xTool D1, non-pro, cutting lines works fine, but engravings are always shifted a few mm

will1384 · January 24, 2026, 12:45am

I have an old xTool D1, non pro unit, I got a long time ago, I upgraded it to a 20w laser shortly after getting it, I had only used it for cutting wood, and a few times for writing text on a panted metal surface, I had wanted to make some slate coasters to sell, but noticed a problem, the image was always shifted to the right and often up by just a few millimeters, so I did a bunch of Google searching and tried just about everything I could, here is a list of what I have tried:

I cleaned and re-greased the rails with silicone grease.

I took the laser fan out and cleaned it, BTW the 20W laser fan was a 60x60x20mm 24v 0.15A DC brushless fan Model: JHX6020B24.

The Y-Axis plate seems to have no looseness or play, and moves smoothly.

I checked the stepper pulleys, I loosened and re-tightened them, BTW they were all tight before I messed with them.

I tried different USB cables and USB ports on the computer.

I tried the (Calibrate Axis tool), my X-Axis was off by 1mm.

I took apart the X-Axis but could find no problems, the belt looked good, both of the the pulleys looked good, the stepper was a “42HD2036-10” from GoldenMotor that was said on reddit to be (42HD2036-10= 42 Series, 42mm X 42mm X 34mm, Hybrid Socket Type Class B Stepper /w 1.8deg step angle, 3 Volt 1.5 Amp, 280 mNm torque).

I got a “Honeycomb Center Jig” to keep the Honeycomb bed in the same exact place.

I had noticed that sometimes the laser engraver was making a stuttering sound, so I slowed the engraving to 150mm/s and that stopped the stuttering.

I tried aiming with the laser at 1% power and not the cross hair, but the engraving was still shifted.

I found the cross hair alignment was off, it was (X) -16.00MM and (Y) 0.00mm, but I had to set it to (X) -17.40MM and (Y) +0.19mm.

The image I was trying to engrave was slightly off, so I fixed it, however it still engraved shifted.

I tried a USB ground loop blocker, no help.

I tried using the xTool laser software, it does the same thing.

I formatted the xTool 8GB SD card on my Windows 11 PC to FAT32, and replacing the SD card, did not help.

I tried WiFi with the xTool laser software, did not help.

I replaced the X-Axis motor with one from an old Monoprice 3D printer I tore apart a few years ago, did not help.

I 3D printed a belt tension gauge, and it appears that my belts are all within the correct range.

I loosened every screw on the xTool D1 frame and used a carpenters square to make sure the frame was square, did not help.

I loosened the pulleys that drive the Y-Axis and made sure it was square to the frame, did not help.

And before you ask, yes I am using the file LightBurn configuration file provided by xTool, (xTool-D1-V2.lbdev.)

Any ides to try next, I think I have covered all my bases, belts, pulleys, frames, all seem just fine.

MikeyH · January 24, 2026, 12:50am

Can you post some images of what you are getting? That will make it easier to offer an opinion.

will1384 · January 24, 2026, 1:17am

Here is a test pattern that I used to test the cross hair, and here is a 100mm x 100mm image engraved onto a 100mm x 100mm cut out piece of cardboard, the deer and border are perfectly in the center of the image, the image was inverted for engraving on the cardboard, but when engraving it always gets shifted, it a small amount but it’s noticeable when you have an image with a border

MikeyH · January 24, 2026, 2:04am

Without a scale for reference, I cannot see that 2mm shift. Your crosshair test is not very vigorous, but I see no mechanical backlash issue. So let us look elsewhere.

Is there a chance you have a non-zero crosshair offset or scan compensation?

will1384 · January 24, 2026, 4:05am

I use the “Scanning Offset Adjustment” settings that were in the file from xTool, for “Overscanning” I tried 2.5% and 5%, it’s at 5% now in Lightburn, the cross hair was off from the factory, but I have adjusted for that in Lightburn, however the image will still be shifted even when using the main laser to find the starting point, here is an image of an engrave I made on cardboard, the image was not inverted this time, I removed the deer, but left the outline that was around the deer, and added a white border that runs around the edge of the image, I also added some very fine measurement marks to the edges that unfortunately did not show up very well, and added a cross threw the center of the image, the engraving is missing most of the white border on the top and the left.

MikeyH · January 24, 2026, 4:40am

When you say “missing the border”, are you saying it is not engraving?

Honestly, I am not seeing a problen, except possibly where the top left area is somewhat more faint. I am viewing your images on my tablet where I can zoom about 10x.

Can you upload this latest Lightburn (.lbrn2) file? It will help me see what the laser is supposed to be doing.

will1384 · January 25, 2026, 8:41pm

I was able to do a bit better, I started with a piece of 3mm plywood painted black, I cut a 100mm square into it, and without moving anything, I then burned a 100mm square test image in the same place has the 100mm square cut-out , I then checked the test image, it looked just fine and was centered correctly,

I removed the 100mm test square without moving the the laser, or the rest of the wood, I used tape to pick up the test image cut out, I used a center finder to mark the center of a pre-cut 100mm cardboard square, I then placed the 100mm cardboard square into the square hole left by the test cut-out and tried the regular image, and yea, it’s still a bit shifted over, but only by just small bit.

