If your machine is out of warranty, it’s not covered. It’s not a defect in the laser, it’s a cable that gets a lot of flexing, so it can go bad over time.
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Exactly. I just had to replace a belt in my car. It wasn’t defective, it was just worn and ready to be replaced.
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Enjoy that! An amazing place by all accounts. And Death in Big Bend is also a good read - but maybe from your next travel location. 
Curious - how are you doing on internet there?
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It was a delight - I was actually there volunteering, and was in the housing development where they have a lot of RV pads for volunteers and seasonal workers. I went with DSL for the few months I was stationary for the steady stream of internet then try to rely on the hit or miss cell phone connection. Oh, yes, all of the “Death In…” series are great, and you are so right about waiting till you leave!
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How long does focusing take? It’s been about 10 minutes. Thanks.
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15-30 seconds or so.
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Thanks. I guess I will move onto the troubleshooting advice from Jules.
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Thanks so much for this write-up @Jules! I have had my Glowforge since nearly the beginning and have seen lots of posts here and on the FB group about people having this issue. Today was the first time I have experienced it. Your write up saved me who knows how much time and frustration! I’m back in business.
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Buy a used Glowforge Basic or a cheap Chinese laser so you have a backup when one or the other machine is down. When it comes to a manufacturing business, if you don’t have two, you have zero.
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I totally agree with you. What would be the Chinese equal to the Glowforfe? The k40?
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A good way to preserve the life of the lid cable is to not open the lid all the way 
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3+ years later… worked for me! The lens was riding a little low but I pushed it back up in there and turned my machine back on and it’s working now. Thanks!
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Fantastic… it’s the gift that keeps on giving!
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Necro - but this evening I had my first ever experience with a machine getting stuck on “centering”. I had seen lots of “did not take picture” errors previously but it still worked and was in fact taking the picture.
I checked all the connectors related to the lid and was surprised to find the one at the “big” end of the back lid cable (on the back of the case) was open, but jiggling that and closing it did not change anything…
So I searched and found this thread, and read Jule’s response on wifi. That didn’t make much sense because my wifi is fine, I am on it all day long - I have gigabit fiber and depend on it for everything, and everything (else) was working fine. I unplug the machine when not in use.
Long story short, I simply reset my router, and now the machine is running just fine again. 
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How did you reboot everything? I’ve turned off my computer, the Glowforge, signed out of glowforge app. Refreshed my page in the glowforge app and it’s still stuck on focus when I log back into the app & turn on my machine.
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One additional step to try before you move onto the physical checks:
While your 
is off, in your browser, go to settings and search for “cache” and click “clear”.
Then restart everything, log into the app, and cross your fingers!
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