Can I rig my old X Carve Arduino for CO2 Laser Firing (PWM style)?

[icecream40]

I'm kind of mulling over a little project, and it involves my CO2 laser and an old Arduino/Grbl setup I've got lying around from a 2015 pre X Controller X Carve

I'm pretty sure I might be able to use the PWM spindle speed control pins on that Arduino to send the fire command to my CO2 laser's power supply. Essentially, turning spindle speed into laser power.

Has anyone actually tried to pull this off before? Before I sink another hundred bucks (or more!) into a dedicated controller like a Cohesion3d or an Azteeg, I'm really wondering if my trusty old X-Carve Arduino can do the job.

Any thoughts or experiences would be super helpful! Thanks!

 

[Zino.jay]

The trick is tuning the PWM frequency and voltage level so it matches your laser's input requirements, and making sure your GRBL firmware supports laser mode (some older versions don't, but you can flash updated ones), then you might also need a simple MOSFET driver or level shifter between the Arduino and laser PSU to clean up the signal

 

[starb0rn]

Yea you can do that. It might need some wiring and tweaking, but its a good way to skip buying a new controller. Just make sure your laser PSU accepts PWM and keep safety in mind. Lots of people have made this work.