Comgrow COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver User Manual

CONGO Z1 Laser Engraver
User Manual

Introduction

Dear Customers,
Thank you for choosing the COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver!
The COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver is a desktop laser engraver. Before operating the COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver, please read the manual carefully and follow the instructions for assembly and operation. If this manual does not effectively solve your problem, please contact our support team. Comgrow was founded in 2017 by people who have a serious passion for technology that helps you make things. With this deep-rooted dedication, we wanted to make the digital manufacturing process more accessible, giving educators, engineers, manufacturers, small businesses, and tinkerers the power to make anything.
Headquartered in Southern China, Shenzhen, Comgrows’ dedicated staff is committed to providing the kind of service that makes you go “wow.”We offer the highest quality materials, machines, and accessories – ranging from industrial-grade 3D printers to DIY laser cutters- all of which have been tested and approved by our in-house experts.Our amazing gals and guys in customer service are here Monday through Saturday to help with anything you may need, from finding the right material to package your specific product, to discussing which printer is best for you. Bottom line is, that we’re here to make 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC milling magic happen.Contact us.

Cautions

1. The COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver is for indoor use only and you must be 18 years of age or above to operate this machine.
2. Please wear appropriate protective equipment when you are operating the equipment (e.g. laser protection glasses, etc.)
3. Please place the machine in a horizontal position before use.
4. CONGO Z1 Laser Engraver provides a switchable power supply of 230V AC or 110V AC with 24V output voltage, it is forbidden to use other power supplies or laser modules, which may lead to machine failure or damage.
5. Do not disassemble the power supply or electrical parts. This will void the warranty.
6. Laser cutting of different materials will produce different levels of smoke, please place the machine in a well-ventilated area and use it under supervision.
7. Please maintain the laser module regularly to ensure the life of the laser module.

Paramenters

Lightburn: Windows. Mac OS and Linux
Input Voltage| AC110V-230V
Laser Power| 1.6W/5W/10W
Focal Length| 1.6W:30-100mm 5W:23mm 10W:45mm
S-value Range| S0-S1000 (0%-100%)
Connection Method| USB
Engraving Accuracy| 0.1mm

NOTE: the focal length is the distance from the lower face of the laser module profile to the engraving plane.

Machine Display

General List

Frame Assembly Pt.1
Tip: To watch the installation tutorial video, please visit SD Card.

STEP1. Take out all four profiles and use four M5*25 screws for fixing to complete the gantry installation.
Frame Assembly Pt.2

STEP2.Take out the X-axis assembly and embed it into the profile V-groove from the rear in the Y-axis direction.
Frame Assembly Pt.3

STEP3.Use 2 M5*8 screws to fix the motherboard cover to the front of the gantry.

STEP4.Take out the 4 support feet and install them using 8 M5*8 screws and 4 M5 T-nuts.

Frame Assembly Pt.5

STEP5.Take out 2 belts, put the belts through the two pulleys and the timing pulley, and fix them with 2 M5*8 screws and M5 square nuts.
Frame Assembly Pt.6

STEP6. Take out the 4 profile covers and install them on the profile end faces at the front and rear ends of the gantry.
Frame Assembly Pt.7

STEP7. Take out the laser module, remove the focus slider, use 3 M3*6 screws then fix the laser module to the focus slider and install the focus slider and laser module along the original path.

STEP8. Connect the cables of the laser module and the Y-axis limit switch, then attach the fixing mount to the right front support feet and fix the cables.
Frame Assembly Pt.9

STEP9. Loosen the fixing screws on both sides of the laser module to focus the height of the laser module. (5W laser module focal length is 23mm, 10W laser module focal length is 45mm)
Board Module Diagram

Software Installation Guide

CONGO Z1 Laser Engraver supports the most popular engraving software LaserGRBL.
LaserGRBL is an open-source, easy to use, and powerful software, but LaserGRBL only supports Windows (Win XP/Win 7/ Win 8/XP/ Win 10).
For Mac users, you can choose LightBurn, which is also an excellent engraving software, but this costs $40 (with a free one-month trial for the first installation) and this software also supports Windows systems.
The COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver receives mobile commands from the computer in real-time, and the engraver needs to stay connected to the computer and cannot close the engraving software (LaserGRBL or LightBurn) during the engraving process. In addition, the configuration of the computer can affect the speed and even the quality of the engraving. The following will focus on the installation and use of LaserGRBL software. light burnt will briefly explain the installation and configuration process.
Tip: It is recommended that you adjust your computer’s power settings to “Never Sleep” mode.

