So I bought an off-brand Bitsetter (etsy) and Bitzero (dog river) (I know, I know. but it was cheaper!). They have both been working fine for quite some time and all of a sudden, the Bitsetter program isn’t responding to the Bitsetter being depressed. The way the product works is the BitZero is connected to the control board and the Bitsetter has one wire grounded on the machine frame and the second makes contact with the BitZero via the BitZero Holster mounted to the frame. The Bitzero has no issues doing a basic Z probe and I can press the Bitsetter during that process and the control board recognizes it so I know it is still connected correctly. The problem is when the BitSetter program is enabled and the router goes to make contact with my Bitsetter, it just jams into the button and slips teeth until it decides it failed and sends up an error message. I have touched the bit to the BitZero during this program and the control board recognized the contact and accepted it. It just wont recognize the Bitsetter button during this process. I have pressed the button myself in case it was just an issue of angle but it made no difference. I have uninstalled and re-installed carbide motion, still not acting right. I am lost as to what to do and I feel as if it is a software issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
(To reiterate; the button works fine during basic Z axis probe but not during Bitsetter program. Also, the Dog River BitZero does not have any lights on it to show if it is making contact or not.)
The Carbide 3D BitSetter and BitZero have Schmitt triggers to debounce the signal, and I expect the software is written so as to work with that — we can’t support its use with 3rd party hardware.
Please switch to 3rd party software to use w/ your 3rd party hardware, and take up any issues with either to those 3rd parties.
I understand the stance on 3rd party hardware so if you can’t help, then you can’t help, but the concept in the production of the hardware is the same and my issue doesn’t seem to be with the hardware, in and of itself, as it has been working properly within the carbide software for quite some time. In order to make some progress, Let us use the hypothetical scenario in which all of my hardware was brand name but I was having the same issues, what would the suggestion be at in that case?
From GRBL’s standpoint, there is a single input for probe and bitsetter, so if it triggers, it triggers, and the software cannot differentiate which source triggered the input. That and the fact that it worked fine earlier make it unlikely that CM would be involved in the failure, but the most expedient way to confirm would be to try 3rd party software as Will mentioned.
Maybe install CNCjs and use @neilferreri’s tool change macros for the (pretend) bitsetter ?
Is this one of these things where you rely on the conductivity of the corner probe for the function of the tool length probe?
As @Julien stated, CM doesn’t know the difference between the two probes. Check that everything is wired correctly, and make sure the alligator clip is wherever it’s supposed to be for your hardware.
Check that the bitsetter wires have a good connection check that the button may not have dirt in it. Are you using an alligator clip or did you swap for a magnet? Make sure the wire in the magnetic piece is seated properly. Sounds like a wire issue, maybe broken in the insulation. Bad connection or button is mucked up. Z probe works, button works intermittently.
I have this same setup and it been working. I’ll try to test something tonight if I have a chance.