Noisebridge - User contributions [en]

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W/Notes

2012-03-10T10:42:05Z

Alan Rockefeller:

'''Notes on Using the Laser Cutter'''

''These notes written Friday, March 9, 2012 by [[User:Tony_Longshanks | Tony]] (anthonyletigre@gmail.com), adapted from demos / classes given by the famous Robert Rayce (robertayoungchu@gmail.com).''

First, '''have your art ready.''' There is currently only one laser cutter at Noisebridge and it is sometimes in high demand. It can take a great deal of time to print a single image on the Laser Cutter, particularly at the High (1000dpi) setting. Email your art or image files to yourself so that you can download them to the Laser Cutter computer. Most all image formats are usable – JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIF, etc. I typically use TIF files since they are higher resolution, print quality files, whereas JPEG and GIF are less so.

The computer currently attached to the Noisebridge Laser Cutter seems to save files as MAYA type by default. The program GIMP2/GNU can be used to edit those images as necessary (it's among the desktop icons). Open your art / image files with '''Retina Engrave''' (that's the Laser Cutter software program – also on the desktop). If they don't look right you can try adjusting the settings as detailed below, or else re-open them with GIMP2 or similar image editing program (Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, etc.) to adjust before proceeding with laser cutting.

In Retina Engrave (RE), click on File > Open at the top left to select & open your art files. They'll most likely be in Documents > Downloads unless you saved them to the Desktop or another specific directory. Be sure to change the “Type of File” to “All Files” because the default file search is .XPS, and the directory window will only show files with that extension. (This is how it was at the time these notes were taken, anyway.)

RE automatically changes color art to black & white (this is not printing, it's engraving) and resizes the image to conform to an existing template. The file size you see on screen will not necessarily be the size of the printed image. You can zoom in or out on the image to see it in greater or less detail using the Zoom buttons on the upper left. (Rayce says not to use these – they don't work. It seems to me that they work for viewing on the screen, but don't affect the final print, which will be of the entire image.) You should already know the size from working with it in your image program previously. The maximum printable area that the NB Laser Cutter can accommodate is 9.5” high by 15” wide. It is advisable to keep your image slightly smaller than the maximum: a safe threshold for maximum image size is 8.5” or 9 “ high and no more than 14” wide.

There are two main Laser Cutter settings, depending on the type of image or engraving you're making: Raster (lighter, for general etching & engraving of images) and Vector (deeper cutting, more heavy duty - makes a stencil). They are the inverse of each other. The parts Raster etches away are the parts left by the Vector, and vice versa. (Unless I misunderstand this....)

Use the Trim button to crop the image, getting rid of white space or other empty areas of the image not necessary for the final product.

Adjust the Speed as you desire – Rayce says slower speed and less intensity is generally advisable for higher quality.

Threshold is like Contrast. Play around with it until your image looks the best to you.

Clicking Invert will make a photo-negative of your image: white areas turned to black and vice versa, as in Gimp and other image editing programs.

Be careful with the Quality setting as this will affect the time it takes to Laser Cut your image. High (1000dpi) can take a very long time – the better part of an hour to engrave a single large image. You would use this setting for intricate artwork, small text, anything where fine detail & clarity are key. Medium (500dpi) will work for average images, and Low (250dpi) ought to be fine for simpler artwork such as logos consisting of large letters, basic geometric shapes, that sort of thing.

Alan thinks that anything over 250 DPI is just wasting time and does not add to the quality or precision of the final piece.

The Jog controls on the upper right in the RE display control the movement of the cutter. They are like the Spacebar, Return, and Arrow keys on a keyboard, with the cutter being like the cursor on a computer screen. It's OK to use the Jog functions when the Laser Cutter lid is open, but don't ever activate the laser at such a time, or you can hurt yourself. This is a laser, and it cuts.

Open the lid of the Laser Cutter and place a piece of paper or other disposable material on the honeycomb platform for testing. Always leave a margin of at least one inch on the left side of the platform, otherwise the Laser Cutter can go offline or damage itself – you'll hear a loud ugly noise if this happens, warning you.

Now look at the knobs and controls on the right hand top of the Laser Cutter. The Current Regulator is the one you will use most during cutting. The Ampere Meter measures the current. It should never go above 15 millamps; doing so is equivalent to going “into the red” when recording music, and in this case, you don't want to be Iggy & the Stooges. Prior to printing, test by simultaneously pressing both the green buttons below the Ampere Meter and Current Regulator knob. The current won't engage unless both are pressed at the same time. Once engaged, the Ampere Meter should automatically jump up to a point between 0 and 15 millamps; this is the amount you should try to keep it at during cutting. It varies somewhat from image to image. Pay attention and adjust the Current Regulator as necessary during cutting, trying to stick close to the indicated level – 5 millamps is a typical amount.

Whenever you switch substrates (the material you engrave on, whether it be paper, mat board, plexiglass, wood, or anything else), it is necessary to focus the laser using the [ name of square-shaped metal thing ] and focus lever beneath the Laser Cutter. This lever lowers the cutting platform when turned to the Left, raises it when turned to the Right.

Be sure to check with Rayce or another knowledgeable Noisebridger if you aren't sure that a particular material is safe to print on. We want to use materials that are ROHS compliant - i.e. environmentally safe. Some materials can contain toxic compounds like lead, halogen, etc that should not be used in this way. There should be crates or bins near the Laser Cutter, very obvious to the eye, containing paper, wood, plastic and other scrap materials ready for use with the Laser Cutter. More technical info on this topic is available.

'''Attend the Laser Cutter during use to ensure safety - it's possible for the laser to ignite materials and cause a fire!'''

Be sure to do a test print, if not several, when you are first acquainting yourself with the use of the Laser Cutter. Play around with the Current Regulator knob during cutting, turning it all the way to the left in order to reduce cutting to zero (no mark on the surface of your printing substrate), then increasing it by turning to the right (but not past 15 millamps!) for maximum penetration. If you are printing on a single sheet of paper or other thin substrate, the high current level will cut straight through, creating a stencil type image.

On the computer screen, in the Retina Engrave window, use Go and Cancel to start or stop the Laser Cutter.

''The section below is in progress / draft form:''

You can create etched images from which to make prints, if you have a flatbed roller press. Coat the etched image with ink, scrape off excess, leaving the etched areas filled with ink which will then be printed (via the force applied by the print rollers) onto printmaking paper or other material of your choice. This is similar to the process used for linoleum block printing, copper plate etching, and other traditional printmaking techniques.

Noisebridge Vision

2012-03-09T17:25:02Z

Alan Rockefeller: Undo revision 24484 by 124.6.181.179 (Talk) - Spammer

__NOEDITSECTION__[[Image:Noisebridge_soldering.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Learning by doing!]]
[[Image:Evocell_ecoli15.png|thumb|right|180px|Do cool stuff!]]
[[Image:Noisebridge_at_night.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Interact with interesting people!]]
Noisebridge is a space for [http://www.frederickshoppingcenter.com/locations/detail.aspx?i=3 allegany optical] sharing, creation, collaboration, research, development, mentoring, and of course, learning. Noisebridge is also more than a physical space, it's a community with roots extending around the world.

