#904 Homing Failed

Due to the complexity of the cause behind #904, it's important to note that reading this article may not provide an immediate solution to your problem. Nevertheless, by carefully following the steps below, you will gather valuable information that can help your resellers or FLUX Support pinpoint the issue more effectively. This, in turn, will reduce the overall time required for troubleshooting.

Disable Rotary Mode: 

There were some cases in which users forgot to turn off the rotary, and a Homing error occurred.
If you've been using a rotary add-on, turn it off by changing the switch to the ( ↕ ) position.

Step 0 - Use the checklist while going through the steps:

This checklist will be used to record all your actions taken in this article.
After completing the checklist, please print it to save as PDF and send it to your reseller or FLUX Support if necessary. This will be useful information for us to troubleshoot and narrow down the issue.
Please refer to the link: 6-7 #904 Homing Failed Checklist (Beambox Series)

Step 1 - Check if the laser head is physically stuck:

• Turn off the machine and unplug the power cord.
• Manually move the laser head toward all four corners.
  (*A HEXA is used to demonstrate the behavior in the video.)

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 1.1 - Lubricate the rails:

• Please refer to the instructions in the link below to lubricate the rails.
  [5-6 Lubricating]
• After lubricating, try moving the laser head again and see if it can move like in Step 1.
  (*A HEXA is used to demonstrate the behavior in the video.)

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 2 - Exclude the possibility of firmware issues:

Sometimes, the homing issue may be led by firmware being incorrectly installed.
Resetting the system is a simple and quick way to fix the homing problem.

• First of all, try to Reset the Mainboard Settings.
  (Machine > Hardware Settings > Reset Mainboard Settings)
  
  
  
• Next, try to Reset to Factory. (Machine > Reset to Factory)
  

• Finally, update to the latest firmware and try homing again.
  (Machine > Update to the latest Firmware) or you can use Beam Studio to update. (Link)
  

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 3 - Check the behavior of your machine when homing:

Please turn on the machine and press "Maintain" to start homing and determine which behavior is similar to your machine's and take action accordingly.

Step 4 - Reflash SD card:

Sometimes, if the operating system in the SD card is corrupted, the homing issue won't be fixed by resetting and updating the firmware. It will have to be fully rewritten by reflashing the SD card.

• Please refer to the instructions in the link below to reflash your SD card.
  [7-5 Beambox - Reflashing SD card]

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 5 - Swap DriverIC:

DriverIC is a component on the mainboard/motherboard and it is used to drive the motor in order to make the laser head move in different directions. In this Step, we will have to test if the homing issue is led by the DriverIC. 

1. Turn off the machine.
2. Open the side cover to find the mainboard. Please refer to the article where how to open the cover is mentioned.
3. Unplug the DriverIC of the X-axis. Please refer to the diagram.
   (Make sure you remember which IC is for which axis originally)
4. Unplug the DriverIC of the Y-axis. Please refer to the diagram.
5. Swap both DriverICs and make sure the direction is the same as in the diagram. 
6. Turn on the machine and try homing again.

Demonstration:

(This video shows swapping the ICs of the X-axis and Y-axis.)

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 6 - Check Limit Switches:

A limit switch is used to stop the laser head when it reaches the end.
Homing issues may be led by the limit switch being faulty which will result in the laser head not stopping or stopping too early.

• Please see the video below to check if your limit switch icons are reacting correctly when a screwdriver approaches. 
  • Metal approaches = Red LED OFF = icon close
  • Metal leaves = Red LED ON = icon open
    

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 7 - Check the levelness of the X-axis:

• Refer to the link below for how to test and adjust the levelness of the X-axis.
  Make sure that the pulley/wheel is not loose, referring to the ending of the video.
  [5-29 X-axis Levelness Adjustment]

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 8 - Y-axis Limit Switch Adjustment:

The limit switch's sensing area might not be sufficient due to the position being too high or low.

• Please first take a photo to record the original position of the switch.
  
  
  
• Please loosen these two screws a little and push it up then try homing. 
  
  
  
• If pushing up doesn't help, try pushing it down and try homing again.
  
  
  
• If pushing down doesn't help, try moving it to the center and try homing again.
  

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 8.1 - X-axis Limit Switch Adjustment:

• The limit switch's sensing area might not be sufficient due to the incorrect position.
  Please first take a photo to record the original position of the switch.
  
  
• Please loosen these two screws a little and push it to the right then try homing.
  
  
  
• If pushing it to the right doesn't help, try pushing it to the left and try homing again.
  
  
  
• If pushing it to the right doesn't help, try moving it to the center and try homing again.

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 8.2 - Add Spacers/Washers Underneath X-axis Limit Switch:

The limit switch's sensing area might not be sufficient due to the position being too low.

• Remove the switch and add one or two spacers/washers on each screw to raise up the switch.
  
• Try homing again to see if this works.

Determine your result and the next action to take:

Step 9 -Report to the local reseller or FLUX Support:

• Please follow the instructions in the link below to properly report an issue to your local reseller or FLUX support. [Contact Customer Service]
• Make sure you've completed the checklist and saved it as a PDF file so you can share your actions. 

*The collected information such as photos or videos that show the problem of your machine in this article will be necessary to be shared with the reseller or FLUX Support.