PlasmaCam z axis motor malfunction

[3BG Metal Art]

I have a DHC2 PlasmaCam, after I initialize, the z axis motor starts moving down without stopping. The torch digs down into the sheet. Nothing is selected to cut, and I have not given it any commands to move. I have checked and changed the port cable. I have checked my ground. I uninstalled and reinstalled the Design Edge program. Any suggestions?

[adbuch]

Make sure your Z-axis Motion Force when moving is set to 36 lbs. Also check your Z motor drive screw to make sure everything is tight.
David

z.jpg

[3BG Metal Art]

Thank you for your quick response. The motion force is set at 36 lbs. The drive screw is in good shape. Something is prompting the z motor to turn on and push the torch down. I initialize the machine, then sit back and watch, and a few minutes later the z motor comes on and the torch starts digging down into the sheet. I can manually push the up button on the control panel and move the torch up. As soon as I stop pushing the up button it starts moving down again. The only way to stop it is to turn the control box off completely.

[adbuch]

Thank you for your quick response. The motion force is set at 36 lbs. The drive screw is in good shape. Something is prompting the z motor to turn on and push the torch down. I initialize the machine, then sit back and watch, and a few minutes later the z motor comes on and the torch starts digging down into the sheet. I can manually push the up button on the control panel and move the torch up. As soon as I stop pushing the up button it starts moving down again. The only way to stop it is to turn the control box off completely.

Sounds like you have a stuck or malfunctioning button on your controller keypad, in particular this one.

stuck button.jpg

From the Video Manual:

"Check control panel
Push all of the buttons on the control panel one-at-a-time and verify that the corresponding image turns yellow on the
computer screen.
Turn the "speed/shuttle" dial on the control panel and verify that the "speed dial rotations" changes accordingly on the
computer screen. The number should count up to about 1.0 when the dial is rotated once clockwise, and back down to
about 0.0 as it is rotated once counterclockwise.
Click the "LED test" button on the computer screen. All the indicator lights (except the power light) should illuminate
one-at-a-time on the control panel, synchronized with the illumination of the corresponding images on the computer
screen. You can also click the individual images on the computer screen to manually turn the indicator lights on or off in
different combinations to further check their function.
If the lights seem dim, check for a problem with the supply voltage and do the hold test.
Otherwise, if any of the indicators fail to respond as described, the controller is faulty and should be replaced. If the
problem is limited to the control panel buttons and the panel seems physically worn or faulty, you can try replacing just
the control panel first."

stuck button 1.jpg

[adbuch]

You might try opening up the controller and blowing out any accumulated plasma dust, then try again. If your stuck button problem persists - you can purchase a replacement control panel from the Plasmacam Owner's Community Forum site.

David

stuck button 2.jpg

[cutnweld]

Sounds like David is on track with control panel. My intial thought was maybe encoder connection. A servo will turn, hunting for encoder signal if the encoder is not feeding back to control.

[Joe Jones]

Sounds like David is on track with control panel. My intial thought was maybe encoder connection. A servo will turn, hunting for encoder signal if the encoder is not feeding back to control.

There is no encoder on the Z motor. It is a stepper motor.

Joe

[3BG Metal Art]

Thank you for everyone's help. I opened the Machine Diagnostic tab. The buttons light up yellow as I push them. As I stood there the down button was lighting up yellow without being pushed. I opened and blew out the control box. It didn't fix the problem, but it slowed it down. It was quickly moving down and digging into the sheet, but now it just slightly bumps down every few seconds. Does this sound fixable or like I need a new control panel?

[cutnweld]

Sounds like David is on track with control panel. My intial thought was maybe encoder connection. A servo will turn, hunting for encoder signal if the encoder is not feeding back to control.

There is no encoder on the Z motor. It is a stepper motor.

Joe

My bad. Some reason I thought the plasmacam was all servo

[Joe Jones]

Thank you for everyone's help. I opened the Machine Diagnostic tab. The buttons light up yellow as I push them. As I stood there the down button was lighting up yellow without being pushed. I opened and blew out the control box. It didn't fix the problem, but it slowed it down. It was quickly moving down and digging into the sheet, but now it just slightly bumps down every few seconds. Does this sound fixable or like I need a new control panel?

The touch panel on top of the controller box can be removed. Try to remove it carefully, and see if that solves the problem. If it does, you need a new control panel.

Joe

[adbuch]

Thank you for everyone's help. I opened the Machine Diagnostic tab. The buttons light up yellow as I push them. As I stood there the down button was lighting up yellow without being pushed. I opened and blew out the control box. It didn't fix the problem, but it slowed it down. It was quickly moving down and digging into the sheet, but now it just slightly bumps down every few seconds. Does this sound fixable or like I need a new control panel?

I would go ahead and order and install a new control panel. In the mean time you could simply unplug your defective control panel and continue to use the table for your cutting. You can use the commands under the Machine tab for cutting, auto cut on/off, and moving the torch around the table.

Good luck!

David

machiine.jpg

machiine 1.jpg

machiine 2.jpg

[3BG Metal Art]

A new control panel is probably the best thing to do. Thank you all for the responses and advice. I appreciate your time.