Ruida Controller
The Laser cutter had a new control panel fitted in 2021, this page covers tips and extra info on its operation.
See the for a basic introduction on YouTube:
FAQ
Why does the head jump or change speed when moving it with the arrow buttons?
The movement is two speed, there's an initial low speed movement, which then ramps to a higher speed if you hold the button down. This is to make it easier to make small adjustments, whilst still allowing for rapid long distance moves. The movement can be switched between step and continuous movement by pressing the button in the middle of the arrow keys.
The head used to move smoothly when I pressed the arrow buttons. Now it only moves a small step and stops,,,
In the centre of the direction arrow keypad there is a button with a Square Wave symbol and a Sine Wave Symbol. This button changes the movement mode from Single steps (square wave) to Continuous steps and back again. Alternating with each press. If you find that the laser head isnt moving smoothly when you press the arrow keys try pressing this button to change between Step and Continuous modes.
What's the minimum manual move distance?
2-3mm is possible with a quick press. For smaller distances than that, move the workpiece, or try moving away then moving back.
What does the "Pulse" button do?
If the lid is closed, pressing pulse will briefly fire the laser. This is a good method for checking the alignment, as the visible red laser dot is often misaligned with the actual cutting laser.
What do the "Z-axis" buttons do?
Nothing! * Adjusting the bed height is still a manual operation
* Yet.... This may be implemented later
Should (or will) jobs be deleted from the laser cutter?
Unlike the previous controller, the Ruida controller appears to work fine with multiple jobs in its memory, and the file list is easy to navigate, so its no longer critical to delete previous jobs before downloading new ones.
An exception to this may be if you're cutting a particularly complex design then you may need all the memory just for that file. Multiple (simple) designs can be left on the controller, but when you're finished your project, please delete them to free up the storage and make it easier for others to find their designs.
Ruida Controller Memory Error Message - Not Enough Extend Space
Not Enough Extend Space is the error message you will see in the message area on the Ruida Controller if you try to start a job and there are too many files, or too large files, taking up storage on the controller
If you see this message you will need to delete files to clear space in order to be able to run your job or upload your new file.
Files are deleted by highlighting them on the file list, pressing right, then scrolling down to Delete and pressing the Enter button. Don't assume designs can be safely stored on the controller, always maintain your own backups.
If you select the Memery oper+ (SIC) option
in the middle of the bottom row of buttons you are presented with a pop-up menu which has a Delete All option. This will clear all the files from the controller memory.
What happens if the job is outside the travel limits?
If the origin is set in a position that doesn't leave enough travel for the design, the controller will display an error and not start the job. If this happens, either move your work and reset the origin, or change the size of the design (such as cutting it in multiple pieces). The error messages are a little cryptic.
As a rough guide, in the picture above
- The Circle = The user set Origin
- The Rectangle = The Frame outline for the job you are going to run.
- The Rectangle = A representation of the outer limits of the bed working area. Your job must not exceed any boundary of the bed.
The user Origin and the 'Frame of your job must not cross the bed boundary.
Ruida Controller Travel Limits Error Messages
Ruida Error - X Slop Over
You will see this message if a part of the "Frame" outline of your job is positioned on the bed such that it extends beyond the X Axis boundary of the working area of the bed.
- The Circle = The user set Origin is positioned such that the Frame of the job crosses the X Axis Boundary
- The Rectangle = The Frame outline for the job crosses the X Axis Boundary.
- The Rectangle = A representation of the outer limits of the bed working area. Your job must not exceed any boundary of the bed.
To remedy this move the user set Origin in the X axis for your job so that the job sits within the available bed space without crossing the limits of the bed.
Ruida Error - Y Slop Over
You will see this message if a part of the "Frame" outline of your job is positioned on the bed such that it extends beyond the Y Axis boundary of the working area of the bed.
- The Circle = The user set Origin is positioned such that the Frame of the job crosses the Y Axis Boundary
- The Rectangle = The Frame outline for the job crosses the Y Axis Boundary.
- The Rectangle = A representation of the outer limits of the bed working area. Your job must not exceed any boundary of the bed.
To remedy this move the user set Origin in the Y axis for your job so that the job sits within the available bed space without crossing the limits of the bed.
Ruida Error - Frame Slop
You will see this message if the "Frame" outline of your job is too large for the bed such that it extends beyond either the X Axis or the Y Axis boundary of the working area of the bed regardless of where the origin is set. The job is just too big!
- The Circle = The user set Origin is positioned very close to the bed Origin, top right.
- The Rectangle = The Frame outline for the job crosses the X Axis or Y Axis Boundary because the job is too big to fit within the bed boundary.
- The Rectangle = A representation of the outer limits of the bed working area. Your job must not exceed any boundary of the bed.
To fix this you will have to reduce the size of the job in the RDWorks package before uploading it to the Laser Cutter. This may mean removing some sections or parts from your layout on the bed to make the overall putline, or Frame, smaller. So that it fits the capacity of the Laser Cutter bed. NOTE The available working area for Engraving jobs is smaller than for Cutting jobs as the engraving process involved having the laser cutter head "over-scan" the area that will be engraved.