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Hardware & Device Setup

This page covers connecting to the controller and the device-level settings under the Device menu. If you're setting up for the first time, start with First-run setup; this page is the deeper reference.

Device vs. lens settings

Device settings (here) describe the controller and galvo head — axis mapping, laser timing, frequency range. Lens settings (field size, correction, focal Z) are per-lens and live in Lenses, Corrections & Calibration.

Connecting (Device ▸ Connection)

TODO screenshot: Device ▸ Connection card

  1. Open Device ▸ Connection.
  2. Pick your controller from the device list and click Connect.
  3. When connected, FocuZ shows the firmware version and serial number and a green status indicator; the current lens and correction-file status are also shown.
  4. Refresh re-scans USB. Install Driver appears when a controller is plugged in but has no WinUSB driver — see Installation & driver.

FocuZ can reconnect automatically on startup. The controller must be connected to Trace or Run.

Device Setup (Device ▸ Device Setup)

The one-page setup — laser type + markcfg7 import on top, lens correction below. It's the fastest way to a working configuration and is covered in First-run setup. Importing a markcfg7 is what marks the device configured and unlocks Run/Trace.

Fiber lasers

FocuZ currently supports fiber lasers. When you import a markcfg7, FocuZ reads the laser type from it and shows it in the device summary. A fiber profile configures the device as usual. A CO2, YAG, or SPI profile is saved, but marking and tracing stay disabled for that laser type — so you can set up and explore, just not mark. Support for more laser types will come as they're verified.

Laser Setup (Device ▸ Laser Setup)

The full device configuration screen, in two sections: Configuration (what the machine is) and Timing Defaults (the delay/jump values layers fall back to).

Configuration

Importing the device profile

  • Import markcfg7 — loads device settings from your machine's markcfg7: laser type, galvo axis mapping, timing defaults, red-light and power-map values. This is the recommended way to configure the device; manual entry is for fine-tuning. (Field size, field angle, and the work offset are per-lens and import separately in the lens Corrections dialog.)
  • The import also returns the path tolerances (below) to their standard values. If you had tuned them, a small ↶ button appears next to each changed tolerance — click it to bring back the value you had before the import.

Galvo axis assignment

  • Galvo 1 / Galvo 2 → X / Y — which physical galvo drives which axis. This comes from markcfg7; only change it if your art marks transposed (rotated/mirrored axes).
  • Mirror toggles per galvo — flip an axis direction if the mark is mirrored.

If marks come out rotated or mirrored

The fix is almost always the galvo X/Y assignment or a mirror toggle here. A re-import of the correct markcfg7 usually sets these for you.

Frequency limits

  • Min / Max frequency (kHz) — the allowed pulse-frequency range for your laser (1–9999). FocuZ clamps per-layer frequency to this range so you can't drive the laser outside spec. This is a capability range for the machine, which is why it lives in Configuration rather than Timing Defaults.

Path tolerances

  • Curve tolerance (mm) — how far a curve is allowed to deviate from the line segments that approximate it. Smaller = smoother curves but more segments. It's measured at the artwork's final size, so resizing art doesn't change how smooth it marks. The default (0.01 mm) is well below a typical beam width; loosening it produces fewer points and faster marking.
  • Closed-path tolerance (mm) — how close endpoints must be for a path to count as closed (affects fills).

Fiber pulse settings

  • Open MO delay — delay after opening the laser's master oscillator before marking.
  • Enable pulse width — toggles pulse-width control (MOPA on, non-MOPA off).
  • Laser leak handle — closes the master oscillator between jobs on lasers that need it.

Timing Defaults

The device-wide delay (laser on/off, end, polygon corner) and jump (speed, min, max, limit) values. Every layer whose Timing Mode is Device uses these at mark time; layers with Custom timing override them per layer (see Timings). Values from a markcfg7 import are a good starting point; tune for mark quality.

Power Map (Device ▸ Power Map)

TODO screenshot: Power Map dialog

A curve that maps requested power → actual output power at 0 %, 10 %, … 100 %. Use it to linearize a laser whose output isn't proportional to the set percentage, or to cap output. Linear resets to a 1:1 map; Reset restores defaults.

Rotary

Rotary-axis configuration lives under Device ▸ Rotary Setup and is covered in Rotary Marking.

See also