Clear Board Sensor Error

[Ted]

This machine is going back to Sears or carvewright, way to many problems but Im trying to get through this project before I send it back!
Ive always had the touch plate not swinging out far enough and yes Ive done all the fix it from the pdf.
I had to change the drive belts, one ripped after 8 hours of use, the other was worn, with no directions on how to properly replace it, I did it my way, which worked out ok, till I started to get no board error, readjusted square plate and seems to have helped some, still get error but not as often. Project started
Board starts to measure ok but when it states center on length the drive goes at a crawl for a few minutes then picks up speed, only encountered this issue on few occasions before but now it's every time but it was doing the carving ok so I lived with it. Then it started to totally screw up the carvings, not centered and skipping areas on the cut and picking up again in the wrong area, Scrap wood now. Now Im getting board sensor error and no matter what I do in the way of cleaning I still get it, even tried alcohol and a Q-tip to clean it, went through the manual procedures on checking it and all the tests on it show it's working fine! Any suggestions, ANYONE?

[Digitalwoodshop]

First off, sorry your having problems. It takes allot of reading of the forum to catch fixes for all the problems you have been having.

I will address a few.

Good job changing the belt, I posted pictures of that a while back. I would have changed both while you had it open. The cost of the board feet of lumber wasted is the reason I do both. Only lose one board vice the second later.

The torn belt is usually from using a split board and the split end is wider and wedges against the side guides. That is how I broke my belt then later broke the drive gear. Make sure your boards are flat and not thicker on one end causing a wedge action with the machine working until something fails.

The board sensor could be dark wood, sometimes I use masking tape on the wood to let the sensor see it better.

The board moving slowly after selecting center of board is a problem we all have and we all hope the next revision of the program fixes this. Earlier versions did not do this.

I addressed the swinging bit plate earlier but 3 things help. 1 is to make sure that there are no burs on the metal swing plate where the y head touches it and causes the plate to extend. Check this with the power off, moving the head to the right until the plate comes out. Look closely at the contact area, it's metal to metal. 2. There are mixed reviews on putting a smear of oil the contact points, other's use wax, others use dry lube. But all help, I found a touch of 3 in one oil works for me as I have a great suction and minimal dust buildup. 3. There is a screw that holds the right side belt pulley on the Y track just above where the bit plate is. My screw was loose and caused intermittent operation. You need a 90 degree Philip's to tighten it.

The last thing is the skipping of areas. As I posted the other day, the compiler makes the cut list from your artwork. If I made a change to a element or a spelling correction sometimes the cutter skips an area and comes back. There is a little brass roller on the key pad between the sandpaper belts. It has a rubber "O" ring and this contacts the bottom of the board and tracks the board movement in the X axis. If the board bottom edge is not close enough to the rail the brass roller has a hard time making contact. If the board has any defects in the bottom edge that contacts the roller like a knot or missing wood this and the board position mentioned will cause the tracking problems. Two Cheap and easy and fixes is to 1 place a line of masking tape the whole length of the board where the roller contact, especially good for smooth oak. 2nd is to get a piece of 1/4 inch plywood the same width as your board and tape the board to it. The plywood will have a clean edge for your tracking roller and acts as a sled. Use two equal length scrap boards on each end and use center of board, you can use shorter scrap boards for more efficient.

I hope this helps.... You can always e mail me for a quick answer, I am in the shop about 12 hours a day 7 days a week.

I have posted a bunch of pictures of this stuff if you search my post's.

AL

[rpringle]

Ted,
I had a simular frustration about 6 weeks ago, I had problems with getting the quick change to release from the first moment it was unpacked. My wife had the patcence to play with it and it started working part time.

After almost each carve it would stick and I would spend 20 minutes or more try to get the bit to drop.

I also made many mistakes in cutting carvings, wasted much wood and time. Much longer learning experience than I expected.

The second time my macine broke, I thought sense it is still within the 90 day trial period, I would just return it and then order a new one with a new warranty. My Sears store did not want to take it back.
1. They said I did not have the sales slip. They were correct, I had no regester reciept. What I found out later was that on a piclup order your sales reciept is the form you print from your computer for the pickup.
2. They said that is was considered a "Home Electronic Appliance" and only had a 30 day return policy, I'm still not sure if this was a lie, some other members have returned their unit after more than 30 days.

I brought the broke machine home and ordered a new one with the intention of returning the old one in the new box.
I figured two can cheat at this game.

After I ordered the unit they came back with a delivery date of three weeks.
After a few days I had symptoms of carving withdrawal, and did not want to wait the three weeks.
So I called LHR Tech Support. In about 15 to 20 minutes they determined that I had a bad controller and would send me a new one that afternoon.
So in about three days from my call my old machine was up and running.

