Es ist der 29.08.2013, also fünf Wochen später. Der Laser ist wieder kaputt.

Dear Support,

after the replacement of the power supply, the laser worked for a few hours until now.

The tube is again not firing anymore. I tried to use the „TEst“ Button on the PSU, but nothing happens (do i have to place a magnet to the lid switch?)

How to debug, whats now broken? Best regards Lucas

Hi Lucas,

A magnet has to always be in contact with the lid switch for the machine to fire. Please ensure that you have closed the lid and the magnet is making contact or is close enough to activate the sensor. Then you want to load a vector job into RE and set the speed to 1% and keep the power at 100% and run the job. Ensure that there is no material in the work area and no thermal paper on any of the mirrors or focus lens. Once the job has started you are looking for the mA readings for the power supply output which is located in the bottom right side of the front LCD screen. Please take note of what the screen says while the job is running. Also you want to look inside the machine to the right where the power supply is located and ensure that when the job is supposed to be firing that there is a red LED light showing on the power supply. The laser tube should be firing at that point.

Please respond with results.

Thanks, Frankie

Thanks for your quick reply. I closed the lid and did a job at 1% speed, 100% power and 80 current.

The display is reading: VECTORING / VV 144 D079 1.2

in the first few seconds the reading was „Loff“ instead 1.2. The number is changing between 1.0 and 1.8

best regards Lucas

Hi Lucas,

Sorry for the inconvenience but we will need you to remove the power supply and send it in for evaluation. Once we receive the part we will be able to repair or replace it if defective. As for the root cause, I would like to ask if you are using a transformer to step the laser up to 220V? Please confirm if you have shipped the PSU.

Thanks, Jeff

Hi Jeff,

i will send you both of the PSU i have here. Should i eventually send you the whole electronics? (the two PCBs and both of the displays i have here) Please tell me the address to send the parcel.

We don't use a transformer. We supply the PSU directly with our 230V 50Hz mains. I would be more than happy, if you would refund for one of the PSUs. Since this is the second time the psu broke i would like to ask you again for the schematics of the PSU. We could repair one on our own and save shipping costs on both parties. We can sign a NDA if you like.

best regards Lucas

Hi Lucas,

Please ship the PSU's to : Full Spectrum Laser Attn: repairs 6216 S Sandhill Rd Las Vegas, NV 89120

Unfortunately, I don't have the diagram on the PSU as it is not a part the we design or build in house. We have found that the problem is usually isolated to the HV transformer if this info helps. We will run a long burn in test on the new replacement before shipping it out as well. Just as a precaution I would like to have you check out your grounding. If you have access to a multimeter, I would please ask that you check AC voltage between neutral and ground to ensure that it is 5V or less (ideally 0V).

Thanks, Jeff

30.08.2013

Hi Jeff,

Am 30.08.2013 02:09, schrieb Support, FSL:

Unfortunately, I don't have the diagram on the PSU as it is not a part
the we design or build in house. We have found that the problem is
usually isolated to the HV transformer if this info helps.

Plain OEM chinese supply? :) http://www.jnmydy.com 195USD incl shipping to Germany ;( But Mrs Xu won't send a schematic either…

Just as a precaution I would like to have you check out your grounding.
If you have access to a multimeter, I would please ask that you check
AC voltage between neutral and ground to ensure that it is 5V or less
(ideally 0V).

I checked everything the last time, but i'll measure this tomorrow since now its 2 o'clock in the middle of the night. Please tell me, if i should send you everything i got:

- 2x PSU - 1x Stellars PCB v1.1 - 1x backpack PCB - 2x Front Panel Assembly

I got two front panels, one out of a replacement earlier this year.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen Lucas

Hi Lucas, Please send send all those parts in for evaluation. Please respond with the AC voltage. Thanks, Frankie

Hi Jeff,

Just as a precaution I would like to have you check out your grounding.
If you have access to a multimeter, I would please ask that you check
AC voltage between neutral and ground to ensure that it is 5V or less
(ideally 0V).

