I have posted before more than a year ago.
My K40 has been gathering dust. I became frustrated when I couldn’t get it to work with Windows 10 and then when I finally got a computer with Windows 7 calibrating it proved to be a magnanimous task.
My question is…
Has a method been figured out to operate the machine with Windows 10
Also is there someone offering guidance for first time use?
What software have you been trying to use to control the laser? If it’s the stock coreldraw with corellaser, it doesn’t play nice with windows 10. To use corellaser it really requires an up to date version of CorelDraw like X8.
You would be better off using the free K40 whisperer program in conjunction with inkscape. https://www.scorchworks.com/K40whisperer/k40whisperer.html
Lightburn is a better program, but it requires upgrading to a different control board like the Cohesion3D.
First time user questions are always welcome and we try and help as best we can with advice.
It would be ideal if someone on this list with their own K40 could help you, but if there’s nobody local you should try a hackspace - they’re all over the world and nearly always have a laser cutter and people familiar with it.
https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/List_of_Hacker_Spaces
Note that they’re volunteer-run and don’t generally provide a commercial service - so you will usually need to get involved, get to know people and use the facilities rather than expecting ready-made classes. However, you may be able to offer to pay for one-on-one tuition from an experienced user.
@krystle_phillips I went back and looked at your original posts from a year ago and I see I basically gave you the same information then. Are you saying you didn’t get K40 Whisperer to work for you?
I’m using Win 10 without any problems with my stock K40 laser. As Ned said, download and install K40 Whisperer, you will need to follow the detailed and comprehensive install instructions carefully, but having done so, you’ll be OK Just load the file you want to cut and/or engrave and off you go.
https://www.scorchworks.com/K40whisperer/k40whisperer.html
There is now a simple way to install the driver and install K40 Whisperer. Just download the file named “K40 Whisperer Installer 0.27.exe” from the web page and follow the prompts to install K40 Whisperer and the required driver. (You will also need to install Inkscape for K40 Whisperer to work with SVG files)
@krystle_phillips I’m just guessing, but I bet the problem with getting it to work on Windows 10 is the driver signature enforcement. Basically, if the drivers aren’t signed, then that is a red flag and you should think twice before installing them because they might have malware/viruses in them. But, if you trust the source (or just don’t care/are willing to risk it) then you can disable this option and reboot to install the unsigned drivers.
But I’d recommend K40 Whisperer. I use it and it works great!
Do not want you guys to think I disappeared but new computer and I am going to follow all of the advice so graciously given here and attempt it again. When I finish installing everything i will comment again. Give me about an hr…this is the only thing I will be doing today.
@artag I went to hackerspace and the site wasnt secure then again with a name like hackerspace it left me concerned. Have you used it?
Is there a preferred build for inkscape?
@krystle_phillips The security warning appears to indicate that the certificate is incomplete (recently - I didn’t get it until I retried). I shall point it out to the maintainers.
Don’t be misled by the media’s take on the word ‘hacker.’ Hacking is in general part of the practice of technical craftmanship, building or modifying things to do their job differently or better - while that does include investigation of security issues the emphasis on criminality is largely a media invention. The word (in a technical sense - it also has uses in journalism and horseriding) comes from MIT in the 1960s.
I downloaded everything (inkscape latest version and whisperer) and but as luck would have it, the dongle/usb is not reading. I cannot see the files on it.
Help @Scorch @artag @SirGeekALot @Duncan_Caine @Nedman
You don’t need the dongle for k40 whisperer.
The dongle is only required if you are using laserdraw/corellaser.
After you install whisperer, watch the videos on the whisper web site to get an idea of how to get started.
@Nedman @Scorch @SirGeekALot @artag
I installed the driver and restarted but…
USB Error: Laser USB device not found
