Replacing board on a PRS

[dubliner]

Looks like I'm going to have to change out the board on my brand spanking new PRS, is that a b%$#@ or what!, Is it difficult? First move, it ran to the end of table & is locked in the X & Y, grrrr!

[Towersonline]

Neville, The PRS can take running aginst the stops quite well. I have first hand knowledge on this...

Try this, turn every thing off then slowly push the gantry to the table center, then do the same with the y car. Now turn everything back on. Lets try moving the machine slowly in one direction. Enter the following commands...
MS 1 hit enter
Z2 hit enter
MX 1 hit enter
MY 1 hit enter
The x should have moved 1 inch
The y should have moved 1 inch
The x any y zero points are now at the table center
now enter MH hit enter and both x and y should return to zero. This is some basic stuff. When I complete assembly of a machine this is how I do it. If this step works then I know I can safely move on to bigger and better things.

If you want to try it, change the ones to ten. The machine should move exactly 10 inches.

Let me know how it works.

[dubliner]

Bill, I will try that, but just to clarify. When I used to keyboard to move I could only go one direction in X & Y( I guess thats two}, towards the end of the table or 120,60. It would not move away from the stops at all & come back to home.

[harryball]

I had something similar happen to me early on. When in keyboard mode I could only move the X axis, Y would not move. The machine worked with move and jog commands... I shut all the power off, rebooted, poked inside the control box looking for anything loose... powered up, reloaded the firmware and it worked... never happened again. Since I was new to the bot I figured it just didn't understand that I wanted a full range of movement. May your problem resolve so easily.

Bat Fest is getting close, please have it fixed by the time we arrive... since sales are going to be so brisk I may need to run some production. ;-)

Robert

[Towersonline]

Neville, I have a better feel now as to what might be going on. When I first started up my PRS all sorts of stuff was going on. There were two things that I did to get it working as it should. First I downloaded the latest SB3 software from the ShopBot web site and installed it. Second I ran the utility to update the firmware in the controll box. Its all the problems went away. I only wish I had tried it sooner.

[henrik_o]

Neville,

Like Bill, it was the wild west when we first tried it out, and then it refused to even connect to the computer. All of this was solved* by a quick phonecall to shopbot, loading the correct firmware, and voila -- time in total perhaps 2 minutes.

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*) Actually, we had more problems, but this was related to wiring the EBM 3314 fan on our 5hp Colombo to the 24V DC supply in the ctrl box. It should work, but for some reason it did not and caused a couple of nasty crashes. After we gave the fan its own power supply all the problems went away. We also found out the electrician had done some non-standard wiring and had him correct it, though this likely was not involved in any of the unexpected behaviour.

[dubliner]

Henrik, fortunately for me I live in the southWEST, but it didnt help - I still have to replace the board RATS! I see you're off to a great start with the machine - great work. I'll have to check out that SW you mention.

[pete]

Neville - did you get your issue resolved about the X & Y movement in one direction only? Pete

[dubliner]

Update - it turned out that one of the dip switch settings on each of the drivers was set wrong upon arrival, in case anyone else has this problem - all the dip switches should be set to the left
( switches are to right of motor cable socket )She's up & running just fine now. neville

8845

[henrik_o]

Neville, that's great to hear.

Now you have to tell me where you got those absolutely lovely cable runner tracks!

Funny story, yesterday I had a visit from one of the foremen at the biggest woodworking shop (more of a factory) in town, he did his gesellschaft work with us, and I showed him the 'bot. He was kinda, oh well, that's like ... nice. Which I can understand. They have awesome equipment, their main cnc is a five axis behemoth whose table is around 3x5 meters.

Then I showed him some of the play stuff I've been doing, and his jaw dropped. It just dropped. They have this completely awesome machine, and I mean it's truly a monster. But they don't have anyone who really, really, knows it -- no one who takes an interest in it and ... uhm, I guess the word I'm looking for is ... loves it.

To make a long story short, I immediately got an order for a job worth approx. $36,000.

Yeah, you read that right. I just got a $27,000 shopbot system, I've been up and running for less than ten days. They have a ~$500,000 machine (at the very least) and have had it for several years. And by showing some test parts, just play stuff, they outsource to me, how about that?

What it all comes down to, I think, is that the Shopbot brand is all about putting the human in the driver's seat. A monster machine is nice and all, but it ain't no better than the human driving it, and there simply is nothing like the dedicated and welcoming community we enjoy. I'm just taking baby steps, but compared to most local cnc operators I'm a freaking giant even just now.

Ok, time to tone down the hubris, but anyway, things are going well for me, as I'm sure they'll be going for you, Neville, and a big cheer goes out to the whole merry Band of 'Botters.

[dubliner]

That is awesome Henrik, I can tell you will make some truly beautiful things. Thanks for your & others encouragement through the teething troubles. I look to all of you as a source for design inspiration and when needed, downright theft :-). As for the chain, I got it from McMaster - Carr, but its a German product Igus. Pubcrawler plays tonight for the first time in a month so I will hoist a pint to you all - thanks Neville

[harryball]

That's great to hear. I also wish we were going to be in Austin when Pubcrawler was playing, but if I remember you don't have anything during the week we are there.

Robert