move and jog erratic after upgrading software need help

[Marc F. Lupien]

My desktop is moving and jogging in a very strange (uneven) fashion - the only thing I can think of is the software...

I haven't been using the CNC for a few months but back in April, i downloaded and installed shopbot control software 3.8.4 - they say it was a major upgrade. I updated my computer but since I was non connected to the CNC, I did not run it.

Today, I run the software and went through the control box firmware upgrade and all that. When I tried a few Move and Jog it moved very strangely, uneven and Noisy - someting's wrong. I went to the shopbot website and found the 3.8.6 update, so I tried it... more of the same.

The weird thing is : it moves fine with the [SK] dialog (from the keyboard) but move and jog are not working right.

I uninstalled everything and reinstalled all, same behaviour.

Anyone got any idea ?

[Bob Eustace]

Try 3.8.6 Marc and it will probably come back to life.

[jerry_stanek]

And remember to update the firmware again.

[Marc F. Lupien]

Thank you Bob and Jerry,

But I already upgraded to 3.8.6 and reloaded the firmware just incase. I am french canadian so my message might not have been so clear...

Today I will try to completely cut power to my CNC to make sure it resets and reload the firmware and retry to see what it will do. I must say I am kind of lost.

[Marc F. Lupien]

For the rest of the community...

I have down graded Shopbot control software to version 3.8.46 (and reloaded the controlbox firmware for that version) and everything is back to normal.

This would rules out CNC problem and almost rules out problem with my computer itself (fairly powerful and stable).

I have brought my problem with the tech support at shopbottools and here is the situation for now: they are aware of controlbox firmware issues with some users and they are working on it. For now I will keep the older software and finish my current project.

They suggested maybe I could try installing the beta 3.8.7, update firmware, then reinstalling 3.8.6 without installing firmware - in other words : using shopbot 3.8.6 with the firmware from the beta 3.8.7 to see what happens.

Thanks you all for your support. The forum contribution is greatly appreciated.

Marc

[MogulTx]

If you haven't used it in months, you COULD have gotten a bad connection on your motors through corrosion, or something. You could also have gotten a power spike that took out a driver. You should also check your power connections in and your ground connections for the machine. I am sure there are a number of other explanations.

I would shut the whole thing down. Check all your connections and maybe even check the connections to the board for the drivers.... see if that clears it up...

Best of luck to you.

MGM

[Marc F. Lupien]

As a follow-up, I just tried the new version 3.8.8. I tought it would solve all my problems....

Of course, I am still having the same problems with erratic movements so I am stuck with using older software.

the [UD] (diagnostic info) information seems to indicate buffer underflow the the erratic-ness seems to increase with move speed.

my problem is still pending with Shopbot support.

Anyone else with a Desktop and version 3.8.8 can tell me how it's working for them ?

[Brady Watson]

Marc,
It could be that something flaky is going on with your USB, so here's where I would start:

Install SB3 v3.6.46. Then load the firmware. Make sure that you have the USB hub (any self-powered USB 2.0 spec hub will work) plugged into the back of your computer, and the USB line from the control box plugged into the hub.

Go ahead and completely exit out of SB3. Then, goto C:\Program Files (x86)\ShopBot\Diagnostics and run the SpeedTest.exe program. Click on 'Find a ShopBot' to locate the proper COM port. Then run the test. You should get a transmission efficiency rating of 70% or better. If you do, go ahead and close that out & run SB3. At some point you'll have to run the UR command to select your Desktop tool from the list in order for it to move the proper distances etc.

Also, make sure that you are ONLY using the USB cable that came with the tool. If you extend the cable (which CAN be done if using the right configuration) things can get goofy.

Just a reminder - the purpose of the PC connected to the control box sole purpose is to be used as a machine controller. It should be void of any extra 'bloatware' that came pre-installed on the PC, and any other software that could compete with the ShopBot. This includes virus scan software, Windows Update and any other program that will persistently look for a network connection whether there is one OR NOT! Programs attempting to update themselves can bog down the system. This is one case where manual updates works best, including Windows Update etc.

Let us know how you make out. You won't be missing anything in v3.8.x in comparison to v3.6.46, so no worries.

-B

[scottp55]

Running a month old Desktop that came with 3.8.4 from factory, running fine except for my mistakes.

[Marc F. Lupien]

Thanks Brady and Scott.

I ran the speed test and my computer scores 74.7% but fails to drive the CNC properly.

I did try on somebody else's laptop and 3.8.8 software works fine with my CNC. That computer only scored 68% at the speed test...

Anyway, I will keep the old software for now but I bet all machines are not created equal.

Thanks again.

Marc