the microslice v2 aurum | a gold mini laser cutter & engraver.

The story of MicroSlice began as early as the 2013 contest for the single-chip microcomputer of \"Instructure Ables 2013 radiowack.
MicroSlice V1 won the grand prize and laid the foundation for a successful Kickstarter event a few months later.
It\'s been exciting for the past year that microchips have evolved from a small 50mm x 50mm workspace to a machine with four times the space of 100mm x 100mm.
Simple screws
The drive has been replaced by precision stepping motors using belts and pulleys, and the gantry now moves smoothly on linear bearings.
I set up a memorial-
In the special edition of the microfilm V2
24ct gold has gold plated the deck and I have customized every aspect of the machine.
I call it a micro-slice Aurora.
I will use this note to share some of the new skills I have learned over the past year and I hope to inspire some of you to push yourself with your own creations and ideas :)
Parts and tools-
A comprehensive list of everything you need.
2 | laser cutting-
Cut parts from plywood.
3 | prepare plywood-
Clear any focus marks and smooth the surface.
4 | plywood dyeing-
Add some color to the wood. 5 | Assembly -
Put the parts together. 6 -8 | Gilding -
Apply gold leaves to the upper part
Deck and cutting table. 9 | Wiring -
Installation of electronic equipment, wires and connectors.
10 | belts and pulleys-
Finally determine the machinery. 11 | Lasers -
Ready to Cut-Head.
12 | setup software-
A little bit of help with custom firmware and another structure (
CNC laser for printing images and engraving-
Month of Shapeoko).
13 | calibration-
Set cutting-Head.
14 | engraving images-
Etching photos on wood.
15 | manufacture of PCBs-
Produce detailed pcb using front UV anti photoresist.
Please vote for MicroSlice at the top of the page :)
Download the attachment MicroSlice _ v2. 5. zip file.
Sanding | 120 sandpaper-
Rigid grinding blocks.
Dyeing | Lingji powder dye 25g-
500 ml methylation spirits
Suitable-
Dry the dyed partCleaning Cloth.
Assembly | pva glue-Mini Clamps -Weights -
The MicroSlice Construction Manual-
Suitable working space.
Hot stamping | 24ct senior transfer 25 gold foil-Handover 1-2 Hr. Oil-based Size -
Liberon Fontenay Base, red, 30 ml-
Humbrol matte black enamel paint5ml Syringe -0. 4mm Needle -Brushes -White Spirit -
600 sandpaper.
Electronics & cabling | MicroSlice complete kit comes with all the cables, wires, electronics and connectors you need to build MicroSlice.
But for this
Outside of the special edition, I have replaced all the screws, cables and shims with the black version and replaced all the black heat
Shrink with their yellow equivalent.
For a complete list of all required components, download the plan and parts list from the LittleBox company website.
To connect the micro slice you need | soldering iron and soldering tin-A Multimeter -
Needle and nose pliers-Wire Cutters -
Sharp knifeScrew Drivers -
The MicroSlice Construction Manual-
Suitable working space.
You will also need a USB a to B cable and a 12 v PSU capable of at least 3 amps.
PCB prototype | iron chloride etching solution-UV Photo-
Copper-resistant pcb-Photo-
Boycott developers
Tin CrystalISO Cleaner.
Use the following affiliate links when purchasing. Thanks :)eBay. com | eBay. co. uk | eBay. fr | Amazon. co.
UkThe MicroSlice is open hardware and you can download a complete set of plans from the thelitlebox. co.
The download also includes a comprehensive build manual and a list of parts.
If you don\'t have your own laser cutting machine, don\'t worry, you can buy a set of laser cutting machine
Cut parts or complete micro-slice kit including all electronics from thelittlebo. co webshop.
The laser cutting machine used is HPC laser LS6090 Pro with 80 W length
I upgraded to buy 50 W machine from eBay in China.
This process takes more than an hour.
Cutting micro-slice from 3mm laser
Grade birch plywood.
This micro-slice has a wide variety of colored acrylic, but for this version we need to use plywood.
The laser cutting machine can leave burnt marks on the wood.
