arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 The beam combiner on my laser cutter has been more trouble than it's worth. And given how much that "upgrade" cost me, it's doubly problematic. Full Spectrum charges $300 for the combiner IIRC, totally not worth the trouble. Basically the idea behind the combiner is that you have a partially transmissive mirror which intercepts the invisible cut beam and mixes the visible red alignment beam with the cut beam for more accurate alignment. Well, the first problem is that it's not anywhere close to accurate. I understand the angled visible beam can't be as accurate because it doesn't pass through the same optical path as the main beam, but you know what? It's WAY easier to align the side beam to be accurate enough. The combiner indicator was off by half a centimeter of more, and I fiddled with it for HOURS trying to get it even that good. The side-fired alignment laser was pretty much dead on, so close my eyes couldn't tell the difference between the visible beam and the char mark on my test piece. That alignment took about 5 minutes. Furthermore this combiner mirror was probably robbing me of half the cutting power of my beam, and I'm positive the cut beam is going through the optics "correctly." Not acceptable. Sorry Full Spectrum. Your beam combiner stinks. I have removed it from my machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Good grief, I gave you my cold through Phatmass? Another friend is swearing it was transmitted by Skype..... and yet another, by telephone. I feel like Typhoid Annie! You get some chicken soup and extra rest. Think about a hot toddy. No I'm not kidding! I need to go back to the Lord in prayer. The "loved sinner" thing is being made very plain to me, but not the way I wanted it to be. I am feeling annoyed, and being annoyed with the advances of a Loving God is hardly something to raise my spirits. I just feel like a dork. Oh I get this ARFink. Did you and Lil'Mon hear me 'pitching' to people in minnesota that I was COLD the other day? Yeah, when I hear the drama llama note in my voice, I know I'm behaving badly..... (sorry Arfink and Lil'Mon....) Funny you're comment about the 'advances of a Loving God' -- yeah, been there. HE CAN BE SO ANNOYING when he gets like that. Kind of like Dracula...... Get our Mother Mary to fix you some Chicken Soup and feel better. Wait 24 hours on growling about the widget in the machine ... it might be more your cold.... or it could be a bad dohicky. FEEL BETTER!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 WE HAVE PROPS!!! It's like landing on the moon or something! PROOF OF A LOVING GOD (or at least that dUSt works hard!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 And for that I shall give you props. :) I certainly get enough of them these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) I guess I don't get props for giving you my cold from 4000 miles away... hope you feel better soon...... :console: Have some soup, too.... Edited December 10, 2012 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Ach, it's not from you, I know just who i got it from too. :P Back to work for a bit. The self-employed person has the toughest boss, let me tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 absolutely. Cinderella here needs to dig out the house, fix the dinner, put up the advent decorations, alter a dress.... 'It must be wonderful to be home all day with nothing to do..." Yeah. But the hour long walk in the sun was a glorious thing.... Mmmmmm..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 OHhhhhhh that looks pleasant. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 I made this today: For EmilyAnne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Maybe these will give you some ideas... remind me of the Emily drawing.... Something about the quality of just glorying in the snow! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o4xsvE1p-g But if you feel cold, these cranes dance in the sun... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG1F5Ez90f8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 OK, I don't see why I should go to school for art when they are having people go backwards: http://boingboing.net/2012/12/10/university-of-californias-ne.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) School logos. I can't believe they pay people good money for these things.... Looks like the UC people (across the SF Bay) are doing the same silliness SF State stopped a few years ago. Of course, SFState people don't LIKE the UC people. We say (correctly) that you never see a professor at Berkeley... just TA grad students. (Hi BG!!!) At SFSU, we don't have the prestiege, but you really get PROFESSORS. And people who are actively working in the field. It's a surprisingly good school! But the logos!!!! When I graduated with my master's they were using this horrible one (on the top): Most recently the are using the one BELOW the horrible one... and here's the detail -- it isn't too bad. This was the logo in the 1980's & early 1990's, when I did my undergrade work... and I really think it is the best of the bunch. But I think the Latin scared people.... Edited December 10, 2012 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Yeah, I mean, why can't logos have details? And actual symbolism and meaning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) When they were using the top one they DID have some kind of yammery explanation about how it celebrated excitement in learning and a bridge to new things, blah, blah. I don't think so... The new one goes back to incorporporating Athena and the Golden Gate Bridge and the flame of learning.... and the hills around SF. So... at least they are trying. I'm not sure what UC is trying to say... Perhaps it is a comment on the state Budget... Were melting, melting.... Now "UC" us.. .now you don't. ;) Edited December 10, 2012 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I'm also looking at the logos and thinking: Gee, that one on the left there tells me something about University of California I didn't know before. If I knew nothing about the place it'd still tell me something. It conveys meaning. Not to mention it looks quite cool, and I bet it'd look nice coming off my laser engraver. :P The one on the left? If I didn't know it was supposed to be for UC I wouldn't ever know. Not in a million years. It looks like a logo for, I dunno, a cheap cat food brand. See the ears? And the tail? Meaningless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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