHC ones that do the processing/controlling. There are so many permutations that it makes my head spin, and I don't know the inner workings of the machine (Axiom) other than I output the Gcode from Aspire using a specific PP and put those files onto a USB memory stick and plug it into the HHC (hand held controller) and let the controller do it's thing.

Initially, I looked at stand-alone, turn-key laser systems (N American companies, not Chinese, although I know that the N American companies use Chinese/off-shore components), but the price was crazy: $30,000 for a decent sized machine with spare tubes and support (12 or 24 months, can't remember). I wanted to stay away from the Chinese machines, which are generally unsupported (based on forum posts I read on CNC related sites, anyway) but there seems to be enough people out there experimenting (and sharing their knowledge) that maybe I should have gone that route, since this experiment (a British software company, a US/Russian laser company, and a US CNC router company) hasn't been as pain-free as I had hoped. I'll give Endurance props for their hype/sizzle: they certainly make one think that they are going to get an all singing/all dancing laser setup with minimal fuss. Smoke and mirrors, I guess (I think there is a laser related pun in there, but I'm too dense to know if it makes sense....).

Allan

[dmthomson]

I'll give Endurance props for their hype/sizzle: they certainly make one think that they are going to get an all singing/all dancing laser setup with minimal fuss. Smoke and mirrors, I guess (I think there is a laser related pun in there, but I'm too dense to know if it makes sense....).

Allan

It's called sales and marketing. Marketeers always hype up products WAY beyond there actual capabilities. This has been the norm in marketing and sales since the dawn of time. I worked for Microsoft for almost 7 years. People think they are a software company. They are actually a sales and marketing company, that can sell ice to an Eskimo, who actually don't sell anything other than a users license. They sell NO products, only a license to use the product. When companies, like Endurance, want something to sell, they really hype it up beyond what it's actually capablities. Once they have the money you gave them, say goodbye. It's sad, but that's the way it's always been. Don't trust sales people until you get ALL the facts about a product. Tell a salesperson, thank you for introducing the product, but you will do your own research, thank you very much.