[leeko]

Does anyone have any tips for troubleshooting a handwheel that isn't working?

My Delta 20 has a handwheel on the panel, and while in jog mode, I have the soft button for "select handwheel axis". When I press it, it cycles through x, y, and z axes. But, turning the handwheel doesn't jog any of the axes regardless of selection.

Hoping someone can shed some light on whether I'm doing something wrong, or how to fix it

Thanks in advance

Lee

[machinehop5]

...you are doing it right so, must be something not working with Hand Wheel unit....check to see if, wiring is ok going from the Interface board Plug...check for voltage to Unit...if, it has 5vdc voltage....then the light bulb inside is bad and have to be replaced.

[leeko]

...you are doing it right so, must be something not working with Hand Wheel unit....check to see if, wiring is ok going from the Interface board Plug...check for voltage to Unit...if, it has 5vdc voltage....then the light bulb inside is bad and have to be replaced.

Hi machinehop,

Thanks for the reply. I checked the voltage to the handwheel, and it's getting 4.8v. I'm a little confused about the lightbulb though - this is a handwheel on the control box, not a pendant.

I've attached a picture of the connections on the back of the handwheel, and the wiring diagram, and they look correct to me. I don't know much about electronics, though, and not sure what to do next in terms of troubleshooting.

Appreciate any guidance!

Thanks,

Lee

[cngbrick]

leeko,

With a voltmeter you can check if the handwheel is generating the right signals. The handwheel will produce a sequence of pulses on terminals 3 and 5 as you rotate the wheel. Use the following procedure to verify operation:
1) Set your voltmeter to read signals of at least 5 volts
2) Terminal 2 will be the ground reference for all the readings (black probe here)
3) Check voltage on terminals 3 and 5 and note down
4) Move the handwheel one click and repeate and note voltages as in step 3.
5) Repeat (4) until you have read the voltages for 4 positions of the hand wheel.

What you are looking for in a properly working hand wheel is a sequence of voltage changes where exclusively one terminal changes voltage on each click.

This means for instance that the outputs would do the following:

(T3,T5)
(lo, lo) - click 1
(lo, hi) - click 2
(hi, hi) - click 3
(hi, lo) - click 4

hi would be a voltage close to 5V, lo would be close to 0V.

One and only one terminal changes state for each click.

RT

[leeko]

Hi
Thanks very much for that
I'm not seeing any voltage between 2 and 3, or 2 and 5,. No matter how many clicks. Does that mean the handwheel is toast?

Lee

leeko,

With a voltmeter you can check if the handwheel is generating the right signals. The handwheel will produce a sequence of pulses on terminals 3 and 5 as you rotate the wheel. Use the following procedure to verify operation:
1) Set your voltmeter to read signals of at least 5 volts
2) Terminal 2 will be the ground reference for all the readings (black probe here)
3) Check voltage on terminals 3 and 5 and note down
4) Move the handwheel one click and repeate and note voltages as in step 3.
5) Repeat (4) until you have read the voltages for 4 positions of the hand wheel.

What you are looking for in a properly working hand wheel is a sequence of voltage changes where exclusively one terminal changes voltage on each click.

This means for instance that the outputs would do the following:

(T3,T5)
(lo, lo) - click 1
(lo, hi) - click 2
(hi, hi) - click 3
(hi, lo) - click 4

hi would be a voltage close to 5V, lo would be close to 0V.

One and only one terminal changes state for each click.

RT

[cngbrick]

Possibly dead as machinehop5 said -- the handwheel is optical inside with a lamp illuminating a grid wheel. If that lamp goes out there will be no output. Try the measurement on the complementary terminals (T2 to T4, T2 to T6) and see what you get.

RT

[leeko]

Possibly dead as machinehop5 said -- the handwheel is optical inside with a lamp illuminating a grid wheel. If that lamp goes out there will be no output. Try the measurement on the complementary terminals (T2 to T4, T2 to T6) and see what you get.

RT

I got nothing on any of the terminals, so I started dismantling to get to the lamp. I give up - how do I get into this thing? I took out all the screws, but it seems like the thing is pressed together pretty snugly. I don't want to blindly pry anything apart and potentially damage something...

[cngbrick]

They are not really intended to be serviced, an experienced instrument repair person could possibly manage it. Easier to find a replacement.

There are probably some low-cost units that you can fit without too much difficulty. You are looking for a 100 PPR (pulse-per-rev) unit that can take a 5 VDC supply. The unit can be either single-ended or complementary output depending on which is easier to source as Dynapath only uses the positive output terminals. Check on popular auction or internet store sites.

RT

[cngbrick]

If you do want to open it, there are probably screws under the label or simply removing the standoffs each side of the terminal block will do the trick.

RT

[leeko]

If you do want to open it, there are probably screws under the label or simply removing the standoffs each side of the terminal block will do the trick.

RT

I opened it (the standoffs, like you said), and quickly determined that repairing it is beyond my skill set. I have an eBay pendant ordered and on the way.

Thanks again!