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. Errors 1. GCODE Command letter was not found 2. GCODE Command value invalid or missing 3. GRBL '$' not recognised or supported 4. Negative value for an expected positive value 5. Homing fail. Homing not enabled in settings 6. Min step pulse must be greater than 3 usec 7. EEPROM read failed. Default values used 8. GRBL '$' Command only valid when Idle 9. GCODE commands invalid in Alarm or Jog state 10. Soft Limits require homing to be enabled 11. Max characters per line exceeded. Ignored. 12. Grbl '$' setting exceeds the maximum step rate. 13. Safety door opened and door state initiated. 14. Build info or start-up line > EEPROM line length 15. Jog target exceeds machine travel, ignored. 16. Jog Cmd missing '=' or has prohibited GCode. 17. Laser mode requires PWM output 20. Unsupported or invalid GCode command. 21. > 1 GCode command in a modal group in block. 22. Feed rate has not yet been set or is undefined. 23. GCode command requires an integer value. 24. > 1 GCode command using axis words found. 25. Repeated GCode word found in block. 26. No axis words found in command block. 27. Line number value is invalid. 28. GCode Cmd missing a required value word. 29. G59.x WCS are not supported. 30. G53 only valid with G0 and G1 motion modes. 31. Unneeded Axis words found in block. 32. G2/G3 arcs need >= 1 in-plane axis word. 33. Motion command target is invalid. 34. Arc radius value is invalid. 35. G2/G3 arcs need >= 1 in-plane offset word. 36. Unused value words found in block. 37. G43.1 offset not assigned to tool length axis. 38. Tool number greater than max value. Alarms 1. Hard limit triggered. Position Lost. 2. Soft limit alarm, position kept. Unlock is Safe. 3. Reset while in motion. Position lost. 4. Probe fail. Probe not in expected initial state. 5. Probe fail. Probe did not contact the work. 6. Homing fail. The active homing cycle was reset. 7. Homing fail. Door opened during homing cycle. 8. Homing fail. Pull off failed to clear limit switch. 9. Homing fail. Could not find limit switch. Arming yourself with the knowledge of what the Error or Alarm is you are encountering can help you determine the reason behind it, and the best course of action to resolve it.

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: · Any custom settings that you have saved in the “My Buttons” section · Any information about probe dimensions · Any button associations for keyboard/gamepad/pendant If you are unable to load Commander at all, there is no way to save these settings so you will need to set them up again afterwards. If you can open Commander, you can use the “Export My Buttons” options under the “Settings > My Buttons” tab to save your ‘My Buttons’. Step 1: Open your C: Drive folder. Look for the Users folder, open it and then open the folder with your username on it. Step 2: Locate the “AppData” folder, open it, then open the “Local” folder and look for the “CNC3D” folder and open it as well. If you cannot see the AppData folder, you will need to show hidden items. You can do this by clicking ‘View’ up the top of the window, then making sure “Hidden Items” is checked. Step 3: You will see one or more folders with names full of random characters. You will need to delete any folders that you can see. These contain the corrupted config files causing Commander to crash, they will be regenerated fresh the next time you open Commander. Step 4: Re-open Commander. If successful you will need to re-enter any settings that we deleted with the config file from the list above. There will be no change to how your machine moves or operates as all of those settings are saved on the controller, not in Commander.

