Adding a drag chain to xTool D1

While the xTool D1 is a decent laser engraving/cutting machine, it lacks some features that are useful - like drag chain for cables and homing switches. I decided to add drag chain for both the X and Y cables. Rather than reinvent the wheel I 3d printed the system deigned by Vidarh and available on Thingiverse here: . One thing I dislike about the xTool company is that they have not released much info on the controller board and associated cables - making it difficult to make mods like this.

 This mod requires longer cables for the X axis stepper motor and the X axis laser connection. For the X axis stepper I ordered a 1m 4 pin to 6 pin stepper cable which is pretty common, from Amazon. However, the pinout on the 6 pin connector was not correct. I was able to use dentil tools to disassemble the connections, rearrange the pins and assemble the connection. Using this 1m stepper cable kept me from having to lengthen the existing cable.

 I ordered drag chain, ribbon cables and other hardware from Amazon. The assembly of the Y drag chain went pretty smoothly. The end of the Y chain attaches to a 3d printed part attached to the X axis. This part clamps on to the X axis assembly with one bolt to secure. The clamp did not really work for me. There is not much material for the clamp. I decided to drill a hole through the 3d printed part and use a tie wrap to secure the part in place. This has worked fine for me.

The real challenge was lengthening the 8 pin laser cable. For this you have to cut the ribbon cable and slice in a length of new ribbon cable. The added ribbon cable gauge should match the existing cable gauge. In my case it did not - so I put two cables in parallel which just added to the complexity of this mod.

 

Latest Image on xTool D1 and Laserburn

Here's an image I engraved on 1/16 basswood plywood.

First experience on xTool D1 laser cutter/engraver

After much deliberation I ordered a xTool D1 with 5W laser. It arrived promptly (from Amazon) and was well packaged. All parts were accounted for and assembly took a little over 1/2 hour. My first project was to print some photos on basswood plywood. I used Laserbox Basic software for this. My first images were a little dark. With some experimentation I got a good idea of how to set up my images to get good results. I was anxious to do some cutting. I tried cardstock at first. This cut easily and the detail that is achievable is amazing. Next I wanted to do some line art on plywood. I printed a couple of mandalas that I had downloaded for free. I set up the laser to generate deep contrasty lines. These turned out well. Then I moved on to cutting plywood. I found some nice mandala templates and cut the designs. I was surprised and happy at the result as there were some small details that cut out well. The images below show some of my results. These were all cut from 1/16" basswood plywood. I use a hex mesh as a panel to place the work on. For paper and thin woods I use magnets to keep the work in place and flat. I purchased Lightburn software. This gives me a lot more functionality than the Laserbox Basic that comes with the laser. I have 3 suggestions for new users. I made a sign and put above my laser. Remember to: 1) Set the laser height (focus) 2) Position the work away fromthe edges of the work area 3) Use something (Magnets) to hold work items flat.