My K40 has arrived. The box was in great shape, not a dent to be found. I took photos of it. Once it was moved into the shop, I opened the box and found it protected by 2.5inches of styrofoam on all sides. Under all that styrofoam, the machine was wrapped in plastic wrap. I removed it from the box and set it on the table. Upon removing the plastic, I found that the machine seemed to be without physical damage. I opened the cutting compartment to find the included bits (exhaust hose, manual, keys, usb, pump). There was an interlock on the cutting cabinet. I opened and closed the lid and discovered that it is not reliably tripped when the lid opens or closes (doesn’t quite make contact with sheet metal of case). The electronics cabinet was closed with an M3 screw. I removed that and found that the cabinet appeared to be in good order. I moved into the laser compartment which was also secured with an M3 screw. The tube appears to be intact and without issue. Unexpectedly, the control panel includes a key lock to enable turning on the unit (untested).
For an unknown reason, no power cord for the actual unit was included… Is that normal? I messaged the seller to ask. No problem, it is the same kind as I use for my desktop computer. I have not turned on the unit (since no power cord). Can I use my desktop computer one temporarily?
I have included photos below. Please let me know if you see any glaring issues, please.
Looks good to me so far. Yes, a regular computer power cord should work. I see that your’s has the digital controller. Be aware that the % power doesn’t tell you anything about the current being applied to the tube. Max current is usually 18ma but it’s recommend that you stay below 16ma to preserve life of he tube. It’s not uncommon to hit 16ma at like 50% power on these machines. Min power is going to probably be around 10%.
You can temp put a DMM on current mode in line with the cathode wire to see where your machine hits 16ma. I would actually recommend adding a current meter to your machine as that provides information that the digital controller will not provide.
I used that cord for testing. I sanded the grounding area to give actual contact. I tested the included pump and it works ok for now. I tested the key. Unit will not power on without it in the on unlocked position.
After connecting the junky exhaust tube and venting outside, I tested the laser (wearing goggles). The interlock does in fact work. But, you have to get the lid just right. So, that will need to be addressed. I set it for “10%” and test fired on thick cardboard. It was aligned well enough to hit the cardboard below the laser head. So, alignment is at least minimally ok.
Will work on analog meter tomorrow after work and getting the interlock functioning 100%.
It’s a microswitch with an arm. They are used as endstops for 3D printing, and you can easily find them in sets of various counts on Amazon for about $1 each.
Am I able to lengthen the water lines? I think I have seen people put the silicon tubing around some other (heavier duty) clear tubing and then use a clamp of some kind to prevent from leaking. The lines are just too short for where I need them.