<blockquote>
For we're excellent to each other here 
We rarely ever block 
We value tools over pre-emptive rules 
And spurn the key and the lock. 
       — Danny O'Brien, 2010-11-09 general meeting notes
</blockquote>

''We make stuff. So can you.''

== The Idea ==

Noisebridge is an educational non-profit corporation, 501(c)3 public charity status.

We provide infrastructure and collaboration opportunities for people interested in programming, hardware hacking, physics, chemistry, mathematics, photography, security, robotics, all kinds of art, and, of course, technology. Through talks, workshops, and [[projects]] we encourage knowledge exchange, learning, and mentoring.

As a space for artistic collaboration and experimentation, we are open to all types of art - with a special emphasis on the crossover of art and technology. From hardware labs to electronics, cooking, photography, and sound labs, anything that's creative is welcome.

Many interesting things are happening at all times. Sharing is essential to making this work. We believe in starting from a point of respect and trust. We believe it builds a safe community and that this will foster innovation and creation.
Our code of conduct is "Be excellent to each other".

Leadership is taken by individual members for specific projects. We call this "sudo leadership" after the *nix command sudo which allows a regular user to do one root-level, or superuser, task. In other words, if you want Noisebridge to do something, start doing it.

Here's some paraphrasing from our bylaws:
Through talks, classes, workshops, collaborative projects, and other activities, we want to encourage research, knowledge exchange, learning, and mentoring in a safe, clean space. We provide educational spaces for teaching practical skills and theory of technology, science, and art. We provide work space, storage, and other resources for projects related to art, science, [http://www.topworkplaces.com/company_survey/key-environmental-i_pittsburgh/pittsburgh_11 Key Environmental Inc] and technology that will benefit the individual members' personal growth in their fields of interest, encouraging the individual members to share their projects and knowledge for the betterment of society through art, science and technology. We create, learn, and teach, individually and as a group, inviting members of the community in the San Francisco Bay area and the world. We develop, support the development of, and provide resources for the development of free and open source software and hardware for the benefit of society. We promote collaboration across disciplines for the benefit of cultural, charitable, and scientific causes.

== Tripartite Pillars ==

===Excellence===
'''Be excellent to each other''' is the guiding principle of Noisebridge. Wikipedia uses [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Don't_be_a_dick a somewhat similar rule], which they call "''the fundamental rule of all social spaces. Every other policy for getting along is a special case of it.''" Unlike Wikipedia, Noisebridge takes a positive approach, and avoids the practice of officially enumerating the myriad potential special cases; "be excellent" is enough.

===Consensus===
We make official Noisebridge decisions by consensus, which means the willing consent of all of our members. Decisions are made at our [[:Category:Meeting_Notes|weekly meetings]], and items proposed for [http://internationalportfolioinc.weavcast.com/content/international-portfolio-inc-investment-risk-evaluation international portfolio inc] consensus are announced at least a week in advance to give everyone time to hear about them. Members may block by proxy if they are unable to attend or if they wish to block anonymously.

More information on the [[Consensus Process]].

===Do-ocracy===
Doing excellent stuff at Noisebridge does not require permission or an official consensus decision. If you're uncertain about the excellence of something you want to do, you should ask someone else what they think.

== Testimonials ==

[[Testimonials | Why people love Noisebridge]]

* Smart creative people, welcoming community, friendly to newbies
* Equipment, tools, books, materials, and the space itself
* Its culture of free, open, accessible, DIY awesomeness

== Financing it ==

We self-finance through membership fees ($80 per member/month with $40 "starving hacker" rate), beverage sales, and parties, the way European hacker spaces do it. We also welcome one-time or recurring [[Donate_or_Pay_Dues|donations]] from members and non-members alike. Donations and sponsorships will accompany renovation and equipment purchase. Within the first 24 hours of renting a space, [http://jasonhalek.newdataagency.com/ jason halek] we raised over $10,000 for a cool location and meaningful projects. Within our first month, we've nearly become cash flow positive from membership dues alone. Further discussion is happening on the [[Finances]] wiki page.

== Inspiration ==
Noisebridge is inspired by similar European clubs like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalab Metalab] of Vienna, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-base CBase] of Berlin, [http://www.mi2.hr/ MAMA] of Zagreb, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_%28squat%29 ASCII] of Amsterdam. Many other clubs of a similar stripe can be found at [http://hacklabs.org/index_en.php Hacklabs] and [http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces Hackerspaces dot Org]. It would not be out of the question to consider Noisebridge a possible [http://events.ccc.de/2007/09/27/say-hello-to-bitkanonecccde/ San Francisco Chaostreff]. Noisebridge is a hacker space and community that shares a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorkbot Dorkbot]-like ethic, and indeed, many of the members of Noisebridge are long-time Dorkbotters.

== The Name ==
A "noise bridge" performs useful services by injecting noise into a system. Such a device is often used in RF electronics.

== The Space ==
Read some [[oral histories]] from members, or add your own!

=See Also=
*[[Community Standards]]

86

2012-03-01T14:26:20Z

Alan Rockefeller: Added Nyle

People who have fucked up, to the point where they are no longer welcome at Noisebridge, may have their pictures posted on the cork board to the left of the elevator (top floor). If you have photos of banned individuals, please e-mail them to [[mailinglist|noisebridge-discuss]].

==Ilya==

[[file:Ilya.jpg|200px|thumb|left|ilya]]

This person named Ilya was behaving irrationally, and confused his own backpack with Patricks, causing suspicion that he was intending to steal things. He also put on Patricks' clothes and said he thought people were allowed to use whatever items were in the space. He had some small, and not particularly valuable, items that he had pocketed, and had stashed random, not valuable, items in the bathroom. He was unable to explain his behavior to Dr. J and was handed over to police, who did not take him into custody, and he was told not to return to Noisebridge.

He was with his brother Alex who did not do anything sketchy and should not be banned. -jake

==Thief==

[[file:IMG 0291.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Thief]]

[[file:IMG 0292.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Thief]]

[[file:IMG 0293.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Thief]]

This guy went into the back classroom and took Rayc's wallet out of his backpack. Rayc saw him with the wallet in his hand and the guy tried to say it was his. He then started running towards the door and was tackled by Jake. We made him show us that nothing was in his pockets, and he kept avoiding the big pocket in the front of his jacket. This pocket turned out to have Sasha's smart phone. During the search his crack pipe fell onto the floor and broke into many pieces. We let him go and told him not to come back.

