DHC short circuit on z axis, plasmacam won't support..

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All Angles
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DHC short circuit on z axis, plasmacam won't support..

Post by All Angles »

Hello everyone,

To make a long story short I purchased a used 4x4 DHC table with what appears to be very low hours on it.. When purchased the z screw would not travel in its full motion due to sitting for sometime and needing lubrication to the screw. I ended up purchaseing a new motor after a short circuit error on the z axis continued to occur. I installed the new motor and still have the same issue. I called plasmacam and after a few times of being put on hold the tech says " I see you're running the old software and I was just told that it may be an issue with your controller but if it is in fact the controller we cannot repair it unless you pay the $2000 to upgrade to the design edge software.." Has anyone experienced an issue like this before, or is my only option to bow to the masses?

Thanks in advance.
PlasmaMac
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Re: DHC short circuit on z axis, plasmacam won't support..

Post by PlasmaMac »

It might not even be the controller, the main wiring harness may need to be replaced, instead. When you turn on your control box, if there is a pause light blinking (prior to initializing), then it should be fine. That model of machine came out way back in 2001, and it sounds like the previous owner wasn't exactly mr. Clean with his machine. I would triple check all of the wiring on it.

Luckily, you do have some pretty good options for an older model DHC that will convert it into machine that is about 1000 times better than that original DHC system. The best deal by far is the DHC2 upgrade kit that turns your old machine into an upgraded DHC2. The kit includes not only includes the designedge software, but also a new dhc2 control box, dhc2 gantry and new carriage and wiring harness, all at a substantially discounted price. The upgrade will make your machine a lot more capable, efficient and by far easier to use than what was previously on it.
All Angles
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Re: DHC short circuit on z axis, plasmacam won't support..

Post by All Angles »

Yes the pause light blinks once I turn it on. I tested all the wires, everything is good unless somehow there is broken wire that looses connection once moved but I tried moving them around to see if it made a difference.. Actually this machine is probably as close to new as it could get for being used, there's barely any time on it at all, spent most of its time in storage.. I understand that upgrading to a dhc2 is way better but dropping an additional $6,000 on top of what I already have into the table isn't exactly ideal right now..
Simko
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Re: DHC short circuit on z axis, plasmacam won't support..

Post by Simko »

Whenever I have a problem like this I start by eliminating some of the easy things.

This sounds stupid, but is your 120v power wired up correctly? Is the hot and the neutral connected to the correct portions of the outlet and is the outlet grounded?

I would then check for loose terminals in the controller. Power the table completely down and tighten every terminal you can find. Give the wires a little tug afterwards to make sure they are in tight.

Has the z axis ever worked since you had it? Does the table use stepper motors or servo motors? Have you verified with a meter that the motor is connected correctly? If it is a stepper, make sure that the two coils are wired properly. Find the wires that give similar resistance readings (maybe green->white and red->white). Once you have identified these, make sure none of these wires have continuity to the motor case. Check with the wires disconnected at the motor and also check with the controller end disconnected and the motor connected to the wiring harness.

If the motor is connected correctly, I would look at the wire next. Is it possible to run a separate temporary wire outside of the wire track right from the motor to the drive? If you still have the same issue, the problem obviously isn't in the wire.

The only thing remaining is the drive. If there are multiple drives of the same type and configuration, you could swap them and see if the problem moves with the drive.

Just a few ideas. I'm sure I'll come up with some more as I think about it. Hope this helps.
Steve

Homebrewed plasma table in the works, NSK linear rails, 3.2:1 belt reduction, CandCNC Plazpak 1A with DTHCIV Ethercut, Hypertherm 85, CommandCNC and SheetCAM
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Joe Jones
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Re: DHC short circuit on z axis, plasmacam won't support..

Post by Joe Jones »

I wouldn't call the PlasmaCam DHC to DHC2 upgrade "a substantially discounted price." At $6,000.00, it is almost full retail.

Joe
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