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 up for Dual-Axis homing and the wrong firmware is installed, one side (usually Y2) will no longer respond to Y commands including jogging and homing cycles. If your controller was manufactured before March 2022, or you have a 4th axis and the wrong firmware is installed, you will likely notice homing issues, or your A-axis may not respond to commands. To fix this, you will need to manually install the correct firmware. First, follow the steps below to determine the correct firmware for your controller. To determine which firmware to install you will need to know: 1: What controller you have. The type of controller will be the first step in determining the correct firmware. You will need to know if you have a Nighthawk, Nighthawk Scribe*, or Nighthawk Pro* controller. *Nighthawk Scribe and Nighthawk Pro controllers are not yet released, you will have a Nighthawk controller. 2: When your controller was originally built. Controllers built before March 2022 were tailored to the machine they were built for. These controllers will most often need the 4-Axis firmware even if you do not have a 4th axis, unless your controller has been modified for dual-axis control. If your controller has been modified for dual axis control you will need the Dual-Axis firmware. If you are unsure, check below for how to identify a dual-axis controller, or select the 4-axis firmware. 3: Whether your controller was built for a 4-axis (Rotary chuck) machine. If your controller was built for a 4-axis machine you will need a different version of the firmware. These controllers will need the 4-Axis firmware. 4: Whether your controller is capable of “Dual-axis homing” with independent control of the Y2 motor. If your controller was built to take advantage of “Dual-Axis Homing” you will need a different version of the firmware. You can tell if your controller was built this way if your machine can dual-axis home (auto-square) by touching both sides of the front of the machine independently. You will have a limit switch on both the left and right side of the machine on the Y axis. These controllers will need the Dual-Axis firmware. If your machine does not have 2 limit switches at the front, have a look at the front of your controller. If you have a wire across the green connector in the A-Limit position you will need the Dual-Axis firmware even if your machine isn’t set up for it. When you have decided on the correct firmware version for your controller, you will need to send it to your controller. Please follow the steps below. Manual firmware updates can only be done through Commander, via USB. If you are unable to use a USB connection you will need to contact CNC3D for advice. 1. To get started with this process you will need to have a Windows PC located near the machine so you can connect to it with a USB cable. Plug in your USB cable, turn on your PC, turn on the Nighthawk and open CNC3D Commander. Note: If your controller is not installed automatically or detected by your PC, refer to the USB setup section of your user manual. Select COM in the first drop-down menu. In the second drop-down menu select the correct COM port, it should be the one that has CH340 or CP210x in the description. 2. Click “Connect”. If your connection was successful, take note of the COM number displayed in the second drop-down box. You will need this number in a minute. 3. Click “Disconnect”, then open the “Help” box on the far-right side, then click on the “CNC3D ESP32 FW Tool” to open the Firmware Update Tool. 4. In the Firmware updater tool which opens, make sure you have the correct COM port selected for your controller then click on the “…” button and select the correct firmware file, then click “open” If you need the 4-Axis firmware, select nhfw4a.bin If you need the dual-axis firmware, select nhfwda.bin 5. You will see the file show up in the BIN file dialogue box, then click “Start”. You will see the green bar slowly fill. Do not unplug or power off your controller during this process. 6. When the update has completed you will see a message informing you the update was successful. Turn off your controller for 10 seconds, then power it back up. This should have correctly flashed your firmware. If the update is not successful the following things may be stopping it: - Another program is already using that COM port. Please close any other GCODE senders or control programs like Cura, LaserGRBL, Lightburn etc. or click Disconnect in Commander if you are still connected. - You may have the wrong COM port selected. Try another port. - Check for antivirus or firewall conflicts and turn them off if possible. McAfee and Norton antivirus programs for example can block connections to external devices if they're not recognised by their programming and cause firmware updates to fail.

This alarm will only occur for one of two reasons: 1: The machine has not been homed after being turned on, or 2: The machine has been asked to travel to a position outside of its maximum travel parameters, either by the user or by the job. These numbers can be found in the “Peripherals” tab of Commander in the “Maximum Travel Limits” section. For example in the photo below, I have asked the machine to move 9000mm on X, but the X Max Travel is set to 760mm. The machine knows it can’t reach the position asked so it will not attempt to move and will cause the alarm. The most common cause of this alarm that we see is related to Z-Clearance or Z-Retraction, which is the distance that the Z axis moves upwards to pull the cutter out of the material and to a safe distance to move around without cutting into or damaging the stock. This will cause the alarm even if the rest of the job will fit inside the machine’s travel limits as the Z axis has its own maximum travel setting and will not allow you to go beyond it. This setting is changed or set when you create your job in whichever CAM program you are using. Another common cause of this alarm is the user not homing the machine after turning it on. When the machine is turned off, it will forget its position and will reset to Zero when turned back on. In order for the machine to know where it is in relation to the limit switches (XYZ - Zero) it will need to touch off the switches, which is what the homing cycle achieves. You will need to home the machine every time you turn it on. DO NOT turn off or change your soft limits to stop this alarm from happening! Soft limits are a key safety feature on many machines and turning them off or modifying them can easily cause your machine to crash into itself! If you have a fully-assembled machine such as a QueenBee, QB2, Metal Storm or YouCarve you will not be able to change your soft limit settings as they will be locked out. Please contact CNC3D if you feel you need to change these settings.