Someone had said in another forum post that images in “grayscale” have a lot of detail and generate a lot of data, and because of that they may cause problems when bandwidth is limited, I wonder if this is an “xTool” thing caused by the “GRBL emulation”, if so, how can limit or minimize it?

MikeyH · January 26, 2026, 2:54am

Half a millimeter could be the play in the cardboard, unless it was a press fit. I have removed and replaced square wood in my honeycomb, which has guide rails I attached, and still see a slight difference on the reburn. Unless you do not touch it, there is always the chance of not getting it exactly right when you put it back.

Not the problems you have described here.

will1384 · January 26, 2026, 4:15am

Yea, I have been trying to use a jig, and along with a center finder to keep things lined up, and
the honeycomb bed is secure, and I use 3d printed honeycomb pins to hold the jig down, not sure what else I can do at this point, this might be just fine for slate coasters, but what about keychains, and rings, a mm or even a half millimeter is going to look bad, and why is it that I can cut a test mark into something, move the laser all around, aim the laser back in the same spot using the laser’s cross hair, and cut the test mark again hitting it exactly, but engraving is always slightly shifted, the center of a 100mm square is always the same, and that is what I am aiming at, maybe I need to buy a good center finder, I have 3D printed a bunch of then, but they all seem to agree with each other.

MikeyH · January 26, 2026, 4:57am

You assume I can see what you are doing. I am having difficulty visualizing your workflow.

will1384 · January 31, 2026, 3:59am

It was working “acceptably” even with a slight shift when engraving images, but now today it did this:

the pencil mark X is were the center if the tile is, not sure what happened, I have the xTool D1 in a home-made vented enclosure with a camera, and was watching it, it seemed like it was working just fine, was not acting different, was not making noise, and was in the center of the work bed, but when I went to see the finished work, this is what I found.

will1384 · January 31, 2026, 4:11am

I have a 3D printed set of parts that keeps the honeycomb bed raised and centered, the 3D printed parts are screwed into the surface they set on, right now I use a simple jig to place slate coaster into, the jig it pushed to one side of the jig and then held down to the honeycomb bed with 3D printed pins, this seems to work well for me, but something has been “off”.

will1384 · January 31, 2026, 7:22pm

I take my images and resize them to 100mm in size, I also set them to 300DPI, and save them has PNG files, I then import them into LightBurn, and then set “Adjust Image” to the "Basic"preset, set the image to be “Negative”, and make sure the engrave is set to “Grayscale”, I also slightly over size the image to 103% because of the image shifting problem, and I avoid using images with borders, I have a 100mm square in the center of the work area, and I have a few images to the right and left of the work space that I drag onto the 100mm square before using the laser, I start from “User Origin” and have the “Job Origin” in the center of my work area, my laser is set to 3000mm/m and 25% power for slate, and 5% minimum power, I mark the slate coaster in it’s center using a center finder and pencil, place a slate coaster in the jig, I line up the laser cross hair with the mark I made on the coaster, and I tell LightBurn to start.

MikeyH · January 31, 2026, 8:26pm

The only thing I can think of is, do you have the honeycomb secured to to the 3Dd printed pieces? I could not see the back pieces, but I assume they match the front ones.
That image with the “X” looks like the laser was just not on during that time. The top part does not fit the bottom part, so it was not a slippage (backlash) issue. Check the wiring and connectors.

will1384 · January 31, 2026, 9:23pm

I took the laser head off the gantry, with xTool powered up, moved it around a shook it a bit, and the cross hair never flickered or went out, I checked the wires on the back of the laser head, they were pushed in all the way, I put the laser head back on the gantry and moved it all around by hand, the cross hair never flickered or went out, well, it’s ether the controller acting strange, or there is a wire or connector that has a break in it, I have some extra wires, I guess I need to try swapping them out, has a last resort I have a “Devil1 Lobotomy Kit” that I never got around to installing years ago.

will1384 · January 31, 2026, 9:24pm

Yea the honeycomb bed just fits tight into the 3D printed parts with no wiggle room.

MikeyH · January 31, 2026, 10:27pm

I am afraid to ask what that is!

The problem with a barely broke wire is it is hard to pin down. Sometimes, a slight pull on the wire will open it up enough to be the obvious problem. Look for places where the wire has a sharp bend in it, or near the anchor points.

You can test by running a zig-zag pattern in both directions. Run at higher speed and with the laser power minimum or off.

Good luck!

will1384 · January 31, 2026, 11:30pm

The Devil1 Lobotomy Kit was a controller replacement for the xTool D1 and D1 pro, it was sold by a seller on Etsy called “Geeks at Large”, the controler came with all the wires you would need, had a nice control screen, and my unit came with two limit switches, later versions came with a nicer case and 4 limit switches, the version I have uses a MK2 DLC32 v2.1 control board.