[fixtureman1]

Lost comm between computer and controller.

[zool]

Three items:

1. It just takes a tiny slight bump of a wire from controller to stepper motor to throw the cutting off. This is in same vein as fixtureman's suggestion, which I think is check all connections.

2. RE: The cabling from the controller to the stepper motors: Is it shielded? Is ground connected only to the controller end?

3. Do you have an uninterpretable power supply [UPS] on the computer that runs MACH3?

The power that comes out of the outlet is not always 110-115 volts nor can it always be a nice clean sine wave, and it sometimes brings radio frequency interference [RFI] with it.

A UPS that can power the computer and the controller and controller power supply is ideal. The inexpensive ones in big box office supply store I would avoid. The ones they are selling now do not seem to last long under continuous use, even in light duty uses. I do not know if this is because the power supplied is "dirtier" or the UPS from the big box office supply stores are now lower quality.

[Mr.Chips]

Thanks Guys,

Yes the stepper wires are shielded.
No I don't have a UPS.
The previous homeowner had a welder in the garage so I tapped into those fat #6 lines splitting them in to two lines one for the router and the other for the PC and control box,a friend checked them and there were extremely good electrically.
What could I do about the RFI interference?
My PC for the CNC is dedicated XP and never on line, to try and keep it virus free.

What does he mean "lost common between PC and controller", electrically challenged here. Sounds like if it was lost it would be lost all the time?

This has always happened after a long cutting period, so I'm leaning toward a temp buildup in my controller cabnet. I just sent a email to CandCNC this morning to help me identify a 5V DC connection on their power board so I can hook up a fan and get better cooling to the components rather than relying totally on the fan that's built into the PS.

Ill make some long cuts and check component temp before and after the new fan install to so I can see what kind of improvement in cooling I get.

Thanks for your to the point comments, appreciate this.
HH

[fixtureman1]

Static build up can have this effect also.

[Mr.Chips]

Static build up can have this effect also.

How would I prevent static build up?
HH

[fixtureman1]

Get a humidifier or water in front of the heaters.should help.

[LeeWay]

Grounding. Ground the machine. Static dissipates to ground.