File stopped in the middle, will not move tool to finish project

[kfitzgerald@graphicmetalsinc.com]

Our Shopbot stopped running a file (v-carving) right in the middle of the file. It gave an error message for the last line. I checked the file and could not see a problem. Tried running the file again, but the tool refused to move. So, I deleted the toolpath in Part Wizard and created a new lettering toolpath and sbp file that had just the words that the first file left out when it stopped. The new file could not persuade the tool to move either.

I ran several other files to see if they would move the tool. No problem. I again deleted the lettering toolpath in PW and created a new one and created a new sbp file. Actually I did this several times. Same result each time; tool does not move and I get "error on line X" where x is the last line of the file.

Has anybody else seen this problem?

Regards,

Kevin Fitz-Gerald
Project Manager

Graphic Metals, Inc.
P.O. Box 31
715 East Perry Street
Bryan, OH 43506
Voice 419-636-5757
Fax 419-636-6404

CNC laser cutting up to 14 ga steel
CNC routing wood and plastic

[gerald_d]

Kevin, just quickly off the top of my head:

1. Because of the loading in blocks of data, error on line x does not mean error on line x. Confusing? sure! But just accept that the error message line no. does not always (seldom) correspond to the real line number where the problem is.

2. The first thing that I can recall causing this "stubborn" problem is a circle command that has a HUGE radius (in effect a straight line). We sometimes get client dxf's that have these huge diameters (a couple of miles) and when these hang up in the middle of cutting, we go and search for the arcs and change them to straight lines. This is how we know that the line numbers give a false indication.

[gerald_d]

What did you use to make your cutting file? (Vcarvz or other?)

Does your file run okay in Preview mode?

Does your cutting file contain circle commands or only short straight lines?

I remember Bill Young saying that the SB will not execute a "helix" ie, a circle that is not at a constant z.

Can you mail me your .sbp file?

[graphicmetals]

***What did you use to make your cutting file? (Vcarvz or other?)***
Part Wizard

***Does your file run okay in Preview mode?***
Yes

***Does your cutting file contain circle commands or only short straight lines?***
It is lettering = Lines & Arcs?

***Can you mail me your .sbp file?***
Will do

[gerald_d]

The reason I asked those questions is that we use VCarvz and have never had a hang-up problem with it. The output from Vcarvz is thousands of tiny straight line segments only - no arcs. Looks like you have a PW problem and should have posted this in the PW section of the Forum. The PW section seems to be very closely monitored (e-mail notification turned on) and normally gets a quick official response from Sallye.

Will look at your mailed file.

[gerald_d]

Kevin, I am back at the shop this morning and have run your file through our ShopBot - it runs fine. So it is not a PW problem - that's why I came back here to talk about it further.

Have you got a faulty stiffy disk? Or a dirty stiffy reader in your workshop computer? Did you preview on the same PC that is controlling your SB?

[graphicmetals]

Hmmmmm....

What is a stiffy disk? Is that South African lingo for a hard disk? I think the computer is OK.

I previewed it on both the computer that runs our 'bot, and my office computer. Both previewed fine. The tool does move with other programs, just not this one. I have re-created the file several times too. Have created new tool paths. Have given the file different names.

....ready to tear (what's left of) my hair out.

[gerald_d]

Drive A: would be the stiffy for those of us who don't have their PC's linked on a network.

I don't know the size of your SB: That file wants to cut from about 30" to 55" in the x-direction - Is your table big enough? Do other files cut up to 55" big?

For anyone else that could help, here are the first few lines, and last few lines of his .sbp file (1200 lines in total):

MS,1.0,1.0
JZ,0.500
J2,0.000,0.000
J3,53.942,8.920,0.500
M3,53.942,8.920,-0.012
M3,53.942,8.920,-0.010
M3,53.982,8.970,-0.052
M3,54.014,9.019,-0.088
M3,54.038,9.064,-0.115
M3,54.043,9.072,-0.119
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
M3,34.762,11.369,-0.019
M3,34.762,11.369,-0.020
M3,34.762,11.369,-0.019
M3,34.900,11.295,-0.157
M3,34.903,11.294,-0.160
M3,34.753,11.144,-0.010
M3,34.753,11.144,-0.012
J3,34.753,11.144,0.500
J3,0.000,0.000,0.500
JZ,0.500
J2,0.000,0.000

[gerald_d]

Kevin, I didn't realise that "stiffy disk" was used mostly in South Africa only, until I googled it and found most links pointing back here.

Copied from the www with my comments added in blue:

History of the Floppy Disk Drive:
The floppy disk drive (FDD) was invented at IBM by Alan Shugart in 1967. The first floppy drives used an 8-inch disk (later called a "diskette" as it got smaller), which evolved into the 5.25-inch disk that was used on the first IBM Personal Computer in August 1981. The 5.25-inch disk held 360 kilobytes compared to the 1.44 megabyte capacity of today's 3.5-inch diskette (stiffy).
The 5.25-inch disks were dubbed "floppy" because the diskette packaging was a very flexible plastic envelope, unlike the rigid case used to hold today's 3.5-inch diskettes (which we logically called a "stiffy").

By the mid-1980s, the improved designs of the read/write heads, along with improvements in the magnetic recording media, led to the less-flexible (stiffy!), 3.5-inch, 1.44-megabyte (MB) capacity FDD in use today.

The 3 different disk memory media formats are very simply called Floppy, Stiffy & Hard - simple ain't it? What other words am I using that make no sense to you guys?

[graphicmetals]

To all:

The puzzle is beginning to come together.

The ShopBot computer has version 2.37m. Just tried it in Preview mode. It gives an error on the last line. Remove the last line, and it gives an error on the last line again, etc.

I have version 2.33m on my office computer and it previews fine. The problem must be in the ShopBot software version 2.37m. I will install 2.29 or 2.33 and try again.

-Kevin

[gerald_d]

Kevin, I tried to explain to you that the "error on the last line" is a meaningless red herring.

Are you now retracting your earlier statement: "I previewed it on both the computer that runs our 'bot, and my office computer. Both previewed fine."???

Also, you said right at the top: "Our Shopbot stopped running a file (v-carving) right in the middle of the file. " Now it seems that your SB does not move at all???

[graphicmetals]

Gerald,

Your explanation was understood. My point was that there is something obviously wrong with the software because no matter what you did to get rid of the offending line, it found a new one. Just confirming your post actually.

Yes, I am retracting (correcting) my statement about previewing on the Shopbot computer. I thought I did, but I guess I was wrong. First mistake this week ;-)

It stopped in the middle (half the words carved) of the original file. I created a new file that has just the words/letters that were left out from the original. It will not run that one at all.

Can I muddle anything else while I'm at it?

-Kevin

[gerald_d]

Kevin, it is after 5pm on a Friday afternoon here and I am fast slipping into weekend mode . . . . .

I am going to walk away from your problem for a while and really hope that some of the other lurkers get involved here. Good luck to all of you.

A last thought - have you paid your fees to the union of shopbots? Maybe your one is on strike?

[graphicmetals]

To Gerald, Frank, Brian:

It works! I 'downgraded' to v2.33 and all is well. Frank reports a bug in 2.37 that manifested itself with this particular file.

Thanks to all who got involved. Have a good weekend all...I'm outta here...

-Kevin