How to use your xTool S1 with XCS 2.0

[@tammytoth5874]

I want to say THANK YOU FOR THIS TUTORIAL!!! By far the BEST I’ve come across. I received the S1 for Christmas and am excited to get crafting, but I know there’s a lot of things I need to know first. It’s like my Cricut on Steroids lol 😂 You have a new subscriber here and look forward to more tutorials. Again THANK YOU ❤❤❤❤

[@Vintauri]

I'm glad it was helpful! I try to drop tips in with my project videos, and I generally will label them with the laser I'm using. But even the ones using other lasers will have helpful tips in them. Thanks for watching and I hope you can learn your laser quickly and get to creating!

[@joyweber4659]

Thanks for the answer. Every screw was in the correct spot in the riser. None in the crumb tray. Xtool has been great in the area of customer service so far.

[@Vintauri]

I don't recall but there might be a couple different lengths of screws. If those are mixed up the machine might not be sensing one where it expects to see it. Hopefully xTool can get your sorted out.

[@northernhumidor5615]

That was a fantastic introduction! I can’t wait for mine to arrive and get integrated into my shop.

[@Vintauri]

That's great to hear! I hope you have fun with this laser!

[@lesliejones7612]

Thanks!

[@Vintauri]

Appreciate the support!

[@RichardNorthover60]

Exceptional tutorial. Learnt so much! Thank you

[@nmeldredge]

Thank you, I think now I can get started. Keep up the good work.😀

[@Vintauri]

I'm glad it's helped you to get started with your laser! Thank you for the support!

[@richellefiscus9309]

32:13 wondering if that was real-time video of cutting? I just received mine, just don’t have it set up yet

[@Vintauri]

Some of the shots are sped up. The important thing to do is run a material test like I did in the video to help dial in your specific laser and material settings.

[@ChrisRocks-ki8fr]

Great video. This really helped with questions I had.

[@Vintauri]

Glad I could help!

[@robertdorn7833]

This was awesome!!!! I have had my machine and ran it last night for the first time using your guidance. Before this, I couldn't figure out where to start with the creative space program. Thank you!!!

[@Vintauri]

I’m glad it had been useful in getting started with XCS!

[@JaniLewisPaperCompulsions]

Lots of good information for us beginners. Thanks so much. (I always knew Clack was really just your puppet.) LOL

[@Vintauri]

Yeah, the problem is that puppet likes to keep cutting his strings and running away! :D

[@Dmx442]

As a beginner with the S1: Thank you for this video guide!!!

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SimonHollandfilms]

thank you...just got our S1 today....you really helped get me running

[@Vintauri]

Glad I could help!

[@PewterworldCoUk365]

Thanks for the run threw... Made a lot more sense than another video I started watching on U tube

[@Vintauri]

I'm glad it helped get you started!

[@jaytolbert9337]

Great job and great info. My Xtool S1 was delivered this morning so I'm really pleased with your unboxing hints as well as your XCS hints. Some of the stuff you covered I had just ignored when using my M1 cause I didn't know what they meant. Now I do!! Thanks!!

[@Vintauri]

Awesome, I hope you enjoy your S1!

[@TheClackShack]

That is a good looking model for that project...

[@Vintauri]

Yeah the one on the Scratch Acrylic was the best! ;)

[@usafdummy]

I guess that's another challenge, you'll have to put his mug on something.

[@ianbrown1474]

Just setup my S1 and this has been the most useful resource by a mile!! Thanks so much SUBSCRIBED ❤

[@markesselstynmiller747]

Excellent video. I just finished sitting up my new S1 today with XCS. Great intro for XCS especially with the material test array testing. Thank you very much!

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for checking it out. The S1 with XCS is a pretty good way to get started. I'll be doing some S1 with Lightburn videos as well soon.

[@Gregan50]

Thank you for this great video.... My S1 just arrived the other day.

[@Vintauri]

Great to hear! I hope you enjoy working with it!

[@DWIT3D]

Great video... so much great information here. I just got my S1, so excited to get making on it!

[@Vintauri]

Hope you enjoy it! I try to drop design tips in my project videos as well so check some of them out for more ideas. Thanks for watching!

