Probe failing after moving my machine

CNC Machines
1

Hi All,

I recently disassembled my machine, moved it and re-assembled it. Jogging and everything is fine. Tonight I went to do my first cut in its new location and it failed during the 3rd step of probing. I thought it might be that I was using an end mill, so switched to a probing rod. Same deal.

Here’s what happens:

  1. I turn on the machine, it initializes and homes just fine.
  2. My bit setter is enabled. It asks for a tool measures it and returns to the south center.
  3. I jog it over to the probe bore, position it and start the probe. (ground connected).
  4. It goes left, hits the wall of the bore, red. Great.
  5. It goes right, hits the wall of the bore, red. Great.
  6. It comes forward, hits the wall of the bore, red. Then when it goes to return to the center of the bore, there is a single pulse of the stepper and probing fails.

I am using Probe V2, Build 566 on Windows 10. I can’t remember if I had run it off this laptop recently, as I was previously using a raspberry Pi that I haven’t had a chance to lug out to the shop yet.

This problem has occurred with the router unplugged, plugged in a different outlet from the computer, and lastly plugged into the same outlet as the computer (thought it might be a weird ground issue).

I’ve recorded the oddity here:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

2

Since you just moved is there any chance that you are not grounded properly? Obviously the probe works for part of the X Y and Z probe so maybe the grounding of the magnet has gone haywire.

3

By grounding you mean my electrical supply?

Previously I ran the machine in my basement, but recently moved it my detached garage shop which is on a sub panel. That panel was installed 3 years ago professionally. I cannot recall if we did a separate ground post for the garage but I haven’t had any other issues with my other machines.

4

John

Recheck all your connections not just being clipped together but check the pins all of them and make sure none are pushed out of the connector sounds like you have something loose and not staying connected. I don’t think its the probe but may be in the z motor connectors. You could also try the jog function and work the Z motor up and down and see what happens.

Anthony

5

Not your plugs. The code requires the plug to be grounded and if a pro did it assume for now that is correct. I meant the Bitzero magnet wire is solidly attached to machine. I have a v1 so the wire is attached to front of my frame.

IMG_20220929_221951593
IMG_20220929_2219515931920×2560 264 KB

So follow your magnet wire to where it is attached and see if it is tight. During move it could have become loose. Also check wire to magnet connection.

1 Like
6

Thanks for the suggestion.

I just ran out and reseated the connectors, no change with where they are. Will try more jogging in the morning.

I just noticed, I have bit setter and bit zero plugged into the Y Splitter board that is then connected to the “P” header on the riser board for my Z+ limit switches.

The instructions show that Y splitter board going into the “reserved” port on one side of Shapeoko PCB. I wonder if my brain shut off and I moved it there.

7

It’s driving me crazy, so I took one more trip out to the shop tonight. :smiley:

I moved the Y from the riser board to reserved port on the PCB. No change.

I jogged it some more and tested the proximity switches – all good.

Checked the seating of Y1 and Y2 on the PCB boards – looks good, not switched.

One thing I noticed during assembly was the probe light coming on when I moved the gantry manually (with the machine off), like the steppers were acting as little dynamos and powering it. I thought that odd, perhaps I’d just never noticed it before.

8

They’ll do that. It’s normal.

Can you get the log output when you run the probe?

1 Like
9

I have the XXL Pro. Mine is plugged into the bit zero spot on the board.

IMG_1801
IMG_1801480×640 68.8 KB

Edit
Another thing to remember: If you have to move the gantry, do it slowly. The stepper motors will generate voltage, that could back feed the circuit board and short it out.

1 Like
10

Has that actually happened on a Shapeoko? Has there been any confirmed report of someone frying a driver by manually moving a stepper?

11

That I don’t know. I am not that well versed on circuit boards, and if voltage going the wrong way could fry. Hopefully there are gates that stop it. But I don’t know.

I got the info from one of the tech support people. Maybe someone will chime in.

Thanks

12

I had tried to open the log during probe, but it was empty/passed by the time I got to it. Is there a trick to keep it open during operations and/or way to save to a file?

13

I have had this happen on a 3d printer so it is definitely possible.

