Recently I purchased a Versa Force 150 Watt laser. Being one of the first versions, I got a discount for being one of the first few purchasers of the machine. Usually, when you purchase version 1 products, one finds things that eventually get updated. Sometimes things are forgotten. After speaking with the manufacturer they have rectified the situation and with their help I was able to add the rotary connection to my machine. Although not a difficult installation, it was one that had me learn a lot about the machine. For that I am great full. Below I will show you how to add a rotary attachment to your machine if the factory did not add it, or if your machine did not come with it.

What is a rotary attachment and why do I need one?

The rotary attachment ( tool, accessory, whatever) is an add-on, usually, to your laser. For the most part when purchasing your laser through your manufacturer they will offer this as an upgrade or an additional item for purchase. The rotary tool is critical / essential if you plan on engraving on cylindrical items. If you plan on offering engraving on Wine Glasses, Coffee Mugs, Wine Bottles, Bats ( depending on design ), Rolling Pins, then this is the attachment for you. Pretty much, for a low entry point, you can add an entire different world of possibilities and items to offer your customers.

 

Installation

Installing a rotary tool to your laser is quite simple and not a hard task at all. This tutorial will show you the steps taken to diagnose your machine and properly install the connector. Lets Begin.

• Step ONE: Locate your laser panels control area. When looking at the  machine itself you’re going to want to go to the right bottom panel. Keep in mind this panel is usually locked and can easily be opened by looking at the tool kit provided with the machine. You should have a set of keys in there (don’t lose them!)
• Step TWO: Locate the X and Y axis controller for your panel.  With the help of tech support we were able to narrow down the culprit to the green square below. The manufacturer of my laser cutter has each one of these cables properly labeled.  The top controller ( orange square ), is labeled X and the bottom controller ( green ) is labeled Y.
• Step THREE: Locate and focus on the terminal block below. You will see each cable is individually labeled and will differentiate itself from one another. No 2 cables will be labeled the same. The cables on my block will be labeled as M V U V+ GRND.
• Step Four: Locate your  factory supplied cable and match the cables color with color. In my situation, this was not possible as the colors on the switch did not co-ordinate with the colors on the controller ( yellow, green, red – VS – brown, blue, black ).
  .After consulting with the manufacturer we were able to finalize the wiring as such.Wire your U cable ( RED ) to the available terminal that matches the BROWN cables
  Wire your V cable ( GREEN ) to the available terminal  that matches the BLUE cables
  Wire your W cable ( YELLOW ) to the available terminal that matches the BLACK cablesPRO TIP: Instead of stripping your wires you can buy  RING TERMINALS ( size 16 – 14awg ) and slide the cable plug into the ring terminal to screw on the post. Links to purchase all additional items used at the end of this post.
  
• Step FIVE (Optional): Cable Management

Tools Used:

1. Cable tie downs and Zipties – Used in cable management
2. Ring Terminals 16 – 14 AWG – Used to connect cable to switch post
3. Split Joint Pliers –  Used to crimp cable to Ring Terminals
4. Flush Cut Pliers –  Used to cut zip ties flush