Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I do not have a normal diode machine, instead I am driving a diode laser head fitted to a converted CO2 machine. This greater structual stability allows me to drive heads at higher accelerations than open frame machines. After upgrading to a heavier 20 watt head, I started to detect what looked like output power pulsing/instability. I found many other Youtube demonstrations where I could indentify what looked like the same power instability issues with their test patterns. Nobody seemed to be seeing these unexpected patterns.......just a normal part of diode engraving? So maybe it was not a fault with my particular diode head after all. I took a leap of faith and upgraded to a much heavier 40 watt head , Oops ....had I made a bad investment because my test patterns were showing those same (and maybe worse) stripy patterns?
This video investigates the REAL reason for those patterns and having discovered the subtle nature of the problem, I felt other diode users should recognize those patterns and understand the simple fix for the problem.
I do not have a normal diode machine, instead I am driving a diode laser head fitted to a converted CO2 machine. This greater structual stability allows me to drive heads at higher accelerations than open frame machines. After upgrading to a heavier 20 watt head, I started to detect what looked like output power pulsing/instability. I found many other Youtube demonstrations where I could indentify what looked like the same power instability issues with their test patterns. Nobody seemed to be seeing these unexpected patterns.......just a normal part of diode engraving? So maybe it was not a fault with my particular diode head after all. I took a leap of faith and upgraded to a much heavier 40 watt head , Oops ....had I made a bad investment because my test patterns were showing those same (and maybe worse) stripy patterns?
This video investigates the REAL reason for those patterns and having discovered the subtle nature of the problem, I felt other diode users should recognize those patterns and understand the simple fix for the problem.
