DAJA DJ6 laser engraver review

Introduction

Like we have stated time and time once more, GSMArena is chuck stuffed with true geeks and between us you will discover veritable consultants on something starting from drones, electrical private automobiles, IoT and sensible dwelling devices, cameras and all the best way to electrical and hybrid automobiles and the whole lot in between. We have a good bit of expertise with laser engravers too – each utilizing and reviewing them, so once we received the possibility to spend a while with the DAJA DJ6 laser engraver we did not hesitate.

The specs on the DJ6 are in keeping with what you may count on from a $179 engraver. It is value noting that initially DAJA requested simply $129 for the DJ6, butthe firm’s IndieGoGo page now asks $179 with $199 even being quoted as common MSRP, exterior of the “early-bird” particular interval. Then once more, the kickstarter web page for a similar engraver can nonetheless get you one for $149.

Like we stated, specs-wise, the DJ6 is kind of in keeping with its rivals. It has 3W laser energy, which is on the higher-end of the size for interest lasers of this dimension and worth. Measuring 167 x 167 x 165mm, the 1.65kg unit can be pretty compact and feels good and stable with its metallic shell. It can be an open-frame design, which lets you engrave on bigger objects. Probably the most important damaging in its specs sheet must be the restricted engraving dimension – simply 80 x 80 mm. If you might be cautious sufficient and line issues up proper, you may sew collectively a couple of engraving space, which is sort of neat although. Here is the complete specs sheet so that you can try.

Specs are an important place to begin, however what’s the DAJA DJ6 really like to make use of. Let’s kick issues off with a fast {hardware} overview.

Design and {hardware}

Like we talked about, the DJ6 may be very nicely constructed. Its metallic body feels stable and durable and in contrast to a lot of its rivals in the identical worth bracket, there aren’t any precise uncovered “guts”. Everything is neatly enclosed and out of sight.

The gadget really is available in two separate components. The L-shaped stand is probably much more stable than the principle physique of the gadget. It is fabricated from thick metallic and slots into one of many sides of the engraver.

Put the 2 collectively and also you get the essential setup, which you might be most-likely to make use of the DJ6 in. The stand is surprisingly steady and crucially doesn’t vibrate from the movement of the laser head shifting round, which might have harmed accuracy. Also, most belongings you put underneath the engraver on this configuration have a tendency to finish up throughout the focus candy spot of the laser, which DAJA says is between 3.5 and 6cm.

Of course, the rationale the stand is removable within the first place is to facilitate weirder use circumstances. If you wish to carve on something bulkier or extra oddly-shaped, you may rig-up a mounting system of your individual. Just be conscious of that focus vary and, in fact, refocus the laser accordingly.

Speaking of, focus is finished manually by rotating a small ring on the surface of the 3W laser module and attempting to get the dot as small as potential on thesurface you might be about to engrave.

Laser focusing course of

To facilitate this the DJ6 has an idle laser mode, which by default is simply 10% of its energy. This is supposed for use as a spotlight reference, in addition to throughout engraving space preview, which we are going to get to in a bit.

Even within the low-powered state, you aren’t actually supposed to have a look at the laser beam straight as it can trigger eye harm. DAJA features a slightly small and flimsy sheet of inexperienced protecting plastic, which works nicely with the DJ6’s 450nm blue laser. You are at all times purported to look by means of it whereas organising the engraver and ideally keep away from it in any respect whereas it’s really engraving.

The included inexperienced protecting sheet is slightly small and there’s no actual option to correctly connect it to the remainder of the unit. On the flip facet, that does make it pretty moveable. Still, we want that it both coated all sides of the gadget or DAJA equipped glasses of that materials as an alternative.

Another factor we do not notably admire concerning the design of the DJ6 is the truth that it’s arduous to retailer with out the bottom hooked up, because the laser and components of its meeting really stick out on the underside.

Controls

There are a couple of buttons on high of the DAJA DJ6 and their performance is kind of restricted. Once the unit is turned on, the arrow keys manually transfer the laser head round. The center button begins or stops space preview for the final engraving the gadget has memorized. Since that’s the case, we imagine there must be a option to engrave the final challenge greater than as soon as with out sending it over to the DJ6 each time, however we did not handle to make it work and there’s no point out of such a function within the guide.

Speaking of sending duties over to the engraver, there’s a Type-B full-sized USB connector on one facet of the unit, proper subsequent to the barrel jack and energy change. The DAJA DJ6 makes use of a 12V@2A adapter for energy, which is of course, included within the field.

Working with the DJ6

A laser engraver does not have practically as a lot of a studying curve as say a 3D printer. Still, there are some subtleties. Generally, the workflow has you deciding on and cleansing the working floor first, then figuring a option to get it underneath the DJ6 so it is inside its focus vary. Then it’s good to both prop the protecting inexperienced piece up on the printer between your line of sight and the laser level or simply maintain the piece as much as your face as glasses. Only then are you able to safely flip the DJ6 on and begin rotating the main target knob to get the absolute best deal with the floor. While you will get away with some slight curves on the work floor, flat is preferable.