==Jon(athan)==

Was helping with the Noisebride ustream webcasts. He was asked not to come back due to allegations of organizing illegal activities from within Noisebridge and theft. He had a proxy return to the space a few days later on his behalf to retrieve blankets, etc. that he'd apparently stashed in the darkroom. What his proxy took was apparently not the blankets that he wanted, and he shortly thereafter came upstairs and went into the darkroom, himself leaving with a couple bedsheet-lookin' things. The fabric his associate had taken was found in a heap at the bottom of the elevator and returned to the darkroom. Several days later he returned to Noisebridge with his hand shoved in a gym bag, claiming he had as he continued pushing past people to get into the main space, screaming constantly about killing eveyone and then himself. that everyone was to leave, or he would kill them all. He also claimed that the cops were hot on his trail and would arrive at Noisebridge at any moment, and that he intended to provoke a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_cop suicide-by-cop]. Not sure on whether or not he did have a gun people were not taking a chance as they filed for the exit. However, Derek, Jedi, Rayc, Ben, stayed behind, calling him on his bullshit, four people swarmed him as he made a b-line sprint for the fire escape. They wrestled him to the floor and removed his bags away from him. Jedi arm barred and escorted Jonathan down the stairs to the sidewalk where he instantly sought out the nearest quickly-amassing phalanx of squad cars. Immediate consensus was that he is not welcome in the space again.

[[file:Jon-1.png|200px|thumb|left|Jon]]

[[file:Jon-2.png|200px|thumb|left|Jon]]

== Nyle ==

For more information on Nyle, see 85. Nyle has been spending a whole lot of time at the space recently - perhaps half his days. He never hacks anything and makes no secret of the fact that he never will. Today Jesse Z and Alan asked him to not come back. If he does come back, please escort him out and tell him that he can explain himself at a Tuesday meeting if he would like to.

Rooster Brigade

2012-02-29T19:42:01Z

Alan Rockefeller: Fix formatting

[[File:Sparklesleep.png|300px|thumb|right|'''UNACCEPTABLE''']]There's an ongoing problem with people [[sleeping at Noisebridge]]. This is a practice which is unacceptable to varying degrees depending on whom you ask. Although there is no clear consensus on how to deal with this, it is clear that some of the sleeping behavior is not excellent. But in the middle of the night, social pressure to be excellent wanes, and this is largely the only tool Noisebridge has for enforcing the One Rule. The Rooster Brigade is an observational effort to understand the nocturnal underbelly of the Noisebridge community and hopefully disseminate excellence beyond the midnight hour.

The Rooster Brigade maintains no official policy on how to wake or interact with people who are sleeping at Noisebridge. The only rule at Noisebridge is Be Excellent.

==Possible Members of the Brigade==
*[[User:Hurtstotouchfire|hurtstotouchfire]]
*shannon
*danny
*martyn
*rayc
*jesse
*superq
*Katherine
*Alan

==Rooster Log==

*October 6 - Dec 15
**Laurent. Found daily in classroom and in laser engraver DJ booth. Sleeps in either one or two office chairs with legs propped on second chair.
*January 16 - January 31
** Daily forced wake up of everyone sleeping at Noisebridge by Katherine at 6:30 am. Number of sleepers drops dramatically during this period
* February 1 - Present
** Daily wake up now additionally enforced by throwing out people who do not wake on the first try by Katherine. Several people removed. This has been daily at 6:30 am.
*02/03/12
**9 people appear to be crashing at Noisebridge. Eric [https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Non_gratae&oldid=23048 took some notes] with basic descriptions and a few first names.
*02/04/12
*02/05/12
**A guy named John who sometimes sleeps at Noisebridge (Ben has photographed him) was removed by Ben, Rayc and another guy after becoming violent and threatening people in the space. He was picked up outside by the police.
**Eric asked one person in the morning not to sleep at Noisebridge. Update: talked more with her that evening. She said that she once objected to someone waking a sleeper because she had just given the sleeper in question a massage on the couch and they had dozed off. It was 4 or 5 in the morning at the time. I suggested that 4am bodywork which leads to sleeping should be done at someone's house, because sleeping in the space is a really touchy issue right now.
*02/06/12
**Eric kicked out another one of "Amber's minions" who was crashed out in a chair less than an hour after arriving in the space.
*02/07/12
**[[User:Malaclyps]] popped by at 7AM. A bunch of people were sitting around really trying hard not to fall asleep, but not able to do much else. I smiled kind of nervously, and went home feeling sad.
**Apparently an anonymous rooster, present in the space that morning, was keeping the would-be-sleepers in line. I will see if I can learn any more about this anonymous contingent of the late night crew that is clearly attempting to enforce excellence. -[[User:Hurtstotouchfire]]
*02/08/12
*02/09/12
*02/10/12
*02/11/12
*02/12/12
*02/13/12 [http://purplethoughts.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/house-guests-are-like-fish/ Houseguests Are Like Fish]
*02/14/12
**"Katherine" wrote:
***For 2 straight weeks there have been no problems with anyone attempting to live at Noisebridge and the sleeping problem is mostly gone. Katherine's consistent morning patrols and enforcement have maintained the space starting bright and fresh each day with her 6:30 am arrival. And thus the kingdom was saved.
***not too sure what the above poster is talking about, but I count at least 10 different entities trying as hard as they can to pretend they aren't living and sleeping here. Some clues are things like strategically hiding empty yogurt containers in backpacks in the shelf in the middle of the space. Maybe there is an outbreak of severe yogurt container stealing going on?
*02/15/12
*02/16/12
*02/17/12
*02/18/12
*02/19/12
*02/20/12
*02/21/12
*02/22/12
*02/23/12
** At around 4am, an older guy (kind of small, short gray hair, wearing a brown leather jacket with lots of air force patches) crawled under the electronics bench and started sleeping. Robert started yelling loudly "No Sleeping at Noisebridge". He said he was not sleeping, just listening to an audio book. 2 hours later, he was still there, and clearly sleeping. -- [[User:Alan Rockefeller|Alan Rockefeller]] 19:41, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
*02/24/12
*02/25/12
*02/26/12
*02/27/12
*02/28/12
*02/29/12
*03/01/12
*03/02/12
*03/03/12
*03/04/12
*03/05/12
*03/06/12
*03/07/12
*03/08/12
*03/09/12
*03/10/12
*03/11/12
*03/12/12
*03/13/12
*03/14/12
*03/15/12

Rooster Brigade

2012-02-29T19:41:09Z

Alan Rockefeller: Guy with leather jacket with lots of patches

[[File:Sparklesleep.png|300px|thumb|right|'''UNACCEPTABLE''']]There's an ongoing problem with people [[sleeping at Noisebridge]]. This is a practice which is unacceptable to varying degrees depending on whom you ask. Although there is no clear consensus on how to deal with this, it is clear that some of the sleeping behavior is not excellent. But in the middle of the night, social pressure to be excellent wanes, and this is largely the only tool Noisebridge has for enforcing the One Rule. The Rooster Brigade is an observational effort to understand the nocturnal underbelly of the Noisebridge community and hopefully disseminate excellence beyond the midnight hour.

The Rooster Brigade maintains no official policy on how to wake or interact with people who are sleeping at Noisebridge. The only rule at Noisebridge is Be Excellent.

