The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Laser Cutter Camera: USB Mystery

    The USB camera stuck inside the lid of the laser worked fine:

    OMTech Laser - camera mount
    OMTech Laser – camera mount

    Until a month or two ago, when it began disconnecting randomly.

    The camera cable has a standard USB A connector on one end and what looks like a 1.5 mm JST ZH connector on the other:

    Laser cutter camera cable
    Laser cutter camera cable

    Of course, it’s not quite long enough, so it plugs into a good-quality 1 meter USB 3.0 extender to the PC sitting atop the laser cabinet.

    Some low-effort tweaks were unavailing:

    • Different USB ports
    • Different USB extension cable to the ports
    • Hub vs. direct

    Eventually, some rummaging in the Box o’ USB Cables produced a cable from a different camera and, as you might expect, swapping the two identical cables solved the problem.

    I have no idea what’s going on, but I’d lay significant money that when this cable gets flaky, swapping the original cable back in will solve the problem once again.