Then comes the difficult half – getting the engraving job to the unit. That might be accomplished in one in every of two methods – through the PC software program and thru the USB cable or wirelessly through a cell app. All appears positive in idea, however one of many largest points the DJ6 has is with its software program.

Once you do handle to get a job going, the DJ6 can principally be left unattended. It just isn’t notably speedy, which is normally the case with hobby-grade engravers. On the plus facet, the DJ6 just isn’t notably loud. The factor to bear in mind whereas it’s working, apart from avoiding straight trying on the laser beam is the scent. There is at all times going to be scent if you burn away any materials. Certain issues like plastics and rubber might be unhealthy when inhaled. The DJ6 does have a small fan on the within, however that’s principally meant to dissipate warmth from the laser. Unlike skilled engravers, nothing is admittedly enclosed or correctly ventilated, so it’s important to maintain that your self.

PC software program

We begin with the PC software program, since it’s presumably the extra superior one and certain simpler to work on extra sophisticated tasks. It is smart, more often than not you will not be capable of simply obtain a random picture off of the web and engrave it with no alterations. At least in order for you the outcome to look good.

Unfortunately, regardless of our greatest and protracted efforts, we did not really handle to get the PC software program working. The driver for the DJ6 appears to put in positive, however the software program itself may be very sketchy. Its installer desires to dump all the information in a hardcoded listing within the C: drive, which Windows Defender was not notably completely happy about and Avast went haywire, outright placing the installer within the virus chest. After some additional examination, we additionally discovered that even when we did get the software program to work, an enormous chunk of it’s in Chinese with no translation out there, which lead us to desert our PC efforts altogether.

DAJA did present us with a video overview of the principle options of its PC software program, which anybody actually can try:

So for our review, we targeted on the cell app, as we imagined most individuals will face points equivalent to ours and quit on the PC software program. We definitely hope DAJA addresses this and fast, at which level we’ll gladly revise it.

Mobile app

DAJA advertises app help for each Android and iOS. We did not actually handle to discover a retailer itemizing for the latter, nor the previous, for that matter. However, the Android APK is on the market for obtain and we side-loaded that. Things aren’t precisely trying nice within the ease-of-use class to date. That being stated, no less than we managed to get some kind of software program working.

The approach you are supposed to really join the telephone to the DJ6 is kind of bizarre as nicely. The wi-fi a part of the DJ6 and doubtless everything of its logic, as nicely, appear to be engaged on some sort of ESP controller board. At least judging by the identify of the Wi-Fi gadget’s identify. That’s proper, the DJ6 doesn’t use Bluetooth, however Wi-Fi as an alternative and in a slightly uncommon approach. Instead of making a Wi-Fi hotspot so that you can join your telephone to, it’s important to allow the hotspot function in your telephone after which set its password to “aaaabbbb”. Then you energy on the DJ6 and it scans all the close by Wi-Fi networks and tries the above password till it connects to what must be your telephone. That’s very, very bizarre strategy, particularly since you may simply make a Wi-Fi hotspot with an ESP board. We can undoubtedly assist DAJA’s software program engineers with that, in the event that they wish to attain out.

DAJA app primary interface and choices

Anyway, as soon as the whole lot works correctly, you see a “Connected” textual content within the high left nook of the app UI and might begin taking part in round with choices. In our expertise, connection was fairly unstable and sometimes dropped, which is way from ideally suited.

The high app menu has a slider to regulate the idle energy of the laser, which we already went over. You are going to need this on the default 10% or lpwer. There can be an odd menu for choosing engraving high quality, with only a single choice in it. And a “Tutorial” part, which brings up a couple of pages of directions in Chinese. We nonetheless managed to determine the choices regardless of this mess.

Power for reducing and engraving choices

First, you may wish to try the Laser tab. It has a complete of 4 sliders. The first two management the laser in its default “engraving” mode, whereas the opposite two really management its “cutting mode”. There is not any apparent option to change between the 2, however for those who add a component to the work space after which click on on the Edit tab, you’ll discover the “Picture processing” selector. One of the choices there’s reducing. We aren’t fairly positive what sort of distinction the change between engraving and reducing makes, however we did have much more success attempting to really minimize by means of a take a look at piece of paper in reducing mode. You’ll nonetheless must experiment with mixtures of values and modes by yourself, however DAJA does present a desk of steered values for various supplies as a place to begin.

Since we’re already on the Edit tab, that is the place you may regulate the place and rotation of any factor on the work space, additionally its distinction and whether or not it’s meant to be accomplished in black and white or utilizing some shading in grayscale, which lets the software program dynamically regulate the laser pace and energy to get lighter and darker areas.

