I installed Lightburn 1.6.03 on my Windows 11 Laptop which is an HP 15. I just bought a Creality Falcon 2 22W and for a week and a half, it cut and etched great. Then about 5 days ago the Lightburn software stopped performing like it had been. I thought my diode was failing.
I downloaded LaserGRBL and it performed great. My diode cut and engraved just like Lightburn did when it was first installed. I have un-installed and re-installed Lightburn twice, and even deleted all the folders and leftover files too. Including all related data in the registry. Lightburn continues to underperform.
Does anyone know how to bring my performance back. Lightburn has some features that help create my projects and I would like to continue using it. Not to mention I forked over $60 bucks for it.
A common âproblemâ is that LightBurn defaults to variable power mode, where the power of the laser is varied based on the speed of travel, and LaserGRBL defaults to constant power mode, where the power is just whatever you set it to.
This is intentional on our part, because itâs less likely to produce burnt edges in engravings - The laser power is ramped up as the speed increases, and back down when the laser slows at the end.
The âproblemâ is that people often ask their machines to go faster than they are capable of. Since the machine never gets to the requested speed, the power never reaches the specified level either.
So what settings are you using, on what kind of project, where youâre seeing this decline?
When I first installed Lightburn I used it to etch and cut out little chubby character with the cape. I think the setting was 6000 speed and 20% power. My Creality Falcon 2 22W etched the figure and cut it out. I was using a piece of basswood that came with the Creality Falcon 2. It was about 3mm. This was the first figure I ever etched/cut out. I watched a few people on YouTube and adjusted the speed and power to get a feel for what Lightburn can do, and the first week the performance was good. By performance, I mean that the laser etched and cut on the basswood with no problem.
On the second week using the same settings 6000/20 I noticed that my diode did not etch or cut like it did in the pervious week. I was using cardboard to practice. It barely etched and did not cut out the image. I tried to slow down the speed to 400 and increase the power to 50% while still using cardboard. It made little difference. I thought my diode was going out.
I uninstalled the software and re-installed it. I tried to print the same file. No difference. I have an app that will completely uninstall any software on your computer, wipe any files and folders, and take out any registry items. I uninstalled then reinstalled Lightburn again, and It still made no difference.
I then installed LaserGRBL and used the same PDF file to print out. My diode came to life and etched/cut like it did the week before.
Re-installing Lightburn to itâs original state should have set everything back, but it didnât. I donât exactly like LaserGRBL, but Iâll use it if I have to. Lightburn has some excellent features that none of the alternates have. I would rather use Lightburn.
Try going back to version 1.5.06 of lightburn. I have been experiencing inconsistency problems on my Co2. This is the materials test. Same piece of wood, same settings two different versions and the newer version lines are farther apart and lead to a rougher engrave surface
You seem to have ignored the part where I said âLightBurn defaults to using Variable Power mode and LaserGRBL defaults to Constant Power modeâ.
You havenât posted settings, you posted â6000/20â - Thatâs two random numbers, not a setting. There are many settings beyond speed and power, so when I request that you post your settings, I mean do this:
The screen shot above also highlights where to find the âConstant Powerâ setting in LightBurn. Try turning that on, and I suspect LightBurn will behave the same as LaserGRBL.
I did not ignore you. Since my last post, i have been trying different speeds and power settings. I also have been using different material. I have noticed that using an image file will yield a different result than the same figure when engraving it in DFX format that was provided by the Lightburn examples. I have a lot of lear1ning/experimenting to do.
I am happy knowing that my diode works, and even happier that Lightburn w1 â 1orks well too. I just have to learn the software. Today, i took a picture and decided to burn it on to a piece of cardboard. Speed 300 and power 7.25 with air assist. Itâs not done yet, but i think it will look good.
We all start our laser journey somewhere. We remember that feeling and can totally relate. So much to discover and fit together. Exciting, and at the same, can feel a tad daunting. We have a few resources to assist along your way, yet you are already on the right path with experimenting. The best advice I remember gettingâŚ, Test everything, then test again. So much learning can be done with a test. Allow me to share a few examples that might help.
As you use LightBurn, you can âtestâ how your job will produce, prior to actually running the job. The âPreviewâ (â click for more) window allows you to preview the path the laser will take, verify order of operations, estimated job time, while getting a rough idea of your final result and more.
Next, the âMaterial Testâ tools, a built-in test pattern generator to help you find the best settings for your laser and chosen material.
(Pro Tip - All of our documentation is worth review.)
And we also have a growing collection of video content to assist with learning.
I have a good working knowledge of most tech. I watch videos on YouTube to get a feel for it then jump right in. Not lasers though. They are a different animal.
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