GCC Mercury Laser Marker Problems

fedupwithGCC · July 31st, 2012, 12:56 PM

I am sorry to start this thread as a new one but I dont know how to find the one that google found and dropped me into this website. I purchased a 2008 Pinnacle laser made by GCC. It is a Mercury 30 watt. Bought it last October from a homeowner who wanted to dabble in the business as a prelude to retirement. Probably not used but 100 hours. Since October I have not used the machine more than 200 hours.

Last month, it started losing its mind. It would start engraving probably and then randomly the laser beam would stay energized and creat huge blobs of engraving rather than the letter it was supposed to. A call to GCC and then to their East Coast distributor, Jorlink, ended with a new motherboard purchase.

With the new motherboard in place the problem changed from an always on laser tube to a situation where the laser loses its position on the table and starts marking any place that it felt like it. It will get half way through an image and then zing it goes somewhere else and begins to complete the image and then it sometimes sends itself off the table and soft crashes.

Must be a bad encoder on the X-axis motor. Seemed logical. Purchase and install the new motor. No change, still doing the same thing. That leads to updating drivers and firmware. Many discussions with GCC and Jorlink. No help.

Check grounds on the machine and in the electrical supply. Use a different computer to send the file. Send the file toa friend with an Epilog and it cuts fine. Send a .prn file to GCC - no problem with the file.

Tick Tock...weeks are going by and no production. A last gasp that arrived yesterday was a new control panel board, display and cable between mother and control panel.

Did not fix the problem. I am at my wits end. Now working with Epilog to buy a new laser. What to do with the $10k investment in the GCC??

I have read on other threads that these kinds of problems result in a new motherboard purchase but what to do if that doesn't help?

The lesson is that be sure that there is physical tech support in your area when considering a GCC product. I live in the burbs of Boston and my closest lifeline is Jorlink in NC. I now have an expensive boat anchor.

Anyone have any similar experiences? Is there something that is so easy and so plain to see that I can't see the forest?

I have tried running the machine at very low speeds, still loses position. Have tried different files from different programs like Autocad and Word. problem persists.

Thank you in advance for any help pr suggestions.

Anyone need a boat anchor?

Brian

lohliak · November 9th, 2012, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fedupwithGCC

I am sorry to start this thread as a new one but I dont know how to find the one that google found and dropped me into this website. I purchased a 2008 Pinnacle laser made by GCC. It is a Mercury 30 watt. Bought it last October from a homeowner who wanted to dabble in the business as a prelude to retirement. Probably not used but 100 hours. Since October I have not used the machine more than 200 hours.

Last month, it started losing its mind. It would start engraving probably and then randomly the laser beam would stay energized and creat huge blobs of engraving rather than the letter it was supposed to. A call to GCC and then to their East Coast distributor, Jorlink, ended with a new motherboard purchase.

With the new motherboard in place the problem changed from an always on laser tube to a situation where the laser loses its position on the table and starts marking any place that it felt like it. It will get half way through an image and then zing it goes somewhere else and begins to complete the image and then it sometimes sends itself off the table and soft crashes.

Must be a bad encoder on the X-axis motor. Seemed logical. Purchase and install the new motor. No change, still doing the same thing. That leads to updating drivers and firmware. Many discussions with GCC and Jorlink. No help.

Check grounds on the machine and in the electrical supply. Use a different computer to send the file. Send the file toa friend with an Epilog and it cuts fine. Send a .prn file to GCC - no problem with the file.

Tick Tock...weeks are going by and no production. A last gasp that arrived yesterday was a new control panel board, display and cable between mother and control panel.

Did not fix the problem. I am at my wits end. Now working with Epilog to buy a new laser. What to do with the $10k investment in the GCC??

I have read on other threads that these kinds of problems result in a new motherboard purchase but what to do if that doesn't help?

The lesson is that be sure that there is physical tech support in your area when considering a GCC product. I live in the burbs of Boston and my closest lifeline is Jorlink in NC. I now have an expensive boat anchor.

Anyone have any similar experiences? Is there something that is so easy and so plain to see that I can't see the forest?

I have tried running the machine at very low speeds, still loses position. Have tried different files from different programs like Autocad and Word. problem persists.

Thank you in advance for any help pr suggestions.

Anyone need a boat anchor?

Brian

I have a similar machine with a dead board. Would u consider selling your board?