Controller Card Changed! (Tech Support Busy)

[Austin Shafer]

Hello again,
I just changed the controller card and the input issues are fixed so far but my home position is set the exact wrong direction. It was normally in the bottom right of the table but now its on the top right? How can I change it? shopbot tech support is too busy and is supposed to call back.

[Brady Watson]

If you run keypad and the tool moves in a different direction, type in VU. Put a negative sign (-) in front of the axis or axes that are reversed. Then run keypad again & drive it around.

-B

[Austin Shafer]

You're the best Brady! Thanks for replying so fast!

[Brady Watson]

No problem. Glad you got it working.

Let us know how your jagged edges are shaping up...

-B

[Austin Shafer]

Okay so that did get it working but all of the sudden the machine stopped and inputs 1-4 lit up and it exited out of the command console on the computer. When I try to run anything the same issue happens still waiting on shopbot to call me back.

[Austin Shafer]

It only happens when I am running a program. I can manually jog around the table all day without it stopping and I can do the spindle warm up without it stopping but as soon as I run a program it stops within a minute.

[Brady Watson]

Are you 100% sure the control card is completely seated in the board and screwed in from behind? Make sure power is off when you check.

-B

[Austin Shafer]

Just checked and tightened screws a little but they seemed fine to begin with. I will give it another go.

[Austin Shafer]

26102

This time when I just went to move it to 10,10 it stopped and inputs 2-4 lit up and now it wont do a thing also the alligator clip is clipped to the zero plate and input 1 is not lit up.

[Brady Watson]

Call tech support and see what they have to say about it.

How's your computer setup? Have you done the Black Viper 'clean up' to get rid of vampire programs that can mess up SB3?

You're not running your SBP files off of a USB thumb drive or network are you?

-B

[Austin Shafer]

whats the black viper clean up? and I have two computer out here in the shop one that I setup the programs on and one for running the machine and we use dropbox to open files on both but I seen in another thread you told someone about using networks and USB thumbs could cause issues so I manually transferred a file this morning to try and the problem still occurred. Waiting on shopbot to open.

[Brady Watson]

Google Black Viper...

-B

[Austin Shafer]

After opening the black viper website I have no clue where to go. It is like a foreign language to me.

[BrandanS]

Brady,

Could these symptoms also be produced from perhaps a bad COM or ground on the board; either by bad contact or a short? If it is only happening when he is running a program, Input 1 could be throwing Inputs 1-4 where Input 4 would be an E-Stop issue.

Austin, it may be worthwhile investigating your board around your I/O, specifically the Inputs 1-4 set. Look for a loose contact, a strand or debris running across the pins.

I should defer to Brady, as he is a far more experienced Shopbotter than I. It was just a thought.

[Brady Watson]

Brandan,
Anything is possible. I've seen weird things happen in shops that cut aluminum with the bot where AL chips infiltrated the control box and landed on the board shorting things out.

Your best bet is to call support. It's worth the wait.

-B

[Austin Shafer]

I have talked to shopbot and after talking with the owners of our company they have decided to order a new control board. As soon as I touched the contact screws for inputs 2,3 and 4 the 5V light came on and input 1 came on and 4 went out. every time I touched the screw driver to that block the 5V light would flicker or just go on or off. They still want to see if the old one is repairable so we can have an extra in the future. Thanks again you all are very helpful!

[BrandanS]

Austin,

I am glad to hear you have things sorted with ShopBot support. We also all appreciate you posting the solution or what came of your Original Post. It helps those searching for similar issues in the future :D.

[Austin Shafer]

UPDATE FOR EVERYONE!


After talking to shopbot for days and trying/testing all areas we replace the controller card and still did not work then the main board and then the spindle would not turn so after hours on the phone and testing everything we found the only possibility could be the ribbon cable that runs from the board to the controller card, they sent one for free and I installed it this morning with the old card and board and still the spindle would not turn...... Switched back to the new card and board with the new ribbon cable and BOOM!!!! purrs like a kitten. Now going to send the old parts to shopbot to see if they can be repaired. Thanks again to all who helped out on this one!

[Davo]

Did this fix the jagged lines?

[Austin Shafer]

Slowing down the speeds as Brady suggested is what did the trick there and also changing the allowance. When I first got trained on this CNC they were cutting at 3.0 IPS and now I run at around 1 IPS depending on what im cutting.

[Davo]

Just out of curiosity

What pass depths are you making at 1ips?

[Austin Shafer]

0.25 is usually what it is depending on what material.

[Davo]

1/4" bit?

May adjust mine just to see the results

[Austin Shafer]

Yup single flute upcut at around 13000 RPM

[Davo]

I switched over to my straight - 2 flute and actually like the results better vs the up or down cut

I still have some odd spiral bit - not sure it's purpose

I mainly cut 3/4" oak and birch - I wonder how a 1 flute would work on that vs 2

[Brady Watson]

Glad you got sorted. I am sure you are relieved.

