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As the title says, I broke my 1/8" cutting bit when starting a drilling operation.
The chuck/bit came down to the project but didn't start to turn and I didn't get to the stop button in time to prevent the bit snapping off.
Unfortunately I let my frustration get to me and simply switched the machine off and launched the ruined project out of my shop door into the yard.
So now that I'm somewhat more calm, how do I go about diagnosing the problem to prevent this from happening in the future?
It sounds like your motor did not start. You should run the cut motor test. Boot up the machine with a card in, any board, and remove the bit.
Hit the 0 button (options)
Choose user tests (8, I think)
Cut motor test (4, I think)
Ahhh... found the document :)
http://support.carvewright.com/ac-cu...-test-replace/
I broke 3 bits in 2 weeks because my motor was intermittently not running. If you see an issue, make sure you solve it before trashing more 40 buck bits!
Cut motor test ran successfully - spun like a devil. Doesn't really tell me why the cut motor stalled during the project though :( Certainly doesn't make me feel better about my machine being down another full week or more before I can afford to splurge on a $40 bit :(Quote:
Originally Posted by DianMayfield
Edit to add - good news is that my old lady is giving me permission to put the bit on the credit card instead of waiting since it's gonna delay paying work.
I hate intermittent problems.
Ours was a bad connection in the motor:
Attachment 78246
The wire on the right was not a tight loop, causing arcing. We trimmed it up and re-crimped, it ran another 100 hrs.
I'm still under warranty and VERY uncomfortable with taking things apart. I've built PCs since I was a kid, but this is an order of magnitude greater because of the tolerances and operations it does. That said, since shelling out as much as I have on this machine, I have been slowly coming to the realization that unless I want to spend $200 in shipping every time something goes wrong I'm going to have to become a mechanical engineer really *(#&ing quickly.Quote:
Originally Posted by DianMayfield
I certainly agree that 2 way shipping should not be the responsibility of the owner when it is a manufacturing defect.
I just feel like a quality control agent whenever I run into a new problem with the machine. When my TV went out under warranty last year and I called Sony they didn't have me take the back off my TV to tell them what I see, they sent someone to my house to fix it.Quote:
Originally Posted by DianMayfield
Could it be the right cover switch. Is your DC holding the cover up?
No sir, when I modified the cover to fit the DC, I made absolutely sure I was getting solid contact with the switch. If that were the case, I'd have run into the same problem with the 15 holes I drilled with the machine over the past 3 days :(Quote:
Originally Posted by bergerud
Did the cut motor spin up for the bit change step for starting your drill operation?
You mean before it did the "find bit" process before drilling? Yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by fwharris
Lovely. I think my head is going to explode today.
Now I can't log in to the store site to buy new bits (going to buy two on the credit card in case this happens again)... It tells me my user name/account is wrong. I've tried every possible variation of my email address that I used to register, and nothing works. It *WOULD* be on a sunday, when nobody is there to answer the phone to help.
The same happened to me. I had to go through the forgot password email thing.
It won't accept the email that I ***KNOW*** I used to register (I even have emails from LHR/carvewright in the inbox)Quote:
Originally Posted by bergerud
I have 2 store user names because it didn't recognize me and I created the second account.
Just tried it now and was accepted
Yes that is what I meant. Most times if there is an issue with the cut motor switch you will catch it then when the cut motor does not fire up for the bit change. With the machines set routine that it does for the before operations and catching it when it fails to do so has saved me a few "oh crap" moments. Hard to say what the problem was with you and the broken bit since your cut motor test ran good.
I made a new account on the store with the same email address and just placed my order for 2 1/8" cutting bits. :( Hope I can figure this out by the time they get here.
I would run the cut motor test a few times to see if the problems pops up again. If it seems to be intermittent I would say that the problem is most likely in the X termination board.
Thanks. I'll do that and see if it fails again. How long should I leave it to run before hitting the button to stop the test each time?Quote:
Originally Posted by fwharris
I would put a seat belt on the clear cover at the cut motor switch. A piece of tape installed with the cover 1/4 open so when closed it holds the clear cover to the cut switch. I installed one on my left switch in the picture.
I bought some of the 1/8th inch Circuit Board End Mill Bits from eBay. I plan to use it with the 1/4 inch to 1/8th inch bit holder for Roto Zip. IF I can get the length correct so the machine will think it is a 1/8 inch cutting bit. Have not tried it yet. May need a longer bit holder.
I use the Roto Zip holder for the 1/16th Circuit Board End Mill Bits in the picture.
