anyone not had a broken machine?

[Thorn]

just wondering if there is anyone on the forum that hasent had to replace a part or send it back for repair and if not how many hours do you have on your machine?

[ChrisAlb]

You mean "self induced" break downs or not?

I had almost 170 cut hours on mine before the board sensor gave up on a 15 hour carve. Only other problem was a torn belt and completely my fault.

Sturdy and reliable from day one as long as "I" did nothing wrong.

Chris

[Router-Jim]

Actually I had to replace a traction belt do to operator error.

[Thorn]

I have had my machine scince the 11th ofmarch and the power supply went out on the second day of opperation got a new one installed it carved 3 projects board sensor issuse have to send it back to texas . I havent had it long enoughto make any user errors i must be having a bad run of luck

[Lin]

Surprisingly...I am one of those lucky ladies that has had no issues besides my own screw ups...and even those have not as yet cause me to have to replace any parts or to ship the machine back to LHR....I bought my machine in July of 2007 and have just over 100 cut hours on it...just about that many scan hours on it also. Shhhhhhh...
No jinxing me now please....lol
Lin

[Jeff_Birt]

Thorn, keep in mind that folks tend to ask a lot more questions when there machine is not working right. Hardly anybody says, "Hey my machine is working great", because they are too busy carving stuff.

It stinks that your machine has been giving you problems, but I'm confident that CW will get you fixed up.

[Richard D. McSweeney]

I'm brand new to my carvewright and have only run three projects but I'm now getting the "clean board sensor" note. I don't have an air compressor but the first time I got this note I cleaned the sensor with a damp paper towel and dried it with a dry one. Machine worked fine for the next project but again I got the board note and I've cleaned the sensor the same way I did before but still get note. Is it ok to try a Q-tip? I called CW and the guy wanted me to take the two philips head screws out of the truck to drop the sensor down but I am not comfortable doing that. Any other suggerstions? Ilm going to pick up a small mirror and a can of spray air tomorrow and try that/ If it works, I'll add another message. Thanks for your help. Dick

[Amonaug]

I'm brand new to my carvewright and have only run three projects but I'm now getting the "clean board sensor" note. I don't have an air compressor but the first time I got this note I cleaned the sensor with a damp paper towel and dried it with a dry one. Machine worked fine for the next project but again I got the board note and I've cleaned the sensor the same way I did before but still get note. Is it ok to try a Q-tip? I called CW and the guy wanted me to take the two philips head screws out of the truck to drop the sensor down but I am not comfortable doing that. Any other suggerstions? Ilm going to pick up a small mirror and a can of spray air tomorrow and try that/ If it works, I'll add another message. Thanks for your help. Dick


You might want to take the sensor out as the tech suggested. It's not too hard, just 2 screws and carefully unplug the wire.

Reason is that even though you are cleaning the outside of the lens the sensor is not sealed and small dust particles get in there and block it. You can seal the sensor with silicon carefully. I think the new sensors you get from LHR are already sealed so they learned a lesson.

[Jeff_Birt]

Board sensor problems can also stem from incorrect down pressure. If you have a bathroom scale you can crank the head down on it to check the down pressure. You should have around #85.

[Kenm810]

Richard,

First off Welcome to the CW forum,
Cleaning the board sensor is a common part of the machine cleanup and maintenance and should be done after each carving.
If it isn't dust and chips can build up quickly in and around your sensors and start causing error messages in short order.
If you do use caned air on the board sensor or anywhere inside the machine, go easy, to much air pressure can do more harm then good.
I've disconnected ribbon and other wire connections myself by using to high of a air pressure.
Someone on the forum said a Clean Machine is a Happy Machine.

[twinpeaksenterprises, LLC]

I got almost 200 cut motor hours. I havnt had any trouble outside of figuring out how to make it do what i wanted to do which is part of learning. I have gotten the board sensor error but after Jeff and Amanda explained to me how to clean it, i realized it wasnt a problem just a maintenance issue. So in all actuality no problems here. I think there maybe a variation in older models and newer ones from my observation but thats just my speculation. I am overall very happy with my machine which i purchased in December 07.

