MSRaynsford

A lot of my ESP8266 work creates a local access point rather than connecting directly to the internet so I thought I would release this source code that allows me to do that. It's a simple arrangement that opens an access point and creates a webserver. Once started you're able to change the SSID and Password for the access point from within the browser and if it all goes wrong you can revert to an open network with a known name with a few well timed button pushes. ( source here ). A lot of my gadgets only use a local access point, I have this fear that if I gave the ' cake owls ' full access to the internet someone will figure out how to hack them remotely and there will be a botnet of cakes before I can stop it. The devices also need to be user friendly because I can't assume anything about the technical skills of the people using them. The admin web page provides a friendly way to input a new SSID and Password for the network but. If the user forgets thes...

The vanillabox laser cutter is finally ready and we've opened up for ordering,  It's a project we've been working on for a very long time and it's consumed pretty much all of the last month but we're proud to have a full metal vanillabox laser cutter and we're currently demonstrating it at the UK Maker Faire this weekend. If you would like more information then head over to the website and check it out. https://vanillabox.myshopify.com/

I managed to fit all of the laser cutter components back into the box again. Getting the cover on was a significant step towards seeing where everything will fit. Sure there are cables strewn all over the place but they can be routed round as required, finding the space for each of the boxes was the important part. The high voltage PSU and the Stepper motor PSU all tuck into the gap on the right hand side of the case. The stepper motor drivers and control board can fit along the front edge of the machine. Now I just need to drill more mounting holes and shorten a whole bunch of wires.   I have totally managed to remove the lower half of the machine and the only thing I've lost is the ability to engrave boxes (or at least I have to engrave boxes slightly differently)

The Blacknose laser cutter has now been stripped down and deconstructed, all of the essential parts have been moved across to the new base plate and everything has been reconnected. This machine is now functional. It's mostly a good indicator to show that nothing was damaged in the transfer, it's still wired in using the Leetro controller but as we already know that's easily switchable .  The next phase is to shorten all the wires and find new places to mount all the separate parts of the machine so that they all fit back into the cover. The E-Stop is now conveniently located just on the floor down there, just in case of really bad emergencies.

Another productive evening on the open source laser and I managed to transfer all of the hardware from the Blacknose base to the new Blacknose plate. This is an exercise in drilling and tapping holes (putting screw threads in them). The XY gantry is across, the mirrors and the tube mount. Tonight I hope to move the existing electronics, I doubt I'll find time to turn it on as well but it's all good progress.

In addition to my open source controllers for the Blacknose Laser cutter  I'm giving my machine a major overhaul. As you can just about make out I'm taking all the parts off of the machine on the right hand side and placing them all on the plate on the left. This should reduce the height of a Blacknose by about 50%. It'll also leave a hole right through the base of the machine so in theory you could just put the laser in the middle of an extra large sheet and let it cut that. Now all I need to do is figure out where I'm going to rehouse the extraction and all of the control electronics which currently live in the base, no big deal really :P

Looks like I totally forgot to add the cutting video to the bottom of yesterdays post. It cut a bit too slowly and burnt through the wood rather than marking the surface, it also seems to be cutting sections twice (which I just noticed)

Now that I have an easy way to switch controllers into my laser it's time to try out some of the different softwares. I'm quite comfortable with Arduino and I've got a fair few of them kicking round my house so that's a good place to start so  GRBL  is the first controller that sprang to mind. It's a simple G-Code interpreter and there are a myriad of programs that send G-Code out via a serial port. The controller: GRBL is optimised for the AVR328 microcontroller which is typically found in the Arduino Uno  so it's very accessible for beginners. The same chip can also be found on the Arduino Nano  which can be bought for as little as £2.50 each (which is why I have a box full) so I used one of these instead. The wiring for the blacknose is very simple, There are only X and Y axis, X and Y limit switches, laser power and laser On/Off. GRBL connections are well documented  but it's worth noting that I used the Lasermode variant of GRBL  which h...

I want to get involved with the open source laser cutter movements but there are a few hoops to jump through first. I can't really afford to have my laser cutter out of action for any length of time and with so many offerings I'm not entirely sure which system to use, there are a wide range of options and I'm not sure which one is the best so I'll want to try them all. It all leads to this logical first step. I needed an easy way to switch controllers in and out of my existing systems so I enlisted some help from James  who turn my vision into an appropriate schematic and pcb which we sent off to Elecrow for manufacturing. When the boards came back they look absolutely fantastic, black boards and white silk screen really tie into the colour scheme for Just Add Sharks . The principle is simple; the board mimics the Leetro controller , all of the connectors sit in the same places and their functions are clearly marked on the silkscreen. Each connector is expo...