Great service, but!!!!!

[joshjack]

Thought I might just let off some steam here for the enjoyment of the Pros who've seen it all.

Got my first CW as an early Christmas present over Thanksgiving. On its third carve it powered off with a Z-axis stall warning (on the card, not LCD) and did the same thing on the 4th attempt. I took it to a Sears where I spent over an hour waiting for them to correctly locate the order and do a replacement. The day before they had 2 CW's in stock but sold both (really surprising) so they had to order me a new one. I picked it up Wednesday and started carving as soon as I got home - worked great!

Well this morning (Friday) I started a new project but got a "Clear board sensor" message. I tried everything: blowing, vacuuming, q-tips, cloth, warm air - and always ended up with a constant 0 value for the board sensor even when over the board. I called LHR and got EXCELLENT SERVICE, they are sending me a new sensor board on Monday.

So I say all that to say this: LHR is very helpful and great service, but I'm disappointed that over the course of 2 machines in 2 weeks I've had so many problems. Hopefully this will be my last gremlin for a while.

J

[Digitalwoodshop]

It might seam like an extra step but placing a mirror in the machine to see the back of the spindle might seam like extra work but.... I call it insurance.... I pinched a wire replacing my sensor. It didn't break until the LED's broke from the board and I pulled it down to look.

Expensive repair to replace the cable. Don't be over confident like I was....

AL

[liquidguitars]

Expensive repair to replace the cable. Don't be over confident like I was....

Al, Did you just order parts or did you need to send it back?

LG

[Digitalwoodshop]

Well I had a strange situation.... I offered to do the work since the Warranty is almost up and I broke the wire. Took a few people up the Chain of Command to allow me to do it with the stipulation that if I broke anything it's my Dime. A agreed to the terms of that since I need to learn anyway. I would involve removing the Y Truck by removing the Drive Motor, Belt and Eccentric Bearings. I ordered extra bearings and screws and the cable and an extra one for my other machine in the future. That is heading my way. In the mean time the first Board Detector showed up that I ordered last Friday.

So without the cable and 2 jobs due tomorrow it was time to Punt.... I brought the machine into the Laser Shop and took off the out feed tray to get better access. Removed the right side and top. I unplugged the cable from the Z Bundle up top and worked all the slack down to the board detector. Slipped a piece of heat shrink over the broken wire and stripped and spliced the broken wire. Soldered it and slipped the heat shrink over the soldered joint. Attached the new board detector and worked all the slack up toward the Z Bundle board. Making sure not to pinch any wires. Hooked it up and checked and I had a reading. While it was open I checked the Cut Motor Brushes and changed them. Then looking everything over I saw the Y Idler Pulley was wobbling when it changed directions. That was where the squeak was coming from. Called Service and talked to them about getting 2, one for each machine but sales was busy. I will deal with that Monday.

So everyone check the Y Idler on the right side, bet there are a few wobblier idlers out there.

I am just putting it back together now, next post will be good news or BAD news.... Hopefully GOOD NEWS.

But to answer the real question about the pinched wire..... I wouldn't feel right with LHR paying for a trip to them to fix it. My carelessness caused the wire. The Sensor did separate from he LED's. It was stolen from the 500 hour machine and I think it is the original. So not so bad.... It was DUE....

I am going to say that 99.9% of the time the machine must go in for repair as that is a very tuff repair full of things that can go wrong.

Had a thought on a work around fix. A cable with the sensor end plug on one end and a little longer with bear wires on the other end. You could remove the old wire and fish this new wire up through the slot. Once it was up and mate connector could be attached to the bear end with the proper connector for the Z board. It is only 4 wires. It would void your warranty so you should never attempt that kind of fix in warranty. The wires could be 4 colors so it is GOOF PROOF...... A 4 conductor plastic terminal board and a piece of double sticky tape to mount it and your all set. If I were still working at Sony on the Picture Tube manufacturing equipment and had the same situation I would get Engineering approval and make the change in a heart beat.

I am stepping on toes with this post as this is LHR's Bread and Butter fixing the units in and out of warranty. 99.9% of the time a user would not attempt a repair like this. I am just a Strange Bird.... I live for this.... I really need to get a life....

AL

As for the idle pulleys... I consider them Consumables..... I replaced a bunch of pulleys at Sony on the Conveyor System.... Just had them in stock when I needed them. Proactive Preventive Maintenance.... I was in charge of a team that took the blueprints and parts lists and created the paperwork to stock the parts in the Sony Parts Cage so I was on top of parts that would wear out. I also had the 32, 27, and 20 inch picture tube lines in the same complex and visits to the other areas helped decide what to get from Japan. I watched it get built from the ground up to make the 17 inch Computer Monitor CRT's in 95. Now the 4 buildings in a row are a big dusty parking lot in San Diego.... Progress....

[liquidguitars]

So everyone check the Y Idler on the right side, bet there are a few wobblier idlers out there.

Al, Regarding your Y Idler pully, I had the "right side wobble" about 6 months ago when my unit was giving me probs after a service. I chased it down to be a bad/worn "Y" pack and not the idler.

LG

[Digitalwoodshop]

I can look right at the free wheeling pulley and see it move out about 1/16 of and inch when it changes directions and starts to wobble but I will look at the Y gear box too.

It's carving again..... Watched it break it's first bit.... Operator Error..... I am making a new design Wine Rack with a top shelf let into the side. Used the Bull Nose Cut sample board to size the slot. It finished carving the slot and I changed to the 1/8 inch cut bit to make the square holes and a curve on the bottom. It hit the bit flag and on the way back it jumped on the Y track or more like a hesitation.... It finished the bit checks and started to cut a square hole without the cut motor on..... I jumped for the lid switch but it was too late... Broke the bit.... Looked and the cover wires for the right motor lid switch were both unhooked. I had gotten careless and didn't reposition the cable to the sweet spot in the corner and the Z truck had snagged it and ripped both wires from the quick connectors.... As luck would have it, the connectors were intact so I just plugged it back in and placed it in the sweet spot and added a piece of tape to hold it there. Forgot to check it... Operator Error.

I Doted over the machine until it was done the second time. I just re cut the slot that was already cut. Then watched it cut the square holes seeing if the plugs would pop out.... Had that problem last summer with a bad QC making the bits vibrate and the square cut path plugs made a mess of a set of belts when they jammed below.

Thinking more about this Fiber Optic trick.... I see the board detector has 2 LED's and a hole in the center for the receiver. Guys cleaning them without the window are most likely getting sawdust stuck in the center hole now that I look at it. That is when they finally quit.

In theory you could take a broken board detector window and drill small holes through the LED and detector or remove that plastic backing piece. Place 3 fiber optic cables that are covered with black to prevent cross feed light and push them up through the slot where the wires are or "were".... (Not a project for a in warranty machine.....) Then with a good Board detector cable plug it into a good board detector. Find a way to mount the Fiber to the window or better yet one without the window. The center one for the receiver and the 2 outer LED's as FLOOD Lights through the fiber. Should work.... I know the fiber needs to be cut 90 degrees clean cut. Side Cutters won't work as they smash the optic. I remember the Omron Sensors came with a cutter in each and 5 foot of fiber that we usually only used inches. The rest went into our tool box or the trash. I know I have some in my electronic stuff...

So far so good carving....

AL