Disconnects on Pro XXL

CNC Machines
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Disconnects…

Over the weekend, I did a lot of cutting, and experienced 6 or 7 disconnects mid cuts. Thankfully, in all instances, I was able to reconnect, adjust my file to remove what had already been cut, and keep on trucking.

I didn’t have time over the weekend to dive into diagnosing the issue, but I’ve read enough posts where others have had similar issues, and I understand that disconnects are often caused by EM interference or static discharges from dust collection.

Before I start from scratch in trying to suss out where this interference is coming from, I’m hoping to learn from this community’s collective experience.

I have a newer pro xxl.

Some questions:

Has anyone had similar experiences with interference? and are you able to share specifics of what you changed to correct the issue?

are there particular areas of the machine that are most likely to be causing interference? I.e do you find that it is more around the control board, or the z-axis, or the end of the y-axis, or is it where the plugs all get their power?

is there an event log somewhere in CM that I can check to determine the specific cause of the disconnect?

Has anyone had experience trying things like line filters, like these? https://www.amazon.com/powerline-noise-filter/s?k=powerline+noise+filter

Has anyone had success with an EM filtering USB cable, or a cable with a faraday sheath? Or is that not typically the problem? Is there a particular USB cable that you’ve had success with?

My usb and power cables are intentionally kept apart so i don’t think that’s the issue, but I don’t know anything for sure at this point.

Also, I do intend to ground my dust control system, but haven’t done so yet. If anyone can share specific instructions on how they grounded their pro xxl, I would really appreciate that.
I did read some amazing posts about why and how to ground but they got too heavy into the science and theory of it for my dumb monkey brain to comprehend. Hoping to skip the school on this one and just know the exact steps to take. If we all have similar machines, there should be somewhat of a standard practice, right?

Lots here, but just looking to narrow my search before I start chasing the cause of this issue. I appreciate any guidance you can give.

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I read that Carbide has a EMI kit now, with a ground plug and other related accessories. Try emailing support!

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Hi Jon,

Sorry to hear you’re having trouble (and like Max said, do email support for guidance on how to deal with this! the following is only me trying to be semi-helpful in the meantime)

There is unfortunately no silver bullet (or definitive answer) because EMI gremlins like to live in the specificities of your setup / power distribution. Some folks (including yours truly) basically never experience an EMI-related disconnect even though they did not pay attention to grounding and things like that. For those that do have such issues, the #1 culprit is static from the dust collection (and/or shopvac itself), and grounding the hose goes a long way. For grounding the Shapeoko itself, have you seen Liam’s thread/tutorial videos ? We referenced them very recently in this thread. I’m afraid there is no skipping school if you want to do this only once though. Trial and error is incredibly frustrating when dealing with EMI goblins, so a “scientific” approach helps.

You won’t be able to find a log indicating the cause of the disconnect, basically because the disconnect is the computer/CM not succeeding is communicating with the controller, and it can’t know why exactly once the link is down.

Until you hear back from support, grounding your dust collection hose is your best bet (ideally, get an antistatic one with the copper wire embedded in it, and ground one end of the copper wire to a known-good grounding point I’m not too familiar with US outlets and how to actually do this on those, but there are some threads about it, and folks will likely chime in with advice)

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I saw Liam’s post, but it was too much for me to consume at the time (the school I was referring to). Wasn’t looking forward to sprinting down that path if there’s were 12 other likely paths as well- but your advice that it’s most often static from the dust control aims me in the right direction. Guess I’m going to school.

Since these machines are pretty standard out of the box, was hoping for a “just plug this into this and you’re good, Dumb Monkey” kind of answer. But I suppose that’s not realistic. Thanks Julien

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Oooooooooh that sure sounds like the thing! Big fan of solutions in kit form.

Will reach out to support. Thank you for the tip!

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Depending on climate it is likely static. Interference is least likely so get everything grounded. I live in east Texas where it is usually 70 percent relative humidity. A few weeks ago a front blew through and we got 36 percent humidity. Of course I got a disconnect.

Low humidity, moving air makes a terrible combination that leads to static discharge. Static discharge leads to disconnects.

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Since you asked about USB cables…I had some disconnects with my Pro in the beginning as I was getting my shop area arranged the way I wanted it. I used a high quality 10 ft USB cable, so I could have my tablet on the front left side of the machine. This is when my problems started. I eventually switched back to the 6 ft cable that came with it, and my problems ended. I would use the USB cable that came with it or a high quality one that is shorter. I believe Carbide 3D also specifically states this. Just FYI in case you tried the same thing I did…

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This is what I did. It has stopped my issues for the most part.

Good Luck

Grounding your Shapeoko - CNC Machines / Shapeoko - Carbide 3D Community Site

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