Mini Gerbil debugging – Airassist operation
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| Symptom Detail | Likely causes and their solutions (in recommended sequence) |
| Air assist output is inverted (ie. is on when it should be off, and off when it should be on) | The $ settings require inversion. $95=0 configures positive logic whereby G-code command ‘M7’ makes signal go positive, ‘M9’ makes signal go zero. $95=1 configures negative logic, opposite of above. |
| Air assist is stuck on of off | Air assist and/or ground are not properly connected. See MG3 details page for correct wiring. Check in particular the wire connections from the SSR are fully pushed into Mini Gerbil with no gap. Grounding problems , see https://awesome.tech/k40-laser-grounding-instructions/ Check use of laser software. For example, Lightburn has M7 and M8 settings required to actually send air assist output. Confirm the Mini Gerbil’s yellow LED 2 is illuminated, showing that it is outputting the Assist on signal. |
| Air assist does not pause | Set $96=1 to allow the air assist function to be suspended/resumed via pause/resume. The default value is $96=0 – disabled. Note: in short streaming jobs, the G-code already in the controller’s buffer before pause messages are received will not be paused. The pause/resume feature works best in normal jobs that takes a minute or longer to complete. |
| Air assist signal strength different to desired. | Note specifications allow for MG3 to sink max. 150mA at 5V DC. Check SSR driving requirements. |
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