So randomly when using my eleksmaker a3 that I installed limit switches on I will get an alarm 1 error when nowhere near the limit switches. I saw some mention that this might be electrical interference problems giving a false positive. At this point it happens to frequent for me to even want to use the limit switches. After setting a job up using the limit switches and camera I have can I turn the limit switches off in the software so they won’t accidentally go off to stop the job in progress?
Limit switches are controlled by firmware, not by LightBurn. You would have to go to Edit > Machine Settings and then disable homing, hard limits, and soft limits.
I highly recommend taking the time to rewire your switches correctly, with shielded wire and possibly adding noise filters (you can buy limit switches with this filter built in - normally the controller should have it but the eleksmaker doesn’t).
Short of doing that they really aren’t worth having - just disable them entirely and move the laser to the home position before power up.
Thank you for getting back to me Adam. Would you happen to have any recommendations on shielded wire that would work for me and possibly limit switches with noise filters built in? I know this is outside lightburn program itself but I figured I would take a shot in asking. I had been trying to use the limit switches with a camera for lining work up etc.
Chris
Nothing specific. Just search for “shielded cable” or “limit switch with noise filtering” on amazon and there will be lots of options.
Well, I think the major point that is being missed here is that there is a PROBLEM. You may have arcing on the high voltage cable to ground that may be causing the limit switches to give a false positive. You may have a bad sensor/switch. You may have a loose wire that is pulled or jarred when the gantry moves. You may have a loose terminal near the controller where the sensor switch enters. Your limit switch wire may be abraded somewhere in the path, which is causing the false positive when your gantry is moving. I would be more concerned first to try to locate or at lest investigate those. It is reasonable to assume that shield wire ( easily found…) MIGHT solve the issue, but you better know what true ground means for noise elimination. Or a .1 mfd cap across the limit switches MIGHT resolve the noise.
Not with a diode laser he won’t, but the others are all good points. 
LOL! I didn’t read that part! …Diodes rarely arc ( Like I have never seen one arc ) , ( Though the voltage to them can still short the vcc, causing issues like this as well… )
Earlier I had checked the wires for anything that seemed loose or abraded and didn’t find anything. I replaced one of the limit switches and will start seeing if any particular component with the limit switches are causing the error. Thank you for the help everyone.
Now that I know that it is NOT a CO2 laser, you should also check the voltages for the Diode laser while it is running to make sure that it isn’t being pulled down to a point where the limit trips. A voltmeter might work, but an Oscilloscope would also show you noise on the voltage lines. Sorry, I just had to add one more variable in. Hope you get it found.
Thank you for the suggestion, would you have any idea what part of the diode or board I would put the voltmeter on to check while its running?
OK… I have to add this one other suggestion… but first, yo have to hear the story. Back in 1971, I was an engineer in New York City for a Key to Tape company whose machine replaced keypunch cards. On the 42nd floor of the Equitable building, the ladies would 'keypunch" , but the data would go on Magnetic Tape. I was called in on a problem where every once in a while, but almost daily, the tape drive would go into high speed rewind, ruining the work, and obviously all the data that was entered. I shot that problem for maybe 3 days without EVER seeing a rewind. On the 4th day, I saw this most attractive lady cross her legs as she turned towards me, and Bam… the tape rewound! It was static electricity from the lack of humidity in the room caused by the nylon panty hose. It took me two more days to solve it by judicious use of a capacitor ad a interlock. Problem solved. Not saying you wear panty hose, but poor grounds, low humidity, could generate static electricity that could do exactly as you mention. There are a ton of other things that I can think off… but it depends on your level of expertise on some of them. I hope this humorous true story might help.
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Thank you for the story Paul I can see trying to troubleshoot a problem like being such a pain. I don’t normally wear panty hose but if you told me that wearing them would fix this problem I might have to consider. My expertise in this area is low so I don’t think I could do any advance trouble shooting without a full guide or something. Thank you for the help and suggestions.
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