I have installed limit switches and I am interested in how to solve the following problem. When I turn on the sculpfun s9 and start lightburn, the laser head goes correctly to the home position 0.0. If I now accidentally move the laser head with my hand, lightburn reports busy and no button in the move menu enables moving the head to the home position. The only solution is to restart the whole system. What is the correct procedure to resolve this situation? Is there any console command to reset? Right clicking on devices doesn’t help.
This is unusual. But if you move the head fast enough, it will create enough current to kill the mainboard / drivers etc. So this could also create a shutdown of the board. But “accidentally” sounds like a small movement only? That should be ok usually.
Yes it a small movement for few centimeters.
Observe the console window while homing, is there anything printed? After homing, can you move the laser via arrow buttons?
This is a good point. It doesn’t directly answer your question but is a word of caution, don’t go moving the head by hand. The motors generate current that can fry your controller.
I added switches to my atomstack following instructions for an S9 and have not had any issue like this. I have also nudged it out of zero when placing material, but the Home button on the laser tab is still there.
Sorry I don’t have any better suggestion.
If you can, set GRBL parameter $1=255. The stepper motors will stay powered up. This will generally ensure you will not be moving it by hand.
Today I wanted to repeat the error but everything works normally.
Didn’t fry your control board? Didn’t think so…
What they say is true to the extent they are generators and produce power. Most machines are not really designed to be manually manipulated, they are designed to have the controller move them.
However, as a person that fixed electronics for a few decades, a maintenance person may to move them manually to diagnose a problem. So this kind of manual movement has to be taken into consideration since all machines require maintenance and will eventually have some type of failure.
I lubricate the bearings on my machine… I don’t use the controller to move the gantries or head, I do it manually as most of the people I speak with do also.
I can light up the Ruida moving the motors with power off, something is handling this current… and it’s getting around or through the motor drivers.
I believe most of the people here have advised users to move the head manually to feel for drag or other mechanical issues that may crop up. I don’t remember any one of them stating this and adding a warning that you could lose your controller.
I’ve been working pretty closely with these for close to 4 years, never heard of anyone losing a controller at all from manually manipulating the machines motors. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but the numbers that I know about seem to indicate it’s more of a created issue than a real issue.
The same logic is used on the lps, or high voltage supply for a DC excited laser. It’s commonly referred to as a fatal voltage. I’ve gotten across equipment with more voltage and current and I’m still alive as has many.
The true danger and most likely is … in the US, ~80% of electrocution fatalities are from the home mains, a small 120V, compared to the 30kV of an lps.
I have violated the rules for a couple years… I boot my Ruida, then unplug the Y axes and plug in my rotary… maybe it’s better known as a hot swap… I’ve been doing it since I’ve had the co2. Worst case is I replace the motor driver which is about $18 US. I’m aware of the risk and have a motor driver sitting here just in case…
Use common sense, don’t manually move the head with power on the control board and don’t unplug the steppers to save the control board. Your machine should be using a holding current when powered up as @MikeyH advised. If they are not held by some sort of current you machine can lose it’s position relatively easily.
@misken stated, you are moving a small amount, it should be ok.
If anyone knows of a death from an lps or a dead controller from manually moving the heads, please advise me… I’ve never heard of it actually happening in real life (or death).
Your case seems to be intermittent, which are by far the worst things to trouble shoot.
Good luck
Well written! To reaffirm what @jkwilborn says, Sculpfun requires a tilt-test to check belt tension. Anybody think they are going to risk zapping their machines at the very start?
No, at the tilt test, the laser should move down the gantry very slowly. Additionally, you should do that test before mounting the electronics, once you finished the mechanical setup 
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