Condensation in Camera Not Working

Community Support
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I woke up this morning to condensation in my unit from the weather outside which i have had happen before and i just clean up up with a microfiber cloth and everything works fine. this time things did not work fine. i keep getting the error “camera not capturing image” or something to that degree. i emailed support but just wanted to post here also. thank you.

I have checked all the lid clips on the ribbon cables and the lid lights work. now it is stuck on lid open sometimes but then it will go back to the camera error message also

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You need to fix that condensation issue or it’ll eventually make your machine unusable, and same for any replacement machine if you need one. Either disconnect your hose from the window/vent when not in use, or add a blast gate to separate the indoor and outdoor air when not in use.

Here’s a blast gate you can print at home with your Glowforge: Glowforge mounted blast gate

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Welcome to the community!

I am assuming you are not disconnecting the glowforge from the vent after use? The glowforge setup instructions say " Disconnect Hose After Use: Changing weather conditions may cause hot, cold, or humid air to enter your Glowforge that could damage it. When your Glowforge is not in use, remove the hose from the vent or window, or disconnect it from your Glowforge."

It can cause damage to the machine if you keep letting it stay connected. The blast gate @dan84 recommends is good but you have to remember to re insert the gate. I use this vent seal and I do not have to disconnect the vent or do anything because of how the seal works.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EGQTU0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is also the setup instructions that come with the glowforge and discuss the disconnecting of the vent when not in use.:

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great suggestions to prevent the future problem but i need to fix this camera error now

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If it’s still not working several hours later, then the condensation may have shorted sensitive electronics and permanently damaged them - especially considering you are getting lid open and camera errors. It could also be from damage to a connector while you were “mopping up”. They are extremely delicate and many owners end up having issues after performing unnecessary “deep cleans.”

Support will close this discussion and continue via email, but if you want to try something while waiting, you could position a fan to blow into the unit with the lid open to try and eliminate all residual moisture.

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yeah i am 95% sure it is the white ribbon wire that needs to be replaced. i hope they can send me that. everything else engages and works. the lights the motor engages the fans tick up and all but then there must be a connection problem to the camera causing intermittent problems with the circuit to the lid. I really hope they can just send me the cable and that fixes it. lets not all hop on the worst case scenario train.

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I know it is past warranty so does that mean i can disconnect the cable and look at the pins to see if they are damaged to confirm this?

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“Lid open” can’t be caused by the white cable AFAIK, so replacing that won’t fix your machine. It would be the black cable that connects the lid to the body. That black cable also carries the signal from the lid camera, so if it or the connectors have been damaged, it would produce both of your errors. I would wait for guidance from Glowforge before messing with it.

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So glowforge does sell the black cables and they have a guide on replacing them. The guide might be useful for simply just looking at the photos in the guide and make sure yours looks the same. You can use your judgement on if you want to preform any action but these actions in the guide are from glowforge.

Here is the glowforge shop as well. But keep in mind that support might be better to confirm the issue. It is up to you on if you want to go ahead and replace the cable. This is not me saying that I think the cable is the issue, this is just me putting out options.

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Dan is correct, the black lid cable is for the camera and lid sensors (and other functions, including the LEDs.)

Condensation would not damage the cable. It could damage associated electronics, or physical damage could have been caused to the associated connectors, which are extremely fragile.

Support will likely recommend trying a cable first, as it’s the fastest and most economical option to try. You would be better served by at least trying to carefully re-seat all of its connections, as (again) condensation wouldn’t have caused the cable itself to fail.

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I’m sorry for the trouble with your Glowforge and that the camera isn’t capturing images. I’ve checked the logs and, since everything is connected correctly, it’s likely that the black cable on your lid needs to be replaced.

I see that you’ve sent us an email about this issue, and I’ve sent you a response there with next steps so we can coordinate getting a replacement lid cable sent out to you. I’ll close this forum thread and we’ll continue to assist you via email.