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View Full Version : Lifespan of an old SB control board? -or its drivers?



dhunt
02-23-2012, 09:29 AM
Recently we've been seeing Z-depth errors beyond normal
i.e. machine instructed via Numeric code to cut passes at -0.22 and -0.44
yet machine is cutting -0.363 instead of -0.22, etc.

and despite all investigations and corrections we are thinking that something might be 'breaking down' on the SB motherboard in the control box?
Mind you it's "only" 11 yrs. old, and has suffered its share of shocks and abuse here in the tropics
(despite living in an air-conditioned environment most of the working time)

To give you some idea of ambient temps. here, when everything's turned off and we're not here..
it NEVER get below 68-70 degrees or so, on Jan. nights
with highs possibly to 90-95 F. in late Aug-Sept.

We had an incident last year in May where the SB computer and control box somehow were left ON for (we think) two weeks straight :eek:
and when this operator was brought in to correct and rehab the whole situation
the closed room the SB Control Box lives in ..was a toasty 90 degrees Farenheit
and was probably at that ambient temp. for the whole time!

That incident (at year 10 in its life) surely had some deteriorating effect on it.


Could it be just the Z driver on the board? and not the whole board?

We are experiencing no errors in X and Y.


Precisely What Board you ask: our PRT-96 was made very late in Yr.2000
spent most of Jan 2001 intransit to Miami and then on the ocean sailing down to us in the Caribbean
where we assembled it late Feb. 2001 and started working it early March 2001.

We are presently running SB Control software 3.4.27, recently re-installed.
Windows OS Mini-XP.


I should mention that we have recently found that if we turn everything Off, restart the computer
turn the Control Box back on after maybe 3-5 mins. of rest
it'll cut OK, to depths provided as per numeric code.
This restart/cooling-off period seems to correct the way-too-deep Z-cuts

What gives?

Brady Watson
02-23-2012, 03:07 PM
The Z driver could be getting tired. You can try plugging the Z into the Accessory driver and set it up in software to assign channel 4 to the Z and channel 3 to the A. This should tell you if there is a problem with the Z driver or not.

-B

dhunt
02-23-2012, 07:52 PM
The Z driver could be getting tired.
You can try plugging the Z into the Accessory driver and set it up in software to assign channel 4 to the Z and channel 3 to the A.
This should tell you if there is a problem with the Z driver or not.
OK! Thanks for that switching suggestion: didn't think of that!

Was considering swapping out/pulling the existing Z driver and replace it with a spare we have
but switching channels might be easier than pulling the driver and messing with thermal grease to re-seat it, etc.

Mind you, today it behaved beautifully, cutting to Z-depth more accurately than it ever has. Go figure.


Maybe it sensed I was plotting something.. :cool:
.