A webinar about the LCD Pendant hosted by Randy Johnson. This previously recorded webinar provides a walk through from registration to the functions and use of LCD Pendant. For upcoming Webinars and Training hosted by Randy Johnson, visit Next Wave CNC Webinars here.

The cause of these occurrences is pressure on the LCD screen during operation or on startup. When the LCD Pendant becomes unresponsive or if the button presses don't seem as accurate, the LCD Pendant will need to be recalibrated.

To re-calibrate the LCD Pendant touchscreen:

1. Power the CNC machine off
2. Take a folded sheet of paper or card stock and slide it between the glass and the plastic housing lip.
3. Slide the paper under all four edges to remove any debris possibly caught under the lip.
4. Place and hold a finger or thumb on the glass screen and power the CNC Machine on
5. This will bring you to a white screen stating:
a. "Performing touch screen calibration. Touch screen to continue."
6. Using a stylus or eraser end of a pencil touch the screen to continue
7. You will then receive a message to "Press and Release on the filled circle."
8. Press the filled circle in the:
a. Top left corner
b. Top right corner
c. Bottom right corner
d. Bottom left corner
9. Once completed you will come to another screen giving directions on how to repeat the process.
10. Touching the screen again will bring you to the Main CNC window.
11. Select Continue

If LCD Pendant remains unresponsive after recalibration download the attached PDF for disassembling, cleaning, and reassembly of the LCD Pendant

The "Access Code Mismatch" displayed on the LCD Pendant is the result of either the Access/Unlock code being entered incorrectly or the serial number(s) used to generate the code are incorrect. First, reenter the access/unlock code that you were given after registering your CNC machine.

If the access/unlock code continues to give the "Access Code Mismatch" message, register the LCD and Controller numbers displayed on the LCD Pendant screen again at the Next Wave CNC Quick Unlocks page or through your Next Wave Portal account Hardware tab.

If the access/unlock code still gives the "Access Code Mismatch" message, We have staff available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST and can be contacted at support@nextwavecnc.com.

There are several reasons for files to not display on the LCD Pendant. The flash drive is too large, it is not formatted to FAT32, it is protected, or the files on the flash drive are not .tap Toolpath files. Do not use the Vectric flash drive that comes loaded with the Vcarve software. This is a protected flash drive and will not display files added to it properly through the LCD Pendant.

The flash drive needs to be between 1GB - 32G in size and formatted as FAT32. We recommend the Scan Disk 16GB Cruzer Blade flash drive for the most consistent out-of-the-box compatibility.

If it is a NEW blank USB thumb drive the issue could be that it is not formatted in a FAT32 format or needs to be formatted again.

To format a flash drive:

Plug the USB drive into the computer.

On the bottom left, right-click on the Windows icon then select "Open File Explorer".

Find which drive letter is your USB it is NOT normally A, B, or C. It will probably be D, E, or F

Copy your files from it to a directory temporarily on your PC.

WARNING - Formatting your main computer drive will erase all data present on your PC. Be careful!

Right-click on the appropriate drive letter again then select Format.

Make sure that the File System has "FAT32" selected.

Click the start button. Formatting should only be a minute or two.

Copy your files back onto the USB Drive.

Try the USB in the Controller again.

The LCD Pendant will also not display any files that are not properly converted .tap files. Please make sure to save your .tap Toolpath files using a Next Wave CNC post-processor such as:

CNCShark-USB Arcs_inch(.tap)

CNCPiranha-USB Arcs_inch(.tap)

Next Wave CNC_inch(.tap)

Next Wave Laser_inch(.tap)

For information on Saving a .tap Toolpath file, please see the Getting Started Webinar here. If reformatting the flash drive does not successfully display your .tap files contact Technical Support at Support@NextWaveCNC.com.

The issues listed above are caused by LCD Pendant losing firmware and an LCD Firmware update will correct this issue. This issue is generally caused by the flash drive being plugged into the LCD Pendant when the machine is powered on. It is recommended to plug the flash drive into the LCD Pendant after the machine has been powered on.

Firmware updates for the Next Wave CNC Controller and LCD Pendant are currently handled through the Ready2Update - Firmware software available for download after creating a Next Wave Portal account. (Link Here). The Ready2Update-Firmware manual can be found here.

The 15 Pin VGA cable used by Next Wave CNC to connect the main control box to the LCD Pendant is not a commonly found version of this cable. The VGA cable used by Next Wave CNC uses 1:1 pin wiring whereas commonly found VGA cables combine pins. Using a VGA cable with combined pins will result in damage to the LCD Pendant and/or the main control box.

If the VGA cable needs to be replaced, please use the link below to purchase it from our website.