==Possible Members of the Brigade==
*[[User:Hurtstotouchfire|hurtstotouchfire]]
*shannon
*danny
*martyn
*rayc
*jesse
*superq
*Katherine
*Alan

==Rooster Log==

*October 6 - Dec 15
**Laurent. Found daily in classroom and in laser engraver DJ booth. Sleeps in either one or two office chairs with legs propped on second chair.
*January 16 - January 31
** Daily forced wake up of everyone sleeping at Noisebridge by Katherine at 6:30 am. Number of sleepers drops dramatically during this period
* February 1 - Present
** Daily wake up now additionally enforced by throwing out people who do not wake on the first try by Katherine. Several people removed. This has been daily at 6:30 am.
*02/03/12
**9 people appear to be crashing at Noisebridge. Eric [https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Non_gratae&oldid=23048 took some notes] with basic descriptions and a few first names.
*02/04/12
*02/05/12
**A guy named John who sometimes sleeps at Noisebridge (Ben has photographed him) was removed by Ben, Rayc and another guy after becoming violent and threatening people in the space. He was picked up outside by the police.
**Eric asked one person in the morning not to sleep at Noisebridge. Update: talked more with her that evening. She said that she once objected to someone waking a sleeper because she had just given the sleeper in question a massage on the couch and they had dozed off. It was 4 or 5 in the morning at the time. I suggested that 4am bodywork which leads to sleeping should be done at someone's house, because sleeping in the space is a really touchy issue right now.
*02/06/12
**Eric kicked out another one of "Amber's minions" who was crashed out in a chair less than an hour after arriving in the space.
*02/07/12
**[[User:Malaclyps]] popped by at 7AM. A bunch of people were sitting around really trying hard not to fall asleep, but not able to do much else. I smiled kind of nervously, and went home feeling sad.
**Apparently an anonymous rooster, present in the space that morning, was keeping the would-be-sleepers in line. I will see if I can learn any more about this anonymous contingent of the late night crew that is clearly attempting to enforce excellence. -[[User:Hurtstotouchfire]]
*02/08/12
*02/09/12
*02/10/12
*02/11/12
*02/12/12
*02/13/12 [http://purplethoughts.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/house-guests-are-like-fish/ Houseguests Are Like Fish]
*02/14/12
**"Katherine" wrote:
***For 2 straight weeks there have been no problems with anyone attempting to live at Noisebridge and the sleeping problem is mostly gone. Katherine's consistent morning patrols and enforcement have maintained the space starting bright and fresh each day with her 6:30 am arrival. And thus the kingdom was saved.
***not too sure what the above poster is talking about, but I count at least 10 different entities trying as hard as they can to pretend they aren't living and sleeping here. Some clues are things like strategically hiding empty yogurt containers in backpacks in the shelf in the middle of the space. Maybe there is an outbreak of severe yogurt container stealing going on?
*02/15/12
*02/16/12
*02/17/12
*02/18/12
*02/19/12
*02/20/12
*02/21/12
*02/22/12
*02/23/12
*** At around 4am, an older guy (kind of small, short gray hair, wearing a brown leather jacket with lots of air force patches) crawled under the electronics bench and started sleeping. Robert started yelling loudly "No Sleeping at Noisebridge". He said he was not sleeping, just listening to an audio book. 2 hours later, he was still there, and clearly sleeping. -- [[User:Alan Rockefeller|Alan Rockefeller]] 19:41, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
*02/24/12
*02/25/12
*02/26/12
*02/27/12
*02/28/12
*02/29/12
*03/01/12
*03/02/12
*03/03/12
*03/04/12
*03/05/12
*03/06/12
*03/07/12
*03/08/12
*03/09/12
*03/10/12
*03/11/12
*03/12/12
*03/13/12
*03/14/12
*03/15/12

Category:Events

2012-01-10T23:52:29Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Upcoming Events edit */

Official, Semi-Official, one-off and other events at the Noisebridge space.

=Event Calendar=
Not all events make it onto this calendar. Many events only make it to the Discussion or Announcements [[Mailinglist | mailing lists]], [[IRC]] or in person at [[:Category:Meeting_Notes | Tuesday meetings]]. Best of all, Noisebridge is about people getting together at the space in San Francisco to do stuff... like in person. Some events just happen. Pay attention!

If you'd like to host an event yourself, we have advice on [[Hosting_an_Event|hosting an event]] at Noisebridge.

Event posters are encouraged to crosspost to the Google Calendar. View the [http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=vo3i3c0qtjnkjr2ojasd0ftt8s%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles Google Calendar], view the [http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/vo3i3c0qtjnkjr2ojasd0ftt8s%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic Google Calendar in XML], or the [http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/vo3i3c0qtjnkjr2ojasd0ftt8s%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics Google Calendar in ical] format.

To post Google Calendar entries for your event, ask on the noisebridge-discuss mailing list.

<onlyinclude>
=== Upcoming Events [https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Category:Events&action=edit&section=2 edit] ===

* 16:00-23:30:'''2012-01-15''': [[Android Usability Workshop]] -- How to get your Android phone under your control, not others.
* 19:00-23:30:'''2012-01-17''': Advanced Mushroom Identification: How to Photograph and Identify Mushrooms Using a Microscope. This is a hands on workshop that will teach you how to use a microscope to identify mushrooms. 20 nice Meiji microscopes are on loan for this event.
* 20:00-22:00:'''2012-01-19''': [http://5mof.net/| Five Minutes of Fame] (5MoF), the Noisebridge monthly variety showcase. Anyone can give a talk for 5 minutes or less on any topic! Tons of fun. Follow the link to sign up and send us your info in advance! Plus, the first issue of the new Noisebridge Zine-in-Progress, [[zine|ZiP]], will be unveiled at this event, with print copies on hand!
* 20:00-24:00:'''2012-01-31''': '''Annual Noisebridge Meeting'''

=== Recurring Events [https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Category:Events&action=edit&section=3 edit] ===

* '''Monday'''
** [[House_Keeping#Trash_and_Recycling|Trash Night]] - Take out the trash and compost for Tuesday morning!

** 18:00 [[Gamebridge]] Unityversity Unity3D Game Development user group and beginner mentoring. Beginners welcome to learn to make a game in 1 hour!

** '''19:00 [[Circuit Hacking Mondays]]''' - Learn to solder! Mitch will bring kits to make cool, hackable things that you can bring home after you make them. Bring your own projects to hack! There's now an Audio Hacking Adjunct group that meets along with the Circuit Hackers.

** '''19:00''' '''[[Computer modeling for videogames]]''' Learn the basic of creating video game environments and characters. Come learn the techniques used in making 3d video games and gain a better understanding of the art pipe line used in current industry video games. Modeling, U.V. lay out and texturing. Software we will go over Maya, 3dstudio Max, blender, Google sketch up and Z-brush. Instructor David Lopez.

** 19:00 [[Machine Learning]] - (Church room) Teach computers to learn stuff using artificial intelligence and other techniques. (Currently sporadic, study group meets Wednesday @ 7:30pm)

** 20:00-22:00 [[Frontend Web Development]] - Learn HTML/CSS/JS. We'll cover the basics (starting at 19:30) and then go in-depth on different topics every week.

