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Downloads

Result photos (GPS / EXIF location data removed), videos and the burn profile (settings) of every published project — JSON, a plain-text LightBurn settings sheet, and a LightBurn library file (.clb, check the values after importing).

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ComMarker B4 60W MOPA fiber laser — open LightBurn settings index

This camera watches a ComMarker B4 60W MOPA fiber laser (JCZ controller, LightBurn). Its settings are published as an open index: 93 settings across 17 materials, 1 verified run with recorded results. Library entries are labelled as unverified starting settings.

Latest verified run: Black anodized aluminum business cards — Good, crisp white marks (manual-height result). First try at 80% power was way too hot. Image layer: Jarvis dither ~400 DPI, 12% power (max 20), 1500 mm/s, 50 kHz, 1 pass. Text/border: fill, 12% power (max 20), 1500 mm/s, 50 kHz, 0.045 mm line interval, 1 pass. (12% · 1500 mm/s · 50 kHz · 1 pass)

Full settings index → · Projects → · Tools → · JSON · CSV · by Henry Elsner (Hank) III

Project add-ons — motorized Z, camera, Pi + Pico

Custom build workup moved off the live view: Raspberry Pi + Pico control, overhead camera, Z-axis stepper, BOM, price list, wiring and schematics.

Open /projectaddons →

BOM Prices Schematic / wiring Z-axis Camera Pi control Original /workup/

Pico Z-Axis Control for the ComMarker B4 60W MOPA

The B4's built-in Z motor, lead screw and top hand knob move the head, but there is no position readout, no go-to height, and no repeatable defocus. This project counts the existing lead screw with a 600 PPR quadrature encoder on the screw / top-knob shaft — read by a Raspberry Pi Pico (2,400 counts/rev, position stored in flash, homing to a column sensor) — and drives the machine's own +/− buttons through isolated relays, so the original buttons and knob keep working. Caliper a part, enter its height, and the head goes to focus height minus part thickness; a preset bank per lens (110 / 200) stores the small defocus offsets MOPA colour marking needs, so colours become repeatable. The screw lead is still unknown and unmeasured — calibration comes first, and the full write-up is honest about what screw-counting can and cannot see.

Mockup diagram: ComMarker B4 column with laser head over base plate, top hand knob, 600 PPR rotary encoder on the screw shaft, Raspberry Pi Pico box, OLED showing Z 142.35 mm, home sensor on the column, plus/minus button panel, and a workpiece with caliper-part-enter-height workflow
Concept mockup — encoder on the screw shaft, Pico + OLED readout, home sensor, relay-paralleled +/− buttons. Not a photo; lead unknown until measured.

Open the Pico Z-Axis project → · concept, workflow, honest accuracy notes, calibration steps, status and rough BOM (~$65–100)

Calibration

MeerK40t galvo calibration for the ComMarker B4 60W MOPA (JCZ, 110 mm lens) on black paper: lens size, .cor correction table, flip/swap flags, scan analysis and downloadable job files.

Open /calibration →

Calibration kit (.zip) README MOPA colour calibration tool

Laser Memory / Rules

Public lessons for the ComMarker B4 60W MOPA. Overview · All lessons · lessons.md · index.json

Laser Bot Operator Handbook (read first) — Laser Bot Operator Handbook (read first) · raw .md

Start with the Laser Bot Operator Handbook (read first) · MOPA colour knowledge (full notes) · HTML · raw .md

MOPA colour on polished stainless: notes and RGB test plan (2026-10-15)

Machine: ComMarker B4 60 W MOPA, 110 mm lens, LightBurn 1.7. Material: 24.5 mm polished stainless coins.

Colour model

Oxide-film interference; thickness sets colour (straw/gold, brown, purple, blue, then 2nd order pale gold, red/magenta, green, then grey/black). Main control: energy density E = W/(speed x interval) J/mm², W = power% x 60 W; crosshatch and passes multiply dose. Pulse width and frequency set pulse energy (W/f) and peak power; longer pulses run warmer. High pulse energy or slow high E causes sparks/burning. Large fills run hotter than small test cells.