When the new one came it worked about 10 minutes.
Turned out to be a bad powersupply. Again LHR promptly found the problem and sent a replacment.

I now have two working machines and peace of mind that if/when one breaks I can continue working on the backup.

I guess my point is you are probably better off working with LHR than taking it back and hoping for a better new one.

Russ

[liquidguitars]

I now have two working machines and peace of mind that if/when one breaks I can continue working on the backup

I am thinking the same thing..

LG

[Ted]

Yes, I replaced both belts
Using WD40 and papertowel to keep the touch plate moving
I went through the checks on the sensor and when over the board it reads 150 and then move the chuck away from board and the reading is 0, manual states anything over 90 is acceptable and 0 is ideal when away from work piece. So it is seeing the board, which confuses me as to why it's not seeing the edge, it goes right to the edge when it stops to give me the error. This project requires 26 pieces, all the same, simple carving in the center on each board, I have 12 finished, now the sensor error and in particular now the error "Edge detection failed" when checking linear length, it made it through the first 12, I need it to make it through the next 14.
My sears won't take it back either and I tried calling carvewright saturday, no one answered in the tech support dept. They Really need a 1-800 #

BTW; wood is a light birch and it seen the first 12 ok and I tried other pieces of the wood but got the same problem, plus sensor passed the troubleshooting section of the manual. I also formatted the card and re-installed the latest firmware and project in case the was an issue there, I'm basically trying everything I can think of to get it working again

[TerryT]

I'm pretty new at this and certainly no expert. I had a similar problem and after trying a bunch of things I realized that the cutter head was not cranking down all the way. Dust, I guess, built up on the screw posts and the ratchet on the crank handle would not allow the head to put enough pressure on the board.

[Jeff_Birt]

using WD40 and papertowel to keep the touch plate moving


The problem with using a lubricant like WD-40 or 3-in-1 in an open area is that the lubricant will attract sawdust and you will have a constantly sticking bit-plate. The bit plate pivot really does not need lubrication as much as the contact area between the bit plate and the Y-truck. Just a very slight amount of lube is needed(a dab on the tip of your finger), 3-in-1 will work in a pinch just keep it clean and check regularly. A dry lubricant, such as bicycle chain wax (any bicycle dealer), or ski-wax, etc is a much better choice here. If you feel that the bit plate pivot does need lubrication silicone spray would be a good choice as is will not leave an oily build up and attract sawdust.

The big picture is that one needs to be careful as to what type of lubricants you use on machinery that runs in a dirty/dusty environment (this is not unique to this machine). Choosing the wrong one or over applying lubricant will cause more problems in the end. I have seen in other posts where folks are 'oiling' their rails. Again the lubrication will attract sawdust and you'll wind up with lots of axis stalls. A bit of silicone spray, sprayed onto a rag and wiped over the rails will help clean them and prevent oxidation.


"Edge detection failed" when checking linear length,

The pressure rollers have switches that detect when they are compressed, that's hoe the machine knows you have the head cranked down. When you are measuring a board the machine moves the board until the left side of the board moves out from under the pressure roller, the pressure roller switch is released which signals the machine to start looking for the board edge. If the pressure switch is never released (because of sawdust build up) it will never find the board edge. Moral of the story, clean the machine really good, and use compressed air to removed sawdust build up from above the pressure rollers. You can then go into the sensor test menu and test the pressure roller switches.

Hope that helps....

[Ted]

Ok at this moment with the edge error showing I brought up options it say's the Front rollers are compressed and back rollers are released, I throughly cleaned the machine when I took off the drive belts, I see no dust fouling anything important. WD40 is wand sprayed on the spring and wiped with towel to avoid build up, so far nothing else has worked, tried the chain wax, didn't help at all, carvewright sent me a new touch plate but I haven't a clue as to how and put it on and it's the same arm so I don't see the benefit.
Should the front roller be compressed or released at the edge of the board.
Thanks so far to all the suggestions,

[Digitalwoodshop]

Ted,

Your making progress.... Here is the 800 number, I have posted it about 6 times in the last 4 months. 1-800-573-1226 You can also send LHR a e mail with pictures of your problems for fast service too. support@carvewright.com

I have used it with success.

Next time you get the board sensor error try opening the cover and slipping a piece of 2 inch masking tape under the head sensor area and stick it to the board and press it over the edges of both sides. I think you can do it in the open area too and then jog the board position to get the tape under the sensor.

The roller sensor is known to collect dust in the area where the switch is, causing a stuck condition. It is a simple fix is to spray air in the end areas while working the roller up and down. Is your board long enough to touch both front and back rollers?

