Galvo Chips Hot?

[landshark]

I got the lasershark to work! This is really cool. I'm noticing the chips that power the galvos are getting really hot. Is it possible I should be using a fan with them? They have heat sinks / metal blocks at the ends of them too.

[Macpod]

Congrats!

It is normal for the galvo amplifiers to become hot but there is a limit which should be present in the datasheet that came with your galvos/amplifier/power supply combo.

The heatsinks should always be attached. If you are still encountering issues you should use fans. You should also check to make sure you are not over-driving the galvos. For example the Lasershark should be able to run galvos up to 64kpps... but you wouldn't want to do that if only had 10kpps rated galvos.

[landshark]

Alright, thank you! It's really cool!