[Web.eng]

G’day All,

I have a problem with my Haas VF1 which has started alarming out with Alarm # 123 (SPINDLE DRIVE FAULT)
I have read a few posts on here suggesting that this may be a vector drive unit fault and that parts may be available to fix the problem without having to replace the vector drive. Can someone help me out by telling me what I should check for to find out exactly what the problem is
The plate on the back of the machine says it is an 08/2002 model if that makes any difference?
Thanks in advance for the help.

Dave.

[Haas__man]

it could be that the vector drive is overheating. If you open the cabinet while the machine is running, look at the top of the vector drive, are both fans running?
If not - this is what will be causing your problem, you should be able to buy new fans.

[haastec]

When do you get the alarm? Is the fault light on at the Vector Drive? Need a little more information to help direct you in the right direction.

[Web.eng]

Thanks Guys,

Yes both fans are working. When I turned it on yesterday the alarm came up within 2 - 3 mins. of starting the first program so I would be surprised if it is am over heating issue. I didn't check for the fault light yesterday on the vector drive but I will check next time the alarm occours.
I should have also mentioned that I first got this alarm about a week ago and when I did I called the locol Haas guy. He got me to check the fans and I think I checked to see if the fault light was on then, but it wasn't. He seemed to think the vector drive may be on its way out but after turning the machine off and re starting it, no more problem, so I didn't worry about investigating it any further untill now. I was hoping it was just a one off because I could really do without the expence of having to replace the vector drive at the moment!

Dave.

[JaredR1]

the way i was explained vector drive is just the type of processer the machine uses. i have had some spindle issues before i would check the belts and gears in the head of the machine. might want to check your nitrogen levels as well. i hope my 2 cents might help you.

[Web.eng]

Thanks JaredR1,

I think the vector drive is actually the electronics that drive the spindle motor, although I could be wrong! This is not a geared head machine and does not have the nitrogen accumulator. There is no issue with rigid tapping or spindle orientation so I have no reason to suspect that the encoder belt is a problem.
The machine has run continuously today with no problem??? Fingers crossed it keeps doing so!!!

Dave.

[haastec]

Since your machine is running it could be a number of things that is generating the drive fault; Vector drive, Axis servo drive, Motor cables, Regen, etc. If the alarm returns try to note what the machine was doing prior to the alarm and do your best to reproduce it. This will go a long way in order to pinpoint the problem.

Good luck!

[whiteboy]

We are having a similar problem with our VFO. Got Alarm 123 yesterday as well as Alarms 119 and 160. Opened cabinet and found that the fans on top of the vector drive ARE NOT on. Unit was VERY warm to the touch....How do you remove them to test/replace???

[Web.eng]

G'day All,

Ok, It has been a while since my last post on here and I can thankfully say that this problem has not re-occurred since then.... until now! It has started happening again over the past few days.
I have checked that the fans are both running and they are. I checked the fault light and it is not on but the high voltage light is on. I'd be surprised if high voltage is an issue though because I also have a VF5 sitting next to the VF1 and this has never had this problem and is obviously on the same mains power input. The alarm generally occurs when the machine is idle not during a cycle (although it has happened once or twice during a cycle) and will sometimes occur immediately when the reset button is pressed and other times it won't.
I have noticed that the phase fault light is on although I was told that this is only an issue with lathes. Can't see what difference it makes though? The phase fault is a simple fix by swapping two of the phase inputs but would this make any difference to the alarm?
Is there anything else I can check or do to find the problem?
I'm not convinced that the Vector drive is stuffed. If it was then surely this problem would have re-occurred more frequently than is has done?
This machine would be used about 2 -3 days a week on average.
Any thoughts appreciated.

Regards,
Dave.

[Web.eng]

Just realised that the high voltage light is to tell me that there is high voltage present, not an over voltage.....

[Bryan33]

This can be caused by a few things. The spindle motor can cause this problem. Have you check it for any shorts. The spindle encoder can also cause this alarm. What is your DC buss? It should be between 325-345 DC volts.

It can also be caused by a bad ground

[Web.eng]

G'day Guys,

I got this alarm again this morning. It occoured before I even got the spindle running today.
I talked with the Haas tech guy on the phone and checked the voltages with a multi-meter while talking to him. Everything seems to be running at the correct voltage.
Not sure how the encoder would be causing this. Is the encoder a common cause of this alarm?
It just seems strange that it is so random. Fair enough if the vector drive has sh!t itself but then the machine wouldn't run at all. The fact that it will run for days or even weeks without causing a problem and then totally out of the blue it does packs it in just seems strange!
Anyone got any other ideas??? I could really do with a fix and it's looking like I might just have to buy a new vector drive which I could do without

Regards,
Dave.

[Bryan33]

What is your DC buss?
What does your regions ohm out to?

[Web.eng]

D.C. buss tested at 335 volts and Regen 8.2 ohms. My regen has 3 coils.

Regards,
Dave.

[Web.eng]

G'day All,

Still working on this problem and still no answer as yet. I have just swapped the vector drive between my VF1 and VF5 to see if the problem stays with the VF1 or has been transfered to the VF5 with the vector drive. At least I will know one way or the other if it is in fact the vector drive or some other issue with the machine.
I'll keep you posted!

Regards,
Dave.

[haastec]

Just to confirm; the vector drive is the same model between the two machines correct?

Also, I did a similar swap between machines due to a 123 alarm a couple months ago and both machines have been running without alarm since. Go figure! If the one unit is bad, eventually it will fail in a way that is obvious and will make it easy to troubleshoot.

Good luck with your experiment.

[Web.eng]

Thanks Haastec,

Yes the drive is the same model. I ran both machines for sevral hours after swapping the drives yesterday without issue. I guess I'll just run them until something happens!
I'll let you know how it goes......

Regards,
Dave.

[Web.eng]

G'day All,

Getting back to my vector drive fault, one of the capacitors inside the good drive (the one that was not giving the 123 alarm) exploded!!! The end result of this and the fact that the other drive continued at random to give the alarm was that I ended up replacing both vector drives with the later version drives. A very expensive replacement but at least I have seen the last of the 123 alarm...... I hope!

Regards,
Dave.

[haastec]

Ouch!

Replacing 2 vector drives definitely hurts. Hopefully the machining gods smile upon you for a good long while.

Thanks for the update.

[metalmansteve]

I've had the same issue with my VF2ss since I got the machine 5 years ago. Like you said, it will run for weeks without issue. Then it will alarm out several times in a row and sometimes wont reset. When that happens, I turn off the machine and turn it back on again. When I talked to HAAS a long time ago they said there could be "noise" in my electricity? I think that's a bunch of BS because when I bought the machine I replaced an older one that was running on the same wires. I'm generally very happy with HAAS but this is annoying and if someone figures out what's causing this I'd love to find out.