Common Diode Laser Issues & How to Troubleshoot Them

In this video we will take you through the most common diode laser issues we see. The goal is to help educate you on these symptoms and to provide you with some steps to take in troubleshooting. Most of the issues covered will be laser agnostic with a couple being specific to the Ortur LM Pro 2.

Ortur Firmware Download:

Ortur Guide On Grounding:

LightBurn Tutorial Playlist:

Time Stamps:
0:00 - Overview
0:39 - General Connection Issues
1:44 - Power Loss & Brownout
2:26 - Loose Belts & Motor Pulleys
3:38 - Weak Laser Output
5:32 - Laser Firing During Travel
6:19 - Grounding Issues
7:24 - Ortur LM Pro 2 Flame Sensor
8:13 - Ortur LM Pro 2 Shock Sensor

[richard]

I’ve been contending with the static buildup… Thanks for the information. LightBurn is a GREAT program... GREAT community with plenty of helpful info. special hats off to the Louisiana Hobby Guy.!!! And all the rest of folks that take time to do videos, been very helpful to someone just getting started in this hobby.!!!

[peterkisch]

Hey, thank you so much! The $30 value has delayed me for a week. Changed it to 1000 and I feel I got my laser back. :) Even bought new lenses but that obviously didn't help, haha. Thanks, you're a champ!

[donaldridley]

Thank you so much for this video! My device's S Max Power was set to 255 and should have been 1000. That small change has made a world of difference.

[disgruntledgrunt]

Phenomenal software, and the fact it's a one time license purchase including upgrades and not a monthly subscription makes it affordable for hobbyist like myself.

[Cyberducky]

Thank you I was trying to fix the weak laser output for two hours now such a simple fix. Really good peace of sotware for that price honestly!

[nosurname]

Thanks for making videos like this. Saves a lot of time spent on forums.

[TheLouisianaHobbyGuy]

Best video on the channel! I'll be directing a *lot* of people to it!

[CS-PROD-is]

Can't wait for Lightburn tips and tricks for FIBER LASERS!!! Please say Lightburn for Fiber is being released tomorrow!

[kimdeveaux]

I was having an issue where only some of the letters were engraving. After watching the full video, I realized that the belt needed to be tightened. so, after watching to the end, I was able to correct both problems. Thanks for this video, it was very helpful.

[fabians.]

Thank you very much for this video👏

I had problems with my Longer Ray5 10W not cutting through 3.7mm plywood even with 100%, 80mm/min and 3 runs.

After watching your video i recognised the $30 value was offset so i matched them up and now its cutting through like butter.

[stianellingsen]

Weak laser fix helped me!!! Thank you! 👍🏻

[obraylyman]

This is not specifically a Lightburn question, although I have purchased and do use Lightburn. I have an Ortur Lasermaster 2 pro, which I upgraded with a Neje a40640 laser module. It has been working great for the past year. Then today I added the extension kit to my Ortur to make the bed 400 x 800mm. Now the laser module does not burn as hot. I tested the the module in test mode and it works fine, but when I run a job through Lightburn the laser seems very weak. This laser module comes with a digital readout and even though it says 50% on the readout, it is more like 10%. When I set the board to test mode and adjust the PWM to 50%, it reads 50% and outputs 50%.

It's all the same wires, so I am wondering if there is a setting in Lightburn that can adjust the PWM or TTL or output frequency (I am not really sure) that will match the output of the board.

Totally perplexed.

[jeffaltavilla]

Just bought my first diode laser and it didn't seem to be cutting very well. checked my S-Value Max, and it was off. now my machine is cutting like a champ. Thanks!

[Ravenielago]

1st solution was the solution, thanks man!

[NickM-jvzk]

Thank you so much for this video. I got a new laptop and installed Lightburn, and suddenly, my laser would not even cut 2mm basswood. Came across this video, and discovered that it was the S Value causing the issue. A link to this video should come standard with every laser engraver.

[brandybrookdesigns]

Thank you so much for this video! Very helpful!

[raulvela]

What is that silver thing when you adjust the laser? 4:58

[imadeit]

My problem was the cable.. solved the problem in 5 minutes, god bless you =D

[Beyond_Adventure]

Your a star! Fixed my issue with in the first minute 😅

[stanmann]

I have a Longer Ray 5 10w and one problem I have is that cut settings that work on the test card don't work the same in a project. One thing I've noticed is that sometimes vertical cuts will burn through while horizontal cuts won't. I thought maybe it had something to do with grain pattern but it even does it on MDF.