Cant get emergency stop to work

[logical@gmi.net]

I just purchased a shopbot and have it running. I am in the playing around mode right now to find out what I need to do to get things working.

Here's one problem so far. I can't get the dang emergency stop button to work. I have connected the green wire to the ground on the input block and the black wire to the number 4 hole on the input block. I get nothing.

I have tried the other wires with mixed results. What am I missing. It would be nice to be able to carry the box with me when I am working around the table or on other stuff while the machine is running.

BTW, so far, so good. I feel like such a neophyte though.

Wes

[cncrouting@attbi.com]

Have you grounded the control box? Quck note in the assembly manual that if you haven't it could affect the inputs.

Q2, have any other accessories? They share ground, so you would know that the ground terminal isn't the problem.

Q3, have you disconnected, reconnected?

Q4, is it possible you clipped the wire when you stripped it?

Don't mean to sound like an imbecile, but the damndest things cause problems.....

Best of luck,

Neil

[ron_cleaver]

Wes,

I had a similar problem. It turned out to be the blue plastic input block on the control board. ShopBot sent me two new ones at no charge.

[grant@shopbottools.com]

Wes, why don't you give us a ring, I'd be more than happy to help you out. It sounds like you're doing it correctly, I suppose there is a chance you got a faulty switch. It would be the second one I know of, but it's still a possibility. You can call us toll free 1-888-680-4466.

Grant

[logical@gmi.net]

After talking with Frank at Shopbot I went out to the machine and took off the cover of the switch and rotated it 180 degrees. It works now. Thanks all.

[gerald_d]

This sounds crazy - that an energency switch cover can be assembled so that it doesn't work. Does that mean that some of our switches won't work when we have an emergency? We may have taken off the covers at some time and not put them back on correctlty. Surely an emergency switch has a "mistake-proof" assembly procedure?

[grant@shopbottools.com]

Gerald, what Frank helped Wes fix was a manufacturing error by the company we source the switches from. Our customers do not actually assemble the switches, but in this case a little reassembly was necessary to fix the problem. It is not common, but it has happened once or twice. We expect our customers to test their safety equipment, just like all of the other equipment we sell them before they rely on it. The "mistake proof" procedure you are referring to is simply to hit it once or twice and be sure it actually stops the tool before you assume it does.

Grant

[gerald_d]

Thanks for that info Grant. I am forever involved with safety issues on equipment that we export to Europe and in a case like this we would have to issue a service bulletin or do a recall of the product. The do-it-yourself nature of the ShopBot shifts the responsibility on to the client/assembler . . . . ?

[logical@gmi.net]

Yes, the switch cover can be assembled so that it doesn't work. While the box is square, the inside plunger is offset by about 1/8th or so. There are two ways that the box can be reassembled, but only one works! At least that's how it is on mine.

Wes

[gerald_d]

Not believing that a manufacturer of e-stops would design a switch in the manner described above, I opened our one today to take a look. There is a plastic protrusion on one corner of the housing that has to mate with a hole on one corner of the cover. Incorrect orientation is only possible if the parts are damaged. The design (and overall quality) appears to be completely good (industry standard). An inexperienced installer could use the screws to "force" the cover down onto the housing - but it should have been visible that the cover was not sitting properly. Wes, shall we guess that it was late at night in a dark workshop and you were in a hurry to get the new baby to run?

[bruno]

Glitches and stuff not in the book ...
Anyone else running into this stuff?
***Tool runs a file fine for days then suddendly stops recognizing a command like SO,1,0? It seems to be related to a series of over tight moves?
***VI ,,,,,,4,3 requires a space aftger the command when used in a file?
***The z jog (VH,1) dosent work with z and acc. axis swapped?
***With "VH,1" (z axis jog engaged) and "VN,0 (switch 3 set normal) shopbott fails to recognize inputs from that switch 3?
***Currently my version 237 is failing with "ON INPUT" commands.

Anyone else up against this stuff?
Bruno

[gkling]

Bill,
Contact shopbot, I had similar problem when I upgraded to version 237. It is indeed linked to tight curves. Shopbot has an easy fix and can email it to you quickly. Hope this helps
Jerry

[logical@gmi.net]

No Gerald, my shopbot safety switch came assembled. I was only in charge of putting the wires in the blue blocks, which I did correctly. The switch that I have fits perfectly together either way excepting the fact that only one way works. It came in the non-working way! I checked and re-checked with my Fluke then I looked at the actual switching mechanism under the big red button and it was oriented in such a way that it would not touch the contacts below.
By the way, Things often come messed up. My new bot came with a hole mis-drilled in each of the x-cars. I couldn't mount the motors unless I removed the stop bolts. Turns out that Shopbot mis-drilled 50 sets of these and I was the first one to get one. Which proves that things can come out of the box in a non-working fashion.

I welded the head of the bolt to the inside of the x-car then cut of the remaining bolt from the other side so that the motor's pinion could finally engage the rack. Look at yours. The hole for the stop bolts is at 14" mine was drilled at 11".

The folks at Shopbot were very accomodating through this little ordeal and I am happy with my decision to purchase the bot. Looks like I will make quite a bit of money off of it.

Best regards,
Wes