Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

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wmgeorge
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Model of CNC Machine: Workbee 1000x750 Mach 4 PMDX Controller

Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by wmgeorge »

bbergami wrote:Actually the machine I use is not what I ever intended to use those drivers on. I'm using servo's. I can get 700-800 ipm rapids but I generally use no more than 150 ipm cutting speed to get a clean cut.

Have you tried swapping your axis on the servo drivers. It might pinpoint whether it's in the driver board or a mechanical problem with the z axis itself.
Well I've swapped the servo motors, and servo driver boards around, if that is what you mean. Believe me, everything has been checked.
I have emailed Gecko, which I have used before on a stepper motor mill I did myself with DeskCNC. It worked fine. I want to see if I can just R&R the Z board using a 320.

bbergami
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by bbergami »

If you've swapped motors and drivers and it keeps happening on your z axis, it seems that it could be some sort of mechanical binding in your z axis.
Also when your getting a lot of rapid stops and starts on all three axis at the same time like when you are carving you may be reaching the limits on your power supply. Not enough power and a little binding could allow your program to get too many pulses ahead of the encoders and you get a fault. A large capacitor accross the power supply output can sometimes help.

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wmgeorge
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by wmgeorge »

No "Z" binding, finger tip up and down with no screw. With screw connected and using handwheel one finger can move the wheel. Even without the router iweight it faults. Power supply is IM Service factory built, which he tells me they use on all the machines without a problem. :?: The servos are rated at 1.75 amp @ 30 vdc, and under load conditions, it may drop to 26.9 but usually loaded 27 to 27.4 or so, unloaded 27.7, using Fluke RMS meter ($300).

But running at 25 Ipm (all axis) which it faults at, using VCarve Bulls Head sample file as a test. It will run the same file time after time at 20 on all the axis.

I am beginning to suspect the servo board design is the problem. I can pocket and contour at 100 Ipm without a problem, but the carving where all three need to move together.... faults.

bbergami
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Location: Bedford, Texas

Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by bbergami »

Have you been able to check the amperage draw to see if your going over the 300va of the power supply when it faults? Unless it does I would suspect the drivers too.

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dr_when
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by dr_when »

If you set your Z at it's lowest point and X and Y to one corner of your table and then send it to the opposite corner with Z going to it's highest setting do you always get a fault? It does kind of sound like the power supply current is maxing out.

Bob
Bob

"He's no fun, he fell right over" - Firesign Theatre

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wmgeorge
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by wmgeorge »

Well... I went over to the IM Service private forum and posted digital pictures of my voltage readings in and out of the power supply. Waiting to hear from Support.

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wmgeorge
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by wmgeorge »

Just a follow up a few years late, I did get it running and working ok. I would never ever buy another machine from IMService, priced high and zero help. I now have a 6040 machine running Mach3 from Automation Tech in Chicago, so far so good.

NormanAlbert
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by NormanAlbert »

Hi: Here's a thought. Does your computer have enough memory to handle X Y and Z at the same time? I know on Mach 3 it looks several hundred lines of code ahead of the actual cut but I had to increase my computers memory by a bunch from its original board. Just a thought. Norm

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wmgeorge
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Re: Increasing Carve Speeds... Causes Servo Fault

Post by wmgeorge »

Norm it turned out to be a controller software upgrade. The seller or vender had lied to me as he had the update and I did not. I went through lots of grief because of him. This Thread is years old I just wanted to add a conclusion to it. I am using or trying to use and its testing right now Mach3 on my new 6040 machine.

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