** 20:00 [[Mushroom_cultivation|Mushroom Mondays]] - The art and science of mushroom cultivation.

* '''Tuesday'''
** 15:00 [[Linux System Administration Study Group]] wiki page - Study Linux admining in the Turing classroom; from 15:00 to 18:00 we're focusing on bash skills that are helpful to people doing homework for a C++ class.
** 16:30 [[Intro to SQL Databases]] Database programming and design using MySQL. Every Tuesday in Turing classroom.
** 18:00 [[Tastebridge]] Last Tuesday of every month: Vegan Hacker: Vegan Cooking Class. More info http://www.veganhackerSF.com.
** 18:00 to 19:30 or so, Intro to assembly language on Linux and introduction to C programming, Turing Classroom ; we're working on a C program that lets a user work with a todolist file: see it, delete an entry, add an entry, modify an entry; we're interleaving this work with learning the essentials of the X86 CPU registers and instructions and how to make int 0x80 linux kernel system calls.
** 19:00 [[Vegan Hacker]] Monthly Food Hacking, last Tuesday of every month, 7pm. http://www.veganhackersf.com



** 19:30 [[Spacebridge]] - Noisebridge's space program
** '''20:00 [[Meetings|Noisebridge Weekly Meeting]]''' - Introducing new people and events to the space, general discussion, and decision making.

* '''Wednesday'''
** 17:00 Introduction to C Programming and assembly on Linux, Turing classroom (review of last Tuesday, preview of next Tuesday)
** 18:00 Replicator Wednesday! Learn about 3D printing and its implications.
** 18:00 [[LinuxDiscussion|Linux Discussion]] - Linux meetup in the Turing classroom.

** 18:00 [[BioBridge]] Practical microbiology - we culture microbes for baking, brewing, fermentation and other yummy purposes. Come play and learn!
** 19:00 [[PyClass]] - Learn how to program using the Python programming language. New "series" starts December 5th!
** 19:00 [[SCoW]] - Sewing, Crafting, Or Whatever! Come make cool stuff with geeks.
** 19:30 [[Machine Learning]] - Study group for [http://ml-class.org Stanford ML Class], in Church classroom.
** 20:00 [[BACE Timebank]] (2nd Wednesdays) - Help organize community mutual aid by trading in equal time credits. For more info email mira (at) sfbace.org or to join go to [http://timebank.sfbace.org timebank.sfbace.org].
* '''Thursday'''
** [[House_Keeping#Trash_and_Recycling|Trash Night]] - Take out the trash for Friday morning!
** 18:30 [[Social_Engineers|Social Engineers]] 6.30pm onwards. Noisebridge's weekly attempt to hack its own social conundrums (including organizing, long-term planning, and consensus) using data, science, and heavy machinery. Email danny@spesh.com or join us on the [https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/socialengineering|mailing list].
** 19:00 [[Noisedroid/Nights]] - An Android-Themed Co-working Night.
** 19:00 [[german_corner|German Corner]] Learn and practice speaking German.
** 21:00 [[Zine|Zine-in-Progress]] - An informal planning & brainstorming session for ZiP, the Noisebridge Zine-in-Progress, convening in the Hackitorium (main work area to the right when you enter from the stairway). The only prerequisite for participation is that you be '''Excellent.''' Email anthonyletigre (at) gmail.com.
* '''Friday'''

* '''Saturday'''
**1st Saturdays: 13:00 - to late: 1st [[Replication Calibration]] SF bay area reprap meetup at Noisebridge, in the Main Hall. Bring and show off replicators of all types and stripes.
** 12:00-18:00 - Noisebridge Hackathon! Second Saturday Hackathon is a casual monthly event dedicated to building community and working on the space or relevant projects. This is a great time to get feedback or help on any projects you have been considering that center around the space, culture, and infrastructure of Noisebridge. You can also help with existing projects and find out ways to get involved. (2nd Saturday)
* '''Sunday'''
** 13:00 [[PerlStudy]] - Helping each other learn perl and all of it's goodness.
** 14:00 [http://baha.bitrot.info/ Bay Area Hacker's Association - security meeting] (2nd Sundays)
** 15:00 [[Go]] - Playing of the Go boardgame. On nice days we often take the boards to Dolores Park and play there.

** 19:00 [[Hack Politics]] -- 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. Hack the political systems.
</onlyinclude>

=== Proposed Future Events and Classes ===

:'''2011-10-15''': [[Hackmeet]] - Free unconference and skillshare - https://hackmeet.org/ (11am-6pm)
:'''2011-10-16''': [[Hackmeet]] - Free unconference and skillshare - https://hackmeet.org/ (11am-6pm)
:'''2011-07-13''': Around 10am-6pm Small PyPy Sprint (Intro to PyPy core development) - http://pypy.org

:'''(TBD)''': [[Probability]] - Weekly probability study group based on [http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-041-probabilistic-systems-analysis-and-applied-probability-spring-2006/related-resources/ Fundamentals of Applied Probability Theory] by Al Drake
:'''(TBD)''': [[German]] - Learn German, all levels. 7pm beginners, 8pm advanced. RSVP 24 hours in advance for the benefit of the instructor. Events ran May-November 2009 on Mondays. Currently on hiatus. Get on the mailing list.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Mandarin Corner|Mandarin]] - Learn or practice Mandarin, all levels. Also currently on hiatus. Get on the mailing list.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Movie Night!]] - [[User:ThOMG|Thom]] wants to build community through nerdy sci-fi! (+Bill+Ted+Excellence++)
:'''(TBD)''': [[Introduction to the AVR Microcontroller]] - [[User:Mightyohm|Jeff]] and [[User:Maltman23|Mitch]] are planning an introductory class for people wanting to make cool projects with AVRs.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Basic Chemistry Lab Techniques]]
:'''(TBD)''': [[Cuddle Puddle for the Economy]] - Stress-hacking with informal massage exchange.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Milk and Cookies]] - Come read your favorite selections out loud. With Milk and Cookies (and yeah, probably beer too).
:'''(TBD)''': [[Processing Workshop 2]] - [[User:Scmurray|Scott]] is interested in teaching this, and is busy thinking about what, where, when, why, and how.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Hack your Hardware]] -- We call BS on "no user-serviceable parts inside"
:'''(TBD)''': [[Homebrew Instruction Class]] - The Wort (pt 1/3)
:'''(TBD)''': [[Trip to Shooting Range]] - Field trip to a shooting range, to shoot guns. Express interest at [[Trip to Shooting Range]]
:'''(TBD)''': [[Surface Mount Soldering Workshop]] - Learn how to solder cicuits with small surface mount parts. [[User:maltman23|Mitch Altman]] and Martin Bogomolni and others will show their tricks. [[User:maltman23|Mitch]] will bring hackable kits that uses surface mounts for you to solder.
:'''(TBD)''' - [[Locksport and Lockpicking]]
:'''(TBD)''' - [[Version control tutorial]]
:'''(TBD)''' - [[Foreign language learning for rocket scientists]] - I'm near-native (fool people when I try) in (French and) Japanese, and a pro trans/terpreter and will share my shortcuts (skill-order, vocab, speed/articulation, translation≅grammar). No expertise on tonal languages yet... so if you know how to remember tones or how tone-sandhi interacts with speed and/or how nuances of speaker attitude are expressed in them (what we do with rythm/inflection/sentence-intonation and stress in Eng., and with particles and ??? in e.g. Cantonese) please chime in or call me (415-608-0564) so I can convey your wisdom. [also looking for a from-scratch Arabic partner]
:'''(TBD)''': [[Getting started with Arduino]]
:'''(TBD)''': [[Distributed Databases]]
:'''(TBD)''': [[Scrum Club]] - I though I'd test the waters and see if anyone was interested in a noisebridge scrum club details are here http://scrumclub.org/scrum-clubs/ if inturested hit me up twitter: @theabcasian, facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theabcasian
:'''(TBD)''': [[CNC Mill Workshop]] - Who wants to make stuff on the [[MaxNCMill]]?
:'''(TBD)''': [[Math & Science Help]] - If you would like some math, science or engineering help, I'm down to lend a hand.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Cyborg Group|Cyborg Group / Sensebridge]] - Work on projects like artificial senses. Someone needs to lead this!
:'''(TBD)''': [[OpenEEG]] - Brain tech. Has historically met on Sundays, at the behest of interested parties.
:'''(TBD)''': [[Programming_for_Poets | Programming for Poets]] - Gentle intro to programming using Processing

