# ForgeFIRM Release: v0.0.7 (beta) **URL:** https://community.openglow.org/t/forgefirm-release-v0-0-7-beta/1056 **Category:** ForgeFIRM **Created:** [September 29, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.openglow.org/t/forgefirm-release-v0-0-7-beta/1056 "2026-09-29T12:29:40Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![ScottW514](https://community.openglow.org/user_avatar/community.openglow.org/scottw514/32/5_2.png) [@ScottW514](https://community.openglow.org/u/ScottW514) #### Post date: [September 29, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.openglow.org/t/forgefirm-release-v0-0-7-beta/1056/1 "2026-09-29T12:29:40Z")
New [release](https://github.com/openglow-org/forgefirm/releases/tag/v0.0.7) is live. ### Extensions and API This is a significant update that adds seams to enable [extensions](https://docs.forgefirm.org/technical/forgefirm/extensions/) and [API](https://docs.forgefirm.org/technical/forgefirm/remote-api/) control. My thinking is to keep the core firmware light while allowing rapid development of new features. New capabilities can be added via extensions, or via external programs using the API, without adding complexity to the firmware. Ultimately, this will allow the firmware to stabilize faster without impeding innovation. Extensions can be installed from the [catalog](https://github.com/openglow-org/forgefirm-extensions-catalog) or by uploading a valid extension package directly to your machine. Anyone is welcome to add an extension to the catalog via a PR (some rules on openness and safety apply). There will be many “official” extensions, of course. The first one, a precision [visual alignment](https://github.com/openglow-org/forgefirm-extension-alignment) tool using the head camera, is already [live](https://docs.forgefirm.org/usage/extensions/alignment/). ### Video Pipeline and Encryption Acceleration Since extensions can run small, lightweight services on the hardware and resources are limited, I made some tweaks in this release to free up more room. The largest consumer of compute resources, by far, is streaming the camera. I had already enabled hardware acceleration via the SoC’s VPU and GPU, but streaming still consumed nearly 50% of the processor. After a few more pipeline tweaks and moving TLS encryption into the kernel, it now sits comfortably in the mid 20% range. ### Tray or No Tray Tired of doing the math to figure out where to set the focus when operating without the tray? Tell ForgeFIRM when the tray is out, and it will do it for you. You can toggle this in the [panel](https://docs.forgefirm.org/usage/control-panel/#machine) or by sending an `M103` [command](https://docs.forgefirm.org/usage/grbl-mode/#the-crumb-tray-m103) from your Grbl sender. When the crumb tray is in, set Z to the height above the tray surface you want to focus at. When the crumb tray is out, set Z to the height above the floor of the bed. Limited, of course, to the focus range of the head (in my machine that is .011" below the tray to .447" above it, and 1.336" to 1.794" above the bed). ### Manual Homing You can now manually set the machine’s home position by [pressing a button](https://docs.forgefirm.org/usage/homing/#manual-homing) on the panel (choose Manual as the homing method first). Since the steppers are locked when the machine is powered on, there is also a release button that lets them move freely. And, since these machines are notorious for not having any stops to prevent the head from hitting things it shouldn’t, I’ve created some [simple ones](https://docs.forgefirm.org/install/gantry-stops/). They are cut from 1/4" (6 mm) acrylic and simply snap and slide onto the gantry. They make excellent manual homing stops: just release the steppers, push the gantry back and the head left into the back-left corner, against the stops, and press the button on the panel to set home. The stops can be left in place in cloud mode or with the factory firmware, as the factory firmware does not (deliberately) drive the head or gantry into the space where they make contact. Left in place, they can protect your head and head cable from damage. ### Next Up With this release, I’m content with where the underlying fundamentals sit. The firmware has proven reliable and predictable in both Grbl and cloud modes. Some hardware areas remain untested (notably the HD camera and the Pro TEC), but those should resolve when more beta testers (hopefully 🤞) show up. I’m now going to turn my attention to the user control panel. You may have noticed that there are ZERO pictures of the panel on the docs site. That’s because the UI is, IMHO, hot garbage. I do not like it, and it only exists as it does because, in the beginning, the fundamentals were more important to me than the “clicky” parts. Now that the parts you won’t see are running smoothly, it’s time to address the ick. This will be time-consuming and will likely take many weeks, so if you don’t see releases any time soon, that’s why. (Then again, many releases with bug fixes before the new UI drops wouldn’t be a bad thing either. It would mean people are using it, which is good, and finding things I inevitably missed. 🙂 )