cntbill
07-24-2011, 12:55 AM
Hi All,
I'll try to explain my problem the best I can, as I am a newbie... and post is a bit winded...
Just got the scanning probe, and since my machine is an "A" serial number and I still have the QC (but that will change soon) I connected the probe to the "Cover", turned it on and great the LCD had "Scan Area". So I figured good, checked to be sure the Scan Probe Option was set to Cover. So I figure lets give this a try, I modified my carving sled with higher sides, placed a small calculator since it was flat on the bed, then went to Jog to start position, pressed enter, the probe went down and put a small hole into the bed, (good thing my carving sled was made of pine) I thought it a little odd, but then went on to jog to select the end, and the same thing happen, probe went down into the board.... OK guess I better read the directions again. So I then did a check of the Sensors, probe showed "closed" moved the probe and nothing happened. OK now read on the Forum... Well as it turns out the Z-Truck that I have also has the connector for the probe. So I changed the probe settings to Z-Truck, connect the probe in it and figured to do the sensor test. Passed with flying colors! Went from closed to open every time I moved the probe. Great! on to my scan test.
Now that the probe seems to be working I jog to position, press enter and the probe moves like an 1/8 in... hmmmm, Ok I move/jog to end position and again only moves down the same... So I figure maybe my rails are to short, but I go ahead and do the scan. 1st attempt the probe started going back and forth without moving down, but then as the sled moved, the probe gradually came down to the sled's bed and about 25% of the way done I got a Z-Truck error, so I re-cleaned the rails and rollers and started the scan again. got to 85% and just stopped and on the LCD just read "Scan Area". Not sure what happened I'm thinking a voltage issue, since the machine is on the same line as the AC I have in the garage window.
Next scan, I formated the memory card just in case and just like the first scan the probe didn't move down, but went ahead with the scan. At about 35% got a message Check Probe, looked ok to me so I just pressed enter. Scan finished fine. Scan setting was at Normal and the buttons on the calculator moved when the scanner went over them but in the end it worked.
Third scan again with the calculator, this time set to "Best" just want to try it out to see what's going on. This time I manually pushed the probe down for each of the corners just stopping a hair above the sled, and then I went and set the Maximum depth, but again the probe did not go down on its own, so I pushed it down to about an 1/8" above the sled bed and started the scan. Probe like before started going back and forth way above, but after 5 or 6 times the probe was down to the 1/8" depth and maintained that until it got to the object. Scan completed with only one "Check Probe" error. Didn't come out too bad considering the soft buttons and I think the calculator moved a little.
So now to find out why the probe does not move down. Reading here I find that some say to take apart the probe and clean the contacts. So I did the only thing I saw amiss was that the spring seemed a little bent, (maybe got that way from my first try poking into the board?) so I straighten it out, checked the contacts, they seem ok but they have some sort of grease on them, maybe I should take the grease off?
I put the probe back together, did the sensor test and all is fine, but still will not move down on its own...??? Tried another scan, this time a short flat carpenters pencil mounted securely to the scanning bed. Manually pushed the Z-Truck down for the start and stop positions and the depth. Get about 15% done and got Z errors again. I have the Z-Truck clean, not sure why I would get that error as it carves fine.
I've pretty much went through the 13 pages here and can't seem to find an answer, did find a couple of threads about the issue of not going down but they were either not related to my issue or had an answer. So What am missing, what am I overlooking?
Attached is the couple of scans I did. Also found that a soft tip would be a good thing to get too...
46064460654606646068
And yes I do have the flex shaft disconnected...
I'll try to explain my problem the best I can, as I am a newbie... and post is a bit winded...
Just got the scanning probe, and since my machine is an "A" serial number and I still have the QC (but that will change soon) I connected the probe to the "Cover", turned it on and great the LCD had "Scan Area". So I figured good, checked to be sure the Scan Probe Option was set to Cover. So I figure lets give this a try, I modified my carving sled with higher sides, placed a small calculator since it was flat on the bed, then went to Jog to start position, pressed enter, the probe went down and put a small hole into the bed, (good thing my carving sled was made of pine) I thought it a little odd, but then went on to jog to select the end, and the same thing happen, probe went down into the board.... OK guess I better read the directions again. So I then did a check of the Sensors, probe showed "closed" moved the probe and nothing happened. OK now read on the Forum... Well as it turns out the Z-Truck that I have also has the connector for the probe. So I changed the probe settings to Z-Truck, connect the probe in it and figured to do the sensor test. Passed with flying colors! Went from closed to open every time I moved the probe. Great! on to my scan test.
Now that the probe seems to be working I jog to position, press enter and the probe moves like an 1/8 in... hmmmm, Ok I move/jog to end position and again only moves down the same... So I figure maybe my rails are to short, but I go ahead and do the scan. 1st attempt the probe started going back and forth without moving down, but then as the sled moved, the probe gradually came down to the sled's bed and about 25% of the way done I got a Z-Truck error, so I re-cleaned the rails and rollers and started the scan again. got to 85% and just stopped and on the LCD just read "Scan Area". Not sure what happened I'm thinking a voltage issue, since the machine is on the same line as the AC I have in the garage window.
Next scan, I formated the memory card just in case and just like the first scan the probe didn't move down, but went ahead with the scan. At about 35% got a message Check Probe, looked ok to me so I just pressed enter. Scan finished fine. Scan setting was at Normal and the buttons on the calculator moved when the scanner went over them but in the end it worked.
Third scan again with the calculator, this time set to "Best" just want to try it out to see what's going on. This time I manually pushed the probe down for each of the corners just stopping a hair above the sled, and then I went and set the Maximum depth, but again the probe did not go down on its own, so I pushed it down to about an 1/8" above the sled bed and started the scan. Probe like before started going back and forth way above, but after 5 or 6 times the probe was down to the 1/8" depth and maintained that until it got to the object. Scan completed with only one "Check Probe" error. Didn't come out too bad considering the soft buttons and I think the calculator moved a little.
So now to find out why the probe does not move down. Reading here I find that some say to take apart the probe and clean the contacts. So I did the only thing I saw amiss was that the spring seemed a little bent, (maybe got that way from my first try poking into the board?) so I straighten it out, checked the contacts, they seem ok but they have some sort of grease on them, maybe I should take the grease off?
I put the probe back together, did the sensor test and all is fine, but still will not move down on its own...??? Tried another scan, this time a short flat carpenters pencil mounted securely to the scanning bed. Manually pushed the Z-Truck down for the start and stop positions and the depth. Get about 15% done and got Z errors again. I have the Z-Truck clean, not sure why I would get that error as it carves fine.
I've pretty much went through the 13 pages here and can't seem to find an answer, did find a couple of threads about the issue of not going down but they were either not related to my issue or had an answer. So What am missing, what am I overlooking?
Attached is the couple of scans I did. Also found that a soft tip would be a good thing to get too...
46064460654606646068
And yes I do have the flex shaft disconnected...