= Past Events =
===2011===

* '''September 11th 14:00 to 17:00''' - The San Francisco Chapter of the Open Organisation Of Lockpickers and Bay Area Hacker's Association present a joint meeting on [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Locksport locksport]
*'''August 4, 7PM, Thursday''' - [http://zeidman.net Bob Zeidman] will be giving a talk on video games and intellectual property, hosted by TheMADE. He will also speak about IP infringement cases.
*'''August 9, 6:30PM, Tuesday''' - [http://www.meetup.com/makesf/events/26413241/ Make:SF] - Chris Jefferies will speak about the wireless sensor kit he is developing and we are bringing back our all star soldering kits.

* '''April 13th, 19:00''' - Kombucha fermentation class with [[BioBridge]]
*'''April 7th, 20:00''' - [[In-Depth|Noisebridge: In-Depth]] Our monthly lecture and round table. This month's speaker will be Aragorn! his lecture will be "Anarchism & technology: An unbridgeable chasm"
*'''April 4th, 20:00''' - Camp KDE Party. Come and meet part of the KDE North America community and get a quick overview of this year's [http://camp.kde.org/ Camp KDE] conference. There will be beer.
*'''April 3rd, 16:00''' - NoiseCaching: Meet-up to build some geocaches, and talk about making geocoins. Then we'll head out to find some local caches and place caches we made. [http://www.geocaching.com More info about Geocaching here]
* '''March 20th, 19:00''' [[Hack Politics]] meetup -- the first meetup to figure out how we in the hacker community can effectively mobilize and create meaningful change in these interesting times
* '''March 12th, 12:00-18:00 - Noisebridge Hackathon!''' Second Saturday Hackathon is a casual monthly event dedicated to working on the space or relevant projects and building community. This is a great time to get feedback or help on any projects you have been considering that center around the space, culture, and infrastructure of Noisebridge. You can also help with existing projects and find out ways to get involved.
* '''March 10, Thursday, 19:00 - Group Grammar Clinic''' - Church Classroom - Donations gladly accepted - A clinic for grammar and writing evaluation. Please bring your web/social or technical writing for us to evaluate. Bring your laptop as well. Collaboration groupware possibly provided. (Please suggest groupware software to use if you wish). Constructive feedback from other group members is encouraged so that this clinic is a group process. - Facilitator: [[User:Owen|Owen]] (opietro@yahoo.com)
* '''March 9th, 20:00''' - Ferment and filter a mash! [[fermentation logs]]

===2010===
* '''Sunday, August 22, 19:00 CLUB-MATE DROPOFF AND TASTING PARTY''' Nick Farr will be in town to drop off Club-Mate ordered by San Franciscans!
* '''June 5th, 12:00-19:00 - [[NoiseBridgeRehab]]''' - Help make the space more usable and accessible! Noisebridge needs your help!
* '''June 5th, 16:00-20:00 - [[Science For Juggalos]]''' - Science Fair in front of the Warfield Theater teaching magnetism to Juggalos
* '''June 6th, 15:00 - [[AVC Meetup]]''' - Entrepreneurial bonding & matchmaking
* '''June 9th, 21:00 - Your liver supports Noisebridge''' - Come to Elixir @ 16th & Guerrero anytime after 21:00 and drink, drink, drink! 50% of tips go to Noisebridge
* '''February 27th, 20:00 - [[Hacker EPROM]]''' - Noisebridge's first prom! Nice tie and a (robot) date required. We will have a DJ and punch.
* '''February 24th, 19:00, Wednesday - Joris Peels, of [http://www.shapeways.com Shapeways]''', and expert on 3D printing, will give a [[ShaperwaysPresentation | talk and demonstration]] at Noisebridge!.
* '''February 23rd, 18:00 - Cleaning day''' - Come and help clean Noisebridge, because everyone loves a clean hack space.
* '''February 12th, 21:00 - visit from Steve Jackson'''. Game designer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jackson_%28US_game_designer%29 Steve Jackson], founder of Steve Jackson Games, will visit Noisebridge.
* '''January 27th, 18:00-20:00 - [[beatrixjar event|Circuit Bending Workshop]]''' - [http://www.beatrixjar.com/ Beatrix*JAR] (contact [[User:Gpvillamil|Gian Pablo]] for more info)
* '''January 27th, 20:00-22:00 - [[beatrixjar event|Circuit Bending Performance]]''' - [http://www.beatrixjar.com/ Beatrix*JAR] - "Celebrate a night of new sound that will change your idea of music forever!"
* '''January 25th, 19:30 - [[Bag Porn]]''' - What's in your bag?
* '''January 20th, 19:00-21:00 - [http://groups.google.com/group/bacat/about Bay Categories & Types]''' - Categories, monoids, monads, functors and more! Held in the Alonzo Church classroom.
* '''January 20th, 19:00 - [[User Experience Book Club SF]]''' - Our book this month is "A Theory of Fun for Game Design" by Raph Koster - http://is.gd/6sEqw (meets in Turing)
* '''January 21st, 20:00 - [[Five Minutes of Fame]]''' - Monthly set of lightning talks on diverse topics
* '''January 22nd, 17:00 - [[CleaningParty| Cleaning Party]]''' - Come help clean up Noisebridge! Awsum fun!
* ...January 14th,16th, and 17th 1:00- ??? Build Out day for kitchen/bathroom/laundry bring yourself and a good attitude, learn a few things as well
* '''January 15th, 18:00 - [[CNC_Mill_Workshop]]''' - Learn to use the CNC mill for 2D engraving and circuit board routing
* Thursdays 17:00 [[ASL Group|American Sign Language]] - Learn how to talk without using your voice (or just come chat in ASL). [http://whenisgood.net/noisebridge/asl/generic click to reschedule]

