LightBurn Camera Setup

Applies to: MIRA and NOVA with a LightBurn camera

This guide shows how to calibrate the LightBurn camera on your machine, the basic ways to use it and what to do about common issues. The camera gives a bird’s eye view of your workspace on your computer screen, for quick and accurate placement of a design. It helps you line designs up on flat materials, and can trace objects on the bed into LightBurn as vectors.

What you need

• Computer with LightBurn
• Machine with a LightBurn camera
• Sheet of material 1/8” to 1/4” thick, opaque and at least 12” x 12”
• USB cable

Calibrate the camera

Choose the lens preset

1. Power the machine on and let it reset fully. On a NOVA, remove the lens cap from the camera.

   

2. Plug the USB cable into the USB port on the machine and into your computer.

3. In LightBurn, check that the USB profile for the machine is selected in the Laser window.

   

4. Open the Laser Tools menu and select Calibrate Camera Lens.

   

5. In the Lens Calibration Wizard, select Lightburn Camera or Aeon Camera from the list, depending on the generation of your machine.

6. Select Standard Lens below the camera list.

7. From the User Preset dropdown, select the preset for your machine: 5MP-90 for a MIRA, or 8MP-W-95 for a NOVA.

   

   

8. Click Next.

Run the alignment job

1. In the Camera Alignment Wizard, click Align Camera. Do not click Finish yet.

   

2. Select Lightburn Camera or Aeon Camera from the dropdown list, then click Next.

   

3. At the machine, place the sheet of material in the center of the laser bed.

   

4. Focus on the board, by auto focus or manually.

   • MIRA: position the laser head over the center of the board. Press Z/U on the keypad, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to reach “Auto Focus”, and press Enter.
   • NOVA: position the laser head over the center of the material and press Focus on the keypad.

   

5. Back in LightBurn, enter these values in the Camera Alignment Wizard:

   Setting	Value
   Material Thickness	0.000
   Fill Speed	100
   Fill Power	30
   Line Speed	60
   Line Power	25
   Scale	100 for a MIRA, 150 for a NOVA

   

6. Click Frame. Watch the red dot under the laser head as it frames the square, and move the sheet as needed so the frame stays inside its borders.

7. Close the lid.

8. Click Start and let the job run to completion. If possible, do not power the machine off or stop the job. In an emergency, such as a fire, press the Emergency Stop button in to power the machine down, and contact support.

9. When the job has finished, click Next.

Capture the image and mark the targets

1. Lift the lid. Once it is open, press gently up on it so it opens fully, then let it settle back into its resting open position.

2. If the gantry blocks the view of the board, move it out of the way.

3. In the Camera Alignment Wizard, click Capture Image, then Next.

   

4. Zoom in on marker 1 and double-click the center of its target. If you miss the exact center, click Undo Last at the upper right of the wizard and double-click again.

   

   

5. Zoom out and do the same for the next three markers, in numerical order.

   

   

   

6. Once you have marked the centers of all four markers, click Next. If all the markers are marked correctly, a red square shows when you zoom out.

   

7. Click Finish.

   

The camera is now calibrated and ready to use.

Use the camera

You control the camera from the Camera Control tab in LightBurn, with the lid open. The calibration is saved to the device profile you calibrated with. If you have several device profiles, run the calibration on each of them.

1. Click the Camera Control tab. If you do not see it, click Window in the top menu bar and make sure Camera Control is checked.

   

2. Select Lightburn Camera or Aeon Camera from the dropdown list. This is the calibration you saved.

   

3. Choose one of the two main options:

   • Update Overlay takes a picture and shows it in the LightBurn workspace, so you can place a file on whatever flat material is on the bed. It is useful for fitting a small file into the spare corners of a piece of scrap.
   • Trace traces the outline of items placed on the bed. For example, to make a toolbox inlay for a wrench set, lay the wrenches out in order and trace them. LightBurn generates their outlines, which you can cut in the same positions or adjust as needed.

The camera always uses the “Absolute Coords” start option in LightBurn: where the file sits in the LightBurn window is where it runs on the bed. Expect a deviation of up to about 1/8” (3 to 4 mm), more noticeable towards the edges of the frame. The camera only works over a USB connection.

See the LightBurn camera demo video for what the camera can do.

Common issues

The job runs too far from where it was placed

1. Check that the lid was pushed fully open and allowed to rest in its natural position. Update the overlay after moving the lid and try the file again.

2. Run the calibration again. Make sure the lid is pressed fully open during calibration, and that you mark the exact center of all 4 markers in numerical order.

The camera needs calibrating before every use

1. Run the calibration as described above.

2. In the Camera Control window, select Lightburn Camera or Aeon Camera from the dropdown list, then click Save Settings.