[@usafdummy]

Steve thanks for your style of nice and smooth teaching or showing how to try something. When your item snaps to another edge, you can move it with the arrow keys and it won't snap.

[@Vintauri]

Yeah I was thinking it was the ctrl or alt key to also not snap but I was confusing that with another program. Thanks for checking it out!

[@usafdummy]

Enjoy you and Clack both, when I have time I watch you guy's on the weekend. @@Vintauri

[@larryasmith3041]

I have a s1 being delivered tomorrow. Thankyou for the instruction!

[@Vintauri]

I'm glad I could be of some help!

[@jodiemeschke6889]

I am getting ready to order this machine and this is exactly what I needed to confirm my choice is the right one. Thank you so much.

[@Vintauri]

Glad I could help! They have made big improvements on XCS and it is still beginner friendly so it's a good choice. I plan to have a couple beginner project videos out in the near future as well to help people get started with their lasers. Feel free to ask questions anytime, I do my best to help others not get frustrated when getting started.

[@brendaakamscraftprincess6462]

I am new to XTOOL. I have a S1 20W. I wish I had found your video earlier. You are a great teacher.

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@charliecampbell3014]

Fabulous video, detailed information very well presented. Thank you for taking the time to make this.

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@darksi226]

Amazing vid. I'm trying to wrap my head around it. I'm both new to lasers and the software. Software of any kind! Thanks for the vid.

[@Vintauri]

I'm glad it was helpful. I have a few other videos for projects with the S1 and I try to walk through the software side of them as well. Get some inexpensive material to play with to just run some practice jobs and hopefully you'll get the hang of it quickly.

[@richard8031]

Newbie here... GREAT video, THANKS for taking the time...

[@Vintauri]

Thanks for watching!

[@Drecklygaming]

I set my s1 up yesterday. This has really helped. One question. It's the test material pack it came with leather but there is no leather option on xcs. How would I know what settings to use? Cant seem the find it anywhere online

[@Vintauri]

It would depend on the type of leather. I recently did a video using the xTool S1 to make hat patches from Leatherette. I was engraving it at 300mm/sec and 20% power and cutting it at 16mm/sec and 65% power. Otherwise if you have enough material you can run a speed and power test on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIq9lX1prbmmg8k

[@Drecklygaming]

@Vintauri amazing thankyou. It was very thin. Just one of the test sheets it came with. Also it came with glass disks but no setting for that either. Read online you have to treat or paint the glass first. Just confused why they have put these materials in there that a beginner has no idea about haha.

[@bluepeakwoodworks]

Excellent tutorial! Very helpful to get me started with my 20w S1 that I unboxed yesterday.

[@chuchobell]

You explained it very well and easy to understand. Thank you..

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MarkMcElroy-ud4pc]

Great video you got me started with my S1. New to lasers so this was very helpful. Thank you!

[@myElHoElHo]

Thank you for this!

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@NicholaCraftCastle]

Brilliant video thank you ❤

[@Vintauri]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ChrisBowenBenyo]

Awesome video for us beginners!

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@edmelzark1069]

Just received my S 1 cant wait to get it going I had a D 1 pro before

[@edmelzark1069]

Great video and info

[@Vintauri]

You'll love the upgrade from the D1 to the S1. The point positioning works well for laying out your material working area.

[@Vintauri]

Thanks for watching!

[@sharonsimonson5392]

Thanks for the great video! I love the Clack on a Stick!!!🤣

[@Vintauri]

I hope he does too! :D I did give him fair warning that he was making a guest appearance.

[@tammygraves5757]

Great video! I learned a lot!! Very informative!!😊

[@Vintauri]

Glad it was helpful!

[@meridacavediver]

This was really great

[@Vintauri]

Thank you!

[@WyldeWillow]

I tried 2.0 today and it just kept getting stuck on loading the preview window. Going to mess with it more tomorrow. About to go to bed so I didnt get to watch your video fully but I look forward to watching it tomorrow.

[@Vintauri]

I've tried a couple versions from beta and have not had issues with it getting stuck. I'm having to relearn where things are and I still miss some features from Lightburn. I'll have to use your notes from setting up the S1 offset in lightburn and get that going as well.