Adding pictures to the work space

Adding a picture to the work space is easy. The app enables you to select one from storage, seize a photograph with a primary digicam viewfinder or choose from a set of built-in designs, which solely embody a couple of primary ones.

Once the picture or some other factor, for that matter, is added to the workspace, you may regulate its scale and positioning, in addition to rotation and invert all of it by dragging round and with the hooked up buttons.

Overall, it is a great way of adjusting issues, however the one main flaw it has has to do with the precise working space. It is tough to find out how the offered grid pertains to the precise working space of the DJ6. The work space just isn’t scaled correctly to the telephone’s show and requires scrolling horizontally to get from one fringe of the X axis to the opposite, which is way from ideally suited. Furthermore, you may’t simply stretch a picture from one facet all the best way to the opposite facet of the realm and count on to get the most important potential 80mm x 80mm carving the DJ6 is able to. Instead, at some seemingly arbitrary level, the app begins complaining that you’ve exceeded the utmost working space of the engraver.

Another notably annoying limitation of the app is its incapability to deal with clear PNG pictures. Actually, any PNG pictures. All you get to pick out is JPEG, which then the app mechanically processes and punches any white background out of – which is slightly inconvenient.

It is definitely needlessly arduous to rearrange, scale and correctly line up a component throughout the DAJA app. It wants plenty of work to get correct mapping and clear scaling and positioning tips and limits.

Adding textual content to the work space

If all you wish to do is engrave textual content, it’s arguably a bit simpler to do than working a picture. The font choice is slightly restricted and all the points with adjusting and scaling the textual content as soon as it’s on the work space are nonetheless there, although.

Shapes • Doodles • Barcode • QR code

Despite the evident points, we’ve to confess that DAJA’s software program workforce no less than managed to incorporate a couple of nifty choices for creating further parts to engrave. These embody primary shapes, doodles, in addition to interfaces to generate a barcode or a QR code from enter.

Once you get all the parts you wish to engrave on to the work space, there’s actually just one option to really align issues – trial and error through the “Preview” button within the backside proper of the app. Once pressed, it begins to hint the trail of your created engraving on high of the particular merchandise with the laser at its idle energy stage. You can then proceed to do adjustment – an excellent, even when primary system total, however one that’s made endlessly irritating by the truth that the DJ6 and the app lose connection all the time.

Preview and engraving

Starting the engraving course of is finished from the “Carving” button. It has play/cease and pause buttons. The approach the DJ6 works is that the app analyzes your creation, generates what we will solely assume is a G-code command checklist for the motions and energy the laser must do after which transfers that over to the DJ6 and tells it to begin. After which you could disconnect your telephone, which has each upsides and drawbacks. It’s handy, since you might be free to make use of your telephone, however not ideally suited because the included pause and cease buttons are the one management you might have over the engraver whereas it’s working and half of the time they do not do something because the connection is spotty.

You can try DAJA’s personal utilization directions and app overview in these screenshots:

DAJA DJ6 directions

All issues thought-about the software program might be made to work, but it surely actually wants plenty of work earlier than it is something however stuffed with frustration.

Printing high quality

The DAJA DJ6 produces high quality engravings. This is definitely a shocking actuality for many funds engravers we’ve encountered. Apparently, it isn’t that sophisticated or pricey to realize good and constant high quality with a laser. The DJ6 advertises a slightly normal 0.05mm of decision for its accuracy and claims to have the ability to deal with: paper, wooden, plastic, stone, leather-based, material, bamboo and metallic paint.

It’s product pictures additionally present some extra “out-there” engravable supplies, like an egg and bread.

We tried a couple of issues ourselves. DAJA conveniently included some scraps of leather-based, a couple of wooden blocks and a few cardboard with our unit.

DAJA DJ6 engraving outcomes

You can see the carvings from your self. The DJ6 managed to ship stable outcomes on most surfaces we tried. The decision was undoubtedly there and all the strains and edges are clear. The solely points we skilled are with consistency and people are possible principally all the way down to software program. For occasion, some areas of an in any other case easy carving, just like the cat one, ended-up a however uneven after cleansing up the engraving.

It’s nothing sudden from a funds engraver, although. We would say that the DJ6 performs completely adequately for its worth. You simply must go in with appropriate expectations.

Final ideas

We’ll preserve the conclusion brief – we undoubtedly like the general compact design and particularly the stable construct of the DAJA DJ6. Its carving space is a bit on the smaller facet, however its 3W blue laser is on the upper finish of the facility scale for a funds unit. On a {hardware} stage, the worth is unquestionably there for a $150 product.

However, our expertise was all however ruined by the software program. We did not even handle to get the PC app working and the Android one has extreme points throughout. Getting something correctly aligned is a nightmare and connectivity between the telephone and engraver is finished in awkward and finest and non-operational on many occassions. DAJA actually must put plenty of effort into software program to correctly again its in any other case good {hardware} providing.

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