Errors, Errors, oh my!

[djarboe]

I started to do my carving this morning. My board is 1/2" thick, with rails stuck on the sides (well actually, my calipers measure it at 0.503").

When I first started it, it started to measure the board, and stopped, telling me to clear the board sensor. So, I took a can of compressed air and blew off the optical sensor underneath. That worked, and I proceeded.

It measured the board, homed the bit, and went over and touched the flapper. It started to measure the thickness. It gave me a Z-axis stall error E06-0313. I retried it again, and noticed it was actually driving the bit down on the bar assembly on the sliding guide.

So, I checked the rollers, all working fine, and moved the head back and forth and up/down. Felt ok. Just as a precaution, I vacuumed out the nooks and crannies, etc... everywhere I could reach.

So I restarted the process again, and now have a persistent board sensor error. I blew it off again - no luck. I tried scrubbing the sensor with a toothbrush and blowing it off - no luck.

So now I am dead in the water so to speak, and not sure what to try now... for either error.

I need some help here, in terms that an amateur like me can fathom.

[rmock]

Possible fcc cable problem, had a machine last week giving me multiple problems / errors. after some trial and error found out it was the fcc cable. Also wanted to add this link to the trouble shooting guide
http://support.carvewright.com/wp-co...Chapter_10.pdf

[djarboe]

Possible fcc cable problem, had a machine last week giving me multiple problems / errors. after some trial and error found out it was the fcc cable. Also wanted to add this link to the trouble shooting guide
http://support.carvewright.com/wp-co...Chapter_10.pdf

Thanks for the link. Pretty detailed and involved, so it will take me some time to sort through it. What is the fcc cable, how did you fix it, and how much did a new one cost?

[rmock]

You have to remove the cover to get to it. here is a link
https://www.carvewright.com/assets/s..._FFC_cable.pdf
Also, if your machine is still under warranty call tech support before trying any fixes.

[bergerud]

You could run some self tests first. Sensor and axis tests. For example, move the y truck while looking at board sensor readings.

[djarboe]

You could run some self tests first. Sensor and axis tests. For example, move the y truck while looking at board sensor readings.

How do I get the machine to show me this? It seems strange that it could find the Y-axis edge before I vacuumed it out really good.

Of course, then I also have the Z axis stall problem, E06-0313.

[bergerud]

Sensor check: press 0 - 7 on the keypad and use the arrows to scroll through the things you can check. The theory here is that the flat ribbon wire that connects the carriage to the machine has a problem. Either a poor connection or a broken wire. While looking at the board sensor readings on the display, move the carriage back and forth. (Put a wide board in the machine for the sensor to sense.) If the readings jump to 0, it indicates that the ribbon wire may be the problem.

[djarboe]

Sensor check: press 0 - 7 on the keypad and use the arrows to scroll through the things you can check. The theory here is that the flat ribbon wire that connects the carriage to the machine has a problem. Either a poor connection or a broken wire. While looking at the board sensor readings on the display, move the carriage back and forth. (Put a wide board in the machine for the sensor to sense.) If the readings jump to 0, it indicates that the ribbon wire may be the problem.

Well, I did this. On the far left (homing side), it reads 0. Then as I moved the head over the board, it read between about 135 to 155, depending on the grain. Then, once it reached the edge of the board, it read 0 again.

[bergerud]

That is what it is supposed to do. Gently wiggle the flat ribbon around and see if that makes the numbers jump. If it does not, I think you have eliminated the flat ribbon as the problem.

Another cause of the z stall you had is if the bit has drilled a hole in the touch point by the brass roller. Look there and see if there is a hole.

[djarboe]

That is what it is supposed to do. Gently wiggle the flat ribbon around and see if that makes the numbers jump. If it does not, I think you have eliminated the flat ribbon as the problem.

Another cause of the z stall you had is if the bit has drilled a hole in the touch point by the brass roller. Look there and see if there is a hole.

Well, this is interesting, so bear with me. I think I made a rookie mistake... again. I am using rails, and was getting the error when I was having it measure in a section without the board. When I retried this while making sure it had the actual board under the head, it measured is correctly.

Now I looked, and there is a hole in the plate on the homing side.

So, after all this, I restarted it, put in the bit and watched it go to work. When it homed for a thickness measurement, the bit went down in the hole. Then it went to the other side and stalled when the bit hit the sliding guide, and gave me a Z axis stall error E06-0313. Could this hole be causing the error? If so, how can I fix it? Is there some simple way to plug that hole if it is indeed causing the problem?