Tips & Tricks

This section is intended for all the things that don't quite fit on any of the other pages.

  1. Safety. FIRST AND FOREMOST... Always have the laser in the same room as you and keep an eye on it. Most of the materials you are engraving are flammable, and a fire can get out of hand very quickly. You should have a spray bottle with water for minor flare ups, and a fire extinguisher, preferably carbon dioxide (to avoid damage), for larger fires, on hand. Also, I highly suggest wearing CO2 laser certified safety glasses when operating the laser. The window on the lid is not certified, so there is no guarantee that it meets the requirements to protect your vision. Here is a great video that discusses laser safety.

  2. How to Add a Laser to Wi-Fi. If you don't have an ethernet jack within a few feet of the location where you plan to place your machine, you can install a wi-fi range extender, or a powerline ethernet adapter. The extender is useful if you already have decent wi-fi near the location were you want to place the laser, plus it will boost your signal in that area as well. You will plug the extender into an outlet, and run an ethernet cable out of the extender into your machine. If your wi-fi is weak, then you can go with the powerline adapter. With this device one end will connect to your PC or router, and the other end will connect to your machine. Keep in mind, that you should always keep an eye on your laser while it is running, because fires have been known to happen. Note: Ruida uses the UDP protocol. This means that there is a greater chance for packets to get lost, and ultimately, cause errors when submitting a job. Try to ensure you have a strong wi-fi connection to reduce the chance of errors.

Video: TP-Link Powerline Installation

Buy a wi-fi range extender or powerline ethernet adapter on Amazon:

Once you have your extender installed, you can follow the steps on this page: Software Installation.

  1. How to Use the Pass-Through Doors With LightBurn. Use the Print and Cut feature in LightBurn to create a project larger than your laser bed using the passthrough doors on your laser (if equipped). Click here for a video.

  2. How to Use the LightBurn Print and Cut Feature. The Print and Cut feature will allow you to print/sublimate a design and then bring that design into LightBurn to cut out the pattern on the laser. Click here for a video.

  3. How to Cut a Circle Larger Than Your Bed. This video has a quick trick for cutting circles larger than your bed.

  4. Remote Keypad. Have you hit the frame button, and run to your laser, only to find it finished framing by the time you got there? This handy blue-tooth wireless remote keypad will allow you to frame (as well as other functions) right at the laser.

  5. Removing the Base from the Laser. You can detach the base from some, but not all lasers. On a Preenex 20"x28" laser with a removable base, you can rotate the laser on it's back which will make the width roughly 24". In general, to remove the base, there are 4-6 cap screws holding it on. Check with your manufacturer to see if the base can be removed from your specific model. Below are a couple videos that go through the process. Keep in mind, that your laser may not disassemble the same way.

  1. Adjusting the Autofocus Sensor. There may be times when you need to remove your autofocus or it gets thrown out of alignment. This video explains how to set the distance for the autofocus sensor: Autofocus: How To Set Up Your Laser Cutting Machine.

  2. How to Change Ruida Controller Language. If you receive a new or replacement Ruida Controller, the default language may be in Chinese. This video will help you change the language from Chinese to English: X700 #1 - How to change language in Ruida laser controller.