What would cause my laser module to move reliably by set distance, but not by continuous jog?
I’ve been having crazy problems with my laser this week. It’s an xtool D1 with extension rails, controlled by a Devil1 controller. I’ve had some projects ruined because my module will randomly not move to the correct location. In my troubleshooting I’ve discovered that I can reliably move the module anywhere in the work area by using the move buttons set to a certain distance, but if I try to use continuous jog the module will move some distance and then just stop. When it stops I can switch off continuous jog and it will move properly by set distance. What would cause my module to move reliably by fixed distance but not by continuous jog?
Do you get any messages in the Console window?
When you continous jog, is the distance the same every time?
What happens if you continue to hold the Jog button after it stops?
No messages in console.
The distance that it will jog continuously is sometimes the same. For example, If I home the module and then jog continuously it will move 405 mm and then stop, but at that point I can switch off “jog continuously” and I can continue to move it by any set distance. I can also home the module and set the distance to 500mm and it will reliably move the full 500.
If I continue to hold down the move button with “jog continuously” on nothing further happens after it stops.
Then your laser simply does not really support continuous jogging. If you use continuous jogging, there is indeed no defined distance set. The distance depends on the time you press the move arrow. So, you usually use it to move close to the area you like and then do the fine tuning without continuous jogging.
Anyhow, just don’t use absolute coordinates and move the laser manually to the desired position and start the job. Much easier 
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No. Something isn’t working right. I can’t successfully run any of the files that I’ve always been able to run. I’ve always been able to move my module anywhere I want and now it suddenly won’t. When I try to burn a file all of the parts get jumbled on top of each other.
Do you have some kind of an extension?
I believe D1 cut area is 430 x 400.
Ok, then you have a serious mechanical issue. That’s not related to jogging itself, but to the overall movement. Did you do any firmware updates? xtools are not well supported, and with every update they do, they cut LB compatibility again.
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Hi.
If You’re absolutely certain that there’s no mechanical issues…
^This.
I was under an (false?) impression that the Devil1 controller has been discontinued a good while now, are You still able to get firmware updates?
Like it or not, software developers rightfully assume that the smaller hardware/controller developers pay attention to the changes they make, and adjust the firmware accordingly.
However, like @misken said:
XTool did and does it differently, and Lightburn compatibility was and is always an issue, no matter how hard the LB staff and developers worked to get LB working with their latest firmware.
Only to find out that xTool has changed their firmware once again.
And that backwards policy xTool follows, is probably the reason why You have the Devil1 controller instead of the original D1 controller.
Regards,
Sam
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Yes it has an extension frame
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I don’t think it’s a mechanical issue because I can reliably move the module anywhere in the work area if I move it by set distance
I haven’t made any software or firmware updates. Everything was working fine a few days ago.
Sounds like the usual USB communications garble, due to:
- Failing cable
- Failing USB connector
- Too-long cable
Some previous discussions cover the territory:
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But if that’s the case then how do you explain that I can reliably move the module anywhere in the work area using any set distance? That works every time, yet when I run files off the internal sd card the results are overlapping cut pieces.
The likelihood of a USB glitch is very small, so a single move command that’s a dozen characters long will almost always work perfectly.
Continous jogging requires a series of commands with an increased likelihood of being trashed.
Sending an entire program with tens of thousands of commands will almost never work perfectly.
That is new news.
If the laser controller is storing the program on its internal memory, then that program has gone through the USB link and has been trashed along the way.
If the PC is storing the data on a USB stick plugged directly into the PC which you then plug into the controller, that’s a different process with an entirely different chain of problems.
You can verify a G-Code program with simulator or just Import the G-Code file into a New LightBurn layout.
That is a false conclusion . It’s 99% mechanical. The fact that it can run ONE command with a set distance is not proving anything. You won’t even notice if it lost .5mm within that run. If you do a full job, you get hundreds and thousands of move commands, and errors will sum up. Tune your mechanics very carefully, read this guide:
Go through every step, twice. If this doesn’t help, we can talk about other causes
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Ok. I’ll look into that possibility when I get home from work today.
Well I seem to have solved my problem and the cure was maddeningly simple. I just imported a fresh copy of the lbdev and lbpref files for the Devil1 and now everything seems to be working properly again. I don’t understand why that was necessary after years of reliable service, but it seems to have fixed it.
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Props to you for having the lbprefs & lbdev files backed up.
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Hi.
Glad to hear You got it sorted out, had I been able to reply earlier, that would’ve been the next course of action I would have suggested.
Even though a mechanical problem of some sort would have still been high on my list of suspects as well.
Near impossible to know exactly, but for a reason or another either of the files may have been corrupted somehow, a OS update may have disrupted a command path or slightly altered the USB data flow, a glitch in the SD card, etc.
Main thing though is that the system is working now and since You shared the solution, someone with the same problem in the future may well be able to fix theirs as well.
Regards,
Sam
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