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X-axis doesn’t back up from limit switch when homing

Discussion in 'Controller Boards' started by David Kater, Mar 24, 2022.

  1. David Kater

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    Good evening all!
    I bought a RatRig Killerbee, and finished the assembly a few weeks ago. It all went perfectly fine, and the electronics are all very wel organized. I am using the Blackbox, in combination with the Interface. However, I have a problem with the homing. My homing position is the rear-left, different than the stock workbee position. I got it moving in the right direction, so that problem has been fixed. However, when the X-axis reaches the limit switch, it pushes it in, but it doesn’t backup the 10 mm it is supposed to, but moves onto the Y-axis, which does its cycle correctly. I checked the steps/mm, they are correct. I also checked the troubleshooting window in Openbuilds Control, and all switches are wired correctly and working as they should. What could be the problem?
    Regards , David
     
  2. Alex Chambers

    Alex Chambers Master
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    Hi @David Kater, you just saved me the trouble of suggesting that you ask here :D
    Anticipating a question from one of the experts here, can I suggest that you post your grbl settings?
    Alex.
     
  3. David Kater

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    These are my most recent settings
     

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  4. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    It waits for the second axis to hit on the seek stage before it does the final locate move and pull off usually.
     
  5. David Kater

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    Forgot to mention, but I also get an ‘error 9’,and the x-axis doesn’t move back at all
     
  6. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Test switches on the Troubleshooting tab, not working or wired to wrong axis port perhaps?
     
  7. Alex Chambers

    Alex Chambers Master
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    Sorry Peter, we have been through that on Facebook. As far as I can tell David's problem seems to be that it just doesn't do the pull off in the X axis homing.
    @David Kater, did you try homing just the X axis?
    Alex.
     
  8. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    @Alex Chambers you really should get a Grbl board to play with (; - individual axis homing is not a default option in Grbl - you have to recompile it to enable it. So unlikely to help this user as a quick test.

    Sorry about the duplication, but I don't keep tabs there :) - Facebook is not an official support platform, it's meant for people to show off cool stuff. Direct support questions to the forum or support.openbuilds.com rather than entertaining it there please :)

    Regardless, I often prefer checking getting answers to questions myself (sorry to the OP if has to answer again), as I may notice a clue of some other sorts in the replies.

    As an example, the hidden clues sometimes (or at least, the fact that reading this makes me think of a follow up question):
    @David Kater: The default Grbl homing cycle moves X and Y at the same time. You mention "Moves onto the Y axis" - does yours move X only first? Then after hitting the switch once, only then does it start moving Y? If so, are you running a custom firmware image from somewhere? Or is that just worded incorrectly and X and Y does move at the same time.

    Please do this check too - even if you already have - as crossing X and Y switch wiring can be a cause to the symptoms you described so far. Thus, don't just check if something changes when you press a switch, also check that its the correct axis that triggers.

    Doesn't contain any Grbl Settings, just the machinetype $I value:
    upload_2022-3-25_7-54-54.png

    Make sure to connect to the BlackBox, before taking a backup
     
  9. David Kater

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    This was also a weird problem, Y reverses into the good direction as soon as X hits. I did check if the corresponding lights match, and yes, they are wired correctly according to the troubleshooting window. I now got the problem of Y moving in the wrong direction sorted, so everything moves to the right corner.
    The problem now is that X doesn’t retract.
    By the way, thanks for the awesome support!
     

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  10. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    What was the onscreen error on the end of the video

    Homing has two phases a fast search, and a slow locate.
    XY moves at the same time till both hits the switches once. Only once both reached the switches (end of the search phase) should they move off (pull off first time) and reapproach at a slower speed to do the actual precise homing step. After that 2nd slower home it performs the final Pull Off.

    Your video cuts off / swings out of frame right after the Y switch gets triggered at the end of the first phase. Assuming the 2nd phase didn't kickoff because the error on screen was telling you why not
     
  11. David Kater

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    It indeed hits x and y, and then y backs off, but X does nothing. After Y has backed off, I get an error message, alarm 8
     
  12. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    we need those GRBL settings (-: Alarm 8 means it failed to clear the switch during pulloff. It did not move at all, which may indicate a problem in the homing speed settings, or a problem in the X axis max speed and acceleration settings
     
  13. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Still blank. Open the file before you post.
     
  14. David Kater

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    This one should do, at least it has data in it when I open it
     

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  15. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Yes, much better

    Code:
    $23=1  ;  Homing direction invert, mask
    This is expecting the X switch on axis minimum, Y and Z at axis maximums (IE machine moves to Z=up, X=Left, and Y=Back)
    Is this how you have it set up?
    Jogging directions:
    Z+ moves bit up and away from the workpiece
    Y+ moves the bit back and away from the front of the machine toward the back
    Z+ moves the bit towards the right of the workpiece



    Was the error 8 "Homing fail. Cycle failed to clear limit switch when pulling off. Try increasing pull-off setting or check wiring." from the video with these parameters? Currently
    Code:
    $27=10.000  ;  Homing switch pull-off distance, millimeters
    Try a higher number if Error 8 is still present with it set to 10mm, try 15mm for example

    By the time you get to 20mm with it not clearing the switch, it means a switch is "stuck on" either because its wired to the wrong axis (it moves X away but the Y axis is still pressing on the X switch which is accidentally mounted by the Y carriage by mistake) or a proper faulty switch / short circuit in wiring (will show triggered on troubleshooting tab if you look before you jog the machine)
     
  16. David Kater

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    Yes, the error 8 has appeared on all configurations. Also, the larger pull-off distance doesnt make a difference
     
  17. David Kater

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    I just switched arround the X and Z wires, but it still only is the X-axis that has trouble homing
     
  18. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Confirm. Don't try random switching. Use the tools in CONTROL - making sure you understand which axis is which, that the right switch is installed on that axis, and plugged into the right port for that axis.
     
  19. David Kater

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    Sorry, that is what I meant to say. I checked everything for wiring and connection, and the wiring or switches aren’t the problem
     
  20. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    in your video it seems to me that the light on the Z limit comes on when the X gets hit. can we have some better pictures of those switch mountings and how they interact when at home?
     
  21. David Kater

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    This is a photo from the X-switch, I haven’t noticed that the z got triggered too
     

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  22. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Include more pics, Y, Z some of the wiring and connectors wouldn't hurt either
     
  23. David Kater

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    Here are some more photos
     

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  24. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Right after Error 8 comes up and you close it, switch to the Troubleshooting tab and screenshot please. No jogging nothing. In this state, any switches lit (physically or in the Troubleshooting tab or both)
     
  25. David Kater

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    At that point only X is lit up, because Y and Z have backed off already. X is the only one that doesn’t back off, and I think that causes the error
     
  26. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Check the grubscrews on the shaft coupler between the X motor and the X leadscrew. Perhaps its slipping during the direction change
     
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  27. David Kater

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    I will check that this afternoon!
     
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  28. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Also please double check this. If X and Y motors are swopped, it might also be that it tries to move off the X switch, but Y moved instead thus alarming right after the Y moved.
     
  29. David Kater

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    I checked the grubscrews, they are thight. I also made a screenshot after the error, touched nothing else
     

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  30. David Kater

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    Little update: I checked if different settings would work, so I used settings from someone else, just to see. Same problem: X axis doesn’t back-up when homing. I also checked for continuity with a multimeter, that is all fine too. Weir problem….
     

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