Disable Z for Homing

Hello,
I have a question that is not necessarily LightBurn related, but I am hoping that someone here has run into this and has a recommendation to solve it.

My setup is homebrew, started with a Chinese Laser, bought a second one for parts and built a rotary from the parts. The second one also let me install seperate power supplies for the laser and the steppers. Discarded the Chinese board and installed Arduino with a CNC Shield (V3.0). I installed limit switches (+X-X, +Y-Y).Lightburn 0.9.11 GRBL V1.1h20190825. I have the rotary plugged into Z and configured (Tools/Rotary Setup).

My question is homing. When homing, the machine wants to clear the Z axis first and there is no limit switch there. Laser is plugged into the +Z pin and functions as planned.

Any thoughts on how to tell it to home X and Y only?

I believe this can be done, but it’s a setting when compiling GRBL firmware, not something that you can change in a dynamic setting.

Thank you, I am quite certain you are correct, the challenge is figuring out how to compile it. I downloaded the GRBL 1.1 and uploaded it with X-Loader. So no compilation done. So other then configuration of the settings ($=xx) I really do not know a lot of Arduino,

Am I correct in my thinking that LightBurn will only recognize a GRBL HEX File? in other words I cannot compile an Arduino, modify Config H, upload to the compilation and have LightBurn recognize the files.

Arduino UNO w/ CNC Shield V3.0.

LightBurn doesn’t flash firmware at all, so it won’t recognize a GRBL hex file or any other.

Perhaps I did not word that correctly. LIghtBurn reads GRBL Hex file. So I am presuming that it will only read GRBL Hex files? Arduino compiler can compile a “Sketch” that some CNC and Laser machine operating systems can read (example UGS). Am I correct in thinking that if I compiled a sketch in Arduino then LightBurn would not be able read the sketch and run the machine?

No, it doesn’t - I’m not sure where you’ve gotten that idea. LightBurn talks to the GRBL controller through the serial / USB connection.

If you compile GRBL with the Arduino IDE, and use that to flash it to your controller, that has nothing to do with LightBurn. If the code was set up properly, using the correct pins and configuration for the board, then LightBurn would connect to it like any other.

LightBurn doesn’t read the controller - it’s much more like a conversation. If the controller speaks the correct language, LightBurn will talk to it - If your PC was running a version of GRBL firmware, and you connected it through a serial port to LightBurn, LightBurn would just treat it like any other controller.

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Thank you
As I suspected, I am still working on disabling the Z axiz, and I can do it with the Arduino compiler, but would not be able to use LightBurn. .

That is the opposite of what I just said. If you make the code changes and upload the new firmware to the machine, LightBurn won’t know the difference.

OH! Ok, I misunderstood.

OK, then I will continue to work on it. Thanks!

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