Picsender software

Software
1

I’ve noticed in Picsender, in order to jog, you must first send the home command to unlock.
Is there a way to unlock without sending the home command?
Thanks

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2

I dont use Picsender but sending the command $X will clear the alarm state, without homing.

3

Thanks,
That will do it!

4

Use caution with the $X command. Grbl may not do as you want.

From Grbl’s author:
"$X - Kill alarm lock

Grbl’s alarm mode is a state when something has gone critically wrong, such as a hard limit or an abort during a cycle, or if Grbl doesn’t know its position. By default, if you have homing enabled and power-up the Arduino, Grbl enters the alarm state, because it does not know its position. The alarm mode will lock all G-code commands until the ‘$H’ homing cycle has been performed. Or if a user needs to override the alarm lock to move their axes off their limit switches, for example, ‘$X’ kill alarm lock will override the locks and allow G-code functions to work again."

But, tread carefully!! This should only be used in emergency situations. The position has likely been lost, and Grbl may not be where you think it is. So, it’s advised to use G91 incremental mode to make short moves. Then, perform a homing cycle or reset immediately afterwards.

As noted earlier, startup lines do not execute after a $X command. Always reset when you have cleared the alarm and fixed the scenario that caused it. When Grbl resets to idle, the startup lines will then run as normal.

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5

Hi John,
Thanks for your input.
If I carving and the computer causes the job to stop mid carve with the spindle down, and Picsender is froze, what is the best way to be able to send a Z up command?

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6

I would power everything down, raise the spindle manually after making sure the router switch was off, and restart in the proper sequence. When your computer freezes, there is nothing PicSender can do to recover until the problem is resolved.

FWIW, I think most occurrences of computer freeze-ups are likely caused by Windows powering off the USB hubs as a power saving feature.

Help with PicEngrave software is always available here:
www.PicEngrave.com - Contact

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7

Thanks John

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