[@RichardNorthover60]

Hi Steve. Question please. I'm using the new version of XCS and I'm looking for the 'outline' button that you use to cut out. But, for the life of me I can't find it. Can you please help with this. It's it hidden somewhere else in the new version? I'm putting your tutorial to good use already. Thanks

[@sirmilesspitzoodle8929]

This was great. I recently purchased an S1 and I am trying to map a curved surface but the setting isn’t showing up for me. Do you know how I can fix that?

[@rebaker2012]

Thanks for this Video. I followed along and learned quiet a lot. When I cut my to samples, it did not engrave, the power, speed or type file it was cutting. Such as cutting test or engraving test. Any ideals would be appreciated. Thanks again.

[@debradigian]

Just got my s1 setup. Your videos are by far the most informative ones that I've watched. I did buy mine with the 2 w IR, and want to run a material test on the back of a mirror. Any recommendations on what min and max to start with? I'm afraid it may break and cause a big mess

[@kevinrich4637]

Steve great video thank you. Can I use XCS on/with my D1 pro 10w? Thank you.

[@Vintauri]

Yes XCS works great with the D1 series of lasers.

[@michaelskjoldhansen8567]

Good info👍

[@Vintauri]

Thanks 👍

[@KarenSanders-o9j]

Thank you. I found this quite helpful. Have you done a video on how to create a jigsaw puzzle with the S1? If not can you direct me to another site?

[@hinddee]

Great! Thanks for this....

[@Vintauri]

Glad you liked it!

[@jmel81]

I would love to get the 40w s1; it has awesome cutting power. Will it do reasonably well on engraving as compared to the 20w Or will the 40w not be a good choice

[@Vintauri]

It will still do quite well on engraving. You might see a difference if you're trying to do super high detail engravings on painted white tile, but in wood and other porous natural materials you wont see a real quality difference. It will make a big difference in cutting.

[@jmel81]

@@Vintauri Thank you for that quick reply, that has cleared things up for me.

[@nijl3d]

Hi, I’m getting the S1 soon and was considering getting the 2w module but also thought that getting an F1 instead might be the way to go as I don’t expect to be marking metal at a size to big for the F1 and of course I would also have the portability of the F1. If you were starting out with laser engraving would you go S1 plus module or S1 +F1? Also as I’ve decided to go for S1 over P2 I have the budget and space for a second S1, do you think getting 2 S1’s is a good idea as the S1 will be a lot slower at cutting compared to the CO2 P2 model? Thanks in advance of your reply

[@Vintauri]

You'll be much happier with the speed of the F1 for metal work than the 2W IR module on the S1. The galvo style means it can move the IR beam around much faster. Plus you'll be able to still use the S1 while the F1 is working. As for the P2 it will open up more options for clear and translucent color acrylics, and it may be a bit faster in some materials but you would likely be better served with two S1 machines in the long run unless you find yourself getting into a lot of acrylic work. If you get the 40w module for one of the S1's I think you would be surprised at the speed not being that much less than the P2 in some common materials. I also think the engraving quality and contrast of the diode beam is better than the Co2 at times.

[@nijl3d]

@@Vintauri Thanks for your advice, I feel confident now to buy the 40w S1 and an F1 to be in with and perhaps introduce a second S1 when my workflow requires a second large bed laser.

[@ChiragKamalakarPatil]

Can you help about side charring? How can you minimise it? Excellent video

[@kevinrich4637]

Great information. Do you have to have the optional smart assist for the air assist to work or just better air control? Have you worked any with the IR module? I am wanting to engrave on leather keychains, 4x4 tiles, and do some metal embossing without taking all day. The 40 engraving looks good. Would 30 give better detail without losing too much speed? (Giving material being used and such)? Thanks

[@Vintauri]

You could use a standard air pump but it's nice being able to set it in the software and not think about it. I have not worked with the IR module on this laser. I use the F1 laser for any metal markings as it's faster and I don't have to swap out the modules. As for the module power and detail, unless you're going to drop back to a 5w single diode laser, I don't think you'll notice much detail difference between 10w and 40w. There is a lot of talk about the spot size and detail loss on larger modules, but unless you're engraving a lot of detailed photos on tile, I don't think you'll notice the difference and in my experience, the maker is far more picky about those details then the customer is.