N to L = 230V N to Earth = 0V N to GND (black wires) = 0V Earth to GND = 0V

regards Lucas

Hi Lucas, These values seem fine. We will be awaiting the defective parts and will send replacement once they arrive. Thanks, Jeff

16.09.2013

Hey Jeff,

i've seen in DHL tracking that the pacel arrived already. I wanted to ask you about the status of my broken power supply.

best regards Lucas

Hi Lucas,

Sorry for the delay. We have received your power supply and other parts and have tested them all. Your control card tested fine so we are going to be packaging that up with your new power supply as it was indeed the cause of the problem. We also have tested your touch panels and they seem to be working as well. I see that you sent two touch panels in. Was the touch panel without the face plate on it experiencing issues? I will have accounting email you an invoice for return shipping as soon as possible and once that is paid we will send the parts out.

Thanks, Frankie

Hi Frankie,

thanks for the update.

Good to hear that all items except the power supply were tested fine, however this does not provide a clue why the power supply failed two times in a row. Did you experience something similar at other customers or see high return rates with these kind of power supplies? It is very important to us to have the laser working reliable once its back in Germany. We can not accept frequent failures of the unit and the excessive shipment of spare parts between the US and Germany! Talking about shipment charges, as we have paid the shipment costs of the failed unit to the US from our side, we expect it to be shipped back to us free of charge, as the power supply was exchanged based on warranty. Therefore no invoice needs to be issued to our understanding. Paying full shipment costs on a warranty issue is not acceptable to us and should not be part of a warranty issue. I hope that we can resolve this issue and recieve the repaired unit back soon. We got the second front panel because we had pausing issues back in march 2013. You send a spare panel for replacement (see mails around 1st, 2nd march).

Please just send back: - One Touch PCB with PVC Frontpanel - One Controller Board (2 pcbs packed) - One Power Supply

Since we paid for one replacement Power supply (100USD), i kindly ask you to refund this, because we send both back for replacement under warranty (please see your mails around 18-19. july ). Please bear in mind that we purchased the extended warranty pack for the laser.

regards Lucas

Hi Lucas,

Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience but we are not going to be able to cover return shipping charges. In our warranty policy it clearly states that all parts covered under warranty will be replaced for free if under warranty excluding the shipping charges which the customer has to pay. In regards of the extra power supply, we offered that you not have to spend money sending the power supply back and forth plus down time and just purchase a discounted unit for $100 that can be sent out right away. In purchasing the discounted unit we would no longer need the original defective unit and therefore cannot apply a refund on the unit. What I have been authorized to do is prep a replacement power supply for your machine including your control card and touch panel which at that point I can have accounting email you an invoice for return shipping. Once the shipping invoice is paid the parts will go out.

http://fslaser.com/service-and-support

Please respond with how you would like to proceed.

Thanks, Frankie

21.09.2013

Hi Frankie,

ok. Please send me a invoice for the shipping costs. Please send back:

- one Touch PCB with PVC Frontpanel - one Controller Board (2 pcbs packed) - two repaired Power Supplys

best regards Lucas

23.09.2013

Hi Lucas, I will have your parts packed up and ready for shipment. In regards to the second power supply I believe there may have been some confusion there. The reason we ask customers to send defective parts in before we replace them is so we can attempt to repair the product. If at the point of receiving the parts we deem we cannot repair them then we notify the customer that we will replace the defective part under warranty. Once your original power supply failed we asked you to send in the unit so we may test it and get results. You were not ready to send the unit in as you needed the machine running as soon as possible which we understood and offered the $100 discounted replacement. Once you received that unit the machine did work but unfortunately experienced another malfunction. In purchasing the discounted unit we can no longer make repairs on the original defective power supply so I can package up the control board and break out board, touch panel, and one new power supply. If you wanted the second new power supply you would have to pay the $200 that was cut from the first discounted replacement. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I will have accounting email you an invoice for shipping. Once that is paid I will have the parts sent out as soon as possible. Please respond with any questions or concerns about the replacement.