Software Installation Guide
1. Laser Grbl Tutorial(Window)

1. Click “install” to install the software. Note: Computer RAM needs to be 8GB or more.

2. Click“Tools-Install CH340 Driver”.
   

3. Link the USB cable and turn on the machine, then click“Connect“.
   

4. Click “Open File” to select the engraving file.

5. Select the engraving mode and click “Next”. (It is recommended that you select the horizontal engraving mode).
   

6. Select carving parameters (M3 for constant power carving, M4 for variable power).
   

7. Click “Boundary” to preview the engraving area and adjust the position of the engraved object.
   

8. Click “Run Program” to start engraving.

Software Installation Guide
2.LightBurn Tutorial(Window/Mac/Linux)

Tip: Installation on MAC requires adding trust, as follows.

1. Double-click the LightBurn.dmg file to mount the disk image.
2. Drag the LightBurn application into your applications folder.
3. Eject the LightBurn disk image, or drag it to the trash bin.
4. Open a Finder window.
5. Browse to the ‘Applications’ folder.
6. Hold the Control key and click the LightBurn icon, or right-click or / two-finger tap the icon.
7. Choose ‘Open’ from the menu.
8. When MacOS asks if it should open the program, say yes, and it will be listed as an exception in your launcher. From then on you can just launch the application normally.

Software Installation Guide
2.LightBurn Tutorial(Window/Mac/Linux)

1. If you are using it for the first time, you need to perform steps 1-10 to set up the operation.Open the SD card, select “Driver Files”, and install the driver according to your computer system.
   

2. Select “GRBL”, then click”Next”.
   

3. Select Serial/USB and press Next.
   

4. Add device name and engraving range.
   Name：COMGO Z1 Engraver
   X-Axis Length:400mm
   Y-Axis Length:400mm

5. Select Front Left as your Origin X,Y and uncheck Auto “Home”, then press Next.
   

6. Click Finish.

7. Select “COMGO Z1 Laser Engraver” and click “OK”.
   

8. Click “Edit-Settings” in order to set the unit to “mm/min”.

9. Click “Edit-Device Settings” and change “S-value-max” to “1000”. Machine Weight
   

10. Select “Start From” as “Current Location” on the right, and then adjust “Job Origin” to the bottom left corner.
    

11. Click “File-Import” to import the engraving file.

12. After importing the file, you can modify the engraving size on the top of the interface.
    

13. Double click the engraving parameters interface on the right side to set the engraving parameters and engraving mode.
    

14. Click “Frame” to preview the engraving range, and click “Start” to start engraving after adjusting the engraving position.
    

WIFI module installation

Tip: To watch the refresh firmware tutorial video, please visit SD Card.

1. Loosen the fixing screws and remove the motherboard cover.
   

2. Take out the WIFI module and install it to the WIFI interface on the motherboard.
   

3. Install the motherboard cover in an original way.

APP Usage Instruction

Tip: For a more detailed App tutorial, please visit SD Card.
1. APP Installation

Android user
Android users can search for “Mini laser engraver” in Samsung App Market and Google Play or directly scan the QR code below to download.

https://acc-huahui.oss-cn- shenzhen.aliyuncs.com/grave/LaserEngrave-V1.0.8_release_200713.apk.

iPhone users
search for “Mini Laser Engraver” in App Store.

2. Connect the device

1. Open the app, select “COMGO Z1 Engraver” and click on top right corner with a “Suspend” tag. Note: Please open the positioning function of your phone when you use it!
2. Click Available devices on the popup screen and select the Wi-Fi Settings Center; then, connect to the network with the WIFI name prefix “COMGO Laser-Z1-xxxxx” and connect to it, then return to the previous level.
3. Click on “Connection” to connect to the device.

3. Adjust the focal length
Turn the knob screws on both sides of the laser slider to adjust the height of the laser module so that the laser beam irradiates to the plane as a fine point.
Note:
1.6W laser module has a focal length of 30-100mm and needs to be focused by turning the lens at this focal length.
The focal length of the 5W laser module is 20mm.
The focal length of the 10W laser module is 45mm.
4. Interface Introduction
There are six engraving modules available in APP, namely: Photo album, Material Library, Whiteboard, Photograph, QR Code, and Bar Code.
Photo album: you can access the photo album through this module and select the pictures in the album for engraving
Material library: here will come with some random engraving and cutting images to choose from, the material images will be updated from time to time.
Whiteboard: you can input text for engraving through this module, you can change the text size and font.
Photograph: you can take pictures through the cell phone camera and then engrave them, note that the pixel of the pictures taken will affect the quality of the engraving.
QR Code: you can input text to generate a QR code for engraving, and you can scan it for recognition after engraving.
Bar Code: can be engraved by entering the text to generate a bar code, which can be scanned and identified after engraving.
5. Engraving
The following is an example of the “Material library” carving operation.