[@shughes599]

Bookmarking to watch tomorrow, thank god you made this. I got laser working Saturday and figured out things Sunday. Today I got wifi going and was real disappointed in engrave quality. A very good burn from laptop looks lighter and rougher from phone. No idea why, used same project from cloud … The laptop based layer and visibility system is atrocious, it makes sense on phone but just horrible on pc.

[@TheAn2418]

Great video. I'm a newbie. What would be the parameters for S1 20W. Engrave. I tried and it started to burn in last row.

[@Vintauri]

The engraving parameters will vary based on the material. I would run some tests starting around 100mm/sec to 250mm/sec and see how it works out. You can adjust that range up or down from there.

[@woodandtwinellc]

I just got my S1 with riser base. When my riser base doors are closed there is a small gap at the top of the door that leaks laser light. XTool sent some foam strips to fill in this gap but it’s not perfect. There is still laser light escaping. Do I need to use glasses even with the door closed? Do you have the same problem?

[@Vintauri]

That is a common problem with the S1 and the riser base. If you use the door a lot, you'll want to either wear the glasses or add some extra foam. If you only use it occasionally you may want to use some black tape to seal the gap and block the light from passing through. Also note that you likely have the same issue on the back door as well.

[@joyweber4659]

I'm so frustrated. I keep getting riser errors, The riser is installed correctly. My honeycomb is as far to the right and front as it can be. Have you had any of those issues?

[@Vintauri]

I have not run into any riser errors. You'll want to check that all the screws that hold the baseplate in are the right size and installed all the way. They are the what the laser is checking to ensure the riser is installed correctly.

[@BlueLineCNC]

Hey Steve great vid. Do you have a link to the scratch acrylic you showed? Thanks man.

[@Vintauri]

This is the scratch acrylic I showed in the video. I'll have a separate video on using it soon. greatcarve.com/pages/scratch-acrylic

[@BlueLineCNC]

Thanks Steve. I appreciate it. Looking forward to your video how you create with it. 😊

[@Jimmynorth1040]

I followed your video many times and the test samples does not work on my new S1. It some times wouldn't engrave the scale portion, or it cuts all panels at a cut setting and did not follow the parameter ranges that I punched in. Which means I either have a jacked up new machine or the settings are wrong. This x tool software is much more confusing than lightburn.

[@myz98f150]

do you pay extra for the program to run it or is included with the purchase?

[@Vintauri]

XCS is free to download even without purchasing a laser. It only works with xTool lasers though.

[@jeffcooper2464]

Where can you buy scratch acrylic in the UK? I want to engrave a photo like yours using my S1 20W laser.

[@Vintauri]

This is where I got my packs from, I'll have a dedicated video to it with the S1 shortly. greatcarve.com/collections/scratch-acrylic

[@CynthiaMontanaSpirit]

Scratch Acrylic? Link to purchase!? 😊

[@Vintauri]

This was the specific material used in the video. greatcarve.com/products/scratch-acrylic-classic-series-4pcs

[@ach2935]

When is XCS 2.0 actually being released? All I can see is 1.7

[@Vintauri]

2.0 is still in Beta but it is available to everyone at the following link. www.xtool.com/pages/software

[@jhazelberg]

I've had Xtool for about 4 months I have never seen that screen you are showing. I have never seen that seting in the right hand screen before,

[@Vintauri]

XCS 2.0 was just released for everyone to use last week. You can find it here. www.xtool.com/pages/software

[@EtchinAaronslaserworkshop]

Really wanna test one of these have so much content but need more power limited on what I can put on my channel

[@Vintauri]

The 40 watts of power are nice for cutting but you can still do a lot with lower power units too. Just takes some extra time on cutting.

[@EtchinAaronslaserworkshop]

Yeah just really want more pow pow now I have the comgrow 20watt but xtool would be fun to test out

[@switchgeek1457]

I love your SSID name, Ceti Alpha V! Khan!!! Haha, live long and prosper!!

[@Vintauri]

It's fun seeing people recognize that name! :D