Troubleshooting is one of the critical skills and perhaps even the most essential one that any 3D printing enthusiast should have for a smooth 3D printing experience, as there are often plenty of hurdles in the journey of achieving the perfect print.
As it’s possible to face many issues ranging in both difficulty and category due to the many distinct components working together to make the 3D printing process possible, a 3D enthusiast always needs to be prepared for such occurrences to keep the 3D printer operating.
In today’s article, we will be analyzing one of the less common errors your Ender 3 can display during standard operation, which presents itself with the text “Err: Too far!” on the LCD panel, clearly signifying that something has gone wrong while the 3D printer is running.
So, what is the meaning of the “Err: Too far!” message displayed on the Ender 3 screen?
The “Err: Too far!” message on the Ender 3 will appear if you attempt to use the Set Home Offsets (M428) command while the current position is not within 2 centimeters of the zero point or one of the endstops, which is a condition that must be satisfied for the Set Home Offsets command to work.
Next up, we will dive deeper into the meaning of the “Err: Too far!” message on the Ender 3, find out ways to fix the error and make the message disappear, and finally, go through the specific case of the error appearing after installing the BLTouch auto bed leveling sensor.
Table of Contents
What Is the Err: Too Far Message on Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?
Like many other errors that we encounter in the 3D printing space, the error message itself does not tell us a whole lot about what the error actually is or what could be causing it, leaving it to us to decipher the message.
The “Err: Too Far” message is often a result of executing the Set Home Offsets command wrongly, and in hindsight, the message does actually tell us what the problem is, which is the fact that the printhead is too far away from the zero point or one of the endstops.
Now that we have covered the message’s source, let’s dive into a more detailed explanation to clarify everything.
In a nutshell, the Set Home Offsets command in the LCD panel of your Ender 3 corresponds to the M428 (Home Offsets Here) G-code in Marlin firmware, meaning that the firmware will attempt to set the home offset values to the printhead’s current position.
Since there is a pre-requisite for the M428 G-code / Set Home Offsets command to work, which tells us that the position of the printhead should be within 2 centimeters of either one of the endstops or the zero position, the command won’t work in scenarios where this condition isn’t satisfied.
As a result, in cases where the command doesn’t work due to the pre-requisite not being fulfilled, Marlin firmware will display the “Err: Too far!” message on the screen of your Ender 3, conveying the fact that the command you have tried to execute has failed due to an error.
How to Fix the Err: Too Far Error on Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?
Fixing the “Err: Too far!” error should be a relatively straightforward process due to the cause behind it being very clear, which only leaves applying the necessary solution to get the Ender 3 back in working order.
To fix the “Err: Too far!” error on your Ender 3, all you need to do is invoke the Set Home Offsets command while the printhead is one of the allowed positions.
To do this, move the printhead to one of the points within 2 centimeters of the zero point or one of the endstops with the G0 command, and use the Set Home Offsets command after the printhead is at the correct position.
If the error still pops up after following the steps above correctly, we would highly recommend factory resetting your Ender 3, including the EEPROM, and flashing the newest version of Marlin firmware if that doesn’t help either.
Err: Too Far Error After Installing BLTouch – What to Do?
In some cases, the “Err: Too far!” error can show up on the display of your Ender 3 right after installing a BLTouch automatic bed leveling sensor, making it clear that the problem appeared as a result of the installation process.
The common pitfall that triggers the “Err: Too Far” error after installing the BLTouch automatic bed leveling sensor is to use the Set Home Offsets command to configure the Probe Z Offset value when you should be using the Z Offset option instead.
To set the Z Offset option, all you need to do is navigate to the Motion sub-section under the Control section that you can access from the Main menu, click the Z offset option, and adjust the value with the knob.
Alternatively, you can execute the M851 G-code if you have a way to directly issue G-code commands to your Ender 3, such as using a 3D printer interface like OctoPrint, which essentially is the same thing as utilizing the Z Offset option does.
Wrapping Up
While the “Err: Too far!” error does not reveal any information that would be helpful in understanding and resolving the issue, the good news is that the problem is a relatively uncomplicated one that won’t take too much of your time to fix.
To recap, the “Err: Too far!” message on your Ender 3 is a sign of misusing the Set Home Offsets command, with the Marlin documentation clearly stating that it can only be used when the printhead is located at a position that puts it within 2 centimeters of one of the endstops or the zero point.
As long as the condition of the command is satisfied with the printhead being positioned at one of the accepted points, you should be able to execute the Set Home Offsets command without any errors on your Ender 3.
Happy printing!
Mike started his 3D printing journey with the Anet A8 when it first came out back in 2017, and has been obsessed with 3D printers ever since. Nowadays, he primarily uses his Ender 3 to print functional parts that make his life more convenient whenever possible.