Total Newbie Question

I'm 62 - so not a rocket surgeon with technology (that's supposed to be funny).
I just built a desktop CNC machine to move a plasma cutting torch. The control card is an MKS DLC 32 V2.1 which Open Builds Control seems to run just fine. My Nema 17 motors are connected to external TB6600 drivers. I can jog the machine on all three axis. I can click on the check size icon and the machine traces out the plate size correctly. When I try to dry run the gcode file the machine moves to the first cut and then returns an error code indicating the z axis is not in the initial expected state. When the machine moves to it's intial cut point the z axis moves up 10mm and stops (which is what I think I set the safe height to when I generated the g-code file). I'm wondering if the error is because I don't have any limit switches connected to the board yet and maybe it's looking for that? On another note - when I reposition the machine to the starting points I notice the z-axis won't zero completely - it stays at a small fraction such as .004 mm. Any advice? This is all very new to me, but I've been plugging away slowly but surely gaining ground. Thanks for any and all advice. I have only a very rudementary understanding of all of this stuff so techy jargon will go right over my head. I need the baby steps solution.

[12:56:50] [ ALARM ] ALARM: 4 - Probe fail. The probe is not in the expected initial state before starting probe cycle, where G38.2 and G38.3 is not triggered and G38.4 and G38.5 is triggered. [ G38.2 Z-30 F500 ]

[12:56:50] [ ] ALARM: 4 - Probe fail. The probe is not in the expected initial state before starting probe cycle, where G38.2 and G38.3 is not triggered and G38.4 and G38.5 is triggered. [ G38.2 Z-30 F500 ]

[12:56:50] [ G38.2 Z-30 F500 ] ALARM:4

[12:56:50] [ G38.2 Z-30 F500 ] ok

[12:56:50] [ ] error: 9 - G-code locked out during alarm or jog state [ G10 L20 Z-3 ]<hr>This error may just be a symptom of an earlier event:<br> ALARM: 4 - Probe fail. The probe is not in the expected initial state before starting probe cycle, where G38.2 and G38.3 is not triggered and G38.4 and G38.5 is triggered.

[12:56:50] [ ERROR ] error: 9 - G-code locked out during alarm or jog state [ G10 L20 Z-3 ]

This error may just be a symptom of an earlier event:
ALARM: 4 - Probe fail. The probe is not in the expected initial state before starting probe cycle, where G38.2 and G38.3 is not triggered and G38.4 and G38.5 is triggered.
[12:56:50] [ G10 L20 Z-3 ] error:9

 

I don't have any switches installed on the machine. No probes and no limit switches. I just figured it would run through the design tool paths without them. I'm probably wrong about this. Like I say - total newbie. Never built a cnc table or worked with a breakout board and control software before. Was able to slog my way through Open Builds design to create the g-code from an illustrator file. Brain is still scrambled from it all, but I'm sure I'll grasp it in time. Thanks for the reply - I did watch that video once before during the learning phase - will watch again to see if any more of it sinks in.

 

Perfect. Thanks. That's kind of what I thought might be the problem - no torch height signal was being found. This MKS DLC V2.1 Board has a three pin connector for a probe and also three pin connectors for end stops on the X,Y,Z axis. Would you guess that the probe connector point on the board would be where I hook up a switch that tells the software the torch height or would I hook it to the Z axis end stop connector on the board? I'm waiting for some end stop trigger switches to arrive, so no hurry. But much thanks. Best.