===2009===
* '''November 18th, 19:30''' - [[Dorkbot_2009_11_18|Dorkbot]]
* '''November 19th, 18:00''' - [[Mesh meetup]]
* '''November 19th, 20:00''' - [[Five Minutes of Fame]]
* '''November 20th, 18:00''' - Loud Objects [http://www.flickr.com/photos/createdigitalmedia/3428249036/ Noise Toy workshop].
* '''November 20th, 20:00''' - Performance by [http://www.loudobjects.com/ Loud Objects], (featuring Tristan Perich and Lesley Flanigan) and [http://www.myspace.com/jibkidder Jib Kidder].
:'''2009-11-05''' - [http://www.server-sky.com/ Server Sky presentation: Internet and Computation in Orbit] by Keith Lofstrom
:'''2009-11-05''' - [[Mesh meetup]]
:'''2009-11-02''' - [[French]] book club meeting to discuss [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/2842612892/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance Une Si Longue Lettre]
: ''' October 1st, 18:00''' - [[Wireless_Mesh_Network_Meetup | Mesh wireless meetup]]
: ''' October 1st, 19:00''' - [http://groups.google.com/group/bacat Bay Area Categories and Types]
: '''2009-10-03''' [[Year 1 Open Hacker House]]
:'''Friday''': [[CrazyCryptoNight]] - Discussion of cryptography for beginners through experts. 6-???
:'''Sunday''' : [[OpenEEG | OpenEEG Hacking]] Sundays, at 3-5pm.
:'''Tuesday''': [[Haskell/Haschool]] - Learn Haskell with Jason Dusek. 6PM - 7:30PM, from May until we're all experts.
:'''Wednesday''': [[Adobe_Lightroom|Adobe Lightroom]] - Become a more organized photographer. Weekly class (mostly held off site).
:'''Thursday''': [[Professional VFX Compositing With Adobe After Effects]] - Taught by [[User:SFSlim|Aaron Muszalski]]. 7:30PM - 10PM, most Thursdays in May & June & ? (click through dammit)
:'''2009-09-17''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]] 3D Edition
:'''2009-09-17''': [[Wireless Mesh Network Meetup | Mesh wireless meetup]]
:'''2009-08-20''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]] One Dee Edition
:'''2009-07-16''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]] Zero Dee
:'''2009-07-02 - 2009-07-05''': [http://toorcamp.org Toorcamp]
:'''2009-07-01''': Noisedroid meeting to discuss location logging on Android platform (and other stuff too, I'm sure)
:'''2009-06-30''': [[Powerbocking Class|Powerbocking class]]
:'''2009-06-30''': "Suing Telemarketers for Fun and Profit" (Toorcamp talk preview)
:'''2009-06-28''': "Meditation for Hackers" (Toorcamp workshop preview)
:'''2009-06-18''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]]
:'''2009-06-15''': [[Eagle Workshop]] Session two of the Eagle CAD workshop.
:'''2009-06-13''': [[RoboGames 2009]] Noisebridge had a booth staffed by vounteers, great fun!
:'''2009-05-21''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]]
:'''2009-04-27''': [[EagleCAD workshop]] -- learn to use this CAD tool for printed circuit board design
:'''2009-04-16''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]] April showers & flowers edition
:'''2009-04-11''': [[RFID Hacking]] weekend workshop (this event moved from the original March date)
:'''2009-04-05''': [[First aid and CPR class]] Learning how to not only not die, but also reduce scarring!
:'''2009-04-03''': [[Sudo pop]] 2PM and on. Making the first batch of a Noisebridge label yerba mate-niated rootbrew, gratis and DIY
:'''2009-03-26''': [[OpenEEG | OpenEEG Hacking]] first meet up for this new group: 8 pm
:'''2009-03-19''': [[Five Minutes of Fame]]
:'''2009-03-12''': [[OpenBTS and GSM]] talk by David Burgess
:'''2009-02-14''': [[Open Heart Workshop]] Valentine's Day blinkyheart soldering party!
:'''2009-02-13''': [[Time-t_Party|<tt>time_t</tt> Party]] to celebrate 1,234,567,890 since the Unix epoch.
:'''2009-02-09''': [[Spanish learning at 8:30]]
:'''2009-02-05''': [[PGP Key Workshop]]
:'''2009-01-31''': [[Locksport and Lockpicking]]

===2008===
:'''2008-12-27''': [[25C3]] Chaos Computer Congress in Berlin
:'''2008-12-20 & 21''': [[Creme Brulee]] Workshop on creating a french dessert, with bonus propane torch.
:'''2008-12-17 20:00''': [[Machine Learning]] Birds-of-a-feather
:'''2008-11-24''': [[Circuit Hacking Monday]] circuit design workshop
:'''2008-11-21, 7pm''':[[Milk and Cookies]] -- [[User:Dmolnar|David Molnar]] hosts Milk and Cookies at 83C. Bring a short 5-7minute thing to read to others. Bring a potluck cookie/snack/drink if you like. David will bring milk and cookies.
:'''2008-11-17, 7:30pm''': [[Basic Bicycle Maintain]] - [[User:rubin110|Rubin]] and [[User:rigel|rigel]] hate it when we see a bike that isn't maintained. Screechy chains and clacking derailleur can go to hell. Basic bike tune up, sharing the smarts on simple things you can do at home to make your ride suck a whole lot less.
:'''2008-11-16, 5:00pm''': [[RepRap Soldering Party]] - help assemble RepRap! RSVPs required on wiki! [[User:Adi|adi]]
:'''2008-11-16, 3:00pm''': [[Oscilloscopes]] - Learn how to use this versatile tool to test electronic circuits. Maximum 6 slots, please sign up ahead of time! [[User:dstaff|dstaff]]
:'''2008-10-31''': [[Halloween Open House]] - NoiseBridge's own [[PPPC]] threw an awesome open house/halloween gala. Post pictures if you got 'em!
:'''2008-10-25''': [[Soldering Workshop]] and Pumpkin Hackin' - Learn to solder for total newbies (or learn to solder better!), including surface mount. Additionally, carve your halloween pumpkins and enjoy some experimental pumpkin pie and/or soup.
:'''2008-10-07''': (tuesday before meeting) - Etch a circuit board. I'll be trying a photo resist etching and a basic printed mask etching. This is step 1/3 for a project called "annoying USB thingie" which will execute pre-defined keystrokes by sneaking a tiny USB dongle onto a victim^h^h^h^h^h buddy's computer.
:'''2008-09-13''': [[Processing Workshop]] — Learn this very easy-to-use programming language! - [[Processing Workshop Report]]
:'''2008-02-16''': [[Brain Machine Workshop|Brain Machine Making Workshop]]: Our first hardware sprint!