[fwharris]

just wondering if there is anyone on the forum that hasent had to replace a part or send it back for repair and if not how many hours do you have on your machine?

Thorn,

I have around 50 cutting hours on mine. Bought it Sept. '07 from Sears.We had about 8 weeks of sub zero weather so I was not carven much.
Only replaced part was the flex shaft. I failed to pick that up from the forum after I got the machine.

Since then I have done a lot of eye straining (reading the forum posts), both current posts and those from the past. You need to go back to the begining of this forum and CW to get a good feel of how far they have progressed.

If you read into most of the problems posted you will find a fare amount of issues are P.M. and cleaning issues. Keep it clean and lubed.

As some have stated already, the problems get posted and the others are carving.

[TIMCOSBY]

on mine and 200 or so scanning and 900 or so on time(i start it carving or scanning and go to bed) only thing i had to do is tighten the two screws under the cover sensor.

[jimsorrow]

I have 15 hours on mine when it quit in the middle of a carve with an x axis stall error 236, then the display went dead. Talked with LHR tech, took things apart, tried different trouble shooting things - tech finally determined I may have a faulty LCD display; they're sending me one. Got my fingers crossed that will fix it.

[jimsorrow]

Update - The new LCD control module arrived very quickly and I installed it this morning. Fired up the machine and it made about a dozen passes on a project before it shut down. I could not get it to power back on. Talked to LHR tech again and after about an hour of trying more things the tech determined that the power supply was bad. I paid the $40 core charge for them to ship me a new power supply. They'll reimburse the $40 plus standard UPS shipping when I return the faulty power supply. I'm hoping the new power supply will solve the problem. I'll let you know.

[Jeff_Birt]

The power supplies and shipping damage really seam to be the weak link now. I'm sure the CW will get it all squared away like they have everything else.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Picture in your mind some little power supply shop in China and the girl assigned to squirt glue on the L2 Coil has been doing her job flawlessly for 10 months now. Then it's vacation time.... She takes 2 days off.... The replacement girl doesn't have the experience and hates changing the glue tube so she cuts back on the squirt.... Two days.... how many power supplies later the regular girl comes back and everything is normal. In the mean time X number of power supplies head to the USA only to fail and get talked about on the forum.... LHR sends a nasty gram to China and the girl gets fired....

After working for Sony making picture tubes I can see this story being true....

AL

[MikeMcCoy]

The only problems I have had were operator induced. I bought a second machine a couple of weeks ago to avoid delivery problems since I can't just stop producing.

[pacificus]

Virtually all but one of my problems have been the result of not understanding the degree to which the machime must be cleamed. I've read many complaints that are clearly within that category. I read that a cleam machine is a happy machine. I think it should read " a clean machine is carving". Since I'm new here, I don't want to start any conflict but there's an old Navy saying that goes "When all else fails, read the instructions". My current problem is with the cover switches. All operations are repeatedly interrupted with a "Please Close Cover" screen. I've done the obvious, cleaned the area arond the switches, Tightened a loose screw. re-seated the switches to thier most outward positions and have not had any results. I also cannot find any instructions that deal with this one. Anyone have an answer?

[Jeff_Birt]

Some folks have had problems with sawdust getting into the cover switches. Some have been able to remove the switch and clean it out with electrical contact cleaner. If that does not work and you have some soldering skills you can find a similar switch at Radio Shack, or CW sells them with the leads already attached.


Virtually all but one of my problems have been the result of not understanding the degree to which the machime must be cleamed. I've read many complaints that are clearly within that category. I read that a cleam machine is a happy machine. I think it should read " a clean machine is carving". Since I'm new here, I don't want to start any conflict but there's an old Navy saying that goes "When all else fails, read the instructions".

Hallelujah! Keeping your machine clean is the best thing you can do for it. I can't tell you how many factories I used to go in to service their equipment and they would be somewhat ticked because I spent half my time cleaning stuff up. After a while though they began to realize that not only did the machine work better, but their employees had a better attitude when they didn't have to work with a machine that looked like an old piece of crap (and broke down all the time).