1. Click into “Material library”.

2. Select the engraving frame.

3. Select the engraving material and engraving mode and click “Sent”.
   

4. Select “Laser Power” and “Material” according to the power of the machine, then click “SAVE”.

5. Click “Preview” to preview the engraving range, and click “Start” to start engraving after the preview is completed.

Engraving Parameters

5W laser module engraving parameters

Mode| Materials| Power ( % )| Speed ( mm/min )| NOTE
Engraving| Wood board| 100| 2500|
Bamboo| 100| 2500|
Solid wood| 100| 2500|
Leather| 100| 2000|
Glass| 100| 700| The surface needs to be painted black or heat transfer paper applied.
Ceramic| 100| 700| The surface needs to be heat transfer paper applied.
Acrylic| 100| 1500| For transparent surface need to be painted black.
Stainless steel| 100| 300|
Anodized metal| 100| 800|
Fabric| 40| 5000|
| | | |
Cutting| 2mm thick board| 100| 180|
3mm thick board| 100| 120|
4mm thick board| 100| 90| Cutting thick boards can reduce the focal length appropriately.
Cardboard| 100| 1500|
Leather| 100| 100|
Fabric| 100| 1500|
10W laser module engraving parameters

Mode| Materials| Power ( % )| Speed { mm/min )| NOTE
Engraving| Wood board| 100| 5000|
Bamboo| 100| 5000|
Solid wood| 100| 5000|
Leather| 100| 4500|
Glass| 100| 1200| The surface needs to be painted black or heat transfer paper applied.
Ceramic| 100| 1200| The surface needs to be heat transfer paper applied.
Acrylic| 100| 2500| For transparent surface need to be painted black.
Stainless steel| 100| 600|
Anodized metal| 100| 1500|
Fabric| 20| 5000|
Cutting| 2mm thick board| 100| 300|
3mm thick board| 100| 250|
4mm thick board| 100| 200|
7mm thick board| 100| 90| Cutting thick boards can reduce the focal length appropriately.
Cardboard| 100| 2500|
Leather| 100| 2000|
Fabric| 100| 2500|

Troubleshooting

1. The machine moves normally, but the laser head does not light

1. Check the mainboard and the laser module on the power and signal cable connection is loose.
2. If the wire connection is correct, but still no light. Please unplug the laser module wire and adjust the laser brightness to “Max Brightness” in LaserGRBL, then measure the “POWER” and “PWM” voltage respectively. voltage. If there is the voltage at both “POWER” and “PWM”, the laser module is the problem.

2. USB not recognized

1. Check if the driver is already installed on the computer, if not, please click “Tools-Install CH340 Driver” to install it.
2. Please check if the baud rate setting on the software is correct. (Baud rate is 115200)
3. Please try to replace the USB cable or computer.
4. If the above methods do not solve your problem, please contact us.

3. Power on the device does not respond

1. If the power indicator does not light up, please check if the power supply wiring is loose.
2. If the power terminal is well wired, please measure the voltage at the output of the power adapter.

4. Alarm occurs during engraving and engraving stops.

1. Check if any object (such as wire, etc.) touches the limit switch of the machine during the carving process.
2. If the above reasons can be ruled out, please check whether the connection between the machine and the PC side is normal, you can replace the USB port of the computer to try.
3. The machine gyroscope trigger phenomenon is “Laser GRBL” lower right corner of the “Cooling” prompt, the machine shipped gyroscope default sensitivity is “$140 = 8 “Please enter  “$140=sensitivity” in the command bar to increase the sensitivity of the gyroscope. Note: The gyro sensitivity range is 0-16, the smaller the number, the higher the sensitivity.

5. APP cannot recognize the machine.
1. For users with older firmware versions, you need to upgrade the machine firmware to version 2.0 and above before you can use the APP function, you can check the firmware version number through LaserGRBL or Lightburn.

Tip:if your machine has a low version number, you need to follow the steps below to update the firmware.

1. Copy the firmware named “firmware” to the SD card.
   

2. Turn off the power, insert the SD card into the motherboard card slot, and then power on the SD for about 20 seconds and then remove it.
   

3. Open “LaserGrbl” or “Lightburn” and type “$E” in the command bar to restore Settings.

4.  Please open the “Location Services” function in your phone settings.

5. You can visit the video tutorial link in the SD card for more detailed APP tutorial videos.

6. Poor engraving or cutting results.
   1. Please select your engraving speed and power according to the table of suggested engraving parameters.
   2. Normal laser module life is more than 10,000 hours, please check your lens cleanliness.

7. Is it possible to cut or engrave transparent materials?

You cannot use a laser to cut transparent materials; for engraving of transparent materials, such as glass, transparent acrylic, etc., you can use a whiteboard pen to blacken the surface of the material or directly put a layer of engraving color paper on the surface of the material before engraving.

FCC Warning Statement

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
— Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
— Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
–Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
— Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
RF Exposure Statement
To maintain compliance with FCC’s RF exposure guidelines, This equipment should be installed and operated at a minimum distance of 20cm from the radiator of your body. This device and its antenna(s) must not be co-located or operated in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

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