[Semus]

Hey guys,

I recently installed a brand new NEMA34 electronics setup on my new machine, and all was going well for about 24 hours. This morning, I was running an operation that consists of around 25K lines of code. All of a sudden, the Z-Axis stopped working. The Z-Axis retracted from a hole it had just bored, and just quit. The machine moved to it's next hole, but the Z-Axis remained stationary. I stopped the operation and tried to move the Z-Axis manually, and nothing. I then tried to move the machine back to 0.0 and the X-Axis and A-Axis motors lagged behind each other. The X-Axis motor would move just slightly before the A-Axis motor, causing the gantry to "twist" slightly. I manged to get the X and A axes back to their home positions and closed MACH3. I then shut down the control box, then turned it back on. I started MACH3 again and hit "ref-all-home" to make sure the machine was homed properly. Once the machine was turned back on, all the motors started working once again.

A few things to note:

The laptop with which I use to run MACH3 isn't exactly the most powerful thing in the world, and the CAT5 cable that connects the laptop to the control box is rather old. I'm wondering if either the laptop or the cable could be the cause of this. The laptop is quite slow, and was wondering if this could have an affect on the CNC machine's speed overall. Perhaps the processing power just isn't up to the task of sending out data that quickly to the control box?

I'm trying to think of things that could cause this. Has anyone else run into this kind of issue before?

I do have a much more powerful laptop (which I use to do all of my 3D modeling and Fusion360 work). I'm also going to purchase a new CAT6 cable today (the cable that came with the electronics package just isn't long enough to reach the laptop).

Any other suggestions on how I may avoid something like this?

[Semus]

Just got off the phone with Cory from CNCRP. Once again, top notch customer service.

First off, I'd like to apologize for not giving enough information about my setup (feeds/speeds - rapids - acceleration, what sort of op I was running (boring/slot/contour), etc.). I'll try to be less vague next time ;-)

I believe Cory has gotten to the bottom of what happened here, and the solution is quite simple. Basically, I was running the Z-Axis a bit too fast which tripped the power supply to the Z. The Z and Slave axes use the same power supply, so when the Z goes out, the Slave goes with it. This is what caused the Slave axis to "lag" behind when I moved the machine back to it's home position. The Slave motor had no power, so it appeared as if it was functioning at a slight delay.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to getting back up and running at higher speeds once the capacitors arrive ;-)

Thanks again, Cory!

[Old_Phart]

nema 34 is big for a 48 x 24 isnt it? i wanted to use them too but was advised not to.

[Semus]

nema 34 is big for a 48 x 24 isnt it? i wanted to use them too but was advised not to.

On the contrary. The NEMA34 is an absolute beast for this setup ;-)

The kit that I received was built specifically for either system (NEMA23 or NEMA34) CNCRP has electronics setups that will match your machine. You have a choice on which electronics package you want to use. Get in touch with the guys at CNCRP. They will get you squared away ;-)

[Old_Phart]

oh, ill bet. i wanted to go the same way. i was told it was a waste. im curious if you had a specific need for that much power or are you like me and just wanted it?

[Semus]

According to the guys at CNCRP, you don't really "need" the NEMA34 setup. I was running an older version of the NEMA23 setup that had slightly less power than their newer NEMA23 version. It was a setup that was used for a completely different machine (Benchtop Pro). I tried to fit this older electronics setup onto my new machine (4824), but I found that I could not get the speeds out of it that I had expected, or wanted. I run a business, so time is money. I needed a setup that could do very fast rapids and higher cutting speeds. Therefore, the extra power was warranted.

I don't know what you're into, but you may not have the need for such a setup.

[Old_Phart]

ahh. that fits. thanks for the reply

[dodger889]

Sounds like you should use a and X on the same power supply.

[Hsayre2016]

Curious, how fast were you running the Z Axis to cause this? I am asking because I just ordered the Nema 34 Controller package for the CNCRP Pro4896 Table to upgrade the G540 I am running. I am hoping to get a lot faster movements.

Thanks

Just got off the phone with Cory from CNCRP. Once again, top notch customer service.

First off, I'd like to apologize for not giving enough information about my setup (feeds/speeds - rapids - acceleration, what sort of op I was running (boring/slot/contour), etc.). I'll try to be less vague next time ;-)

I believe Cory has gotten to the bottom of what happened here, and the solution is quite simple. Basically, I was running the Z-Axis a bit too fast which tripped the power supply to the Z. The Z and Slave axes use the same power supply, so when the Z goes out, the Slave goes with it. This is what caused the Slave axis to "lag" behind when I moved the machine back to it's home position. The Slave motor had no power, so it appeared as if it was functioning at a slight delay.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to getting back up and running at higher speeds once the capacitors arrive ;-)

Thanks again, Cory!