Verified by eye

  • Purple R1-0106: 15%, 567 mm/s, 280 kHz, 80 ns, 0.004, crosshatch x2 (E≈3.97)
  • Deep blue R1-0805: 7.5%, 700, 119 kHz, 60 ns, 0.005, x2 (E≈1.29)
  • Blue R1-0904: 15%, 1200, 230 kHz, 60 ns, 0.005, x2 (E≈1.50)
  • HD fill black: 14 purple-setting layers at rotating angles + 2 blue facet layers; glossy black, ~130 min per coin.

Lessons 2026-10-15

  • Hard black (20%, 567 mm/s) sparked and burned on a colour-field coin. For black fields use 4 passes of the HD-black purple setting at 0/45/90/135 (~14 min per coin).
  • Gold R1-1202 was output-off in that burn and never fired, so gold is UNTESTED (it did not fail to show).

Verified by Hank 2026-10-15 on large field wedges (24.5mm polished SS)

  • Lavender/light purple: 15%, 567 mm/s, 280 kHz, 80 ns, 0.004, crosshatch x2
  • Slate blue-grey: 7.5%, 700 mm/s, 119 kHz, 60 ns, 0.005, x2
  • Pale grey-green/silver: 15%, 1200 mm/s, 230 kHz, 60 ns, 0.005, x2
  • Brown-black with sparks/burned edges: 20%, 567, 280 kHz, 80 ns, 0.004 x2, and 30%, 300, 50 kHz, 200 ns, 0.01 x2. Avoid these on fields.

Note: big areas came out much paler than the small test cells (large fills run hotter). The purple vs slate-blue mapping could be swapped (medium-low confidence).

Published starting points (other machines; scale before use)

  • Red: 45%, 1000 mm/s, 60 ns, 400 kHz, 0.02 (30 W JPT, 110 mm) hobbyistlaser.com/blog/color-marking-stainless-mopa-settings
  • Gold: 35%, 1000, 80 ns, 800 kHz, 0.02 (same)
  • Blue: 40%, 1500, 100 ns, 600 kHz, 0.02 (same)
  • Red: 27%, 800, 300 kHz, 60 ns, 0.003 (60 W JPT, 210 mm) forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/experiences-with-color-marking/125488
  • Green: 200 ns, 70 kHz, 25%, 600 mm/s (60 W JPT) anypowerrun.com/post/detail/1313/
  • Gold bands 140-200 ns 200-260 kHz; green 420-500 ns 40-60 kHz (20 W) stylecnc.com/blog/mopa-color-laser-engraving-settings-stainless-steel.html
  • Line interval matters more than speed/power; red and green are hardest on 110 mm: forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/mopa-colours-hunting-for-a-good-red-and-green-on-brushed-stainless/136015
  • Power % scales with wattage; ns, kHz and speed don't: mopacolorstudio.com/utilities/mopa-color-reference-chart.html

Scaling: halve power % of a 30 W recipe for 60 W; 110 mm lens has a smaller spot, so start about x0.8 and sweep.

RGB calibration test (8 faces = 4 coins front and back, 26 labelled 2.2 mm cells each, power 25% or less)

F1 E sweep 0.5-16, 80 ns, 1 pass. F2 same, 2 passes, E 0.5-8. F3 E 0.5-16, 60 ns, 230 kHz. F4 forum-red geometry, E 2.5-16, 1 and 2 passes. F5 pulse width 2-200 ns. F6 frequency 30-800 kHz at 60/200 ns. F7 200/350/500 ns warm/gold plus published gold and green. F8 verified colours at x0.7/1/1.4/2 plus published reds. About 21 min total. Results get photographed under fixed white light and fitted to colour = f(dose, ns, f).