Did you check the roller screw I mentioned that holds the roller?
One more thing that causes the bit plate to not work properly and you need to check this... It happened to me twice.....

The cable that goes from the right cover switch to the cut motor has a plastic shield to protect the wire from damage. On my unit, the cable had moved down and the cooling fins from the Y Truck hit the wire and prevented the further travel of the Y truck to let the bit flag come out. It needs to be high and out of the way. Anytime you remove the top cover pay attention to the position when you put it all back together. Gentle with pushing the cable as I caused the connector to become unplugged from the right lid switch. The right switch cuts power to the cut motor when the cover is open and carries about 115 VAC in Pulse Modulated Voltage. The Left Cover Switch is low voltage logic that tells the computer that the lid is open. The right switch wire failure will cause a stall as the motor will stop or fail to start.

Hope this helps.

AL

[liquidguitars]

All rollers need to "check out" if one is sticky it will need cleaning. ;)

Regarding the bit flapper cam, sometimes the truck can hit the power wires if you have not replaced the power wires in the chase "far right"

the flex shaft will also hit the hood's top slot! stopping short of the flapper cam. quick fix, remove the screws on the hood so you have more slop.

turn off the power and slide the truck to the right by hand,will the cam move out? if not check the hood and wires.

http://www.liquidguitars.com/saltdot/flapperR001.jpg

LG

[william feador]

This machine is going back to Sears or carvewright, way to many problems but Im trying to get through this project before I send it back!
Ive always had the touch plate not swinging out far enough and yes Ive done all the fix it from the pdf.
I had to change the drive belts, one ripped after 8 hours of use, the other was worn, with no directions on how to properly replace it, I did it my way, which worked out ok, till I started to get no board error, readjusted square plate and seems to have helped some, still get error but not as often. Project started
Board starts to measure ok but when it states center on length the drive goes at a crawl for a few minutes then picks up speed, only encountered this issue on few occasions before but now it's every time but it was doing the carving ok so I lived with it. Then it started to totally screw up the carvings, not centered and skipping areas on the cut and picking up again in the wrong area, Scrap wood now. Now Im getting board sensor error and no matter what I do in the way of cleaning I still get it, even tried alcohol and a Q-tip to clean it, went through the manual procedures on checking it and all the tests on it show it's working fine! Any suggestions, ANYONE?

hi I'm new to the forum but I have had the problem of clear board sensor, and like you I tried air, cotton swabs and all else. If you raise the machine up and look up at the sensor you will see two phillips screws. You can take them out and carefully remove the probe, then unplug the wires.
At the bottom you will see a clear lens with a cover holding it in place. Remove the cover and the lens, be careful it's small. use low pressure air to blow out the sensors which look like two l.e.d. lights, then reassemble this works for me. If the lens is scratched which did at first from frustration, I used the clear plastic from those packages you get when buy tools, toys., etc. You knowq the packages you usually need a knife to open. I cut several to the size of the lens for replacements. Keep the origonal lens for future sizing if you have to cut more. william feador

[oldjoe]

Great idea! boy and to think I use to wish someone would outlaw those packages. I have broken more things trying to get them out of the wrapper,

[oldjoe]

Oh I forgot to mention when I had that problem I called CW told them what my board readings were and they just sent me a new board sensor. 4 days back up and running.

[Ed Kreyling]

Ok I tried the "Cut board to size" option for the first time today. The carveWright did all the carving and then asked to load the 1/8" cutting bit. It then proceeded to drill along the edge of the board until it hit the plastice under layer of the machine itself. That is when it gave me the "Z Axis Stall Error 398, press Stop." Message. Pressing stop did not seem to make a difference and so I recycled power and opened up the machine to get the piece out.

Is there a problem with this option?

[Gman_Ind]

I too had the clear board sensor error, after cutting MDF then Lyptys, the Lyptus got behind the lens cover and stained it. I removed the lens cover. and resolved the error.

I removed the top cover while working on a probe issue and the plastic wire clip that holds the black and white wires on the far side of the machine was sticking up a little bit, this needs to be flush at the top or the truck will not move far enough in the Y axis to swing the bit length plate out enough to work correctly. I pushed it down with my fingers and it now works great every time.
Best of luck, and unless the machine is completly dead keep plugging away at it and it will be (hopefully) worth it.
BTW a trip to Texas will fix your issues but it is tough being without your favorite toy.

[zeke]

Does anyone have the link handy in how to properly clean the board sensor?

[Kenm810]

zeke,

Board sensor errors are one of the most common of the CW or CC machines errors.
A ton has been written and posted about cleaning and replacing them.
Here's a post and thread to get you started.
Clear Board Sensor... here we go again (http://www.carvewright.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4401&highlight=cleaning+board+sensor)