The relays on the blackbox x32 that I have are not working as I would expect. With no power to the box 'relay 1', marked NO has continuity between the com and NO outputs. When you power the unit up the the there is still continuity and the tool light is off until you send a M3S1000 then it opens and the tool light turns on. I have tried inverting the pin with the $16 bit mask and this does invert the operation of the relay and light with the box powered up. But the relay still closes when the unit is powered off, so it would enable the tool with the box is powered down. Is this the way the relay is intended to work? Is there additional info on how this is to be used as a tool enable relay?
I am wondering if anyone from openbuilds has been able to verify what I am seeing with these relays? Sure looks to me like the relays are not connected properly to the wiring terminals or maybe the wrong relays were installed.
Hi Jim, could you please submit a ticket for this relay issue your seeing, so we can be sure this gets in the support que and were able to get back to you quickly. Thanks in advance for your help
Hi Is there any more info on this? I just received the black box 32 and I'm working on setting it up for plasma cutting and I too am seeing relay 1 as normally closed with power on. This will trigger the torch the moment it is turned on.
You can do either of the following: 1) Invert the Pin in software ($16=1) but note that when powering down the BlackBox it might go back to the closed position (always power on Plasma after powering on BlackBox, and off before turning off the BlackBox). 2) Try out the attached firmware, it swops RELAY1 and RELAY2's control pins, allowing you to use Relay2 as Spindle Enable instead (which has NC and NO available, just opposite of labelled - IE instead of using Relay 1 as per documentation, wire it to Relay 2 instead). You can flash it from CONTROL > Wizards and tools > Firmware flashing tool > BlackBox X32 tab > Select Machine Style: "Custom Firmware .BIN file" > browse for the file using the red "Use custom firmware image" button > Flash 3) or Modify the muscle board (cut the trace to the wrong relay pin, solder a wire from the Normally Open pin to the Relay back to the terminal) warranty still valid if you do choose to apply the fix
Thanks Peter not sure i will try the fix but maybe, I have inverted the pin ($16=1 for now will try the flash after i get this working. After getting it set up Iam noticing when probing after the probe finds the surface and sets Z0 the machine stops, I have to pause the program (hit space bar) and restart it for it to finish. Is there something Iam missing as I will be probing after every cut and this will be cumbersome. Thanks again
That's also related to outdated firmware so push on with the flash See sections 7.1 and 7.2 of docs:blackbox-x32:start [OpenBuilds Documentation], the swapped relays image I provided you with is up to date too
Well... I updated the and flashed to fix the relay issue BUT now my "Y" axis is not working as I think the update is not for a "dual y" setup so my one Y motor (reverse wired) is not going in the right direction.. So I went back to the original "dual Y" bios... I would like the new BIOS as it fixes the probe issue noted above but then my "y" does not work.
The firmware inside CONTROL is for Dual Y. Just do make sure you have the latest CONTROL. Motors randomly changing direction is more likely wiring
Hello, that worked for me. Using relay2 but now my plasma fires during travel. New to this but pretty tech savy, is there a code issue I need to change in the grbl settings? I am using a blackbox32 just got it. I tried the $16=1 no good. I also noticed that when I hit run I can here the relay but the light that shows on the box is tool pwm, and the tool rev. led is always on?
$32 = disable, Are there any specific setups /preferences for plasma that should be on or off as a first guide?
Not much. M3S1000 to turn on the Plasma (If $30=1000), and M5 to turn it off. Make sure your GCODE contains these commands at the right locations (between sections of the cut) Does the Tool On menu control the Plasma correctly? (Just as a check to confirm the wiring)
tool on in control starts the tool, but lites it in travel, I did the relay firmware upgrade and use relay 2 as above heres the g code ; GCODE Generated by cam.openbuilds.com on 2023-02-08 G21 ; mm-mode G54; Work Coordinates G21; mm-mode G90; Absolute Positioning M3; Constant Power Laser On ; Operation 0: Plasma: Vector (path inside) ; Plasma Kerf: 1.2 G0 Z10; move to z-safe height G0 F1000 X15.0000 Y95.0000 G0 Z4; Move to Pierce Height M3S1000; Tool On G4 P1.5; Pierce Delay G1 F300 Z1.5000 G1 F1000 X19.4000 Y99.4000 Z1.5000 S1000 G1 F1000 X0.6000 Y99.4000 Z1.5000 S1000 G1 F1000 X0.6000 Y0.6000 Z1.5000 S1000 G1 F1000 X19.4000 Y0.6000 Z1.5000 S1000 G1 F1000 X19.4000 Y99.4000 Z1.5000 S1000 M5; Tool Off ; retracting back to z-safe G0 Z10 M5; Laser Off
oh and when I run it in control I can hear the relay start when its supposed to, its just a small rectangle
You added the LASER toolhead in CAM. Go to CAM > Settings tab > Settings button and remove the M3 commands from the Start Gcode block
I’m having the same issue and tried swapping to relay 2 ( plasma won’t turn on) $13-1 nada Relay 1 $13-1 nada Flash failed ( probably because I have tried it a few times)
You need the above firmware image to swop to relay2. Proceed to get a succesful flash first. Make sure to click on the X32 tab (Bug fixed in V1.0.369 but that will only be available later today or tomorrow) But the others symptoms does point to something else. The firmware/$13 etc just inverts the logic. If the plasma doesn't turn on at all its rather likely wired incorrectly (does touching your two trigger wires together simulating the closing of the relay, enable the Plasma?) Also, how are you testing, manual commands, or using the Tool On menu in CONTROL? And check your Grbl Settings (Didn't maybe enable Laser Mode - its a Plasma not a Laser, for example)
Hey all, I'd like to use relay2 in place of relay1 so it CLOSES when I issue M3 commands. Couple of things not clear to me: Peter talks about a v1.0.369, but as of today it is not listed on the changelog page (docs:blackbox-x32:firmware_changelog [OpenBuilds Documentation]). Is it a typo or just that this page is not up to date ? Does this new update have an effect on which relay is triggered upon M3 ? Is it relay2 now ? I used CONTROL to update the firmware but it doesn't say anything about the version of the firmware that is being flashed. How can I be sure that it points to the latest one ? Relay2 doesn't seem to respond to M3, is it expected ? Thanks !
