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external e stop request false signal
« on: September 16, 2013, 01:03:25 PM »
Hi all,

I'm having an intermittent problem with false e stops at random occurrences during jobs. 'external e-stop' warning is displayed in mach 3, which I can then reset. It is not due to limits, it's just the external e stop. I'm using a gecko g540 and a smoothstepper. I have the e-stop pin of the gecko (pin 10) connected to a rocker switch on my enclosure, with the second terminal wired directly to my power supply negative. I just use this like an enable switch and I have a separate e stop on the enclosure power input. Would this false e stop come from a false low on pin 10 through noise? It is very sporadic, happened twice today and 3 times about 2 weeks ago, both times it repeats and then for days I have no trouble. I have just set the mach 3 input debounce to 2000 to help deal with noise. Could the 'external e stop requested' come from anything else other than this input? Is it possible to record the input states over time to identify if it is noise on this input? Would a small inline capacitor between my rocker switch and pin 10 work/help? I have run a break in wizard for 4 hours today, with debounce at 0, with no problems. It's so frustrating when problems are not regularly reproducible. When this occurred earlier today, I reset the estop and restarted the job from the line of G code I was on pressing 'start from here', only this started the toolpath from the beginning but from the location the spindle was in....wasted a nice plank of french oak (why couldn't it have been mdf!!!). Is there a way to continue a toolpath from the position of the stall/fault?

Any help with this would be very much appreciated, I'm really tearing my hair out!

Offline Hood

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Re: external e stop request false signal
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2013, 01:54:35 PM »
As you are using the SmoothStepper then the Debounce in Mach has no effect. What you need to do is go into the SmoothSteppers plugin and set some filtering for the E-Stop. Put low numbers in there, try the minimum of 1.43 then go up in steps of 1.43 until the problem stops, however if you have to go much over 10 then you really need to sort the noise issue.
Hood
Re: external e stop request false signal
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2013, 02:22:14 PM »
Thanks for the quick reply hood, I didn't realise the mach debounce was redundant with smoothstepper. I will use the ESS e stop filter and see if it has an effect, with the rarity of the problem it may be weeks until I see another problem. I am confused how there could be any noise on this input, would an e stop request warning message be for anything other than a change in state of the estop input?  I think this input has an internal pull up resistor and is pulled down by connection to negative ground, I'm struggling to see how this could be noise issue where the state is maintained by a connection to ground.   

Offline Hood

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Re: external e stop request false signal
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2013, 02:32:55 PM »
The message stating its E-Stop might actually be caused by other issues that will make Mach call an E-Stop, so it doesnt necessarily have to be the actual E-Stop input that is at fault.
It could also be the watchdog timer in Mach, but if it is that then you should also see a message in the error window stating such.
Hood
Re: external e stop request false signal
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2013, 02:43:00 PM »
No watchdog timer limit, just the external estop. Is there a diagnostic recorder for input states....the mach 3 history only records 'external e stop request'. Anyone have any diagnostic tips for isolating the false trigger?
Re: external e stop request false signal
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2013, 06:26:03 PM »
Can anyone tell me within mach, what will trigger a stall and 'external e stop requested' to be displayed. I don't think it's the watchdog timer as this creates a separate warning window. Surely there can only be a limited number of inputs that mach is monitoring that will result in this error.

Offline Hood

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Re: external e stop request false signal
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2013, 01:03:19 PM »
Only ones I can think of would be E-Stop and Limits.
Hood