We have almost given up on this thing. The recommendation from support it to buy a new ribbon, but without the logs, there really isn’t a reason to think there is a problem with the ribbon. LEDs work and the only fix so far is power cycling, which makes it work 1 out of every 20+ tries, regardless of whether I’ve opened or closed the device in between power cycles.
One of the ribbon clips was partially open, which we thought it was the solution, it wasn’t, it just coincidentally worked after closing it, only to stop working again.
If we don’t have ready access to logs there isn’t much troubleshooting to be done and I don’t want to spend weeks waiting to get a new ribbon (that looks annoying to install)
Cleaned this thing thoroughly and the first few cuts were noticeably better, but if I have to power-cycle this thing dozens of times for every print and I have a bunch of prints to make, this thing is going to fry.
If ribbon is faulty, why isn’t there some notification?
If ribbon is faulty, why are LEDs working? Ribbon might be mid failing, how can I tell? Visually inspection doesn’t show much.
If there is an issue with ribbon seating, why does power-cycling occasionally fix it?
The thin wires inside that cable can wear out over time, and break, and still be touching or touching intermittently…if they tell you you probably need a cable, then I’d seriously consider getting a cable. They aren’t expensive, and they will give you instructions on how to install it.
If you routinely open your lid fully upright it has a much higher chance of breaking those wires. I try to keep it at under 80° when opening it. The lid has torque hinges.
I hear you. And you’re probably right. I just wish there was some reasonable way to be confident that this is going to work. It just happened again and a power cycle resolved it. Didn’t open of close the lid or do anything that would cause the wire to move in any way. Hiding the logs is frustrating.
I’m having trouble too. I’ve changed the cable to only have one side light up. I have so much work to do but don’t have a working machine. I’ve been waiting to weeks for the part got it today and not any luck with instillation. Very frustrating. I need help. Also my laser head is going bump.
Make sure the connectors are seated evenly across. Check that the laser head rails are clear of debris. You may also check the belt tension on the head axis.
If only one side lights up and it was OK before it is highly likely that one of the connections on the black ribbon cable is ever so slightly askew. Either at the circuit board or on the side with the dark lights.
You can download the logs. They’ve told people how to do it in Problems & Support a number of times – I don’t have a link handy, but a little searching will find it.
So I’m really stressed I really need your help and it’s been crickets for almost 2 hours. My left side connection had smoked and nothing appears to be wrong.
Just to be clear – the folks responding so far are just other users like you. When support staff posts it will say “Staff” next to their names, and usually their comments will have a yellow background. It’s the weekend, so they may take a little longer to show up, but I’ve seen them respond on weekends, so there’s hope. Just hang in there.
In order to ensure that we are keeping each customer snag in one thread, could you please reach out to us directly at Support@glowforge.com, and we’ll send over the next best steps to get you back up and printing. Thank you!