The Cut Motor CRIMP connectors have been known to come loose.... Even the Crimp on the wire... give it a TUG.
AL
Like this?Quote:
Originally Posted by Digitalwoodshop
Attachment 78250
What do you have cut into the front part of you clear cover? Cutting too short and vibration can cause switch to open the circuit.
It's just cut to clear the Ringneck Blues dust collector (and I *ONLY* cut it because the RNB DC documentation stated that modifying the clear cover to clear the dust collector does NOT void my warranty)Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnfrwd
It doesn't, but we have discovered cutting the cover too short cause loss of clear cover switch working during vibration.
Yes, but on the other side... I have tape on my left switch and that tells the computer that the clear cover is raised. The Right one is the cut motor safety switch and the return path of the voltage for the cut motor. A no start cut motor check this FIRST...
The cover rests on the dust collector. If vibration was the issue in this particular case, I'd have been having cut motor problems from day 1 - this is the first time I've ever experienced this problem. The DC was installed from day 1. I didn't cut my cover shorter this morning before starting my carve.Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnfrwd
Just trying to help. I'll shut up.
Thanks. I'll add a piece of tape to the other side as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Digitalwoodshop
I hope you didn't take my response as being rude, because it wasn't intended this way. I'm afraid my frustration with the machine may be showing through a bit as it's spent more time down than running since I bought it.Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnfrwd
To be clear, I'll take all the help I can get, I was just letting you know that the cover is probably not the issue this time around because I haven't made any change to the cover since the first day I installed the machine in my shop when I cut it to clear the dust collector and never had a problem like this before.
I've run 6 separate cut motor tests for around 10 seconds each and have not had another failure. So far it has only happened during the carve I started this morning - it ran a 50 minute carve then after switching to the cutting bit for the drill operation, it spun up before finding the bit, went to drill, and broke the bit.
Just move the cover and listen to when the right switch clicks. Maybe it has come loose. Make sure it clicks before the cover is closed.
The right switch clicks a tiny fraction of an instant before the left switch consistently same as it always has.Quote:
Originally Posted by bergerud
Having a LHR Input on a Sunday Night... That is much appreciated... AS is your suggestion. You have a valid point that the cover could hop or vibrate and just as it went to drill the hole the cut motor did not start and the wiggle of the bit doing a drill hole caused the snap.. If I were a betting man I bet the right side seat belt solves the problem.
I know the sound of a snapping bit.... After doing maintenance I slid a board into the machine and heard the $35.00 Snap... I had left the head down after putting on the flex before powering up that would have raised the head....
AL
I certainly wasn't discounting the idea or the input, like I said - just explaining that there was no change in the cover between yesterday and today, and I drilled several holes yesterday (ran two complete carves as a matter of fact). Unfortunately I won't be able to try again until the two bits I ordered from LHR come in. I ordered two so I don't lose too much time if it does happen again. I'm going to work on seeing if I can get the 1/16" bit to function (I never have been able to get it to work up to this point - this time I will grab the error number if I run into the same problem) - since I don't use that bit, it will be no loss if it breaks the same way, and if it does work, I'll use that one for drilling holes while I wait on the larger bits.Quote:
Originally Posted by Digitalwoodshop
ok, bits came in today (yesterday) - sharp, new, shiny, beautiful, expensive bits lol
So I figured that the only way to know was to try, and so I ran the drilling portion of the carve I broke the bit on the other day - it drilled out every hole, however there was a small issue with a few of the holes on the end. I'll make another post later on about that problem after I get some sleep. For now, here's a couple pics of the carves I completed tonight. I did get a couple "check cut motor" messages, but since everything else seemed to be working fine, I just hit enter to continue and it finished carving with no further issues. Towards the very end of the second carving (the renegades carve) I got some loud noise from the flex shaft, but as soon as I touched it to check for heat (no heat), the noise stopped and there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary going on.
Attachment 78299Attachment 78300
I do hope you are following the seven inch rule....Those are some pretty big drill holes. The 3/16" cutting bit would be better for those. Less likely to break.
Yes, I cut the ends off after running the project. The biggest hole is an inch, but only .125 deep. If I drill deeper I do it with a max pass depth of .125 or .25Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnfrwd
I agree that the 3/16 bit would probably be better to use, unfortunately it's not something I can just do whenever.
Would the 3/16 bit take care of the issue I'm seeing from time to time with the machine drilling egged holes?
That's a tracking issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2A Finishing
That would explain it. I forgot the tape.Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnfrwd