Inconsistant Z position.

[nat_wheatley]

The last 2 days, toward the end of the day, the position of my Z axis starts to get inaccurate. I'll type in move commands and it will only move a fraction of the distance, but the display indicates that it has moved the full distance. I also notice at times that it's not cutting at full depth, yet it says it is. Both days, I rebooted my computer which fixed it, but I just as soon avoid it all together.

The program that I'm creating my toolpaths with, which is generally running at the same time as the control software, does seem to bog down the computer, which may or may not be contributing.

[Gary Campbell]

Nat...
You should close out, not minimise, any other software while trying to cut with the SB3 software. Any application that attempts to get processing time may cause SB3 to lose steps. No dongles, no USB thumb drive. SB3 needs complete control to insure accurate communication with the control board.

Another cause of lost position is grounding. Look here for some ideas: http://shopbotwiki.com/index.php?title=Grounding_your_ShopBot
Gary