Thanks, Frankie

24.09.2013

Hi Frankie,

please respond to my initial questions:

however this does not provide a clue why the power supply failed two times in a row. Did you experience something similar at other customers or see high return rates with these kind of power supplies? It is very important to us to have the laser working reliable once its back in Germany. We can not accept frequent failures of the unit and the excessive shipment of spare parts between the US and Germany! Can you explain what was broken on the PSU and why? Is it a series failure from the chinese manufacturer? I respond to your questions about shipping back to us soon. I'm sorting out some other things.

One last question: Why is your support so bad? (as in you wont repair the second psu, we have to ship back to you, we have to pay for everything,…) We thought Full Spectrum Laser is a trustworthy and friendly company since you made the Laser with help from the Community/ the users and Kickstarter.

best regards Lucas

Usually if the power supply fails a second time it was not installed properly. Particularly the ground wire or red wire is not making a good connection. When the connection is not good or not properly insulated the power supply sparks to the case which is grounded and this causes deterioration of the high voltage transformer. We recommend you double check the connection and send us pictures of the install to prevent constant failures.

We can send failed power supplies back to the manufacturer for replacement but this takes 12 weeks so we replace it ourselves from new stock if we can't repair quickly.

FSL always does what we promise as written in the written warranty statement which is available before purchasing: http://fslaser.com/service-and-support

Returning defective parts is required by nearly every manufacturer and shipping is the customer's responsibility as stated in the warranty after the first 30 days. You can provide a Fedex shipping account and we will not bill you anything for shipping as Fedex will bill you directly.

We will fix anything you send back to us free of charge during the warranty period (excludes shipping) as stated in the warranty. Unfortunately shipping to Germany from the US is not that cheap but this has already been considered in the low price of the hobby machine and the fact that we charge European customers and US customers the same. Otherwise we'd need to increase the price to cover any possible shipping issues, eg charge Europe double what we charge US customers.

25.09.2013

Hi Frankie,

we don't want to have two power supplys. So i asked you to refund the 100USD for the replacement supply. Since you declined a refund, i asked you to replace it under warranty. You did not mention any warranty exclusions with the 100USD offer of the replacement PSU. In my opinion you should have told me this fact. With that knowledge i would have send you the defective PSU back and get it repaired under warranty. I wouldn't have accepted the 100USD deal.

I kindly ask you to refund the 100USD of the replacement PSU, or replace both PSU. We connected the replacement power supply exactly like showed in the manual.

regards Lucas

Antwort von FSL:

An extra power supply is $300. We offered to sell you the discounted supply at $100 to return avoid shipping costs, us testing it and fixing the old supply which saves both parties money. This is a value added service and $100 is the fee.

If you want 2 power supplies, you must pay the difference of the $300-$100=$200.

Dear Support,

as i already explained in my last email: i do not want to keep two PSU. I just want you to refund the 100USD i paid for the replacement device. (Since i send it back to you)

I'm confused about you last email. In your email from 19th july you wrote:

  > Unfortunately we are unable to advance replace the unit as we are
  > short on supply. I can either wait for your unit to get here at
  > which point I would test it and replace it. You would only have to
  > pay for return shipping at that point. Or we can sell you a
  > discounted unit at $100 plus shipping at which point I can have
  > the unit sent out as soon as the invoice is paid and you wouldn't
  > have to ship your current unit back.

You clearly offered me a discounted unit (which is very kind of you), not a replacement with a value added service fee. In my understanding you sold me another power supply which was discounted. I don't know the warranty laws in the united states, but i can't imagine one can sell hardware without beeing responsible for warranty.

You could have taken into account the fact, i send your replacement frontpanel back to you.

Since i am quite bugged by writing all those emails, i ask you to send me the following things back:

- Send one Repaired PSU - Send one defective PSU - Send one Controller Board - Send one Front Panel

Thanks in advance. Lucas