Shopbot goes crazy

[toy1]

Hope someone has an answer, I was cutting a profile on a 4*8 sheet of plywood I have a 48 by 96 bot. As I was running on the x Axis I went down to the end and started on the y cut as I got to the end of the y cut I was at -24.1 and I hit a limit switch. the message said to Quit or resume and I hit resume. The next thing that happened is the x and y started to move and the Z axis buried itself into the table I hit the panic and stopped the machine. I read the Z axis and it said -55.XXX well I replace the cutter went back to the drawing and reviewed the tool paths and it all checked out I used the shopbot editor and looked for some large z move and none were found. I went back to the setup and Zeroed XYZ. I shifter the Y axis by -1 so i would not hit the limit. This time I hit the limit switch at the end of the X axis, hit resume and it did it again just broke the cutter this time. the next pass I moved x by .1 and this time ran it again it worked fine did not hit any limit and it cut out the profile to spec so it looks like when I hit the limit switch it introduced some type of error. I am running the latest software 6.32 and drawing done in Aspire.
I do not know if this is related but when I setup z using the zero plate it did not run properly, it did the first plung hit the plate and retracted back up it next did the second plung and hit the plate and got an error message and the z zero failed and the z axis showed -1.00.I zeroed it by eye with a .001 feeler gauge.

I have no idea what is going on, any help would be appreciated

[meatbal80]

I have had that same problem with the limit hit and then a plunge torwards China. I then also had the problem with the z-zero plate. What i found was that the cord on the plate or the clip cant remember had a nick in it ( i think from one of the berings on the Z axis). I fixed the nick and have been fine since. I am still very carfull to stay away from the limit switches.

You also might want to check all of your ground connections.

[toy1]

Thanks for the insight, a week ago I had an issue with the reset not resetting and I checked all of the wiring and found a loose wire tightened it up and it has worked fine until now, I will get back into the control box and check all of the wires, what I do not understand with the zero plate it does the first plung fine and it come down and does the second plung and hits the plate fine and then the error comes on. I have no idea on the limit swith problem something in the code has to be telling it what to do and it is not in my code I checked, so it has to be a shopbot issue? This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed by Shopbot.

[ken_rychlik]

Carl.

Version 3.6.32 does have some known bugs in it, and I'm not sure why shopbot put it out there anyway. The issues were mainly the z not stopping when you realeased the keyboard in keypad mode though.

Did you update the firmware with the new software? If not that is probably your trouble. Basically the pc and the controller are not communicating properly.

Feel free to contact me by email. I enjoy helping figure them out.

Shopbot tech support will call you back on the weekends if you leave a message also.

I just don't like that they push you to upgrade to the latest software and they know it has bugs in it.

[toy1]

hi ken

I would have assumed that when I downloaded the latest software that any firm ware update would have come along with it? I do not remember ever having to update firmware on the Bot? In fact I do not see any link telling you to do this?
Let me know where I can find the firmware update, and I will do it right away!

thanks Ken

[ken_rychlik]

This should help.

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12153&highlight=updating+firmware

Erminio explained it pretty well.

if you don't see the progress bars after cycling the controller off and back on, it didn't happen. even though it says it did:rolleyes:

[zeykr]

Utilities Install firmware (UI) from the shopbot sb3 software.

Should always do a firmware update when you change versions of SB3.

Edit: Kenneth is faster!

[frank134]

also make sure shobot is in preview mode NOT MOVE/CUT MODE. Before doing the update.

[toy1]

Thanks everyone I recall talking to tech service and they told me that you did not have to update firware all the time this goes back at least 2 years, however I will made it a point to do so. My major issue is my shop area is far from the house and it is difficult to get WIFI that far away from the wireless source, do I have any otherway to update? I will get to the bottom of this.

[jerry_stanek]

The firmware is in the shopbot control software under utilities. so you don't need wifi to upgrade the firmware. U I is the keystrokes to get there.

[toy1]

Hi All
I was able to down load the latest firmware it now states firware version 162. So I assume that is the latest, I went back to try z zero routine and it still does the same it does the first plunge fine, senses the plate retracts back up then it startes the second plunge goes down hits the plate and I get a z zero failed and z zero is set to-1.0 and the tool is resting on the plate. I went into the control box and checked all of the connections and it seems fine.

Does anyone have this problem or is it something in 6.32, how do i go back to the revision before this?

Thanks in advance.

[myxpykalix]

lets start with the dumb questions:
When Zzeroing did you clip the alligator clip to your bit?

Can you take your plate and touch the bit and see the light on the console light up?

[toy1]

Hi Jack

I attach the clip to the cutter, I know it is making contact it does the first plunge fine it hit the plate and retracts I can follow the code on the screen, it start the 2nd plunge and hit the plate and it states z zero failed, so something is happening on the 2nd contact of the plate, I will go back out to the shop later and see if the lights come on.

[ken_rychlik]

If you send me your email address, I will send you a working file for zeroing the bit.

I do remember running into this on my machine once and I re-used an older version of the zero routine.

As Jack said, make sure the light comes on when the bit hits the plate, but considering it goes up on the first contact, I think it must be.

[myxpykalix]

just a thought...check your unit values (VU) maybe something is off? See pics

[toy1]

hi Jack

Are unit values you show on screen for a PRS alpha? my unit values are different, I have never changed them from the orginal set up, I will have to get my maunal out and check!

[Gary Campbell]

Carl...
You might want to try and reload the default settings for your machine. From the console, [U] [R] and follow the prompts. Select the settings for your model of machine,

[toy1]

Hi Gary

I will try tomorrow, I do not know what is going on I will go back to the basis if that does not work I will call Shopbot for help.
I have been running for 3 years now and have not had these type of issues.

thanks

[ken_rychlik]

Carl,

I sent you a fresh copy of the zzero file.

One other thing I wanted to tell you, is that when I had mine was giving me that trouble the C3 command to zero the x and y with the proxy switches was also messed up, so be carefull with that also.

[myxpykalix]

my values are for a prt alpha, i should have mentioned that. Best thing to do would be to put in a call to SB to make sure you get the right info.

[toy1]

Just a follow up and thanks to everyone for all of their inputs, Kenneth sent me an older version of Z Zero and it worked fine, I am going back to 6.18, that is were I was before everything started to go bad with the latest software. I have learned a leason on upgrading to fast! I have read all of the change notes prior to installation but other things must have happened to 6.32 because it just does not run right.

Thanks again