Messages

81

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 14, 2014, 08:21:20 PM »

Thanks,
You have correctly identified the switch.  I will disconnect them without making any other corrections and pretend it is the source of the problem.  We shall see.

The BOB is capable of individual home runs.  I agree it will be better but it will require a rewire of the machine.  I guess that will force us to examine the other wiring . . . not a bad idea.

The mystery to me is that the machine did run with all of its bad habits . . . maybe.  The person I got it from never saw it run.  Perhaps that is why it was for sale.  But, it is apparent that it did do some work in its day.  It's not beat, but it has some dirt under the fingernails.

   

82

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 14, 2014, 06:13:08 PM »

The home was in place, I believe, before the 4 1/2 hour run.  However, I agree that the sprite of the issue resides somewhere in the home protocol.  It will be very easy to disconnect it and just as easy to live without.  I wondered about the NPN v PNP when we hooked it up.  It is something I don't have a good understanding of and the fact that it worked caused me to believe we got lucky.  I can't locate a diagram for the BOB and it is somewhat trial and error.

X is simply left to right and matches other stuff, some longer, some shorter.

I will take another stab at it in a few minutes.   

83

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 14, 2014, 05:04:17 PM »

The machine is factory wired with three proximity switches on a single circuit.  The soft limits are currently set larger than the actual table. Upon the home command the following occurs:

1) Z homes up

2) X homes left or negative to zero

3) Y homes forward or negative to zero

The machine actually makes the move and visually returns to the same spot each time.  I have not gauged that landing.  However, out and back on several consecutive 98" Y movements the return lands + - .001".  Thus it seems to count correctly.

Zero,zero is the left forward corner.  X is 48"  and Y is 98".  The native units are set to inches and the g-code is generated by a Mach wizard.  The code is an easy read and there are no surprises in the crash position.

What would reset machine zero mid table?

Mach is set to auto zero.  The xml is posted in a previous thread.   

84

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 14, 2014, 10:50:09 AM »

It seems 066 is the current version. Where do I find 0.062?

I considered the lower setting, but have not yet tested for that.   It is indeed a Chinese VFD and it is set in a lower range.  It was set at full tilt when I ran the 4 1/2 hour no crash run. 

However, as the problem exists right know, I reckon the VFD has nothing to do with it as the power to the VFD has been has completely disconnected.  It occurred to me today that the PC and Mach we are using is from another table that, as far as Mach goes, was running impressively well.  In its new assignment there are two changes that would certainly relate to Mach:

1) A single circuit home switch setup was added.

2) Setting of soft limits.

When the soft limits were set we began to have problems.  The machine would soft limit out when it was a mile away from the setting,  We didn't mess with it and set them as they are now.  That is, well off the table.

     

85

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 13, 2014, 05:40:38 PM »

I believe this is it.

86

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 13, 2014, 04:07:05 PM »

Thanks again

I set out to run the machine again today and discovered the machine coordinates are reading zero.  That is 2.5, 45, and 6 inches from the home switches/machine zero.   I homed X and sent Y home.  I stopped Y to do another task.  I then sent Y home and Mach went to E-Stop because of soft limits.  When I mouse click the Mach reset the Y DRO changes with each click of the reset.  The machine Y coordinate changes the same amount at .001" per click.  The software for whatever reason is resting the machine zero.  Any idea why.  Improper setting or a bug?   

87

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 13, 2014, 12:49:44 AM »

Hood,

A heartfelt thanks from across the Pond.  It is a pleasure chatting with someone who gets it.  You may have forgotten that you helped resolve some issues with our plasma table early last year.  Your observations were spot-on.

I am hoping your suggestion of noise is the answer.  I dry ran the table surface code from the last crash forward without a hitch, that is, one hour or double the time between crashes.   I will run it again time permitting.

Absent in the run are the following:

1) Table Vacuum

2) Router motor and its VFD

3) Shop vac dust extraction.

Remember that we ran 4 1/2 hours while carving without a hitch.  The only wild card is the shop vac.  The shop vac was introduced for the table/spoiler operation.  Do you think  static from the vac tube/hose could cause the crash?

88

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 12, 2014, 07:59:04 PM »

When I went to the machine I did not pay any attention to the DRO when I attempted to jog towards home before starting the homing process.  In jog the DROs read as described above 0 and 2 1/2 inches.  I was immediately on the soft limits.  That makes the limits off by about 48 inches.  Somebody could have zeroed the DROs  after the crash.

However, the machine coordinates are off by about the same distance.  The machine can't be zeroed in the field or at least nobody around the machine has knowledge or opportunity to make that change.  It appears that the machine coordinates set to zero at or about the same location of the crash. That could explain why the machine stops on X as it believes it is at the limit.  That would also explain why machine Z is off.  Machine Z is off by 1 1/2  inches.  That means machine Z sets to something other than zero.   

89

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 12, 2014, 06:39:14 PM »

The machine last crashed at about X 45" and 50"

The machine machine position of at approximately X0 and Y0

The DROs are approximately X0 and Y 2.500

Its approximate because I jogged back to the crash site after the attempt to jog home failed.  X and Y are up against the soft limits.  The Y DRO is off by 45" and Y could be off or correct because the operation was a restart with a new Y zero.  However, get this, the skid mark is 2 1/2 inches long.  Remember at the crash X stops and Y/A takes a hike.

I don't recall what Mach was doing during this crash.  On the other I am now biased by the physical evidence and no longer positive Mach was running properly.  I believe on the first one the the G-Code advanced as it should after the crash.

Life was good.  The only thing that was changed prior to the crash was soft limits and CV.  We had change CV several times with no issue.  The soft limits created unexpected results.  That is they were set way over there and the machine would hard stop clear over here.  We did not dwell much on it and set them as they are now.

  

 

      

90

General Mach Discussion / Re: Control crash, CNC router?

« on: February 12, 2014, 05:49:56 PM »

The machine is wired as from the manufacturer.  I assume the shield is to ground or a the machine.  The terminations of the conductors are not shielded.  I assume that the machine worked at some point in history as it shows that it actually touched some material. Mach and the are new to the system and the drivers are new OEM.

I will try the following when the shop closes:

Without any change run the 4 1/2 hour carving, if no crash then>

Run the table surface with no changes, then crash or no crash>

Check all obvious connections and strap the machine to a ground rod.

The ground rod is in place as a manufacturers demand to solve issues with another machine.  It didn't make any difference, but we have a ground rod that reaches the center of earth.