I tried to do my home work. I bought the D1 Pro 20W and all posts that I read told me that xtools program was just a watered down version of Lightburn and that is was compatible. So I obviously want the best software so I purchased it. I go to add the machine and it does not recognize it. The firmware is up to date as of march 6 2024. newest version of the lightburn installed on windows 10. What am i missing?
Not sure where you did your homework.
Operate xTool D1 Pro with LightBurn – xTool (zendesk.com)
Hi.
Welcome to this great forum Shavnavin.
Neither is quite correct.
I haven’t tried the new version of XCS (and I probably never will unless xTool forces me to), but the old one is more or less 90’s Windows Paint paired with some kind of borrowed GRBL code generator badly coded into it.
The resource requirements of that Piece Of Software are also pretty much insane, while LB runs on about any computer and OS made in the 2000’s.
LB on the other hand -I do not know what the code is based on and I don’t actually care- is IMO a prime example how a sotware should be designed and evolved.
As fo the xTool compatibilty with third party software, the xTools peculiar way of using a GRBL controller also means that it’s most likely guaranteed to be incompatible with any and all as-is third party software.
Luckily, on the link @Dskall posted, You can find how to use xTool D1 Pro with Lightburn.
You unfortunately still need to use XCS for certain tasks, firmware upgrades and controller related system adjustments for example, but for most tasks You can use LB.
As a sidenote, even though some folks insist otherwise, LB is not an engineering CAD software, and isn’t intended, advertized or marketed as such.
LB can obviously be used as a rudimentary CAD software, but its understandable limitations make it unnecessarily difficult when the design gets more complex.
I won’t give an example of that, You’ll find 'em sooner or later if You intend to use LB as an engineering CAD software 
Regards,
Sam
It was a pile of posts and as for the Lightburn being compatible when you open the D1 pro packaging it tells you to either use lightburn or xtools software.
Xtool doesn’t really WANT you to use Lightburn. IMO, they use Lightburn “compatibility” as a sales aid knowing they can ride the coat tails and doing almost nothing to make that compatibility properly useful.
Jump in at about 30 minutes…
My experience on this forum suggests that Xtool is the least compatible with Lightburn, other than platforms that are not supported at all.
Not to say you can’t get it to function with Xtool.
Hi.
My opinion is exactly the same.
When I started to search for a hobby laser ~16 months ago, one of the secondary deciding factors for choosing xTool D1 Pro was the advertized LightBurn compatibility.
I didn’t know a squat about LB, but the general opinion was that it is a great software.
So I thought it would be great to have a backup plan in case XCS didn’t deliver.
XCS failed miserably for more than one way, so it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t probably use my laser at all if it wasn’t for LB.
Is LB a perfect all-in-one lasering software: NO, but it isn’t as complex, rigid and expensive as one would be either.
Might be true for the other more feature loaded xTool machines, but IMO/IME with the bare bones D1 family, LB works very well.
At least I haven’t faced any bad incompatibility issues.
And if the D1:s controllers GRBL:ishness becomes too much of an inconvenience for some reason, swapping the controller for something better will solve that.
Regards,
Sam
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