1 Like
14

This is a really odd problem…and will follow this thread…hopefully we will know/get the answer/reason. (Cause can figure out everything…and I don’t know what could be causing this odd behavior…lol)

15

I took today as a vacation day, so I’m gonna do some more troubleshooting – I’ll probably try an actual cut and see if anything odd occurs.

16

More troubleshooting.

I moved my RPI machine out to the garage and the behaviour is the same. I also resent the machine config (S03 XXL w/ ZPlus) with the same result.

I realized the log window would stay open, so I was able to get the logs from the failed probe.

Of note is the “alarm 4”, which I understand to be “the probe failed”. I’m going to try a simple cut and see what happens.

N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G38.2X-824.6500F100.0
[PRB:-822.025,-750.125,-57.730:1]
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G1X-821.7000F300.0
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G38.2X-801.7000F100.0
[PRB:-810.475,-750.125,-57.730:1]
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G1X-810.8250F300.0
ok
N0G1X-816.2500Y-750.1250Z-57.7300F200.0
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G38.2Y-760.1250F100.0
[PRB:-816.250,-755.750,-57.730:1]
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G1Y-755.4250F300.0
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
N0G38.2Y-735.4250F100.0
ALARM:4
GRBL_RESET
ok
$X
Grbl 1.1f [‘$’ for help]
[MSG:‘$H’|‘$X’ to unlock]
$X
[MSG:Caution: Unlocked]
ok
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
G92.1
ok
G54
ok
G10L2P1X0Y0Z0
ok
G21
ok
G49
ok
G90
ok
$G
[GC:G0 G54 G17 G21 G90 G94 M5 M9 M56 T0 F0 S0]
ok
$#
[G54:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G55:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G56:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G57:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G58:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G59:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G28:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G30:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G92:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[TLO:0.000]
[PRB:0.000,0.000,0.000:0]
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
M56P0
ok
N0 M5
ok
G92.1
ok
G54
ok
G10L2P1X0Y0Z0
ok
G21
ok
G49
ok
G90
ok
$G
[GC:G0 G54 G17 G21 G90 G94 M5 M9 T0 F0 S0]
ok
$#
[G54:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G55:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G56:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G57:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G58:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G59:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G28:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G30:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[G92:0.000,0.000,0.000]
[TLO:0.000]
[PRB:0.000,0.000,0.000:0]
ok
N0 G4P0.005
ok
$$
$0=10
$1=255
$2=0
$3=2
$4=0
$5=0
$6=0
$10=255
$11=0.020
$12=0.010
$13=0
$20=0
$21=0
$22=1
$23=0
$24=100.000
$25=2000.000
$26=25
$27=3.000
$30=1000
$31=0
$32=0
$100=40.000
$101=40.000
$102=200.000
$110=10000.000
$111=10000.000
$112=1000.000
$120=500.000
$121=500.000
$122=270.000
$130=845.000
$131=850.000
$132=95.000
ok

17

Also, was able to probe Z height successfully.

Going to try a cut now. If I don’t come back from it, carry on my work! :grinning:

18

Agreed.

That said…an Alarm 4 right there means that your probe was still active (showing as making contact) when it tried to re-probe. Motion only retracts a third of a mm. Any chance you have something on the probe, in the hole…try wiping it out. Can you do a test where you don’t hold the probe for that last part?

19

OK, I think I have it (a whole afternoon later!)

I started doing single probes for Y which passed 100% of the time and then X was failing 100% of the time. While watching it like a hawk, I noticed that on the X probe it would slip a tooth or two on the left belt when it did that 3rd “segment” that was failing.

The belt wasn’t seated back under itself properly. My guess is that the machine detected two different move lengths for Y1 and Y2 and barfed? The problem seemed to be localized to the front left corner, I guess a bit more torque as a result of it being closer to the left rail?

I re-tensioned the belts and it was still failing, but a power cycle seems to have resolved it.

Appreciate everyone weighing in on this one!

Tomorrow I have a ton of cuts to do, so let’s see if this truly fixed it.

1 Like
20

Well, I spoke too soon. Problem came back today. Machine seems to be cutting fine.