I ordered a laser cutter/engraver off eBay from exactly the same company that Dave did. It arrived yesterday. I does NOT have the same processor board that Dave’s has. It has a version of the processor board with a history of problems…the Moshi board. Earlier versions of the Moshi board had bugs…bad bugs…and worked poorly with Corel Draw.
Once I get mine up and operating, I’ll tell how it’s going.
It looks like the bait and switch game is still on…but this time at $380 versus $1200.
Mike - that is disturbing news - I would try to get the guy to switch you for what you expected - the board I have has made things much simpler than the one you received.
Good luck!
dave
No…the ad does not state what processor board is in it…but I did buy it from the ad you had on your web site…and expected what you got.
Now, perhaps Moshisoft has updated their board, and this one works. Once I get my laser protection eye wear, I’ll be able to test this thing and see what it’ll do. I’ve also emailed the seller asking about the differences in the controller boards.
@ Dave, where did you get the Corel Draw 11 plugin that lets you talk directly to your controller board?..or, does the plugin allow you to move Corel Draw 11 drawings to some other software that came with the K40 which actually does the cutting?
So…I’ve learned that if you are running the 64 bit version Windows XP, Vista, or 7 AND you have a Moshisoft version of the K40 laser cutter, you are sunk. There’s no way as of NOW for that configuration to work. The Corel Draw/MoshiDraw/laser cutter interface ONLY WORKS under the 32 bit version of Window.
Someday, perhaps, Moshisoft might fix this…but not now in June 2015.
One thing I noticed (in an attempt to make sense of the Chinglish manual for one of these Co2 laser machines) is the fact that the environment of the machine should be a warm one i.e…IF it is in a garden workshop/shed in an area where it can freeze in winter… then the place should be heated in winter OR the laser tube water pipes and water container emptied of water - or the tube will probably crack…
In my enthusiasm for one of these machines, I never even thought about that particular point.
Living in the UK it is a particularly valid point!! ( we do not have basement /workshop/ utility rooms)…
Fortunately I do have a heated /insulated shed as a workshop, but I think I would be inclined to drain the laser cooling system after use, just in case of a power failure.
Mike Reilley said:
@ Dave, where did you get the Corel Draw 11 plugin that lets you talk directly to your controller board?..or, does the plugin allow you to move Corel Draw 11 drawings to some other software that came with the K40 which actually does the cutting?
Mike - the plugin came with the cutter on a CD it utilizes CoredDraw 11 or newer - if you want to give it a try I can send you a link for it.
dave
Mike Reilley said:
So…I’ve learned that if you are running the 64 bit version Windows XP, Vista, or 7 AND you have a Moshisoft version of the K40 laser cutter, you are sunk. There’s no way as of NOW for that configuration to work. The Corel Draw/MoshiDraw/laser cutter interface ONLY WORKS under the 32 bit version of Window.
Someday, perhaps, Moshisoft might fix this…but not now in June 2015.
That is a bummer, for sure - have you tried using compatibility mode in Windows? Or an older laptop running XP or some such version?
adve
David Bodnar said:
…
That is a bummer, for sure - have you tried using compatibility mode in Windows? Or an older laptop running XP or some such version?
I have not loaded any software…yet. I’m pretty sure I have a 32 bit laptop that runs Vista…just gotta find it.
What I’m thinking of doing is loading up this laptop with both the moshisoft programs and Corel Draw 11…and seeing if that works. At this point, what you’ve got and what I’ve are more different that alike…from a utility standpoint. The way you develop drawings and “print” them is completely different from what I’ll have.
If I can get it working on the 32 bit machine, then I’d try to see if it would work in compatibility mode on my 64 bit machine.
Meanwhile…I’ll keep peeling the onion.
Mike Reilley said:
David Bodnar said:
…
That is a bummer, for sure - have you tried using compatibility mode in Windows? Or an older laptop running XP or some such version?
I have not loaded any software…yet. I’m pretty sure I have a 32 bit laptop that runs Vista…just gotta find it.
What I’m thinking of doing is loading up this laptop with both the moshisoft programs and Corel Draw 11…and seeing if that works. At this point, what you’ve got and what I’ve are more different that alike…from a utility standpoint. The way you develop drawings and “print” them is completely different from what I’ll have.
If I can get it working on the 32 bit machine, then I’d try to see if it would work in compatibility mode on my 64 bit machine.
Meanwhile…I’ll keep peeling the onion.
Sounds like a good plan. Mike - will await developments!
dave
Hi Dave (and others)
More questions if you don’t mind… seriously considering adding one of these to the stable of mildly unnecessary kit I have here…
But, I’m not familiar with CorelDraw - I do all my thinking in AutoCAD 2000. I know it’s old, but it was paid off long ago, it’s stable, and I know how to use it to acheeve exactly what I want when laying out flat stuff. And unlike some later versions of AutoCAD, the files aren’t encrypted, which makes them rather more portable.
