…yet.
Besides, “sounding good” is… subjective.
19 Likes
deserves a like but i’m out, so here: 
3 Likes
No, it doesn’t work that well due to how information is encoded on a record and how a laser beam is shaped. It’s not much of a yet, there’s not really a good way to do it on a laser like this.
You’d be better off using the laser to cut parts to build a machine that lets you cut your own. That way you get to enjoy being completely ridiculous and good sound. :v
6 Likes
you are probably right… (and yes, I am completely ridiculous, it is known.)
… but if the issue is the hourglass shape of the laser, a modified needle cartridge might do the trick…
Trying to remember, the needle registers side-to-side motions not vertical motions, right?
(It looks that way here and here).
So if the laser engraves the grooves with that waveform at the thinnest part of the hourglass, and the cartridge is modified to suspend the acoustic needle at that height (vertical center of the engrave) and has another means of balancing/staying in the groove (second, non-powered needle? tech-deck wheels?) higher fidelity could be achieved. Maybe?
Honestly, I had never even considered building my own cutter, I have had an eye out of a vintage one for a while, but not that seriously. You just sent me down some rabbit holes.
3 Likes
I thought that the LP groove was a sort of squiggly hourglass thing, with one channel (well, differentials) encoded in the vertical and the other in the horizontal? If that were true you could just crank position and power…
1 Like
Always appreciate how Dan follows the forum and provides answers.
When I made my first clock, cutting and filing brass became tedious. I told my wife that I was going to investigate CNC. She said “it’s your hobby, do it the hard way”.
Nontrivial amounts of fussing and experimentation are quite OK. With 12" material it will be possible to move along the Y axis totally accurately with a spacer piece on one end or other of the X travel, and it will be possible to move it accurately in Y with a couple of different spacers, so the material can be repositioned accurately into the cutting area. It just remains to be seen how the software will allow me to position the second image to complete the cut. It might even be possible to do the first cut with an SVG, and lay a drawn arc on the material for the second cut. I expect the whole thing to be a massive time sink, which is why I bought in.
13 Likes
how this new area work
would affect the passthrough option?
I hope your wife doesn’t meet mine!
You crack me up!!
5 Likes
it If the passthrough slot size matches the bed size, then I think it means we could use a piece of material that is .4" wider than the maximum width we previously thought we would be able to use.
(edit: meant to write “if”)
Wouldn’t count on that just yet.
1 Like
I agree. It’s likely the physical slot was based on the original spec but the extension in engraveable width is due to gantry/head engineering and software manipulation.
Of course not saying it isn’t wide enough, just that we don’t know. The slot is actually 3/8" high to allow some wiggle room for 1/4" material.
Edited. I meant to start that “If…”
Since we now know the “deep engrave” can cut through some half-inch materials. (But if you’re doing pass-through, what measures should be taken to make sure that cutout materials don’t hang up on the honeycomb…)
1 Like
With some more math you could etch during accelleration/decellaration and not lose the extra margin. Perhaps not a 1.0 feature, but you should be able to get the margin back. Essentially you’d need to slow down the laser pulsing for etching in synch with the head slowing down as it approaches the end stop. Math is fun!
2 Likes
I’m not sure I understand your question. Let me restate a few things from the specifications. The pass-through slot is limited to 1/4" material so you will not be able to cut 1/2" material larger than the bed size. Also, the pass-through is not a continuous automated mechanism. You will cut the first 11.5", manually slide the material forward clearing out any obstructions caused by cut pieces as you go, and then cut the next 11.5". Does that address your question?
1 Like
Perhaps I was too telegraphic. It’s a combination of two questions:
-
Since we’ve seen that deep engrave can cut 1/2" material, does this mean that brave souls may be able to disregard the official passthrough limit and use the full 3/8" physical opening?
-
Not entirely related to 1, does it make sense to have a provision for some kind of smooth thing between the material being cut and the honeycomb, so that you don’t have to remove all the cutout bits by hand before moving to the next cut. For some designs that could be a lot like weeding a halftone on a vinyl cutter.
(Oh, and while I’m here, this opens up an interesting possibility for thin flexible material in the Basic: a narrower honeycomb with feed and takeup reels, like a miniature version of a quilting frame. You have to do the alignment by hand, but it might just be worth it for some applications.)
-
That’s an interesting question about using the full 3/8" physical opening. I don’t know the answer. It may depend on how the opening lines up with the tray or the head.
-
Someone with more (any) laser experience than me will be better suited to answer this one. My immediate reaction is that they put in a honeycomb tray for a reason. Putting a flat sheet between your work and the honeycomb could defeat that purpose. Not sure. And, depending on the material of that sheet, you’d have to be extra careful in dialing in the power/speed settings to make sure not to also cut through that sheet.
-
That’s a creative idea. I believe @dan has stated that the re-alignment software will only be available on the Pro so you may be limited to designs that lend themselves to manual re-alignment like you suggested.
You would be able to use as much of the 3/8" as you can stuff in there. I believe there is to be a flap over the opening so don’t know whether that will further restrict anything. The very slight extra height is most likely to allow high friction items like 1/4" wood to slide through easily. Not really going to slide a 3/8" piece of wood through a 3/8" slot without it being a pain.
8 Likes
One big reason for the honeycomb is for cutting; it doesn’t matter for engraving. Cutting on a solid surface doesn’t give anywhere for the smoke and soot to go, and it could substantially increase the residue on your project. That may or may not matter.
7 Likes