To remove these marks and brighten the plywood, we need to polish the surface smooth.
I attached about 120 sandpaper with double sandpaper.
Double-sided tape of tempered glass.
The glass was recycled with an old flat-panel scanner.
I also have a sand block.
Try to use blocks made of hard plastic instead of blocks made of rubber or cork.
The edge can be rounded using flexible grinding blocks.
As the sanding was done, I sorted the parts by size to prepare for the next dyeing.
The dyed part needs to be hung out to dry.
The first thing I did was pick some paper clips, open the paper clips and hook the smaller paper clips with them.
I can\'t stick the part on it to the pin.
I put some guide rails in the laser cutter and I can put the parts in the air.
This dye is a powder dye based on Spirit.
If we use a water-based dye, it affects the plywood and releases the glue used to bond the plywood.
I have chosen to use liquor as a solvent for dyes, but the manufacturer recommends methylation liquor.
I will use the cheap washbasin purchased from the Sterling store for dyeing.
Before you do something else, check if the parts in the bowl are appropriate.
Then start putting the powder in the right bowl.
Next to the spirit, I have a bag of 25 grams of dye for about 500 ml spirits.
Stir well.
I will start with the big part first.
Instigate the soul in this part (
Hint basin up and down a little).
During that time I soaked each part for about 5 minutes and kept moving the basin.
Although the larger part is dyed, it is clear that the smaller part will be a problem and it is difficult to retrieve it from the dye.
My solution is to use some screen.
I have a roll of what I have saved from the bin and I know it will work one day.
The smaller part is enclosed in the screen and dyed together.
The parts dry for an hour and repeat the dyeing process to get a strong yellow color.
Then let them dry on the weekend.
I noticed that after coming back on the weekend, there are still some dry dye powder on the part.
To remove the residue, wipe each part with a dry cloth.
Next, we can start putting it together.
I am using recycled tempered glass panels for the building surface.
They are very strong and very flat and the glue does not stick to them.
Use the 250g lead ingot and some recycled stepping motors to keep the parts flat.
When the glue drops, I fix them all together with a mini clip.
The glue I used was white.
It is important to keep the assembly flat while building.
If the part is twisted, it may affect the movement of the gantry when the construction is completed.
I have been very careful to wipe off the excess glue before the glue had a chance to dry.
Take the time to check if each part fits together before applying glue and let the glue dry for an hour or two before going to the next stage.
There are two kinds of golden leaves;
Leaf, turn.
Loose Leaves sound exactly the same, loose in the book.
You need a Gilder mat and a Gilder knife to cut it.
To apply Gold, a Gilder tip made of squirrel hair is required.
Transfer leaves are attached to a paper towel.
You can cut it with scissors and apply it directly to the surface to be plated with gold.
It works well on the plane, but not very well in the area of bending or engraving. The Laser-
The cut parts are all flat.
I chose a book with 25 leaves of 24ct gold.
I also bought a 7 page live book just in case, but it turns out I don\'t need to use it.
This is my first attempt at ironing, and I want to do some testing before I commit to stamping some rare dyed parts.
I have cut two extra brackets and I will experiment with them.
I plan to apply only one of the two brackets with the Fontenay base, apply the gold size to see if the gold will stick together and how much it will stick together.
It also gives me a chance to figure out how to best apply gold.
Apply base and allow drying 2-3 hours.
Then smooth with 600 sandpaper and then use the gold size.
The size was kept for an hour before the perm.
The wood is porous and the Gold size is absorbed on the stand without the base, which means that the gold will not stick together.
The stand on the base works very well.
The golden leaves are cut into large and small with ordinary kitchen scissors.
Make sure the blade is clean or destroy the gold leaf.
The cutting table is made of two layers of 3mm plwyood bonded together.
The Aurum text is cut-
Coming out of the top floor, I want to see some gold through the gap.
Mark the lower layer where gold needs to be applied.
The space is painted with a red base, polished with sandpaper, size, and then gold plated.
The two layers are then glued together with pva and dried between two pieces of tempered glass.
When the glue is set, it is pressed below to keep it flat.
