E06-0303

[Mike1]

I was doing a 6 hour carve and the CW decided to stop with a Z axis stall with the above code. It was in to the very final stages of a six hour carve and this happened. I did notice that closer to the end of the carve when it was in the writing stage of the plaque it seemed to take a long time as if it was confused. Are these code faults registered somewhere so we know where to start. 10 hours ago the CW was maintained completely. A 3 hour carve was done before this one with no issues. I did do a z axis test twice and this is what it measured; Z. A=71.07 M=256.00 ; A=61.90 M=256. Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[bergerud]

Any other clues as to why it z stalled? How deep was the carve? Could the truck have "bottomed out" by having to go too deep?

If there is no obvious physical reason, I would wonder about the FFC ribbon. Did it stall at one side or the other?

[Mike1]

The ribbons are tight, I did check for the depth with the same bit and I don't see a problem, as well it carved a complete paragraph before this problem. It did stall close to the center with nothing around it. I will try another short carve later this afternoon and let you know the results. Thank you very much.

[bergerud]

I mean the flat ribbon wire that electrically connects the trucks to the machine. A broken wire or poor connection at the end of the ribbon wire can result in a z stall. That is, it could be a communication problem. (The controller sends power to move the truck and if the controller does not get feedback of the movement occurring, it reports a stall.)

[Mike1]

Well, just completed a 2 hour carve with success. I did nothing to the machine, just tried a new carve with lettering. I will try the original carve again except the phrase that is on it, I will delete it and re-type it back to the carve. As mentioned, the only thing I did notice during the original carve is that the CW seemed to take a longer time than usual (I may very well be wrong on that) to complete the carving of the lettering. I will report back. Is it possible that there was some type of very small electrical disturbance? My machine is on a dedicated circuit and nothing else showed any sign of a disturbance ( just grasping). Thank you Bergerud

[Mike1]

Edit. All ribbons and wires seem to be snug but I do understand what you are leading to about the possibility of a problem of a broken wire (sometimes working and sometimes not).

[Digitalwoodshop]

Mike1,

There are 2 Flavors of the flat FFC Cables. The early 2007 machines had a 18 pin cable with thin copper flat wires. Shortly after that, 9/2007 the 18 pin was replaced with a 14 pin cable sold as a kit A907. It contained the 14 pin FFC Cable and BOTH Circuit Boards, one for each end. Never mix 18 and 14 pin hardware AS this can SHORT OUT the Power Supply and computer due to the thickness of the pins at the end shorting wires.

So what happens, the flex cable is really a "Consumable" as it is flat copper wires in a plastic jacket. As the copper flexes as the head moves, it will eventually SNAP the inner copper wires. ESPECIALLY if you have any SHARP BENDS like at the area where the wires push into the connectors. They really last for YEARS... But they DO FAIL.... And when they do, you get intermittent problems with the Z. Either the POWER to the Servo Wires snap or the Encoder Data going back to the computer SNAP. Either way, the head looses it's position. It sometimes takes the head moving to the bit plate for the wire to open it's connection then as the head moves back the wires touch again... So it is totally frustrating to find. This is why at the first sign of a problem just replace it with one from your spare parts.... Yes, for more up time, have a few spare parts on hand.... You save on shipping too...

Like posted above... a Dirty Encoder and even a slipping disk can cause a problem.... EVEN a drooping Flex Shaft due to a worn Top Hat can cause the FLEX to SNAG on the UP STROKE catching the black cover SLOT....

I have had a servo motor GO BAD.... I had done some maintenance replacing the FLEX and DID NOT put the black BOOT on the upper end back on. The Flex feeds through it giving SUPPORT to the flex. In my case the cable SAGGED and SNAGGED the Y Motor Cooling Fins RIPPING the FFC Cable OUT at a down angle under POWER.... The SHORTING Wires burned up the Servo Motor.... I had one on hand and was back in operation quickly proving the motor was burnt out.

Things to have on hand.... Cut Motor Brushes for every 250 cut hour replacement. FFC Cables, Board Sensor, and the 688ZZ Metric Bearings to replace the 2 in the Y gearbox every 250 cut hours.

Typo on the last picture. It's a 18 pin not 16 pin.

Find a piece of COPPER HOUSE WIRE like Solid 14 or 12 Gage wire. Strip the insulation and start bending it over and over... IT will change color and eventually get HARD and SNAP.... That is what happens with the flat copper wires of the FFC.... IF you are careful installing it and DO NOT make any SHARP BENDS, it will last for YEARS.... Bend it and it will bend at that point and SNAP...

AL

[Mike1]

Thank you Al, I will keep this thread handy. Sorry for the late reply, work gets in the way sometimes. I just completed another two hour carve finishing up the original carve that messed up, no hiccups this time. I will you both posted. Thank you Bergerud and Al.