86

2011-06-24T07:29:18Z

Alan Rockefeller: Thief

People who have fucked up, to the point where they are no longer welcome at Noisebridge, may have their pictures posted on the cork board to the left of the elevator (top floor).

[[file:Ilya.jpg|200px|thumb|left|ilya]]

This person named Ilya was behaving irrationally, and confused his own backpack with Patricks, causing suspicion that he was intending to steal things. He also put on Patricks' clothes and said he thought people were allowed to use whatever items were in the space. He had some small, and not particularly valuable, items that he had pocketed, and had stashed random, not valuable, items in the bathroom. He was unable to explain his behavior to Dr. J and was handed over to police, who did not take him into custody, and he was told not to return to Noisebridge.

He was with his brother Alex who did not do anything sketchy and should not be banned. -jake

==Thief==

[[file:IMG 0291.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Thief]]

[[file:IMG 0292.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Thief]]

[[file:IMG 0293.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Thief]]

This guy went into the back classroom and took Rayc's wallet out of his backpack. Rayc saw him with the wallet in his hand and the guy tried to say it was his. He then started running towards the door and was tackled by Jake. We made him show us that nothing was in his pockets, and he kept avoiding the big pocket in the front of his jacket. This pocket turned out to have Sasha's smart phone. During the search his crack pipe fell onto the floor and broke into many pieces. We let him go and told him not to come back.

File:IMG 0293.JPG

2011-06-24T07:21:52Z

Alan Rockefeller: Thief

Thief

File:IMG 0292.JPG

2011-06-24T07:21:30Z

Alan Rockefeller: Thief

Thief

File:IMG 0291.JPG

2011-06-24T07:21:14Z

Alan Rockefeller: Thief

Thief

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-03-02T10:01:07Z

Alan Rockefeller: Belt too tight?

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.
I also saw the problem at 250 dpi 71% and 1000 dpi 65%. Full spectrum engineering said on Feb 25 that this problem is caused by the belt being too tight. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=310]

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC (this includes Moleskine notebooks)
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Animals
* People
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI only with high resolution images and with materials that show the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter
* Get a CO2 fire extinguisher. The current one will destroy the machine if used.

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* 5/8ths inch acrylic - 1% speed, 12 milliamps, 2 passes
* Plastic with metalic coating - 5 - 7 milliamps rastor, 3 ma vector

== Specifications ==

* Maximum material size: 13" x 16"
* Maximum engravable area: 9.5" x 14.5"
* Maximum material thickness: 2.75"
* CO2 Laser Wavelength: 10.6um
* Maximum Laser Power: 40W

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-03-02T03:22:37Z

Alan Rockefeller: It would be excellent to have a CO2 fire extinguisher in the laser room

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.
I also saw the problem at 250 dpi 71% and 1000 dpi 65%.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC (this includes Moleskine notebooks)
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Animals
* People
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI only with high resolution images and with materials that show the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter
* Get a CO2 fire extinguisher. The current one will destroy the machine if used.

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* 5/8ths inch acrylic - 1% speed, 12 milliamps, 2 passes
* Plastic with metalic coating - 5 - 7 milliamps rastor, 3 ma vector

== Specifications ==

* Maximum material size: 13" x 16"
* Maximum engravable area: 9.5" x 14.5"
* Maximum material thickness: 2.75"
* CO2 Laser Wavelength: 10.6um
* Maximum Laser Power: 40W

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T12:50:15Z

Alan Rockefeller:

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.
I also saw the problem at 250 dpi 71%.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Animals
* People
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI only with high resolution images and with materials that show the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* 5/8ths inch acrylic - 1% speed, 12 milliamps, 2 passes
* Plastic with metalic coating - 5 - 7 milliamps rastor, 3 ma vector

== Specifications ==

* Maximum material size: 13" x 16"
* Maximum engravable area: 9.5" x 14.5"
* Maximum material thickness: 2.75"
* CO2 Laser Wavelength: 10.6um
* Maximum Laser Power: 40W

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T11:49:07Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Cutting power / speeds */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.
I also saw the problem at 250 dpi 71%.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* Plastic with metalic coating - 5 - 7 milliamps rastor, 3 vector

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T03:24:35Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Quirks */ Maybe 71% is too fast at 250 dpi

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.
I also saw the problem at 250 dpi 71%.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* Plastic with metalic coating - 6 - 7 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T03:00:47Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Cutting power / speeds */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* Plastic with metalic coating - 6 - 7 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T02:16:34Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Things you should not put in the laser cutter */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal
* Butane lighters
* Gasoline or other liquids
* Any powder (the compressed air will blow it away)

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T02:14:35Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Things you can put in the laser cutter */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics
* Cell phones
* Laptops
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T02:11:10Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Quirks */ 250 dpi

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T02:10:34Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Quirks */ 72% also too fast

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T02:08:32Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Quirks */ How fast can you set the speed when printing rastor

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was ok.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-27T02:04:13Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* To Do */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass
* Extra lighting inside the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-26T13:03:38Z

Alan Rockefeller: Fix formatting

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-26T13:02:04Z

Alan Rockefeller: Added more information

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

1) Download and install USB drivers
2) Download and install RetinaEngrave
3) Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

1) Get an image, any format
2) Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
3) Start RetinaEngrave
4) Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
5) Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

1) Get an image, any format
2) Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
3) Copy the image to the clipboard
4) Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
5) Paste the image into the new document
6) Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
7) Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
8) Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
9) Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass

== Cutting power / speeds ==

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T23:20:46Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Tips */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. As far as I know Gimp can not do vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====
==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====
==== How to use ====

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI for certain materials where you can actually see the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T23:15:36Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* To Do = */

== Lasercutter (name to be determined) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. As far as I know Gimp can not do vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====
==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====
==== How to use ====

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire)
* Cotton
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

* Anything containing chlorine
* PVC
* Lexan
* Vinyl
* Bare metal

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Set up a computer with the laser software near the cutter
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter
* Improve seal around exhaust vent
* Install vent fan for DJ booth
* Install a door on the DJ booth
* Cover most of the window of the dj booth with plexiglass

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T23:11:42Z

Alan Rockefeller: Added a todo section

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T11:59:45Z

Alan Rockefeller: Added a Tips section

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T11:58:09Z

Alan Rockefeller: /* Things you can put in the laser cutter */

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T11:57:36Z

Alan Rockefeller: Things you can put in the laser cutter

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T11:44:08Z

Alan Rockefeller: Careful with the silver honeycomb

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T11:40:56Z

Alan Rockefeller: Turn off when not in use

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2011-02-25T11:36:32Z

Alan Rockefeller: Adding information

User:Alan Rockefeller

2011-02-25T11:21:24Z

Alan Rockefeller: Created page with 'I am a mycologist specializing in the taxonomy of the Hymenomycetes.'

I am a mycologist specializing in the taxonomy of the Hymenomycetes.