Not sure if the exact laser matters, but it’s the 40W blue.
In any case, when I output files with air assist on, the pump does not run.
I have the air set to M8 in lightburn under edit, device settings, basic settings.
According to the SM docs, M8 turns on the air, and M9 turns it off.
I don’t see M9 mentioned in lightburn, but that’s a different problem I guess.
The pump is connected per the SM instructions, and all connection/disconnection was done power off.
I tried adding M08 to the startup gcode and M09 to the end gcode and that got the pump going just fine, so I believe at this point that it’s a lightburn issue.
I am working by sneakernet with USB stick, not connecting LB to the machine directly, if that matters.
I had the same, and did the same thing, adding the command manually to the GCode. I never came around to filing a bug report with Lightburn, but that’s what needs to happen. After the project I had no time, and then I forgot…
The “Snapmaker” profile device profile in Lightburn doesn’t output M8/M9. I pinged support staff about it over on the Lightburn forums. For now, you can either add it manually, or use a more mature device profile like Marlin or GRBL. Just keep in mind using GRBL, while the Gcode file will be fine, it will break the movement buttons and framing.
Amusing… So they disable air assist in the background, but leave the functions to enable/configure air assist… Plenty of time wasted on my end thanks to that decision.
I just reported it as a bug in 2.0 RC2.
So how would I find the points to add in the M08 and M09 codes within the Cgode?
Simply do a search for your layer! After doing up your project, click the Save Gcode button in Lightburn and open the file in any text editor. I personally use Notepad++ on Windows. Use Ctrl-F to search for the name of your layer.
This is a layer block. You get a descriptor of what it’s doing, usually Image, Scan, or Cut, with your settings. Followed by the name of your layer (Mine are still default so C00 is my layer name). Simply put an M8 at the beginning, as you see in mine (I use GRBL device, so it auto-places it for me). For any layer you don’t want it, put an M9 there. If you just want it on all the time, and off when finished, place M8 in the start gcode and M9 in the end gcode in Lightburn’s settings.
Ok, after working with LB tech support, the solution is to NOT use the snapmaker profile, but to use a GRBL profile under Laser Tools, Manage Devices, Create Manually. I used the plain “GRBL” profile, and the only thing I really had to do was enter the bed size (350/320 on the SM350) When I output the job under that profile, the air pump is controlled as I expect with no mods needed to the Gcode.
Note: I’m running LB2.0 RC2 now. Not much point investing time in earlier versions with 2.0 release coming soon.
I did notice that in LB 1.7 the test box was off by 12.3mm in Y, and that the pointer offset (at least in the Y axis) did nothing. In LB2 RC2, the pointer offset works as expected in both X and Y.
Also FWIW, aligning the lower left corner of the test paper with the alignment cross on the 40W blue laser put the test box cut precisely where it should be, 20mm from the bottom and left edges as designed. IOW: No offset adjustment. I just moved the head so the cross was just barely on the edges of my precision test post-it note, and set that as the work origin. In LB I have that set so that the work origin is the lower left.
For now, you can either add it manually, or use a more mature device profile like Marlin or GRBL. Just keep in mind using GRBL, while the Gcode file will be fine, it will break the movement buttons and framing.