As I mentioned earlier, you can increase your MS in these materials by going to a 2-flute spiral-O bit. Single flutes are limited to about 1.5 IPS max in this material...so 1.0 IPS is fine...but slow. Onsrud & Harvey both make good ones. They make a 3-flute one too (onsrud) but it won't provide enough chip clearance for softer plastics like this.

When you get the 2-flute, start at your same speed & RPM and feather in more speed gradually until cut quality diminishes, then back off a little. This will be your new speed for the 2-flute.

Also...you will get better quality on dense plastics upsizing the bit from .25 to .375 diameter. It is stiffer and holds a better edge, although at the cost of kerf width and internal radii.

-B

[Austin Shafer]

I recently tried some double flute bits but when drilling holes the plastic would stick on the bit bad and would not want to come off even with the air hose. It would cause burnt spots around some holes.

[Davo]

I keep reading about compression bits - may be the bit i need to switch to for finish

[Brady Watson]

I recently tried some double flute bits but when drilling holes the plastic would stick on the bit bad and would not want to come off even with the air hose. It would cause burnt spots around some holes.

Avoid drilling. An inside profile with a smaller dia tool with spiral ramp option is the preferred method. This is of importance with plastics and aluminum.

-B

[MogulTx]

^^^^^^ What Brady said... read it. Heed it.

I do a bit of both materials , and learned a fair amount by listening to Brady (especially on the topics of Aluminum and acrylic). You always want to go shallow on each pass and ramp those cuts on aluminum and acrylic. I did a whole bunch of alum just yesterday... 2 flute, 1/4" dia. @~1.2:.35 IPS... I did 8 pieces and have 40 more to go.... (I guess my week's work is set...!) I don't know the Harvey bits, but I have used a lot of Onsrud bits and they work well...

[Austin Shafer]

Avoid drilling. An inside profile with a smaller dia tool with spiral ramp option is the preferred method. This is of importance with plastics and aluminum.

-B

the stuff that we cut here get a lot of drill holes and with the single flute there is no issue until the bit starts to get dull or chipped.

[Brady Watson]

The HDPE is pretty soft. A single flute spiral-O is NOT center cutting & really isn't made for drilling.

The hidden snafu in all of this is, since a single flute spiral-O isn't center cutting, it is compressing the material some until it gets into it enough to shear it. The cost is premature wear on your spindle bearings. Non-ATC HSD spindles are throw aways...so start a spindle kitty. Some will argue the point about drilling with their spindle. I'm the only one here who has ever rebuilt one first hand & don't want to do it again anytime soon; and don't want you to have to replace anything earlier than you have to. This is the reason I say this.

I'm not trying to scare anyone...I try to advise with the best possible known information and methods so that you can at least be informed. A word to the wise is sufficient. At the end of the day - your tools, your rules.

-B

Extra Credit: Try drilling aluminum with a single flute spiral-o and see what happens to the bit in a split second, first plunge...

[Austin Shafer]

Makes a lot of sense... as usual lol well I will order some double flute again soon then. thanks ;-)

[Tim Lucas]

I switched over to my straight - 2 flute and actually like the results better vs the up or down cut

I still have some odd spiral bit - not sure it's purpose

I mainly cut 3/4" oak and birch - I wonder how a 1 flute would work on that vs 2

If cutting plywood 3/4" you need a compression bit, I run the Vortex 3110, 5/16" up cut then down cut for the rest of the 7/8" - running @ 3.5 IPS with an 04 PRT - works great

[Austin Shafer]

2625826259

Brady,

What about this bit for drilling? Should I still just do a smaller bit and do inside profile. Would it wear the bearings faster still?

[Brady Watson]

If you have to drill, use a 2-flute end mill. Same exact grind as a 2-flute end mill but without the fishtail tip. Center cutting. You can use a plastic drill too, but you have to go deeper past the tip & this means it will get dull quickly. There is no guarantee that the tip isn't going to get loaded up with plastic. Inside profile with spiral ramp may still be the way to go.

I never buy 2-flute spiral router bits (like the ones you show), unless they are of the O-flute variety. I run end mills. They are cheaper, better quality carbide (when you buy a good brand) and are usually ground to a tighter tolerance. I have a real problem with router bit manufacturers charging 'stupid woodworkers' a premium (usually 1.5 to 3X more) for end mills. So out of compassion, I mention this.

Try it. Get an upcut 2 flute spiral router bit and lay it along side a 2-flute carbide end mill. Inspect it. Draw your own conclusions. Compare what you paid for each.

I get my end mills in bulk from OberBrothers.net - No online catalog. Know what you want. Diameter, 2 or 4 flute, square or ball, length of cut. They don't sell "router bits". You want XLN bright finish. Buy more than one. If you want to buy just one, get them from MSC (which is 20% over retail).

-B

[barrowj]

slight correction to Brady's post, it is http://www.obergbrothers.net/ , he accidently left out the "g".

Joe

[Brady Watson]

Thanks Joe.

When you call, ask for Andy or Victor.

-B