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ScottW514
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BRINGUP item 2: grbl-mode laser software implemented + bench-verified without fire (record in the gate list); first light pending. LIGHTBURN.md: arming/button-press operation, S-max 1000, fire gates. scripts/bench/laser_stream_test.py: host-side stream-dump contract verification against the null-sink build.
107 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
107 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
# LightBurn setup & operation (ForgeFIRM)
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Status: laser software implemented, **first light pending** (see
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BRINGUP.md for the commissioning record). The laser fires only inside
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an operator-armed window:
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- **Starting a job that fires: press the button.** At the first
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laser-on command of a job the machine unlocks its laser latch,
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lights the big button **white**, and pauses the incoming gcode until
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you **press the button** (the same press the factory firmware
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requires). LightBurn simply waits; press the button and the job
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runs. If nobody presses within `laser_button_timeout_s` (default
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300 s) the job aborts with alarm 3. Stop in LightBurn (soft reset)
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cancels the wait at any time.
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- One press covers the whole job — power changes and M5/M3 toggles do
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not re-prompt. The window relocks after `laser_disarm_s` (default
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60 s) of idle with the spindle off; the next job prompts again.
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- S-value scale: `$30` defaults to 1000, so set LightBurn's S-max to
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1000. 100 % power = S1000. Use M4 (variable/dynamic) mode for cuts
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and engraves.
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- The machine forces the cut fan profile on while armed and
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continuously verifies coolant flow; a flow fault or over-temperature
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pauses/blocks firing (messages appear in LightBurn's console).
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- The hardware safety chain stands above all of this: lid open,
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interlock open, or power faults make firing physically impossible
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regardless of software state.
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## One-time device setup
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Prerequisite: the controller is running on the board (see BRINGUP.md;
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`grblHAL_glowforge` on TCP port 23 at 172.16.1.97).
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1. **Laser window → Devices → Create Manually** (skip auto-find; it
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scans serial ports).
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2. Device type: **grblHAL** if your LightBurn version lists it,
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otherwise **GRBL** — both speak the right protocol.
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3. Connection: **Ethernet/TCP**. IP address: **172.16.1.97** (LightBurn
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uses TCP port 23 for GRBL devices, which is exactly where the
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controller listens).
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4. Name: e.g. `Glowforge ForgeFIRM`. Work area: **X 495 mm, Y 279 mm**.
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5. **Origin**: pick the corner where the head sits after parking at
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home — **rear-left as you face the machine** (the top-left dot in
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the selector). This is what keeps jobs un-mirrored: machine +X runs
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right, +Y runs from the rear rail toward you.
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6. **Auto-home on startup: NO.** Homing is not wired yet; `$H` errors.
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7. Finish. If a stale device profile already exists, edit its IP
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instead of creating a new one.
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8. Device Settings (wrench icon): **S-Value Max = 1000** (matches $30).
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9. Optional backup: File → Export Devices → saves a `.lbdev` you can
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re-import later (the format is not editable text; export is the way
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to make one).
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## Job start mode (important on an unhomed machine)
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In the Laser window set **Start From: Current Position**, and set the
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**Job Origin** dot to the same corner as the machine origin (top-left
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dot). The job then runs into the bed from wherever the head currently
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sits — absolute machine zero never matters, which is the forgiving mode
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while the machine has no homing switches.
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(`Absolute Coords` also works, but only if the head was parked at the
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home corner when the controller started; after any Stop/alarm the
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absolute frame is stale until the controller is restarted with the head
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re-parked.)
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## Operating basics
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- **Frame** traces the job's bounding box at travel speed — do it
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before every Start. There are **no limit switches**: framing is your
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crash protection.
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- **Start** runs the job. Travels run up to 200 mm/s; anything faster
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in a layer is clamped by the controller ($110/$111 = 12000 mm/min).
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- **Pause** = grbl feed hold: motion parks within ~0.4 s (0.2 s stream
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queue + deceleration); Resume continues exactly.
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- **Stop** = soft reset: motion aborts with a controlled deceleration
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and grblHAL raises an alarm with **position declared lost** (the
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stream queue means up to ~40 mm of in-flight difference). Recovery:
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unlock (`$X` in Console or LightBurn's prompt), jog the head clear,
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and carry on in Current Position mode. Restart the controller with
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the head re-parked if you want a clean absolute frame.
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- **Move tab**: jogging (set a sane speed, e.g. 6000 mm/min), Get
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Position, distance buttons.
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- **Console tab**: raw grbl — `?` status, `$$` settings, `$X` unlock,
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`$J=G91X10F1200` jog.
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## Air assist / fans
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Each cut/engrave layer has an **Air Assist** toggle (in the layer's cut
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settings). Turning it on makes LightBurn emit M8/M9 around that layer,
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which drives the machine's full cut-profile ventilation: air assist to
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full, exhaust and intake fans to factory run speeds, then a ~15 s
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cooldown after the layer before returning to idle. Leave it ON for
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anything that will eventually involve the beam; expect real fan noise.
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## A good first job
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1. Draw a rectangle (~100 × 60 mm) with a circle inside.
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2. Double-click the layer color bar (bottom): mode **Line**, speed
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**50 mm/s** (= 3000 mm/min; check Edit → Settings for your speed
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units), power anything (ignored — nothing fires).
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3. Park the head where the job's rear-left corner should be (or leave
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it at home), **Frame**, watch the perimeter trace, then **Start**.
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Expected behavior: darting travels at up to 200 mm/s, smooth 50 mm/s
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tracing of the shapes, silky and near-silent motion (factory currents +
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decay mode), and the head finishing per the job's return setting.
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