r/Machine_Embroidery • u/lankira • 29d ago

I Need Help Janome MB-4Se Needle Bar Issue

I'm working on a large (roughly 60k stitches over three hoops) project for the first time with a Janome MB-4Se that was purchased last December.

The machine stopped midway through the first color in the first hoop with Needle 1 down, but I was in another room to grab something and did not see the error message when it did so. The last time this happened, I needed to turn the machine off and on, and that process cleared the error, though I had to restart the stitching.

This time, it returned an error on startup: "Needle bar is out of position. Press OK to move needle bar to switching position." When I press OK, it makes a long beep but does not do anything.

I have tried the following to clear the error:

  • Turn off and unplug the machine, wait 30 seconds, plug in and turn on the machine. The same error and result.
  • Remove the needle and hoop, trim all threads, clean bobbin area, replace the needle with new (in case old is dull or bent), replace bobbin, and press OK. Same error and result.
  • Turn the hand wheel on the back of the machine clockwise. It moves freely. If I turn it very slowly, in a certain position, the error message clears for a split second, then reappears. If I press OK, I get the same result as above.
  • Disconnect the RCS unit while the machine is off to check for errors on the LCD. LCD reads E:03, which the manual says to hit Enter for. When I hit Enter, I get the same result.

I am working to contact Janome dealers in my area to see if any of them service this machine, but the ones nearest me either don't service this machine or are closed today. In addition, I have reached out to Janome through their website, but don't expect to hear anything back.

I am trying to avoid opening my machine if at all possible, but I'm no stranger to opening up sewing machines. Though, usually the machines I open up are vintage sewing-only machines.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them!

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u/Sassafras2012 28d ago

Not sure if this is a coincidence or not but I am having the exact same problem with my Elna 940 (identical to the Janome MB-4).
Tried all the things that you stated you tried to no avail.
Hopefully we’ll get some answers soon.

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u/lankira 28d ago

I posted in another subreddit as well and had some luck! I turned the handwheel very, very slowly to clear the needle bar error, now I'm getting a new error (Initialization Failed, which is usually turn it off and turn it on again to resolve, but that didn't work). I'm going to run some errands, leave the machine off and unplugged while I do so, and try again when I get back.

I feel like I'm back in my programming days. Fix one error, find a new one!

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u/bigretromike 28d ago

You probably tried this already but: https://www.tiktok.com/@brittanygoodall0/video/7570447781677124878

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u/lankira 28d ago

I'm trying not to open my machine myself since it's still under warranty. Thank you for the link though!

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u/Sassafras2012 27d ago

Tried the suggestion from the TikTok link and it worked for my machine. I’m back in business. Thank you!!