Can you use another type of laser than J tech on X-carve
yes, you certainly can use other laser modules on the Xcarve.
The main benefit of the Jtech is that they include a mount intended for Xcarve which most other laser module suppliers do not include and specific length wires along with a few photos to assist the installation.
BUT you can certainly make your own mount and cut and run the right length wires and Save a few hundred $$. This 10W output Atomstack M50 is only $330
Check out this AtomStack M50 on an Xcarve.
The AtomStack includes the needed power supply and a back bracket which makes fabricating a custom bracket a bit easier. . . and it plugs into the Xcontroller using the PWM and Ground (the exact same connections as the Jtech)
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Hi Set
It sounds amazing. Do you have any tips on what I need
in addition to the laser.
Do I need a new driver?
I currently have a J Tech 7W laser,
and do not know about that laser
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To use the laser youd need laser software the 2 most common are LaserGrbl and LightBurn. I prefer lighrburn. Both of these softwares are download and installed onto the computer and include the necessary drivers in the install package, so no seperate drivers to install.
As for setup, theres lots of youtube tutorials on initial setup of both and jtech focuses on lightburn as its a better software… i suggest checking those out.
Thx Seth
I have LB, have used it for over a year now.
Does it comes with all th cables too ?
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The signal wires included are too short to run though the cable chain on a X-carve so you’ll want to use some replacement wires for that part. They are just signal wires so the gauge isn’t critical, 28AWG to 22 AWG would be fine.
And you’d want to measure out the length needed for your setup.
These are the White/Red wires from the photos above (and the Red/Green from the drawing)
THX Seth
Do you mean that the driver is included ?
About the first picture… is it it the driver that sits on top
beside the gentry ?
Ohh the driver board, I’m sorry i read driver and thought you meant like firmware in the computer kind of driver. Like the drivers you to manually install for Easel 
Yes that board is included with the M50 kit. And the power supply input power to it is alson included in the kit.
Meaning the only missing stuff is the signal wires and the bracket.
Thx Seth
Another Q. Is it 50W output so I can cut
4-6 mm plywood ?
50w input, 10w output.
But I am able to cut 5mm plywood with a 10w output. It just takes a bunch of passes (like 16 passes), or only 10 pases with air assist added…
This is 5mm underlayment plywood, much more dense than the specialty laser plywood.
Theres some near-edge soot when not using air, but with the air the edge soot isnt nearly as noticeable
Why do they state 50W and not 10W out
I want to be able to cut through 6mm plywood
what effect do you think one must have to
cut 6mm plywood in one step
When you talk about air, it’s exhaust or blowing
Air assist is used to blow into the laser beam where its hitting the material, this increases oxygen in the area for a stronger burn, and it also serves to blow soot out of the way of the laser. Soot is carbon in the air and can result in partially blocking the lase beam from reaching the material.
It is not uncommon for Diode Lasers to be labeled based on their Input power. This is a marketing tactic to try to make them seem stronger than they are to the uninformed buyer, BUT they usually include a specs sheet that specifies the input power and optical output power. That amazon listing includes “10W” in 12 different places, including some of the photos. I only found 2 places where it says “50W”
It actually even shows “10W Optical Power” in the preview showing on this page as well…
To cut 6mm in one pass you’d need a 80W CO2 Laser, or possibly a 40W running extremely slow feed rate. The cheapest of which is the K40 which has a tiny work area.
THX Seth
You’re a rock, that enlightens a novice amateur
I appreciate that
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can I use a co2 laser on x-carve ?
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I want to say technically yes. . . BUT there’s an optical output source, and Mirrors, to align perfectly and keep dust free, So from a practical standpoint, the answer is no.
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If I have some SVG files that were designed to be used with the Glowforge do you think I would be able to cut them using the J-Tech ?
Thank you
Carrie
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Yes, svg file type is perfect for lightburn.
Is there a list of codes that need to be changed when switching from carve to laser
The $32 setting is for spindle or Laser mode . . . $32=1 is the setting for laser, IF you are using a router without a relay (like most XCarves are setup with) then the machine can actually be left in laser mode. . .
IF you have a different machine with spindle speed control OR use a relay to turn on/off the router then you’d want to set $32 back to 0 for carving mode. . .
You can actually setup buttons (Macros) within lightburn to send this code at the click of a button instead of remembering to manually type out the code each time 
I would setup one macro for laser mode and a 2nd for spindle mode 
Thanks
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