For cleaning tips check out: http://www.carvewright.com/downloads/tips/CarveWright_Tips_and_Tricks_Jan08.pdf

[optionman]

went out and bought new air compressor, new shop vac, but before i could give the cw it's first total cleaning/lubing, the flexshaft assembly detached from the motor. haven't removed the head yet because LHR hasn't sent me the replacement yet. i expect to find a missing screw when i do the repair. only 14 hours on cw, but i'm not upset because i see the potential when the machine works

[pacificus]

Thanks Jeff - If dust in the switches are indeed the problem, Then I'll have to take a long hard look at the solution. Swapping out an inferior switch with the same part number doesn't address keeping the dust out in the first place. I think I'll be looking for replacementst with the same fit and function but with some sort of debris shield.The satirical side of me is considering shunting the switch circuits and don't be stupid enough to open the cover with machine running. Nah! That's too stupid even for me.

[Jeff_Birt]

From experience on other equipment I can tell you you aren't going to find another switch that is any better. These micro-switches are not air-tight/contaminate proof. Sealed micros witches are regular micro switches in a sealed box.

Sometimes if there is a potential contaminate stream coming from one direction a manufacturer will put a piece of plastic over the switch as a shield. I'm not sure how that would work on the CW though. While I've heard about the problem here on the forum, I don't think it is really a large problem.

[Kenm810]

Hi Jeff,

I was just reading your post, and wondered if LHR may have ever considered using a reed switch for the close cover switch. The magnet could be mounted on or in the clear lid, and the sealed encapsulated reed switch itself would be mounted in the top of the machine where the close cover switch is now. I would guess there would be less chance of it being fouled by dust and would not have to depend on a mechanical pressure or contact to actuate a button, or lever on the switch. And if the reed switch did happen to move a fraction of an inch (which can cause errors now) it would still be within the magnetic field of the actuating magnet and not error out.

Just Thinking.

[Jeff_Birt]

That's an interesting idea Ken. I'm not sure what the UL ramifications of using a reed switch would be though. Hmmm...I have some read switches laying around.....

[eromran]

Hi Jeff,

I was just reading your post, and wondered if LHR may have ever considered using a reed switch for the close cover switch. The magnet could be mounted on or in the clear lid, and the sealed encapsulated reed switch itself would be mounted in the top of the machine where the close cover switch is now. I would guess there would be less chance of it being fouled by dust and would not have to depend on a mechanical pressure or contact to actuate a button, or lever on the switch. And if the reed switch did happen to move a fraction of an inch (which can cause errors now) it would still be within the magnetic field of the actuating magnet and not error out.

Just Thinking.
I think maybe a couple of problems with reed switches would be,
1-The adjustment would not be near as precise when mounted on the back like that you could almost open the door all the way.
2- The electric field from motor
3- The static build up will adversely affect them
4- When they fail they tend to fail shut, that would be good for still being able to work but it would be like working without a safety switch.
5-Lightning is terrible on them more so than others.
6-I'm not sure but the more magnets you can keep away from card the better i would think.

[daveP]

I have thought the machine was broke several times, but I was wrong. It just doesn't always do what you expect it to. I am currently having a rash of problems - aparently of my own making - but the machine does work if I go back and retry an old project that worked. My current project involves a 48" x 11.5" part (2 on one board actually) I first tried to use a 60"x 14" sled, but the machine kept trying to measure the sled had sensor problems which I thought were due to the dark color of the hardboard bottom. So I thought I was smart and built a carrier - think of a capitol H with the board as the center rung - it still wouldn't measure. same problem got clear sensor errors on the left end of the carrier - same as the sled. So I made a carrier that looks like a capitol O (square sides) with the board in the hole - that finally worked - I can now measure the board + carrier fine - just one caveot - such a long carrier+board wants to tip when it is at the end of travel - so you have to make sure you support your work on both sides. If the board pressure changes due to the board twisting you get errors.

None of the clear sensor problems were due to a dirty sensor - without cleaning it I could put any number of shorter boards in and measure them correctly. Part of the problems seemed to be due to the plywood I was trying to measure - HD calls it sandply and it is very light and not much texture. A different piece of wood seems to work ok, with the sandply, the machine moves in x a little - backs up then fwd several times before it gets to the end of the board - I think the sensor is having problems with the board texture.
the sensor test shows a range of 0 - 156 depending on if it is over the board or not. So its probably not the sensor.

