Old brushes standing on end. New brushes laying flat. Don’t look like much of a difference. Thoughts?
Apparently a dry well, but worth checking — try running an “air job” with no stock and spindle and dust collection off
Going to do the dry run now. I’ll let ya know.
I put the old brushes back in. I took the router off of the dust collection circuit and have it plugged in with only the laptop and machine. I’m doing a run without a bit (router is on) and no dust collection. Let’s see what this does.
So how will an issue with the router cause the machine to lose connection with the computer? Seems like those are entirely two different things. I’d understand it if the router had some type of feedback to the motherboard, but the router itself isn’t tied to the board at all. Just can’t wrap my brain around how that would affect the connection.
I’m definitely not doubting you about this…. You all are the experts and have forgotten 20 times more than what I know about this right now…. Just trying to understand how these are related.
One last thing…. I did change out the usb cable to something a little beefier. Not sure if that will make a difference or not. But it can’t hurt.
The wearing carbon brushes increases the distance between the brush and the matching part of the motor which increases EMI.
A better quality USB cable may help, esp. if it has connectors which hold more securely if a loose connection was the cause of loss of connection.
I never thought of that before. But makes sense. It just finished a complete cut with the router running without a bit, and no dust collection. I guess the next step is to run it through another cut with the same router running without a bit but with the dust collection on.
One difference from previous cuts was that I’m using a maple plywood. What would you classify it as (hardwood,or softwood)when selecting a bit and using the stock numbers (feed-rate, depth etc).
The Makita/C3D brushes seem to wear out faster than Dewalt. I think the reason is not wear of the actual brushes but the wire connecting the copper pad through the spring is too short. So after some wear the brushes are at the limit of the wire and start arching. The Dewalt brushes seem to have a longer wire and let the brushes stay in contact with the armature longer. As @WillAdams stated above when the brushes get worn they start arching and cause Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI).
The other possibility if just plain old static. When the moving router bit and dust collection with moving air is a perfect condition for static to build up. When it reaches a critical mass it discharges to ground (the machine) and it kills your USB connection. Then the only option is what you did which is to power off the Shapeoko and reinitialize and start over. C3D has been promising a way to start your job close to the point of failure. You can manually do that by editing the gcode file and adding the preamble and move to the closest rapid move before the failure. That only works with v6 CC gcode or v7 CC with the pro license so you can output separate gcode file. The free version of v7 CC has the gcode encrypted in the .c2d file and is not editable. However in v7 Cc free you could edit the file and disable completed tool paths and just run the remaining tool paths. After disabling previously successfully run tool paths be sure to save the c2d file and start again. If you only have one tool path and the free CC you just have to start over from the beginning.
There are several posts to help eliminate static by grounding your router and dust collection hoses. There are some optical USB options but it would be easier and cheaper to just ground everything to eliminate static to start with. The Makita/C3D router only has a two wire polarized power plug so there is technically no ground through the power cord. Products with only two wire polarized plugs are double insulated to avoid touching a shorted wire to the case and shocking you when you touch the case. So a separate ground wire attached to the alum body of the router will help eliminate static building up on the router.
Maple is a hardwood, and the glue in plywood makes it harder/tougher, so I would suggest using hardwood settings for plywood.
Plywood is laid in alternating layers at 90 degrees. So like Maple plywood is still hardwood and is harder to get smooth cuts since the layers alternate grain direction you tend to get tear out on the cross grain layers. As @WillAdams suggested even in plywood use the hardwood tool settings for hardwood plywood. If you are cutting pine plywood then the softwood would work.
So using hardwood lumber usually leads to a better carve but you can use plywood and do the clean up. I have a 60 degree vee bit from Cadance Manufacturing that is a down cut vee bit. Even in pine it makes very clean cuts.
They do make 90 and 30 degree but not sure if they are down cut.
I’ve taken the router off of the same circuit as dust collector, swapped out the usb cable to a better one and slowed everything down using the shapeoko hardwood settings. It seems to be running fine now. I think the major culprit here was that I was running it too fast and deep with the new maple ply.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in and helped me out. This was driving me crazy yesterday.
I’ll look at grounding the dust collection hose and router as well.
Thanks again to everyone. You all ROCK!!!
Rob, I have a VFD spindle kit, there are no brushes. And with increasing frequency I have exactly the same problem as you have. I had to replace my controller board some months ago for another problem (end switches), and with less and less intervals I have exactly the same problem as you have. Will recommended the same “air run”, and the problem again happened. Replacing the brushes has nothing to do with that loss of connection, I am sure. I replaced the laptop, since I thought of the laptop USB-Plug, I of course replaced the USB-cable several times, I reinstalled the Carbide Moton software: all did not help. I doubt about the static, I have everything properly grounded, and again with the VFD there are no sparkles on brushes.
A year ago I was desperate because the machine got stuck in the middle of projects, “eating” a lot of stock. With help of the support team I replaced all end switches. Did not help. Replaced the board: same. A new batch of end switches solved the problem: there are simply bad batches of production, the end switch I replaced was in exactly the bad condition as the one I replaced. That happens, but to find that out needs a lot of time. It took me several months where the machine was in “intensive care” on sick leave, and a lot of trying: when the problem is not a constant one but happens sporadically that can drive ou crazy. I fortunately do not use the machine for a living and also only can work on it on weekends or after hours -if my better half does not have different ideas 
I think the same has to be assumed with the controller board. When I read you have exactly the same problem with a brush router and I have the VFD than static appears rather not logical, the board must be bad part. I ordered a new one. (and hope for some cortesy from carbide -store credit or so )
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