Ahh, XPRO, thought you had a BlackBox. My bad Wiring looks OK, what about Grbl settings (output of '$$' command) Wiring: Check with multimeter in continuity if the far end of the wires (at controller) close with the switch (just in case of a bad crimp, broken wire, bad connection)
Thank you Peter, Attached is a pdf of the GRBL settings on my machine. I expect to test the circuits on Monday. Thanks for the help. Conrad
I had nothing but trouble with my arduino c-shield with the limits and grbl so I took the plunge and bought the BlackBox! With the help of Peter and Dave the Swarmer I got everything working great. Homing, limit switches and Z-probe, now I feel like I have a real cnc operation!! Just a thought!!
Thanks for the tip crnrstndes, the Back Box looks good. However it appears that it is not a stock item for the only option is to pre-order with an estimated delivery date of August 27. If I go this way, will I be able to use the power supply that came with my Workbee 1510 kit? Still I also need to ask the question. Are there any Xpro controllers out there that are working?
Yes Of course. But, yours may have picked up damage (ESD, wiring mistakes, bumped the board on the desk while working on it, magic hehe) why it doesnt anymore
Peter, I really like your style. It makes me wonder if there is a diagnostic instrument that would diagnose the Xpro issues quickly. But I already know the answer so I will refrain from asking the question. Funny but it seems to me that a component as sensitive as the Xpro, should have arrived wrapped in a glowing red banner with the following message: "WARNING" The Xpro will fail if exposed to the faintest levels of EDS, turning on with wrongly connected wiring, the slightest bumping on a hard surface, and any association with a wizard should be strictly avoided. The Xpro will not provide the slightest hint of the cause of failure or even that it has failed resulting in a protracted and frustrating attempt at making it work. I'd get a Black Box if I were you! I might have taken this advice then but I am certainly taking it now. Black Box it is then. I am learning yet I am certain there is a lot more to know. Keeps it interesting. Thanks for your help. Conrad
Well, its just one possibility. They arent that fragile, but hey, users can get interesting sometimes Most often though, its bad wiring of some sorts. Have you managed to check that the switches close using a multimeter in continuity yet? Check at the controller side so the test also includes the wiring?
Peter, You were right. Both the Y and Z axis failed the continuity test in the black wire. Is it possible to buy comparable extension wire at the hardware store? What would I ask for? Regards, Conrad
Awesome! replacement wire: Xtension Wire By the Foot replacement connectors: Xtension Connector Sets Just double check that its not a badly installed terminal/joint/etc - kinda rare for a whole length of wire to be bad
It was a connector problem in both. We are now Homing. Now on to software. Thanks for the help. Conrad
hi, as per your pic red wire goes first and black goes in the middle, open build has pic of black first then red in the middle and blue goes at very end, which one is right for 3 conductor cable? thanks
Which switch? The Xtension switch = 3 wires (colors aside pay attention to the text labels, GND/SiG/V+) Regular switches use 2 wire
thanks , i have micro limit switches with 3 connecting terminals but provided only 2 conductors cable.
Correct. Just wire NO and C (dont connect NC terminal. See documentation for Micro Switches here: OpenBuilds BlackBox 4X Documentation
Hello Peter, After much effort, I feel quite good about reporting the the Workbee is showing promise of actually being able to do the required work in the new approach to making Feedback Fractal elements that should speed the production tenfold while reducing the material by half. The photo shows first monochromatic results. All seemed good. I did some "G" coding over the weekend and came to the studio eager to produce a bunch of Elements. Unfortunately, for some mysterious reason, the system failed to home due to the failure of the "Y" axis limit switch. Here is the alarm message: ALARM:8 - Homing fail. Cycle failed to clear limit switch when pulling off. Try increasing pull-off setting or check wiring. [$H] The wiring tested ok for continuity and I checked the GRBL settings. Nothing has worked for me and the system can't seem to get past the "Y" limit switch. Frustrating. Can you lend some advice?
When the homing cycle runs, it will move to find your limit switches. When it finds them, it will move off the switch (the pull off distance) so that its not in a triggered state. Some switches need a bit more pulloff distance. So, go into the settings tab, scroll down to $27 and increase the value. Save to Firmware, then try again.
To anyone who still might have an interest, I have followed all the postings of this thread and I still am not able to home my CNC. I have reset all the GRBL settings and tested the wiring for continuity. The "Z" homing works fine. The "Y" begins the process, moves to the limit switch triggers the switch and then pulls off the GRBL specified amount. At that juncture the alarm goes off and homing aborts. Could the limit switch be faulty?
Not necessarily. Two things to check 1 - With your current settings, is the Y switch being touched at all? If so, increase the pull off. Just for testing purposes you can also change it to a large value and decrease it until you go it dialed in. 2 - If you cant get the above to work, go into the trouble shooting tab and play with triggering the switch with your finger. Slowly toggle the switch back and forth and see if you can get it to stay triggered even though you've released it. Another thing to keep in mind is that all of the distance values in GRBL are dependent upon you correctly and accurately calibrating the steps per mm. Have you done that yet?
And make sure you dont have X and Y switches wiring swopped (happens quite often) - when playing in the Troubleshooting tab, make sure the X axis indicator changes when you press X, and same for Y (don't just look at activity, also make sure the activity is on the correct axis)
Thank you Shawn and Peter. No, I have not calibrated the steps per mm. Can you please point me to instructions?
Ok. I had to address other issues in my life, so I had to put the CNC dragknife project aside for a while. I am back on it today however. The problem persists. On homing, the Z axis homes but the cycle fails after the Y axis pulls of the switch. I have increased the pull-off value to 5 mm. I have calibrated the steps per mm - making small adjustments to all three axes and I have rechecked the GRBL settings and am confident that the settings conform to the settings standard to the Workbee 1510. Except I am a little confused about setting $3=6. Here is a screenshot of my settings. Is this correct? Any advice?
Problem Solved! Wrong connection to X limit switch. The Troubleshooter helped a lot. Thank you for your help and accommodation.
