Purchased the Shapeoko 5 Pro last month and after building it, was having immediate issues with the machine not initializing, which seemed to be the x-axis limit switch. After looking up the issue, replacing limit switch with the extra that was sent with machine, seemed to get the errors to disappear and be able to initialize the machine.
The machine would still randomly exhibit errors trying to initialize, but after a couple attempts, seemed to finally initialize.
Still trying to get the machine working properly, and am now the spindle seems to get āstuckā when trying to initialize the machine. X-Axis just stops while trying to home to the right, machine makes nasty noises, and will not move spindle to the limit switch. If I manually try to move the spindle with this going on, it seems to āreleaseā and moves to the home to initialize. But after initializing, the spindle will not move to the left, nor will any of the rapid position functions work.
Here is a video of the issue I put up on Youtube:
Does anyone know what is going on?! This has me dead in the water in my shops busiest time. Bought this machine to increase production capability, and it has been one issue after another trying to get it production ready. I really need to know if I have a bad stepper motor or other part, or if there is something else I can try to troubleshoot to get this thing working??
I would first check the X-axis motor wiring connector - if it is not making a solid connection, then a bit of vibration or strain on the wires can cause stuttering/random stopping/grinding-like-noise.
You can check it simply by jogging the X-axis & fiddling with the connector a bit to see if it behaves badly/intermittently.
The connector should be secured to a bracket in a position that keeps it protected from being strained - like from a vac hose. Some guys have found that zip-tieing the two sides of the connector together helps to maintain a solid connection.
You could contact C3D support to get a replacement wiring harness. Others have cut the connectors out to hardwire things together to eliminate connector issues - but that does void the warranty for the wiring harness.
Does it seem to stop moving in the same spot every time? Any chance of there being any loose hardware that could hit the back side of the Z axis as it travels to the right?
check the homing switches, and contact support. Sometimes -I had it that way few times- the switch itself shows red light with proximity of metals, but the controller does not recognize it properly, there are also LEDs on the board that either show another pattern than the switch itself, or another switch LED goes on. Often the board itself is corrupt, possibly broken as reaction to a switch defect. However: the customer service is excellent, ask them for a 1:1 session. It is worth to have at least one replacement board in the shop and homing switches. They are not expensive, and if warranty is still valid C3D sends them out immediately.
The limit switch seems fine after I replaced it with the extra that Carbide 3D sent with the machine. The issue as shown in the video is that the spindle gantry seems to get āstuckā on its way to homing when initializing the machine. Iāll definitely contact support today. When I posted this last night, it would have been after hours for support. THanks for the reply!
ā¦donāt forget dust / chips on the ārails(?)ā. I speak out of experience . I use a brush every sunday morning -always off and quiet at home- to clean all rails, and grease them. Mobil Vactra oil #2 is recommended by C3D, that is what I use.
Curious what you find out. I have the same issue with my new 5 Pro. It seems better after a few forced homing cycles but still briefly stalls in the same spot on the x-axis. I havenāt reached out to support yet, but planning to on Monday. Iāll post an update after I hear back.
I have same issue. Pro 5 . All of a sudden the x gantry keeps trying to rise and its at top and grinding noise. Red light on sensor is on. System doesnt recognize sensor that its at max height. Wont stop. I have to hit stop button. Tried to re initialize a few times, turned it off to reset and initilize again same problem. Im stuck. Any suggestions? Sensor? Pcboard, software? Wires look good. Help
Quick update to my last post. The issue seemed to resolve on its own after a few test projects and multiple initializations over the weekend. Per Timās post, the system appeared to be stuck, so I nudged it during homing (in both directions) a few times. I also checked to make sure the machine was still square and was within 1/16". That said, I didnāt contact support.
Make sure all the set screws are tight on the motor couplings and any other ones you can reach. I had some that were loose and caused problems. Now I check them quite often and donāt have problems anymore.
I believe the biggest concern would be ensuring that the X-axis ballscrew/linear rails are not somehow binding which could cause loss of X-axis position during cutting operations due to the increased resistance. The linear rails can certainly cause binding if they are not totally straight/parallel with each other.
I donāt know if itās feasible to somehow manually turn the ballscrew so you could feel if thereās some extra resistance along the X-axis at any point, but I would be inclined to try. Or perhaps, un-bolt the X-axis sled to be able to slide the linear bearings along to check how they feel.
Some users have had issues with the ballscrew assembly not being tightened up enough at the motor linkages or the ballscrew keepers being loose & possibly causing binding - I donāt have a S5Pro so Iām just going off of what I remember reading on the forum here.
When you setup your machine in the Carbide Motion Wizard, there is a screen that shows the state of the limit switch inputs. In that screen, you can check the response of the limit switch sensors by placing a wrench or screwdriver tip up to the sensor. The sensors red indicator light should come on & the Carbide Motion should report the change of state. You can also do this from the Debug tab in the Settings panel of Carbide Motion.
If the sensor responds to input but the input state reported by Carbide Motion does not change, then the controller board may be bad & need to be replaced.
. I use a brush every sunday morning -always off and quiet at home- to clean all rails, and grease them. Mobil Vactra oil