Intro
FAQ
- Will this work for other machines?
- Maybe, it depends on the machine. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to know all the possibilities and give a solid “Yes” or “No” answer.
- Will this work for other rotary units?
- Maybe, it depends on the rotary. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to know all the possibilities and give a solid “Yes” or “No” answer. It’s been used with chuck rotaries from Atomstack, Ortur, and TwoTree, with some slight modification and calibration.
Software Requirements
No additional software is required other than Lightburn
Installation
Aside from connecting the cable, we need to make some changes to the stepper driver the ComMarker machine uses. We’re just toggling some dip switches, nothing major
Machines without an external rotary driver box
- Power off your machine
- Remove the top cover of your machine. (Usually, there is one screw in each corner to remove.)
- Locate the DM542 stepper driver
Machines with an external rotary driver box
- Power off your machine
- Disconnect the rotary box
- Remove the cover of rotary box which has the two connectors. (Usually, there is one screw in each corner to remove.)
All machines
- Flip the dip switches 1-3 and 5-8 on the DM542 to position shown below
- Connect RA2 to the connector on the machine/rotary box
- Read these steps, memorize, then do them within 1 second. If you have a rotary box, it needs to be connected to the machine
- If you have a rotary box, it needs to be connected to the machine
- Power on machine
- Toggle dip switch 4 to the opposite position and back again.
- Power off machine
- Reassemble machine/rotary box
Lightburn
- In Lightburn’s rotary setup screen, set Steps Per Rotation for the chuck to 100000
- Note: It’s best to check this value by testing and recalibrate as needed
- For using the RA2 rollers, you will need to run through a calibration to get the correct stepping value
Troubleshooting
- My tumbler doesn’t turn exact one rotation when testing
- Run through rotary calibration to find the correct Steps Per Rotation for your rotary