- Page is up to date, but 1.0.369 was relevant on the day of the post. Always use the latest: OpenBuilds Software: OpenBuilds CONTROL and OpenBuilds CAM - If you want the swopped relays, the BIN above is still relevant, or compile grblHAL yourself - Latest CONTROL flashes 20230501 firmware, if you want newer grab from http://svn.io-engineering.com:8080/?driver=ESP32&board=BlackBox X32 - we update every now and then but not always like yesterday's version - Yes, Relay2 by default is DIR (M3 vs M4) if you want other behaviour, custom firmware compile, or above (slightly outdated but usable) binary.
Thanks for your replies, I still have troubles though. I have downloaded the latest version of CONTROL, flashed the firmware from the list in the app, then flashed again with the firmware you shared earlier. I've reset and power down/up the controller Parameter $16 is set to 0 My wires are now on Relay2, with a multimeter attached to them. I do not have continuity, even after issuing M3 commands. What am I missing here ?
Include a log of the connection (From clicking connect, showing firmware build details, current settings, etc)
Output from the console: Code: [16:21:32] [ usb ports ] Detected a change in available ports: [COM4] [16:21:37] [ connect ] PORT INFO: Port is now open: COM4 - Attempting to detect Firmware [16:21:37] [ connect ] Checking for firmware on COM4 [16:21:37] [ connect ] Detecting Firmware: Method 1 (Autoreset) [16:21:37] [ M3 S1000 ] ok [16:21:39] [ $G ] $0=10.0 ;Step pulse time, microseconds [16:21:39] [ $G ] $1=25 ;Step idle delay, milliseconds [16:21:39] [ $G ] $2=0 ;Step pulse invert, mask [16:21:39] [ $G ] $3=0 ;Step direction invert, mask [16:21:39] [ $G ] $4=7 ;Invert step enable pin, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $5=0 ;Invert limit pins, boolean/mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $6=0 ;Invert probe pin, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $7=0 ;Disable spindle with 0 speed, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $8=0 ;Ganged axes direction invert as bitfield [16:21:40] [ $G ] $10=511 ;Status report options, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $11=0.010 ;Junction deviation, millimeters [16:21:40] [ $G ] $12=0.002 ;Arc tolerance, millimeters [16:21:40] [ $G ] $13=0 ;Report in inches, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $14=0 ;Limit pins invert, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $15=0 ;Coolant pins invert, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $16=0 ;Spindle pins invert, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $17=0 ;Control pins pullup disable, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $18=0 ;Limit pins pullup disable, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $19=0 ;Probe pin pullup disable, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $20=0 ;Soft limits enable, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $21=0 ;Hard limits enable, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $22=0 ;Homing cycle enable, boolean (Grbl) / mask (GrblHAL) [16:21:40] [ $G ] $23=0 ;Homing direction invert, mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $24=25.0 ;Homing locate feed rate, mm/min [16:21:40] [ $G ] $25=500.0 ;Homing search seek rate, mm/min [16:21:40] [ $G ] $26=250 ;Homing switch debounce delay, milliseconds [16:21:40] [ $G ] $27=1.000 ;Homing switch pull-off distance, millimeters [16:21:40] [ $G ] $28=0.100 ;G73 retract distance, in mm [16:21:40] [ $G ] $29=0.0 ;Step pulse delay (ms) [16:21:40] [ $G ] $30=1000.000 ;Maximum spindle speed, RPM [16:21:40] [ $G ] $31=0.000 ;Minimum spindle speed, RPM [16:21:40] [ $G ] $32=0 ;Laser-mode enable, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $33=5000.0 ;Spindle PWM frequency [16:21:40] [ $G ] $34=0.0 ;Spindle