Yes. You've evidently used one of the settings that sent a bolt straight back at the thing.
SPOILER...
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Down in a large room to the south, you'll find switches on the wall that allow you to play battlesquares. One of the switch settings, however, will initiate repairs to the site. Just throw the first two switches until you read that comment. When you do, you can return to the machine room. It will useable, again.
Hope that helps.
