Troubleshooting: Electrical Problems
Shared Power Circuits¶
Other devices sharing the same power circuit as your laser, such as chillers and external air assists, can cause a small power drop that causes your laser to brown out and temporarily disconnect or reset. Try isolating the laser to its own breaker if possible.
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You can check if other outlets are on the same breaker by turning off the breaker controlling your laser's power outlet and seeing if other outlets also turn off.
Poor Bonding/Grounding¶
Bonding is tying the various metal parts of a device together, so that if one part builds up a charge, all the other parts build up the same charge. If your laser isn't bonded correctly, static can build up on the laser head or rails. If the laser is not grounded (earthed), that static build-up can eventually discharge through the USB connection to the computer, causing communication errors. This is especially common with lasers driven by belts that interact with plastic wheels. You can prevent this by tying the laser's frame elements together electrically and making sure your laser controller is grounded correctly.
Electrical Noise¶
Route your USB cable so that it avoids the stepper motors or anything else that could cause electrical interference.