bit plate

[gman]

The PDF #8 in the trouble shooting section on bit plate problems says a different method of updating the memory card is required for Mac users. I'm one. Any advice?

[liquidguitars]

The bit plate is a hardware driven part as far as I know.
So if you have a prob it's normaly the hood or loose wires in the path of your ztruck and not firmware.

Lg

[AskBud]

I think this is what is being questioned.
AskBud
http://forum.carvewright.com/showpost.php?p=15818&postcount=8

[liquidguitars]

This link of 02-28-2007 from the Bard was for a old homing sensor no longer needed on the ZTruck itself the flag "steel bar on the truck" has been removed.

If the bit plate "not on the truck" is not poping out check for wires or the hood for rubbing.

I just had a issue with the same thing on my shorty sled the table was raised to 5" to fit the tall sled.

Raising the table made the ztruck fall short of hitting the bit plate so i took a saw and cut a small window out of the plastic hood.

LG

[gman]

I agree that the bit plate is a hardware driven device however there was a software fix to try for the problem but in the PDF it said it was for Windows only. I can't see any physical reason but the z truck doesn't travel far enough to cause the plate to pop out far enough for the bit to hit it. With the power off I can push it far enough but it takes some force for the last 1/2 in.

[fwharris]

gman,

Have you checked the belt tension, loose screw on the belt tension plate or the wires coming from the cut motor to the door switch? Also make sure there are no burrs on the bit plate arm that the z truck pushes against and the z truck. also give the spring on the bit plate a little shot of WD-40 after blowing/vac it out good.

[mfdchief]

I am having the same problem when the machine needs a bit change to the cutting bit. This made me think that it may be a firmware issue as the carving bit finds the plate fine. I have blown out the area but not tried WD-40. Thanks for the post gman, you beat me to the question. :-)

[crazyhammer]

I've had the same problem for a while. I used a drop of teflon and put it on the top of the bit plate spring and worked it in and it always seemed to cure the problem. I guess wd 40 would do the same.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Or do like I do and many others.... I tape a block of foam behind the bit plate and it is OUT all the time... ZERO Worries.... Unless you do a 14.5 inch wide board it won't get in the way.... FORGET and do cut a 14.5 inch board the sparks will FLY....

AL

[Icutone2]

Also look to make sure that the cut motor wires and or connectors are not loose in the corner and stopping the Z truck before it can push on the bit plate.

[cnsranch]

WD 40 worked on my bit plate - but not until I shot it underneath the plate on the spring.

[earlyrider]

Keep in mind that WD40 evaporates and can leave a gummy residue. You're better off to use 3IN1 oil.
Ron

[fwharris]

Keep in mind that WD40 evaporates and can leave a gummy residue. You're better off to use 3IN1 oil.
Ron

Ron,

Great point! One should make sure the clean up after spraying with WD40. I usually blow it out with some air with a rag around it to catch the residue. I then give a spary of dry lube.

[DickB]

I wonder if there is not something to this firmware thing. I had problems with mine last weekend. Prior, it would snap loudly into place as the truck really hit hard, but now it seems like it is hardly moving and did not swing the plat open several times. I did check wires and travel, which were fine. I had to lube the cam to get it to work. Manually moving the truck it snapped out just fine.

[cnsranch]

I wonder if there is not something to this firmware thing.

I thought the same thing, but the bit plate is purely mechanical in operation. When my plate was sticking, I thought it moved just fine when I moved it manually, but any obstruction, even one that we can't "feel" will cause problems.

The trick with lubing the plate is to make sure you also get some lubricant UNDER the plate at its axis - once I did that, I had no more problems.

[DickB]

The firmware controls the rate of speed and distance that the truck moves, does it not?

[fwharris]

The firmware controls the rate of speed and distance that the truck moves, does it not?


I believe you are right but I think when it is moving over to the "touch bit plate" sequence it is looking for the end of travel "can not move any further" and when it sees that it activates the z motor to move the truck down to find the bit plate.


Cns is correct about the lube point on the bit plate and you also need to make sure the rails are kept clean as well. Even though one does not see any dust build up on the rails you have to take care that there is not any sap/resign build up on them.

[DickB]

I take your points about clean rails and lubed bit plate. I acknowledge that this could cause problems and is a factor in correct operation. I maintain that firmware is also a possible factor.

I cleaned the rails and checked for free movement of the truck by hand. I noted that if I moved the truck by hand slowly, it would not always kick the plate out fully. I needed to move the truck by hand with some vigor to get the plate to kick out fully. Also, the cam on the bit plate is quite aggressive. When the truck contacts it, it meets with increased resistance. If the truck does not have some momentum behind it, could not this increased resistance be interpreted as “end of travel” if that is indeed how the firmware operates?

I noted on initial operation of my machine that the bit plate snapped out with some force and quite loudly at that – alarmingly loudly to a novice user like myself. It did not behave that way last weekend. This could be due to dirty rails or a stuck bit plate, but it could also be due to the speed and momentum of the truck, which is controlled by firmware.

My point is that there could be a firmware element to this and it would be nice to know if indeed the firmware has been altered.

[locovalley]

IF the firmware was part of the problem, then it stands to reason that EVERYONE would be having the same problem. Since this is not the case you can probably rule out the firmware as the cause or contributor.

Keep looking for a mechanical problem. Every time my bit plate failed to swing out properly it was either due to an obstruction at the far end of the Y rail (cut motor wires in the way), sawdust accumulation or lack of lubrication. Once these are checked and corrected the bit plate will operate as designed.

If you can't get it to work right you can wedge a piece of foam rubber behind the bit plate to keep it open and carve normally until you locate the cause. I've had to do this before to get some jobs done until I had time to fix the problem.

[DickB]

IF the firmware was part of the problem, then it stands to reason that EVERYONE would be having the same problem.
I don't agree. If the truck speed/momentum were marginal, some might have a problem and some not, depending upon the state of the mechanical system at the time. It might take several factors together - tip plate lube, wire interference, speed change - to cause the problem. Change any one, and the problem comes or goes.

Also, we know (follow the link earlier in this thread) that there was a firmware change to fix this type of problem. Was eveyone having the problem prior to that firmware revision? Clearly firmware is a factor.

[atauer]

guys,

The firmware post in question was for an earlier version of the software, a much earlier version of the software. In 99 percent of the cases that I have encountered during the last few months, the bit plate issue was caused by a hardware malfunction, (lack of lubriaction, debris, etc.). I don't think that the firmware has anything to do with this issue.

[cnsranch]

Alex -

Wasn't it you I argued this issue with a few months ago? I was convinced that the problem I was having was not mechanical, but somehow electronically related (I guess that makes it a "firmware" issue).

I couldn't believe that the bit plate could audibly, and forcibly, pop out without some kind of power behind it.

Being somewhat stubborn (no comments), I was bent on finding out why my plate wasn't working properly - I tried everything, including removing the protective covering on the cut wires, cleaning to the point of sanitary, - nothing.

Nothing, that is, until I shot a tad of WD 40 UNDER the bit plate - that was the fix, and I haven't had a problem since.

But that's just me.