Next, the honeycomb cutting area is covered with a red base to keep it dry before it is polished smooth.
Due to the need for gold plating in large areas, I set a 1 hour timer when I started painting the size.
I drew it from top to bottom.
By the time the gold leaves are applied, I followed the same route, so the size is correct for applying the gold leaves.
The timer tracks how long the size has dried at the starting point.
It took less than an hour to apply the size correctly throughout the cutting area, meaning I had to start applying the leaves immediately after the size was applied.
Fortunately, the cutting area took about an hour, so the size was perfect throughout the process.
I found it easier to use smaller leaf parts than to use larger leaf parts.
If the golden leaves are too large, the golden leaves will crack and leave a small gap.
If this is not a problem when applying the leaves to a larger area, but for the small honeycomb grid, this is not a problem.
I pressed the gold on the size with my fingers.
Make sure your fingers don\'t touch the leaves and keep a transfer tissue between your fingers and gold.
If you do have a gap or miss a small part, you can go back with more gold.
Always try to use a piece of gold larger than the area you need to cover, which will help to avoid any gaps.
After the cutting area is completely gold plated, I wipe the excess gold with a soft brush.
I have stripped the cut.
Head, application base, sanding, size and gold plated parts. For the Upper-
I started with four sides inside.
A red base is applied on all sides and dry is allowed.
They are all smooth.
I decided to apply the size to one side before the perm and then repeat the process until all four are done.
I did the same with the four external edges.
On top-
I want to do something different.
I applied the red base as usual and let it dry for two days.
Next I took a pot of matt black enamel modeler paint and sucked 1 ml into the plastic syringe and sprayed it into a small mixing tank.
I added 1 ml white wine.
Stir the mixture for a few minutes to make the paint thin enough so that it can be sucked back into the syringe. Using a 0.
The 4mm-pin paint is gently injected into the carved area of the upper surface-Deck.
Any spills can be easily cleaned up with cotton buds.
Try not to wipe the Bud on the base as it will remove the bud from the deck and just pat the bud into the overflow and it will absorb it.
If it doesn\'t matter if the red is dyed a little black, gold should cover it all up.
For larger engraving areas, I injected the paint twice to allow the paint to dry slightly between the coatings.
The idea of painting the carved area was borrowed from another micro-sliced building.
I had the paint dry for 24 hours before polishing and finishing the bronzing.
There is no doubt that you can see from the wiring schematic that it could be a complicated wiring job and then I decided to use all the black belt cables and it became more complicated!
The black ribbon cable I chose is 3 m high Flex 16-Way, at £8. 94 + V. A. T.
This is not the cheapest cable, I need 2 m long cable.
Anyway, I don\'t want to compromise.
Both the Arduino and the bottom of the PWM laser control module go through-
The hole assembly sticks out so that the pcb can be placed on the nylon gasket.
I bought some black ones for this building. The kit-
Supplied white nylon screws that fix 2x easydriver, Arduino and PWM laser control modules are also replaced with black screws.
I used some very attractive yellow heat.
Shrink in order to beautify the wiring.
When wiring-
On the deck, I put a clean white towel on the countertop to prevent damage to the bronzing.
Stepping Motor Drives 3mm GT2 belt through 15-
Aluminum tooth pulley.
At the end of each axis is a ball-raced 15-
The tooth returns to the pulley.
The belts are clamped on movable parts, so they move with the rotation of the stepping motor.
The laser diode module has a black housing with an integrated thermal-16mm anodizedsink, a screw-in clamp-
Nut and 9mm 40 nm coating 3-
Element glass lens
The PWM laser control module is equipped with a NTC thermal resistor and we will install it in the chassis with a laser diode.
The diode I selected is the blue light diode extracted from the BDRS06J Sled.
The rated power of the diode is 400 mw-600mw.
This is the highest rated diode that you can safely use with microchips.
At the time of wiring, I added two additional cores for the NTC thermal resistor.
To help cool, hot compounds are filled on the back of the shell.
MicroSlice uses GRBL for motion control.
GRBL is specially written for use with Arduino UNO r3.