It’s way too old to be able to cope with the cutter, but no problem, I can buy Coreldraw. Does anyone know if the X7 home/student version (about £60 vs £260 for the full thing here in the UK) will work with the cutter plug-ins? Obvious X7 is later than v11, but has the cheap version been dumbed down too far to work with the plug-in? (this assumes I manage to source a machine with the ‘right’ brand board and free plug-in.
Similarly I understand that you can import dxf files into Coreldraw - does anyone have actual experience of doing it successfully, ideally with the home/student version? I already use this route to transfer CAD data onto the silhouette cutter’s native software, and while the silhouette stuff doesn’t work entirely as advertised, I’ve found work-arounds that allow me to retain the control I need.
J.
Jonathan J said:
Hi Dave (and others)
More questions if you don’t mind… seriously considering adding one of these to the stable of mildly unnecessary kit I have here…
But, I’m not familiar with CorelDraw - I do all my thinking in AutoCAD 2000. I know it’s old, but it was paid off long ago, it’s stable, and I know how to use it to acheeve exactly what I want when laying out flat stuff. And unlike some later versions of AutoCAD, the files aren’t encrypted, which makes them rather more portable.
It’s way too old to be able to cope with the cutter, but no problem, I can buy Coreldraw. Does anyone know if the X7 home/student version (about £60 vs £260 for the full thing here in the UK) will work with the cutter plug-ins? Obvious X7 is later than v11, but has the cheap version been dumbed down too far to work with the plug-in? (this assumes I manage to source a machine with the ‘right’ brand board and free plug-in.
Similarly I understand that you can import dxf files into Coreldraw - does anyone have actual experience of doing it successfully, ideally with the home/student version? I already use this route to transfer CAD data onto the silhouette cutter’s native software, and while the silhouette stuff doesn’t work entirely as advertised, I’ve found work-arounds that allow me to retain the control I need.
J.
Hi, Jonathan - my understanding is that you cannot use the student version of CorelDraw - I first used a 2002 version (CorelDraw 11) - I have since downloaded the free 30 day evaluation version of CorelDraw X6 and it works even better as I can use it on my Windows 8.1 machine - Since it met my expectations I purchased a retail box version of X6 from eBay for $159 - it should be here next week and gets me past the 30 day trial.
I have no experience with DXF files but, if you sent me one or two, I will be glad to try an import. My email is [email protected]
If you are comfortable with AutoCAD I don’t think CorelDraw would be too tough to master.
dave
Jonathan J said:
Similarly I understand that you can import dxf files into Coreldraw - does anyone have actual experience of doing it successfully, ideally with the home/student version? I already use this route to transfer CAD data onto the silhouette cutter’s native software, and while the silhouette stuff doesn’t work entirely as advertised, I’ve found work-arounds that allow me to retain the control I need.
J.
Jonathan - I found a few sample DWG files on the web this AM and had no difficulty importing them into CorelDraw - see image below.
dave
Dave, are you going to Lase that?
Hmmmmm…
Probably not!
Unless you need one, of course
Dave
Dave: Got the laser Cutter Yesterday at work and brought it home, didn’t get to open it up yet, will do that tomorrow. I have one question though, some of the sites I saw the laser cutter for sell on, some said it came with Coreldraw software. , but I do think this is coreldraw that it came with, What version are you using with yours. I will have to go to the computer store to get a copy. I already have a number of CAD programs that save files in DXF and DWG formats.
Dan S.
Dan - good deal on the delivery! As to CorelDraw I don’t think any of them actually come with the program itself but they do come with Corel Laser which is a plugin that allows CorellDraw to talk directly to the cutter.
I initially used a 2002 version of CorelDraw (version 11) and it worked well - I have since purchased version X6 which I found on eBay for about $160 - some of the units come with another program that may do some of what CorelDraw does but, since I have been using CorelDraw for several decades, I opted to use that.
Let us know how the setup goes!
dave
If any is interested in getting one of these laser cutters tat Dave has and I just bought. I saw one on ebay a little while ago for 99.99 with free shipping from Hong Kong. the dealer is. 6hk2057. Checklist out if your wanting one. I got mine from the same company that David did, and got it 4days after buying it.
Dan Stuettgen
Dan Stuettgen said:
If any is interested in getting one of these laser cutters tat Dave has and I just bought. I saw one on ebay a little while ago for 99.99 with free shipping from Hong Kong. the dealer is. 6hk2057. Checklist out if your wanting one. I got mine from the same company that David did, and got it 4days after buying it.
Dan Stuettgen
Interesting. I wonder if this has the “correct” board?
That is an EXCELLENT price, Dan - note, however, that it uses the older control board that does not appear to support CorelDraw.
I am tempted to get one just to experiment!
dave
