Troubleshooting

Work top-down: most problems are visible in the log panel (bottom-right, RUN page) and the DIAG → STATUS view. Note the exact message before acting.

Connection

The machine won’t connect / handshake stalls.

• Check: Is the right COM port selected? Click refresh after plugging in. Is another program (Arduino IDE, a sender, a previous FoamSync) holding the port? Close it.
• Check: Power and USB cable — try a different cable/port; some cables are charge-only.
• Fix: Set SET → MACHINE → Controller to Auto, reconnect. If auto-detect picks the wrong firmware, set it explicitly.

Connected, but no real machine — only VIRTUAL_DRIVER.

• Cause: You’re in the 7-day trial, where real hardware is locked, or the licence isn’t valid. The status bar shows SIM.
• Fix: Activate a paid tier (see Activation).

Drops mid-session / port disappears.

• Check: USB power management, cable strain, EMI from the heated wire circuit (route wire-power and USB apart).
• Fix: Use a powered hub; keep the controller’s USB away from the heat supply.

Activation & licensing

Key won’t activate online.

• Check: Internet reachable at activation time? Key typed exactly (it’s case-handled, but check for stray spaces)?
• Check: Behind a corporate firewall? The licence server may be blocked even if general internet works.
• Fix: Use the offline .dat path instead — send your Machine ID to your distributor and DROP LICENCE FILE.

“Licence file is not valid for this installation.”

• Cause: The .dat was issued for a different machine, or hardware changed enough to shift the Machine ID.
• Fix: Re-read your Machine ID (activation dialog or the Machine ID tool) and ask for a re-issue against the current ID.

“Licence file retired” on launch, dropped to DEMO.

• Cause: The previous license.dat failed signature verification (corrupt, edited, or copied from another machine) and was moved to license.dat.obsolete.
• Fix: Re-activate (online or .dat). Never hand-edit license.dat or copy it between machines.

Worked before, now EXPIRED.

• Cause: Subscription window passed, or the offline-grace period was exhausted.
• Fix: Renew; activation reappears automatically. During the red grace banner, real hardware still works — plan the renewal.

Heat / wire

Wire doesn’t heat.

• External mode: FoamSync doesn’t drive heat — check your dimmer/PSU, the fuse, and the wire circuit by hand.
• Board PWM/PID: Did you complete the safety acknowledgement when switching modes? Check power % / target temperature and the controller’s heater output wiring.

Wire too hot / melts wide kerf / sags.

• Fix: Lower power/temperature for the material; re-run MATERIAL CAL. Confirm feed isn’t too slow (dwelling melts foam).

Wire snaps.

• Cause: Over-tension, too-high temperature, or a path that leans the wire past its limit.
• Check: The wire-safety validation status and the live WIRE ANGLE in the DRO. Reduce tension/temperature; fix steep paths.

Cut quality

Parts come out under/oversize.

• Cause: Kerf wrong. Fix: Re-run WIRE CAL; the transformer sizes parts from the kerf.

Cut is trapezoidal / skewed / drifts over time.

• Cause: Mechanical — skew, backlash, lost steps. Check: MOTION TEST. Fix: square the gantry, tighten belts, set backlash compensation.

Top and bottom edges differ.

• Cause: Wire lean / tension imbalance between towers. Check: the top-vs-bottom kerf delta from WIRE CAL and the WIRE ANGLE during the cut. Fix: balance tower sync and wire tension.

Rough / pitted surface.

• Fix: Tune temperature and feed in MATERIAL CAL; verify the material preset matches the foam batch.

Motion

ALARM state / won’t move.

• Check: Soft-limit hit (envelope in SET → MACHINE smaller than the path), or a hard limit/endstop triggered. The log names the cause.
• Fix: Home, jog clear of the limit, correct the envelope, regenerate.

Moves the wrong distance / axis.

• Cause: Steps/mm or axis mapping in firmware, or wrong tower assignment. Check: MOTION TEST travel. Fix: correct firmware config; use SWAP L ↔ R if towers are reversed for a part.

CAM & nesting

Red boxes in the 3D view.

• Cause: Parts overlap (collision). Fix: move or re-nest parts until the boxes clear.

JOB shows ⚠ DANGER — PRESS START TO REVIEW.

• Cause: A check (often wire angle) wants your attention. Fix: Press START to open the review; address the wire-safety findings before cutting.

Auto-nest leaves blocks half-empty.

• Fix: Use ADD to consolidate more parts onto one block, or RE-NEST. Pack-specific strategies (shelf-row stacking for BUILD parts, pair-interlock for pipe shells) pack tighter than singles.

No REPLACE/ADD prompt when sending parts.

• Expected: The prompt only appears when the CAM scene already has parts. An empty scene loads directly.

Crashes & startup

App won’t start / crashes on launch.

• Check: ~/.foamsync/startup_error_*.log (your user folder) — it names the failure.
• Fix: Reinstall the signed build; if it persists, export the log and email support.

Support bundle

When you can’t resolve something, send a support bundle: DIAG → STATUS → EXPORT SUPPORT BUNDLE. It produces an encrypted .fsb (machine profile, recent log, licence state, Machine ID, recent actions) that only Balcore can decrypt. Email it to support@foamsyncstudio.com with a short description of what you did and what happened.

Still stuck? support@foamsyncstudio.com — include your support bundle and the exact log message.