I actually am not sure if its the dreaded black cable… My camera seems to be working when I can get it passed centering (assuming its the camera that the black cable controls). There are definitely no connectivity issue from my wifi to/from the glowforge, and interference here is next to zero. In fact, the GF goes online with status updates immediately when expected. And just to eliminate this as an issue I did a direct hotspot from my phone sitting right on top of the GF using LTE, still no dice.
When it does skip over the centering process, pictures of the bed come over just fine. The problem is when I actually start a job in this state, the thing cuts and engraves wildly, as if the printer head doesn’t know where it is (which makes sense, because it hasn’t homed or centered properly).
At this point I feel it is a software issue, or something unknown broke in my unit.
Can anyone from Glowforge Support throw in their two cents, I would really like to get this thing back up and running.
Just as a test, I pushed in on the front side of the belt on the gantry with my left hand, and with my right hand moved the back side of the belt to the right and left. There was obvious resistance, but I was able to do it.
I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve hit this snag. I appreciate you checking the tension on your belts, and for providing such great information. I’ve extracted the log files from your Glowforge to review the head homing trouble you’ve ran into.
I’d like to review some photos from the inside of your Glowforge.
Assuming you’re using a smartphone, try these tips for great photos:
Use flash
Zoom in using the digital zoom
Hold the camera/phone far enough back to get good focus.
Here are the photos:
Motor on the laser arm:
Once I can review these photos, I’ll send over the next best steps.
Thank you for sending these over. I apologize for the photos not being viewable.
After reviewing the photos, I’m concerned that one of the main cables on your Glowforges inner board has become disconnected. Could you make sure the cable in this photo is connected properly?:
I would advise first power your Glowforge off, disconnecting the power cable, and then reconnecting this cable.
If you cannot see the image I’ve attached to this response, in the second photo you uploaded, there is a cable connected to the board on the bottom left hand side that appears to be disconnected. This is the cable I’d like to have you reseat. Once reseated, please let me know if you run into the same trouble.
Thanks so much everyone! I just reseat the cable, which was clearly not seated correctly. I physically felt it was loose. Not exactly sure how it came loose, but all is right in the forest now!
That is fantastic! I appreciate you taking the time to re-connect this cable, and working so closely with us to narrow down the trouble. I’m so glad to hear that everything is now working properly.
I’ll close this thread for now, but please don’t hesitate to post a new topic, or reach out to us directly at support@glowforge.com.