I have a newish D1 Pro (bought in September and just set up a week ago), which has run for around 5 hrs total over the last week, with no problems. However, it now doesn’t work, or to be more precise, I switch it on and it turns itself off after around 2 seconds. I suspect the power supply - the green light is on, not flashing. Using a multi-meter I get nothing from the output plug - it should be 25 volts according to the data label, although it is probably a switching power supply so I’m not 100% certain of this.
Has anyone else had a power supply problem? And what sort of response can I expect from xTools - do they have good tech support in the UK?
I think you’ve likely narrowed down the issue. If you have a comparable power supply try that. Make sure that the polarity is correct if you do.
I’m not certain about xTool devices but power supply issues are extremely common for lasers.
Can’t answer directly as I haven’t worked with xTool but most of the larger brands seem to do pretty well at least during your warranty period. They’ll likely ask you for demonstration of issue to confirm the diagnosis.
Thanks. I’ve had a very quick and positive response from x-Tools, offering to send me a new power supply, so that probably answers my last question about their support.
I don’t have another supply I can use to confirm the fault, at least not one that can match the 6A /25v output of the original.
Of course, it’s Friday night, I have a load of work I need to get done and I doubt I will get a replacement until next Wednesday! Oh well…
Update - x-Tool support reacted quickly and organised a replacement power supply (240Vac to 25v dc @ 6 amps), which arrived today. It worked fine when I plugged it in, for about ten minutes, and then the machine lost power. Turning off at the mains and reconnecting the 25v power plug restored the power for a minute or two then flickered on and off, and it seems that the plug and/or socket to the control board is not making good contact. The plug is quite loose in the socket. I have to be away for a few days but when I get back I’ll see if I can bend the spring contacts inside both the plug and the socket so it makes a proper connection. I’d really like to fit a decent connector, but that would involve voiding the warranty no doubt.
I wouldn’t recommend it. If it comes to that have xTool send you a new controller.
Glad it seems like there are at least signs of life!
Yes, you’re right of course. I can tweak the spring contacts a little without it being obvious - it just needs a very slim tool like a scriber to reach inside the socket and plug. I’ll see if I can sort it out next week.
Hopefully solved. I tweaked the power plug to make better contact, and then took a close look at the power socket on the controller board. That’s when I noticed a small switch - a quick Google told me it was set to the position for updating the firmware, so I changed it to the normal running position and the machine seems to test out ok now.
Thanks for the update. Does this mean that the original supply was good? Or was this two separate issues?
Back to square one - the behaviour is the same with both power supplies - cuts ok for one or two small jobs, then turns itself off. The green led on the control board flickers on and off randomly for a few seconds. Turning everything off and then on again, I sometimes get it to restart, sometimes not, but it won’t stay on.
This evening I tried to cut a small finger-joint box - this is the resulting output from the console - framing the job several times, followed by two cuts (neither enough to cut all the way through as I was experimenting with settings) followed by a third cut which aborted.
Waiting for connection…
Port failed to open - already in use?
Project loaded in 2 milliseconds
Waiting for connection…
ok
ok
ok
[XTool D1Pro:ver 40.31.001.01 B8]
ok
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000 /comment - framing
Starting stream
Stream completed in 0:00
[MSG:Pgm End]
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000 /comment - framing
ok
Starting stream
Stream completed in 0:00
[MSG:Pgm End]
Project file saved as Lantern02.
ok
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000 /comment - framing
Starting stream
Stream completed in 0:00
[MSG:Pgm End]
ok
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000 /comment - first cut
Starting stream
Layer Outer Cut
M8 N1
[MSG:Pgm End]
Stream completed in 1:42
ok
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000 /comment - second cut
Starting stream
Layer Outer Cut
M8 N1
[MSG:Pgm End]
Stream completed in 1:48
ok
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000 /comment - third cut
Starting stream
Layer Outer Cut
M8 N1
Job halted
Stream completed in 0:33
protect_flash_ret:0x105, flash id:c84017
ok:IDLE
ok:start
ok
ok
ok
ok
ok
ok
[XTool D1Pro:ver 40.31.001.01 B8]
ok
MPos:0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000
Starting stream
Stream completed in 0:00
[MSG:Pgm End]
My conclusion now is that the controller is faulty, unless some clever person can decipher the console output and spot something suspicious within it.
I think that’s a reasonable conclusion.
I don’t see anything particularly telling in the Console output.
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I’ve updated my support ticket to ask for a new controller board (and offered to return the power supply!)
This little phone video might explain the fault better than my description above:
https://youtu.be/KEQr6XMkVEI
Another update (and request for ideas!) - X-Tools have sent me a new controller board, fitted this morning, with exactly the same result - switched it on, power comes on briefly, then flickers on and off (see the video above). So it seems that the problem is not the power supply and not the board. I’ve tested both boards to check they have 25v at the input (they do). They also have 3.3v on the stepper motor terminals, but do not have 25v on the terminal that goes to the diode laser (following this guide on the support site).
I am now at a complete loss - something is preventing the machine from staying on. Since I have checked both boards, fully connected up, and also with everything disconnected, it can’t be the laser module or the stepper motors. While unlikely, maybe the current batch of boards are all faulty and I have two of them.
One other factor is software/firmware - because of this power problem I haven’t been able to update the firmware as is often suggested (and if I try I’d bet that any update will fail and brick the board). And does anyone know what is, or what should be on the micro-SD card that x-Tools supply? Checking on my Mac shows no files at all so I suspect it is only for buffering g-code sent over wi-fi for whatever is the current job.
Try disconnecting the laser module.
Does the machine now power on properly and home? Can you move the laser head with jogging controls?
If so, it’s possible that the laser module is causing the issues.
I’ve tested the bare board, with all ribbon cables disconnected, as suggested in the x-tools troubleshooting guide linked to above.
On the rare occasions the the machine powers up and remains on long enough to run a job, it performs normally - x and y steppers and laser head all doing what they are meant to.
While there may be a fault with the laser head my thinking is that it is unlikely given the fact that it has been able to execute a job on occasions. When the fault occurs, everything is dead, not just the laser - both leds on the motherboard go out, no power to anything except at the Jack socket on the board.
ps Thanks for your continued help - it’s really useful to have your comments and expertise as it prompts me to think outside my own little box!
Did you try running a job with just the laser module disconnected?
Yes - no difference in behavior, still random shutdowns. I’ve just returned from the workshop having run 5 jobs on it - 4 very small pieces (earrings) of which two completed ok and two stopped part-way through. And one larger job (a boxes.py container about 60mm cube) which failed about ¾ of the way through.
I’m reaching the end of my patience now, trying all combinations of boards, power supplies, testing in and out of the machine, and I honestly can’t think what is wrong unless I’ve got two faulty boards from a faulty batch. I’ll see what tech support says again - I doubt they will want to replace the complete machine or give a refund, but I don’t see any other reasonable solution at this point.
This looks like a controller crash
Any chance you have your machine in a too insulated place. Like on wood only.
With colder temps static build up is a true problem on full metal frames
Try a change of envorioment instead
Like take machine elsewhere compleatly run same job, 1% power or no power at all, see if behaviour changes
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I agree that some of the symptoms look like a communication drop due to crash but the one thing that doesn’t make sense is that it crashes immediately after startup.
The video I can’t make sense of.
If the controller is crashing, maybe there’s some form of corruption with the firmware? Try manually flashing the latest firmware onto the XTool.
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