off Value [16:21:40] [ $G ] $35=0.0 ;Spindle min value [16:21:40] [ $G ] $36=100.0 ;Spindle max value [16:21:40] [ $G ] $37=0 ;Stepper deenergize mask [16:21:40] [ $G ] $39=1 ;Enable printable realtime command characters, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $40=0 ;Apply soft limits for jog commands, boolean [16:21:40] [ $G ] $43=1 ;Homing passes [16:21:40] [ $G ] $44=4 ;Homing cycle 1 [16:21:40] [ $G ] $45=3 ;Homing cycle 2 [16:21:40] [ $G ] $46=0 ;Homing cycle 3 [16:21:40] [ $G ] $62=0 ;Sleep Enable [16:21:40] [ $G ] $63=2 ;Feed Hold Actions [16:21:40] [ $G ] $64=0 ;Force Init Alarm [16:21:40] [ $G ] $65=0 ;Require homing sequence to be executed at startup [16:21:40] [ $G ] $70=7 ;Network Services [16:21:40] [ $G ] $73=1 ;Wifi Mode [16:21:40] [ $G ] $74= ;Wifi network SSID [16:21:40] [ $G ] $75= ;Wifi network PSK [16:21:40] [ $G ] $100=250.000 ;X-axis steps per millimeter [16:21:40] [ $G ] $101=250.000 ;Y-axis steps per millimeter [16:21:40] [ $G ] $102=250.000 ;Z-axis steps per millimeter [16:21:40] [ $G ] $110=500.000 ;X-axis maximum rate, mm/min [16:21:40] [ $G ] $111=500.000 ;Y-axis maximum rate, mm/min [16:21:40] [ $G ] $112=500.000 ;Z-axis maximum rate, mm/min [16:21:40] [ $G ] $120=10.000 ;X-axis acceleration, mm/sec^2 [16:21:40] [ $G ] $121=10.000 ;Y-axis acceleration, mm/sec^2 [16:21:40] [ $G ] $122=10.000 ;Z-axis acceleration, mm/sec^2 [16:21:41] [ $G ] $130=200.000 ;X-axis maximum travel, millimeters [16:21:41] [ $G ] $131=200.000 ;Y-axis maximum travel, millimeters [16:21:41] [ $G ] $132=200.000 ;Z-axis maximum travel, millimeters [16:21:41] [ $G ] $300=Grbl ;Hostname [16:21:41] [ $G ] $302=192.168.5.1 ;IP Address [16:21:41] [ $G ] $303=192.168.5.1 ;Gateway [16:21:41] [ $G ] $304=255.255.255.0 ;Netmask [16:21:41] [ $G ] $305=23 ;Telnet Port [16:21:41] [ $G ] $306=80 ;HTTP Port [16:21:41] [ $G ] $307=81 ;Websocket Port [16:21:41] [ $G ] $341=0 ;Tool Change Mode [16:21:41] [ $G ] $342=30.0 ;Tool Change probing distance [16:21:41] [ $G ] $343=25.0 ;Tool Change Locate Feed rate [16:21:41] [ $G ] $344=200.0 ;Tool Change Search Seek rate [16:21:41] [ $G ] $345=100.0 ;Tool Change Probe Pull Off rate [16:21:41] [ $G ] $370=0 ;Invert I/O Port Inputs (mask) [16:21:41] [ $G ] $384=0 ;Disable G92 Persistence [16:21:41] [ $G ] ok [16:21:41] [ connect ] Firmware Detected: grbl version 1.1f on COM4 [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [VER:1.1f.20220325:] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [OPT:VNSL2,35,1024,3,0] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [NEWOPT:ENUMS,RT+,TC,SED,WIFI,SD] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [FIRMWARE:grblHAL] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [NVS STORAGE:*FLASH] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [DRIVER:ESP32] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [DRIVER VERSION:220327] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [DRIVER OPTIONS:v4.3.2-555-gb4ef1b80a2-dirty] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [BOARD:BlackBox X32] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [AUX IO:1,0,0,0] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [WIFI MAC:94:B5:55:13:BA:20] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [IP:0.0.0.0] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [PLUGIN:SDCARD v1.05] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] [PLUGIN:ESP32 WebUI v0.03] [16:21:41] [ $$ ] ok [16:21:41] [ $I ] [GC:G0 G54 G17 G21 G90 G94 G49 G98 G50 M5 M9 T0 F0 S0.] [16:21:41] [ $I ] ok [16:21:54] [ $G ] ok [16:21:54] [ M3 S1000 ] [GC:G0 G54 G17 G21 G90 G94 G49 G98 G50 M3 M9 T0 F0 S1000.] [16:21:54] [ M3 S1000 ] ok [16:21:58] [ $G ] ok [16:21:58] [ M5 ] [GC:G0 G54 G17 G21 G90 G94 G49 G98 G50 M5 M9 T0 F0 S1000.] [16:21:58] [ M5 ] ok Do you need anything else ? Thanks again