MicroSlice uses a modified version of GRBL.
In this case, in order to be able to engrave the image using microslices, we need to use the version of GRBL, which is able to provide PWM output for the laser control module.
I do plan to use the latest version of GRBL 0.
9g, PWM output is supported by variable spindle speed.
However, during the test, I found that GRBL\'s motion planning function does not allow the spindle speed to change when the machine is at the working feed speed, and the cutting head will slow down while operating.
This means that it is difficult to obtain a gradient in engraving.
In short, the beam is either in full power or off.
Apparently this is a G.
Code security features.
For the new image engraving feature I plan for the microslice, the situation is not very good. . . . . . . . .
But I was talking to the kids via email at PicEngrave.
Com, they have explained to me the problem with the function of the PWM spindle and they know someone is in Z-Axis (The Z-
The axis is part of the motion planning and the feed rate remains unchanged)
In addition to this, the person also wrote a first prize winning note | CNC laser for printing images and engraving-
Headquartered in sapiko 2. Perfect!
With improved GRBL with laser mode, Vector engraving and Raster engraving can be performed with micro-slices.
So how do we make the GRBL laser mode work with the micro-slice?
I changed the micro-slice design a few weeks ago to be able to install a small SPDT slide
Switch-Deck.
With this new version of GRBL, you can exchange between vector and raster modes with just a flick switch.
We need to remove Z-
The loop of the Axis MicroSlice return, because there is no Z-Axis.
We can do this by downloading the source code and editing a few lines in the configuration. h file.
You can learn how to edit the configuration.
H file and delete Z-
The axis in the software and settings of MicroSlice v1.
I have attached a pre-
Compiled version of GRBL laser mode. HEX with the Z-
Axis removed from the home loop.
Don\'t download pre-compiled .
Hex for V1 because it has no laser mode.
Now we need to flash hex to Arduino.
I use XLoader because it is very simple to use.
After the Arduino flashes, we can set up GRBL.
You may need to install the Arduino IDE as it contains the USB driver needed for UNO.
There\'s a lot of G-
My code sender and I prefer to use the GRBL controller of ZapMaker. It is cross-
Platforms and so on work on most operating systems.
After downloading and installing the app to open the GRBL controller, select the associated COM port from the drop-down list
Next list, set the baud rate to 115200 and click open \".
The GRBL controller will try to connect with the GRBL.
If the Grbl controller can establish a connection with GRBL, you will see some text in the message box;
The screen should be grbl0. 8laser.
There will then be a lot of $ values.
These values are the default values for GRBL.
I have edited the source code and compiled the GRBL using the default settings for MicroSlice, it should all be ready, but we need to do some checks first.
First, unlock GRBL with $ X, or open the Advanced tab and click the unlock Grbl button and return to the axis control tab when you are done.
2 | check step down-
Go down to 10 and click one of the direction arrows.
The microslice should move in the direction of the arrow.
If this does not happen and the situation is just the opposite, you need to turn the plug from the relevant motor connected to the EadyDriver.
3 | click the arrow again to make sure it moves in the right direction.
4 | repeat with another axis.
5 | perform the homing sequence and check the end-
Type $ H correctly in the command box to stop working. The cutting-
The head should move to the bottom left and stop.
Here is a video of the homing sequence | YouTube.
If this does not work, you need to trouble troubleshoot.
Finally, we can check if the laser mode is correct.
Type $ L1 in the command box and press enter.
If it works, a message will be displayed in the window telling you.
To disable it again, Type $ l0.
You need 10 thousand RMB for this step.
Laser control module (LCM)
Capable of managing all wavelengths from UV to IR with a current of up to 1000 mw.
Before we use microchips, LCM must be set for the diode you wish to use. The BDR-
The rated power of S06J at 4 is 400 mw to 600 mw. 8v.
Check if the MicroSlice is unplugged from the USB and PSU cables.
1 | use small-
The tilt screwdriver rotates the two potentiometer counter-clockwise until you hear the clicking sound, which can be anywhere as many as 14 full spins.
2 | check if the laser module is plugged in correctly, put something under the laser if possible to prevent any deviation from the beam.
