I am trying to calibrate x and y distance. Machine Settings/Calibrate Axis. Target = 100mm, actual x = 100.86 and y= 110.7. Lightburn calculates the percentage adjustment correctly. Click on “Write.” I cut my next sample and nothing is changed. I have tried this several times with the mainboard switch locked and unlocked. Cut samples are always the same, 100.86x100.7.
xTool machines disallow GRBL configuration changes and thus calibration changes. Your only recourse here would be a mechanical change to attempt to calibrate. Or else swap out the controller for something that does allow configuration changes.
Having said that, if your Y is that far off, you may have something else going on. Check that rotary isn’t inadvertently enabled.
Good to know and thank-you for the quick response. The inability to configure did not surface in my prepurchase research. Rotary is not enabled. Since xTool advertises +/- 0.1mm accuracy, I will see what they can tell me.
The Y-axis being 10+% off of calibration makes me think something is fundamentally wrong. Or maybe there’s a typo in your original post I’m now noticing.
vs
If it’s the former there’s something fundamentally wrong. If it’s the latter I wouldn’t be surprised by that amount of variance.
If that level of calibration is important to you then xTool is not going to be a good fit.
It may be able to control movements at that level but won’t be able to guarantee precision at arbitrary distances. Actually, I’d expect it to be able to control movements even smaller than that.
The measurements that I posted are correct. The steppers on this machine move 100 steps per mm. I verified my drawing in Lightburn as 100x100mm. Ironically, the same test run with xTool Creative Space was accurate. The cutout measured 99.69 mm x and y. The opening measured 100.09 mm on both x and y. I will have to manually calculate for the kerf offset if I want the cutout more accurate. I really don’t want to be forced to use xTool’s software. I have been using Lightburn for over 4 years.
You may have missed the discrepancy I was indicating. You list 110.7 as the Y measurement in one case and 100.7 in the other. Based on your clarification here I take the latter is the correct value?
Are you saying that dimensions are accurate once accounting for kerf?
I’m actually surprised that dimensions would be different between XCS and LightBurn. They should both be driving the mechanism in fundamentally the same way.
If 0.7mm over 100mm is going to be a showstopper then I’d suggest a different machine or potentially swapping out the controller.
You are correct about my typo. Yes, XCS delivered the correct result. 0.7mm over 100 mm is not a show stopper. But, it does effect tabbed assemblies. The project that made me look was a business card rotary jig for my fiber laser. Six rectangles in a 300mm circular array. Each rectangle was slightly off in different ways depending on the angle of rotation (60 Degrees). I had to redo the jig with oversized cutouts to compensate.
Hi.
^This.
The only workaround would probably be to somehow swap (or to modify) the firmware, unless there’s something in the hardware (=in the controller) as well preventing the changes.
Far easier would probably be:
Even though I don’t have nearly as much time to tinker with my laser as I would like to, I do see that option lurking on the horizon.
The controller is IMO just not what it should be, way too rigid and restricting for my taste.
xTool doesn’t exactly advertize that feature 
.
There are clues about it though, the inability to adjust or turn off the way too sensitive flame detector, or the inability to upgrade the firmware without the use of XCS for example.
It is however one of the major gripes xTool users seem to have with their machines -and for a very good reason if You ask me- so most owners know about it, and constantly reminding or talking about it might be considered rubbing it in, so to speak.
So no wonder someone would miss it.
From mechanical engineering standpoint it’s very hard to see how that level of accuracy over the whole work area could be possible with the linear rails xTool uses, even though the linear rail construction is one of the reasons I chose xTool.
Also:
Without closed loop position feedback, its very hard to accomplish that kind of accuracy over the whole work area with any stepper motor construction found on our hobby lasers.
Or in any other stepper motor based XY(Z) tables for that matter.
That said:
Raises more questions than it answers.
If those results are repeatable -IOW with LB the dimensions are always incorret and with xTool the dimensions are always correct- there has to be something in XCS that drives the steppers differently.
My hunch is that it has something to do with the acceleration and deceleration parameters being different.
If I find the time to test it, I’ll run some calibration tests as well.
No one blames You for that, I for one can’t see how anyone would like to use it.
Regards,
Sam
Thanks Sam for the follow-up. I closed my ticket with xTool by letting them know my concerns. They said they referred it to their R&D folks. We will see if anything comes of it. I suspect not much until other D1/D1 Pro users experience this issue.
This has been going on for as long as the D1 was released. This isn’t a surprise to them and is a conscious decision likely to reduce the number of support calls caused by changes not managed through XCS.
Hi.
Unfortunately I do agree with @berainlb , it’s a well known and most likely intentional feature.
As to why they have decided to do it that way, I have no idea.
I for one can’t see what real or imagined advantage something like that would serve.
If anything, it’ll discourage people who find it out in their research from choosing xTool in the first place, and courage the ones who did buy their product to choose something else the next time.
Marketing tactics like that worked against all odds for Apple in the 70’s and the 80’s, but the same tactics won’t work in the more competitive market of today.
Regards,
Sam
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