Z axis stall

[austcrow]

Hi all, fairly new to Carvewright and not sure of all the technical terms yet.

I was was carving a project overnight and when I got up the next morning it was stopped but not completed. It had an error message and the bit (still in z truck) was about 3 inches from the last correctly carved portion of the piece. The bit was all the way down stuck in the wood and making a terrible high pitch sound. I didn't have a chance to fix it then is I just turned the machine off and went to work. I did some research, stumbled across this forum and read some of the other suggestions. I cleaned it up and it looked like it was brand new (inside too). Tried a practice piece. Before it could start a practice project I noticed the bit was all the way down, like below the red belts, and it was making the awful high pitch noise again. Called customer service and said to go ahead and change to carve tight spindle. I did that this afternoon and the problem is still happening. Please help!?!? Keep in mind I don't understand a lot of the technical terms.
Thanks!

[lynnfrwd]

Scares me to death, when people tell stories that include "when I got up" or "when I got back"...

Glad it hadn't caused a fire.

[bergerud]

Welcome to the forum. It is hard to understand what actually happened from your post. You need to run through a simple project and carefully watch what happens. (Keep a finger on the stop button.)

Other info would also help. Machine model. How many hours.

The behavior could be software. It cannot hurt to format and reflash the card before you try again.

[austcrow]

Scares me to death, when people tell stories that include "when I got up" or "when I got back"...

Glad it hadn't caused a fire.

Thanks for your "help".

[Digitalwoodshop]

First things first... WELCOME.....

Second thing.... Please re consider leaving your machine run un attended.... It can malfunction and catch on FIRE.... not a good thing... I run my machine in the wood shop next to my Laser Shop where I am now, BUT... I listen on a wireless intercom, WATCH on a wireless Video Camera Monitor, and have a SMOKE detector above the machine...

Many years ago I was running my machine and was 10 feet away on my deck and I hear my Smoke Detector turn on... I turn and my FLEX was Smoking and just catching on FIRE....

OK... The Problem... Since you had to change to a Carve Tite Chuck then the machine is likely a older unit.... The "A" Series serial numbers like all 4 of my machines had a problem in the early years with a 18 pin FSC Cable, the flat cable to the Z Truck. The fine wires would snap... OR the early Z Encoders in the Servo Motor would fail and the machine would DRILL DOWN INTO THE BOARD.... and Stall.... could catch on FIRE TOO.....

The FIX.... does your machine have the A907 Upgrade? See Pictures.... Upgrade has the WINGS on the Circuit Board to hold the big plug.

And you cannot MIX and MATCH the old 18 pin and new 14 pin parts.... ALL MUST BE 14 pin.... OR the machine can short out.... So Circuit Board on the Z Motor, Flat 14 pin Cable, and Other end Circuit Board with WINGS....

AND Replace the Z Motor.... That is where I would start....

See Pictures.... I call the old version a 16 pin in the picture but it was 18 pin.... A Senior Moment.... The 14 Pin THICKER wire work GREAT and end many problems.

Good Luck,

AL

[kwbcpastor]

Mine does that. I found that my cover switch on the right side top keeps tripping. I push the cover down hard and it will restart. I now tape it down tight. It still shut down so I put a small piece of wood between the cover tit and the switch. I know, pretty lousy rig for a 2500 dollar machine, but I can't find any information on how to adjust it.

[fwharris]

The hinges for the clear cover or the switch screw might have slipped or are loose. Try adjusting them.

[Digitalwoodshop]

BETTER to use the "Seat Belt" trick... Install a piece of tape like the picture shown with the cover up 1/4 so when down it holds the cover tight to the switch. I did my fix on the left switch but your machine needs the fix on right side.

[austcrow]

UPDATE…kinda
Machine still malfunctioning. Here’s more info on the problem:
Problem: Z Axis stall EO6-0313
Machine makes really loud high pitch sounds as soon as it’s powered on. Z axis stall error as soon as I initiate a project. ALWAYS happens on the far side away from keypad.
Here’s more info about the machine:
B series
Dad bought it 7 or 8 years ago (total guesstimate). He never learned how to use the software so it’s just been sitting. He decided to sell it but I commandeered it about 6 weeks ago.
Total cut motor time: 28 hours, 36 minutes
Carvetight spindle
Here’s what I’ve done to attempt to fix the problem:
1. Called customer service- they said change to carve tight spindle. Bought and did that. Problem still occurred
2. Called customer service- they said it was the Z motor. Bought and changed that. Problem still occurred.
3. Called customer service- he sent me some documents on:
a. Z axis stall
b. Y axis stall (thought I’ve never had a Y axis stall)
c. Random X,Y,Z axis stalls (though I’ve never had an X axis stall either)
4. Following prompts on Z axis stall document (here’s more info on the problem/machine)
a. B series model
b. Machine not run on same circuit or a long cord
c. Only Z stall has occurred thus far
d. Machine does not power off after Z stall
e. Z truck is able to be moved by hand when powered OFF
f. It does not move roughly when powered OFF
g. The Z truck is MUCH harder to move when powered on.
h. The Z truck sensor check numbers do not change when the machine is moved up and down by hand
i. The Y truck sensor check numbers do not change when the machine is moved by hand
j. The board tracking sensor numbers DO change when moved


The ribbon cable is in very good shape. I really need to figure out what’s wrong. I’ve had a few people want to purchase carvings from me but I can’t do them and I can’t afford to keep buying parts that aren’t fixing my issue. Any other suggestions??

[waynedazey]

I had this same issue and after lots of trouble shooting all I needed to do was take the back cover off of my Z Motor and clean it out and put it back together to fix.

[bergerud]

Machine makes really loud high pitch sounds as soon as it’s powered on.
h. The Z truck sensor check numbers do not change when the machine is moved up and down by hand
i. The Y truck sensor check numbers do not change when the machine is moved by hand


Everything else you reported seems ok to me. Where is the loud pitch comming from? Could it be the power supply?

h and i indicate a problem. The controller is not getting motor position data from these motors.

It could be the 5v system is shorted. (Have you played with the board sensor under the y truck? Maybe pulled on the wires?)

Or, it could be a bad connection. Check all the ribbon connections on the Head Terminaton board. It is right beside the Y motor.

[robboz4]

I had a very similar issue a few years back. I had my main board checked and supposedly fixed, but the issue remained with the repaired board. I eventually tracked it down to one of the screws that holds the power supply. I had the machine on it's side and I could tap the board and get a failure. I tighten the screw up and have been happily printing until a few weeks ago. The PSU went and it's anA machine and they don't stock them anymore. I'm awaiting a new board and cables that are backward compatible. The cables are back order and it's been 6 weeks now... I asked if I could get the board repaired but they don't offer that and they don't have schematics so I could try to fix it myself. I'm guessing it's the power transistors for the 24 volts. I know the 24 volts has gone as I measured for it. I might just remove them and see if I can find an equivalent. It might faster...

Anyway try checking the screws on the power supply. I also would check that all cables are seated tight. I had a door open issue and that turned out to be the cable was not square on the connector. Of course it only occurs 2 hours into a 2:15 minute carve - Murphy's Law!:D