3 | connect the PSU and USB cable.
4 | load the GRBL controller and connect to the micro-slice.
Put on your safety glasses.
6 | put GRBL in laser mode for $1.
7 | enter the command box type z254.
This sets the laser output PWM to a maximum of 5 v, with the LCM set at full power.
8 | use a multimeter to measure the voltage difference between positive and negative wires of the laser module.
My first measurement was at 0.
90v9 | use small-
The tilt screwdriver rotates the gain/bias potentiometer slowly about 1/4 clockwise.
10 | measure the voltage again if the voltage does not increase. Repeat the previous step.
11 | continue to turn the potentiometer until the multimeter reads 4. 8v (
Check the specifications of your diode).
12 | the GRBL controller enters the command box in $ l0.
This will turn off the laser module.
13 | disconnect the laser module.
The next step is to use the current metering function of Mutlimeter, so you need to make an adapter.
The multimeter needs to be aligned with the power supply of the laser module to read the current.
14 | connect the multimeter correctly to the circuit input $ L1 to the GRBL command box.
15 | set the PWM to the maximum value by typing z254.
I set the current to 280 mA as per the data sheet, slightly above 400 mw.
16 | turn the gain potentiometer clockwise until the multimeter reads 0. 28A.
17 | when the current is set at the right level, reduce the PWM to 0 v with z0.
18 | disable laser mode, $ l0. To generate G-
Code, I will use the lite version of PicLaser MicroSlice picengrave.
They have a complete
A demo version of the downloaded feature that generates water
Tags in images can be removed by registering a product.
PicLaser Lite and 8-
24-bit bitmap image file (BMP).
1700px X 1700px will make an image 80mm x 80mm wide for micro-slicing.
Start | start PicLaser Lite.
1 | click the Select File icon in the upper left corner to load the image.
2 | we need to change the settings in order to generate the file with the correct format.
Click the Change Settings icon at the top.
3 | click Feed Rate, enter 200-
Set the pixel resolution to 0. 0500mm -The Max.
Laser value of 254-The Min.
The laser value is 0-
The laser off command is Z0-
The laser control command is Z-
Uncheck the engraved outline-Leave the No. Passes at 1 -
Make sure GRBL is selected-
Select horizontal, vertical or left-
45 ° toolpath, I prefer the left-45° setting -
Set the file extension to nc-
Select the file directory and click save settings \".
4 | to read the file into the loop, click the load file icon at the top.
This can take a minute or two depending on the file size.
5 | click to make G-
Code, which also takes a few minutes to run.
6 | click save G-
Code, a box will appear.
7 | name the file and click OK \".
No need to enter file extension.
Wait a few minutes when the file is written to disk.
9 | click the end program icon to exit after the save is complete.
Next | start the GRBL controller.
1 | make sure your MicroSlice is powered on and connected to your PC.
2 | check that the baud rate is set to 115200.
3 | click open to connect to your MicroSlice.
4 | if your microslice is in alert lock mode, open the Advanced tab, click unlock or execute the homing sequence using the $ H command.
5 | put GRBL in laser mode for $1.
I have a blank plywood of 100mm X 100mm and can engrave the image on it.
I have polished the surface to prepare it before use.
We know that the image to be engraved is 80mm x 63mm and I would like the image to be centered on the blank.
Put on your safety glasses.
7 | guess the starting point on the plywood blank.
8 | enter Z254 in the command box and Z0 after a second or two.
This will turn the laser on and off and leave a small dot on the plywood blank.
9 | use the position of the ruler measurement point and adjust the position of the blank so that the image is centered.
Repeat until you put it in the right place.
10 | click Select File. Browse to the .
The nc file previously created with PicLaser Lite and loaded it into the GRBL controller.
This will take a minute or two depending on the file size.
Click Start.
It took about 3 hours to carve the complete image.
All settings can be changed to increase the speed and power of engraving.
You can also improve the resolution of the photos with the aim of making higher quality engraving.
Plywood yellows are caused by the smoke generated by the engraving.
I have to experiment and see if slow air is used-
The speed fan stops or reduces dyeing.
