Hi Everyone,
I am using an XTool D1 Pro and Lightburn 1.5.06. I do have the extended rails on our XTool Frame. Everything runs and moves perfectly. I can control the gantry with Lightburn. I can home the laser without issue. I can type in the coordinates and the gantry will move to that exact location.
This is driving me insane. I have watch the vidoes that Rich created about Absolute Coordinates, I have a great understanding that. I have no issue with using my big CNC machine, I have it set to Absolute Coordinates. I cannot figure out this issue. For example, I frame a new design, and it frames larger than what I have created. It never seems to be the same two times in a row. I was able to create a test card and it was perfectly in the center. I move the design of the test card in Lightburn, and the gantry will not frame the design perfectly. I have set my width and length of the bed. I have set the length and width so that it does not touch a limit switch. I have ran the gantry all around the bed at the minimal clearances from the limit switches without issue. I have marked my bed, marked the frame of the XTool. I have to be missing something. It will not line up with the measurements I place on the wood material. I design a simple rectangle with nothing else on the design in lightburn, and it will frame the design off of center, or frame the design too large. It is never close to being perfectly where I need it to etch or cut.
I cannot figure out what I am missing, or have configured incorrectly. I greatly appreciate any suggestions/comments or assistance with this.
I’m very much a newbie but learning slowly. I had this issue as well with absolute coordinates but I got through it somehow. First, I learned that its best to create your working space area before you place an image onto it. For still unknown reasons, if you do that backwards, it does not like it. Look in the bottom left corner and see if you see the small green box…the origin location. Hopefully its there. On the right side of the display using the laser tab display, make sure it says Absolute Coords and the button for bottom left is checked. Now place your image in there and set as desired. It “should” work.
I’ve just figured out the using “Current position” part which turned out to be fairly simple. When my laser turns on and connects, it automatically goes to “Home”, bottom left corner. Setting the option for “Current Position”, again then either manually moving the head assembly to the desired start location or use the “Move” controls of the software to move it to where you want to start…of course load and place your desired project source on the screen and set it up. Then, to frame it, touch and hold the “SHIFT” button on the keyboard and the “Frame” on the software. it “Should” frame just the area that you will be used by your source. on the screen. If that works, you can continue.
Again, I’m learning and a newbiie
Occasionally a fragment of a line or a shape makes the frame seem larger and less accurate. What do you see in the Preview window? It may also be helpful to turn on the Show Traverse Moves in the Preview window. The visible traverse lines (in red or pink) will show travel to and from any odd bits that are overlooked.
xTool recommends the Red Crosshair Pointer. LightBurn users tend to prefer framing with the Blue Diode laser at low power. Are you using the red laser pointer for framing?
If the acceleration settings are a little high, or if the belts are a little loose the apparent sizes will seem to change each time, but the internal count (what the engraver is counting) will remain the same. Lost motion is the only thing I can think of that might cause you to see different sizes on back-to-back runs with the same settings.
Are you working in mm/minute, mm/second or some other units? Grbl was written to use mm/minute for the maximum travel rate (speed) for Laser Diodes but xTool does things differently. Mismatching units can cause Lost Motion behavior in more extreme cases.