Support FAQs

Below is a list of possible Errors and Alarms which you may encounter while running your GRBL based CNC machine, whether it's one of our Nighthawk family of controllers, or a 3rd-party GRBL controller on something like a laser engraver, pen plotter, or router. In our Commander software you will see the status indicator flash red with ALARM or ERROR when any of the following occur, and you can click on the box for an explanation.

The most common cause of this issue is the spindle’s mains wiring diverting the signal from the touch plate to earth, rather than back to the origin point in the Nighthawk.

The Nighthawk has pull up resistors, capacitors, and related circuitry on its PCB to protect itself from power surges as well as filtering the signals coming from peripherals such as limit switches and probes to avoid false triggers. While this provides protection, it comes at a cost of some very slight electrical resistance.

As your spindle is earthed with a very low electrical resistance, and electricity will favour the path of least resistance, the low voltage probe signal from the Nighthawk can leak to earth through the spindle.

CNC3D Commander has a lot of work going on behind the scenes to keep itself stable and in check, however if one of the files it relies on to operate becomes corrupted, you might find that Commander crashes and shows an error message. This most commonly occurs after a Commander update, especially if it’s the first time you have updated Commander after installing it.

An example of the error message that you may get is below.

The solution to this is quite easy and involves deleting the config file that Commander generates and uses to start.

However, because you will need to delete the config file, any information saved in it will be deleted.

The information saved in the config file that will be deleted is:

This is the most common problem we see with firmware updates and occurs if the wrong firmware was installed during the update process.

Over time you will need to update the firmware on your CNC controller as technology improves and new features become available. When there is a firmware update available, you will be notified in our Commander software and will be guided through the process of updating.

The firmware required for your controller will depend on several factors, and Commander should be able to determine which version to install automatically.

If you are updating from the original firmware (Version 2.1) or Commander is unable to determine your current version you will be asked a few questions before the software can determine which firmware to install. Please be sure to read the popup boxes carefully and answer the questions accurately.

If your controller was manufactured after March 2022, or is set…