The attachment is G-
The code I used to carve a picture of Stratos.
It will expand to 12 mb when uncompressed.
The 40 nm blue diode used by MicroSlice can activate ultraviolet rays-
Resist coating blank pcb, which means you can make detailed pcb with micro slice.
I made a simple Instructables theme circuit that demonstrated the fundamentals of making a PCB prototype with microchips.
There are two changes in UV photosresist;
Positive and negative.
We will use the front anti UV in this demo.
In-depth explanation of UV photos-
Refuse to view Wikipedia page in front photos
Against the reaction of ultraviolet rays, the developer solution will dissolve the exposed coating and expose the copper below.
The exposed copper is then etched with iron chloride.
We need to make an image of the circuit we want and then import it into Piclaser lite to generate G-Code for GRBL.
Because we are using positive resistance, we need to make a negative image of the circuit we want to create.
To do this, I drew the circuit like you usually use black areas on the track and pad.
I do have to play with the image size to get it where I want it.
The pixel resolution is 0.
The 05mm is equivalent to 1000x1000 pixels in the PicLaser Lite image, and 50mm point pixel x 50mm cm.
You need to take this into account when drawing a circuit.
After the circuit is completed, the image is simply reversed, changing black to white and white to black.
Images need to be saved as mp files and imported into PicLaser Lite.
After importing the image into PicLaser Lite, we need to change the settings for creating the circuit.
I\'m using a low power 200 mw blue diode and we don\'t want to burn the UV coating.
My speed is set to 500/min, the power limit is 100, and the resolution is 0. 05. The UV Photo-
The resist on the Pcb is protected by a black film.
The film needs to be removed before it is exposed to the laser.
You also need to create a darkroom for the micro-slice for it to work, otherwise the anti-light will be exposed to ambient UV rays and make the PCB useless.
I used a cardboard box, cut an observation hole on it, and covered it with a flap.
Since ZapMaker\'s Grbl controller and other Java-based programs are not able to handle larger file sizes, I am using PicSender to control microslices.
It is important to disable location feedback, otherwise MicroSlice will not run smoothly, which will affect the quality of the PCB.
When the micro-slice runs G-
We can prepare the chemicals used to complete the circuit.
Chemicals used for the development and processing of PCB are dangerous and can cause serious harm if handled improperly.
Please read and comply with the safety instructions attached to the chemicals.
Developers are crystals that need to be dissolved in water.
I measured it ~ 6.
3g make a solution of 250 ml.
Iron Chloride can also be used as a crystal, but I bought a bottle of liquid etching solution.
There are two kinds of tin plating liquid-
Before you want to use it, you need to prepare a part combination for about an hour.
Electroplating PCB is not necessary, but in order to provide anti-corrosion coating and professional appearance to your PCB, I highly recommend it.
I have prepared each chemical in the plastic container of the number and label, ready to use.
When the microslice is done, you should be able to see a slightly darker pattern of the circuit on the PCB.
The first thing we need to do is develop the UV coating and in order to do that, leave the PCB in the developer solution for about a minute or so.
You will notice that the circuit starts to appear when the developer responds to the solution.
Once the development is completed, rinse it clean with a lot of water immediately.
The next step is to remove iron chloride from bare copper. I have pre-
Fill the sink with 2-3cm (1\")
Put the container with etching solution into the sink.
Heating helps speed up the etching process.
The time required to work depends on many factors, including the temperature, the thickness of the copper and the strength of the solution.
In this case, I had to wait a little more than 15 minutes before the copper was all dissolved.
Remember to rinse out the PCB.
The rest of the photos
Anti-resist on circuits not activated by laser is removed with alcohol.
I sprayed some on the cloth and then gently wiped the PCB clean.
We\'re going to tin in the end-
Good copper plate.
Put the PCB into the tin plating solution and wait.
I left it for about 5 minutes and got a nice thick layer.
When you are finished, dry the board with the right cloth.
The PCB is now ready for its components;
CR2023 battery stand, switch and LED.
The last photo is a close-up.
Upward shooting of etching and copper plating.