I also noticed that with the H carrier it never had a problem with the right side, always with the left side. The other wierd thing is sometimes it would try and start the measure from the right side - most of the time it would start on the left side. Not sure why it would ever do it different.

The work/solution always looks easy to those not doing the work or having the problem!
Dave

[Kenm810]

Well as I mentioned Before, I like to tinker with all my machines in the shop, and for now my carving machine is on the top of the list.
(Remember Never Tinker with your CW or CC Machine at Home, -- the way I do in my Shop,
I’m not a professional and don’t know what I’m doing have the time anyway)

I have accumulated a grab bag of reed switches over the years while working with, and designing commercial and residential alarm systems. So I picked one with a UL approval embossed on the side, (it doesn’t mean anything for what I’m doing – but it looks good) and a 13mm rare earth magnet to activate it. I attached the reed switch to one of corrugated plastic tubes of our shop dust collector system we use for our table saw, and kept checking the meter while I was ripping down a few ¾” x4’x8’ sheets of plywood, to see if the static charge generated could affect the switch in the closed or open mode. Even though the dust and wood chips were standing on end and danced around on the plastic tubing and the reed switch itself, it continued to work normally. Another of my concerns was the machine’s vibration while it was carving, - was that it would shake the switch enough to open the circuit and stop the machine, but happily it didn’t happen. I can’t say how the switch in the machine would do in a lightning storm (haven’t had one this year - yet) But this is the same type of reed switch we’ve used in our building’s alarm system for the past ten years without a failure. Plus as a rule I normally avoid operating machines or devices that that use or incorporate Computer circuitry while it’s storming outside. Later I bypassed the machines close cover switch and mounted the reed switch away from any circuitry or the memory card slot, on the inside of the upper part of the machine opposite the crank handle and touch pad. I positioned the reed switch and magnet to open the circuit and stop the machine with about a half an inch of movement, I used a marker as a gauge. I ran two small projects, 25 and 40 minutes, and opened and closed the lid several times with out a problem. The switch didn’t fail, so I can’t say if it did fail, it would stay in the open or closed mode.
Certainly a longer carving project may have given completely different results;
You have to remember my warranty has already expired and I was just Tinkering for my own curiosity and amusement.

[Bubbabear]

I refuse to brag on mine because it will break in the morning

[jimsorrow]

Update - the new power supply arrived today. Took only about 5 minutes to pull the old one and install the new one. Flipped the machine upright and turned the switch on - nothing. Took just about 2 more minutes to flip the machine back on it's side and actually plug in the 3 connectors :). This time when I hit the switch the machine powered up. I just finished a carve (I'll post a picture in the gallery) so I'm hoping that's the end of the problems.

[David Myers]

There is light at the end of the tunnel.
I was one of the unlucky ones who bought a Sears machine that had problems from day 1. I got my machine delivered from Sears by UPS on 12/20/07. The box was beat up but the machine looked ok. Loaded the software only to find out it was an older version and would not let me register it. So I called LHR problem fixed. Next, machine gave z axis errors and would not carve correctly. So I sent the machine back to LHR for repairs. Got the machine back from LHR and UPS had destroyed the box again but machine looked fine. LHR had replaced the z pack with the new upgrade and installed a new power supply. Got to carve 8 projects when the board sensor went out. Installed new sensor then the z motor failed along with the 14 pin control cable that had split. Installed new motor and ribbon cable and completed 2 more projects when the left side cover switch went bad. Replaced switch and cable. Then the belt tore on a practice carve. Ordered a few belts and some special tools from CarveWright and the way they were pack and the way UPS handles packages the bit tool had punched a hole in one of the new drive belts. Sent a picture to LHR and they sent another belt. I now do all the repairs to my machine instead of shipping it back to LHR (I don't want to buy another box and packing).

The moral of this long story is that my machine is now running fine with no apparent problems, it took awhile to fix all of the gremlins in the machine but I think I'm over the rough stuff and with the proper maintanence and TLC it should work fine. Now I hope I did not jink myself with that last statement.

So to those with problem a machine, I can relate but if you stick with it you can over come them and start to enjoy your CompuCarve.

David