If you find the motors are stalling or stop moving during a job, such as one of the Y-axis motors or the X-axis motor, the most common cause for this is the maximum travel speed of the machine has been set incorrectly. If the maximum travel speed is set too high, the motors will try to turn faster than they are able to and will stall. If you have one of our fully assembled machines such as a QueenBee, QB2, Metal Storm or a YouCarve these settings are pre-set for you in the factory and you won’t be able to change them. Please contact us at CNC3D.com.au for guidance. Follow the steps below to correct this error. 1. Connect to your machine in Commander and navigate to the Axes tab 2. Under each of the axes (X, Y and Z) you will see an Acceleration and a Max Speed dialogue box. Refer to the table below to find the Accelerations and Maximum Speeds for your machine. There is no harm in setting your values slightly less for peace of mind. Speeds • YouCarve: XY - 5000mm/m Z - 1500mm/m • Sharp CNC (Leadscrew): XY - 2400mm/m Z - 1500mm/m • QueenBee (Leadscrew): XY - 2500mm/m Z - 1500mm/m • QB2 High Speed: XY - 7000mm/m Z - 1500mm/m • QB2 High Precision: XY - 2000mm/m Z - 1500mm/m • Metal Storm: XY - 4500mm/m Z - 1500mm/m Accelerations • YouCarve: XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s • Sharp CNC (Leadscrew): XY - 150mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s • QueenBee (Leadscrew): XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s • QB2 High Speed: XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 250mm/s/s • QB2 High Precision: XY - 150mm/s/s Z - 150mm/s/s • Metal Storm: XY - 250mm/s/s Z - 250mm/s/s 3. Once you have entered the correct number for your machine, click “Update Acceleration and Maximums” then click OK on the confirmation popup to confirm the settings have been saved, then turn off your machine. After 30 seconds you can proceed to the next step. 4. When you have saved these settings, it is a good idea to re-square the gantry (X-axis) as it likely was pulled out of square when the motors stalled. If your machine is set up for dual axis homing then you’ll just need to home the machine as it will automatically be squared after homing cycle is complete. If changing your machine’s maximum speed in the steps above don’t solve the problem there is another option you can try. There is a rare occurrence where Y1 and Y2 motors do not move at the same speed during a rapid movement, even though both are commanded to work in unison.Y2 is often plugged into the A motor port on the controller to allow independent movement during the homing cycle known as “Dual Y Homing” or “Auto Squaring” of the gantry. While it’s not utilised on a 3-axis machine, the A-motor output has its own maximum speed and acceleration settings independent of the Y1 motor. There is a chance that having the Y and the A axis maximum speed settings not match each could be causing a Y axis stall on rapid travels, where the machine is not restricted to a certain speed by the job, only by the maximum allowed speed on each axis. To change the A axis to match the Y axis, you will need to go back to the “Axes” tab where you can set each axis’ max speed and acceleration, then set A’s to match Y’s. If you can’t see the A axis, follow the steps below to make it visible. 1: Disconnect from your machine and click the “Settings” button. In the General section, look for the “Disable automatic Axis checking” line, and make sure it is ticked. Select 4 in the box labelled “Number of Axes” then click Update on the bottom left to save the settings. 2: Connect to your machine, home it to clear the alarm, then navigate back to the “Axes” tab and you should now see the A axis options alongside the X, Y and Z ones.        As you can see from the picture above, this machine’s Y and A settings aren’t the same. By changing the A axis acceleration and Max Speed settings to match Y’s, then clicking the “Update Acceleration and Maximums” button you will set Y1 and Y2 motors to match each other. Click Here to read through our other FAQ regarding motors moving incorrectly, which will guide you through checking the electrical connections of your motors.

If you find the motors are moving incorrectly or are making a grinding noise while trying to move, generally the issue is a loose electrical connection somewhere along the cable to the motor. Before doing anything involving wiring including checking connections, ensure the controller (Nighthawk, XPRO etc.) is POWERED OFF and UNPLUGGED. Failure to do so can cause irreparable damage to the controller or drivers. Click Here to read through our other FAQ regarding axes stalling, which will guide you through checking the software side of things.