Limit switch tripped and y axis inverted

[Mikebpeters]

After reinstalling windows to get a clean pc to run my shopbot on, and after reinstalling the shopbot control software the system belives that a limit switch is tripped. I can move the machine around but can’t seem to reset the limit switch nor even figure out which one it thinks is tripped. Any ideas.

Also, after reinstalling the software the y axis is now moving backwards. Is there a software switch I can toggle to put it back. I can’t find one but there must be way

Thanks

[Mikebpeters]

i Accidentally discovered that everything is inverted. I purposely ran the gantry onto the limit switch and then it thought it wasn’t tripped. Not sure what that means but clearly these two issues are linked

[coryatjohn]

I'm no expert but if you want a quick answer, it appears that there are two setups for the limits. Normally open and normally closed. It's something in the SB software you can change to make it match your machine. Typically, (this is from memory, not knowledge) you can make a choice when you install the SB software that will select the right base settings. You probably took the wrong option.

If you have the time, just search through the SB software settings, find where the limit switches are setup and switch from whatever it is now to the "other" setting. Should take care of it.

[tomhartnett]

Take a look in the Values->Input/Output Switch Modes settings, inputs #2 and #3 are associated with limits, if set to Nrm Closed change to Nrm Open. if you have a PRT then only input 3 is used normally

-Tom

[Mikebpeters]

Thanks gents. I found this setting and I have tried it in each setting but regardless of what I select it claims that the switch is tripped. I have jogged the table and watch the limit switches activate and deactivate at the switch but the control software doesn’t see that. When I actually jog the table onto its stop the machine is happy. I have played with the settings here too to no avail. Plus. No matter what I do the table still runs backward

[bill.young]

Mike,

I'm thinking that John is on the right track...that the wrong settings file got installed. Try typing UR at the command line, or select Utilities and then Reset from the menu, and follow the prompts. Eventually you'll be able to select the kind of tool you have...double check that you select the right one.

Bill

[Mikebpeters]

Mike,

I'm thinking that John is on the right track...that the wrong settings file got installed. Try typing UR at the command line, or select Utilities and then Reset from the menu, and follow the prompts. Eventually you'll be able to select the kind of tool you have...double check that you select the right one.

Bill
I too suspect it is something like this too and got excited when I found a PRS file installed when it should have been PRT. I reinstalled it and it unfortunately continued just as before

[coryatjohn]

Now that you have the right file installed, try doing what was suggested by Tom...

Values->Input/Output Switch Modes

[Mikebpeters]

Now that you have the right file installed, try doing what was suggested by Tom...

Values->Input/Output Switch Modes

Yeah :) that’s the first thing I tried but no luck

[Mikebpeters]

Yeah :) that’s the first thing I tried but no luck

While the limit switches are certainly involved, something is inverting all signals and I think that is why the switches are backwards

[bill.young]

Hey Mike,

Just to make sure we're all on the same page, this is a regular PRT gantry tool and not one of the PRT Benchtop units? And nothing has been modified... just a new computer and software install?

[tomhartnett]

I'd also wonder what type of limit switches do you have? Are they the black plastic ones or the barrel style? For a PRT it would likely be the black plastic switches - we would then want to see if they are functional. They'll have a red LED that should trigger when a conductive piece of metal is passed over the switch sensor.
Finally we would check where the switch wires, normally they will have a 3 wire cable with a ground (green), +5v wire (red), and an input wire (black). Ground goes to GND/Ground, red to +5 and the input normally would go to input 3 for both.

where do yours wire and do they operate normally? that will help determine what the VN settings should be

-Tom

[tlempicke]

Also what voltage are they? There are both 5 volt and 12 volt switches out there. On my board there are two blocks of screw down connectors. One of them has a 5 volt output at its end position the other has a 12 volt output. It turned out that my limit switches needed to be connected to the 12 volt output to work.
One problem I have found with my machine is that over time Shopbot has changed how things are wired up and the printing on the mainboard was never changed. I (for instance) did not realize that they no longer use the solder in position on the board for the current setting resistors on the Gecko drives. Instead they just put the resistor in the connector block of the drive. This caused me to really heat up one of my motors because the absence of a resistor in this position makes the drive go to full output.

[Mikebpeters]

This is the tail end of the benchtops, that shortly after became the buddy line (apparently with little change from what I have)

The limit switches are the magnetic sort and test appropriately with a magnet (light goes out when a magnet is near)

the part that really has me scratching my head is that it worked before I updated windows and reinstalled the control software.

I just tried a second laptop to see if that might be an issue but found exactly the same things going on (limit switches tripped, x and y reversed)

I am wondering if there might be another version of the software I should be using, but so far I have not been able to find it.

As to the wiring, one of my limit switches is wired to input 2 and the other to input 3. I can try them both on 3 and see what happens for sure!

[bill.young]

I don't mean to be "that guy" by asking this, but are you sure that you're selecting the correct settings file when you install the software? I have one of those PRT Benchtop and the setup is different than the gantry tools?

[Mikebpeters]

I'm happy to say that all is now well. I had tried all the tips and suggestions here and also been on the phone with tech support twice. I called tech support again last night with some new thoughts and I was up and running in about 3 minutes. The irony is that we didn't do anything that I hadn't already tried many times before. Oh well, all is now well!

Thank you all for your help in working through this!

[bill.young]

The suspense is killing us! What ended up solving the problem?

[Mikebpeters]

The resolution was swapping the settings for input 2 and 3 for the limit switches and inverting the value for the y axis. The frustrating part was that we tried those limit switch choices many times before and it didn’t work. In the meantime I’ve updated my computer to a newer model that meets shopbot’s Recommended capabilities to remove future problems