OPERATIONAL FLOWCHART
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PWM Drive fault
A PWM Drive fault indicates a problem in the laser’s internal RF circuitry and causes the RDY LED to
flash 4 blinks. If a PWM Drive fault appears, the laser requires service—contact Novanta Customer
Service or a Novanta Authorized Distributor.
DC Pre-Charge fault
A DC Pre-Charge fault indicates that 48 VDC is not available on the input of one or more RF modules
and causes the RDY LED to flash 5 blinks. If a DC Pre-Charge fault appears, the laser requires service—
contact Novanta Customer Service or a Novanta Authorized Distributor.
No-Strike condition
When a No-Strike condition occurs, lasing is limited to a maximum 5% duty cycle (at a PWM Command
frequency of 5 kHz). This fault is annunciated by the SHT indicator flashing continuously and an error
message appears on the i401’s web page. To clear the No-Strike condition, apply tickle pulses or a PWM
Command signal (< 5% duty cycle) for 30 to 60 seconds. When the gas breaks down into a plasma state,
the laser will recover and begin lasing at the commanded power level without cycling DC power. If the
No-Strike condition persists, contact Novanta or a Novanta Authorized Distributor.
Common causes of No-Strike (gas breakdown) issues are environmental conditions–like cold overnight
temperatures when the laser is powered down. In situations like this, it may take 30 to 60 seconds for
gas breakdown to occur so the laser can begin normal daily operation.
General laser fault conditions
Each Symptom listed below describes a particular fault condition. For each Symptom, specific causes
and solutions are described in the Possible Causes section.
Symptom:
A remote interlock condition is indicated by the following status LEDs and I/O states:
Warning: Serious Personal Injury
i401 OEM lasers, remote interlock faults are not latched. Clearing the fault condition re-
enables the RDY indicator and the laser will fire after the five second delay provided the SHT
indicator is lit and a PWM Command signal is applied. Because exposure to 10.6
µ
m CO2 laser
radiation can inflict severe corneal injuries and seriously burn human tissue, the OEM or
System Integrator must ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent
unintended lasing.
