Page 1 of 6 Read Chapter 8 Servicing Machine in the Manual for general guidelines The PlasmaCAM will not work on a GFI circuit. Earth ground the grates of the PlasmaCAM. Computer Configuration A. PlasmaCAM software version 1.20 is required. B. Windows 98, XP, 2000 or VISTA. XP might require running the PlasmaCAM program in Windows 98 Compatibility Mode. C. Windows XP, 2000, and VISTA require the software to be run as Administrator. D. Parallel port: An ISA add-on parallel port card might work in Windows 98 if the address can be set to 378, 278 or 3BC. A PCI parallel port card WILL NOT WORK in Windows XP/VISTA with the model 98-Z machine. E. Parallel Port Mode EPP, SPP, PS/2 or Bi-directional. I/O address 378, 278 or 3BC F. Laptop computers are not supported. They may or may not work. G. Make sure you use a real parallel cable and are not trying to use a USB to parallel adapter cable. Try a different parallel cable. H. Uninstall all printers and printer drivers. Multi-function printers usually interfere with the PlasmaCAM. I. The computer may not be compatible because of hardware configuration or other software installed on the computer. You should try a different computer. Control Box Problems A. Does control box have power? If it does not turn ON, it probably has to be repaired. B. NOTE: Some of the LEDs will glow if the parallel cable is connected even if the controller is unplugged from AC power. C. If the fuse blows, then the controller must be sent in for repair. D. Test motors and wiring for short circuits. See motor test and wiring diagram on pages 8-7 and 8-8 of your owner's manual.
Page 2 of 6 Loses Position Usually caused by slipping or worn motor pulley or bad belt! A. Mechanical (usually the cause): 1. Check for bad belt. a. Inspect the teeth. b. Check belt tension. 2. Check for slipping or worn motor pulley or drive pulleys. a. Do the HOLD X and Y Axes test in Diagnostics. Can you move the Gantry or Carriage if pushed by hand? b. Initialize machine. Hold the Gantry and Carriage tight into the corner. c. Mark the belts to the aluminum motor pulleys and the plastic drive pulleys. d. Mark the aluminum pulleys to the motor shafts and mark the plastic pulleys to the drive shafts. e. Turn the Cutting switch to OFF and dry run a pattern. Pause the machine frequently and check the marks of the pulleys to the shafts. If the marks do not line up, then a pulley is slipping on the shaft. Remove the pulley and apply red Loctite to the shaft and tighten the setscrew. NOTE: It is very difficult to remove a pulley from a shaft even when it is loose. You might have to grind it off. f. Reinitialize and hold the Gantry and Carriage tight into the corner. Check the belt marks to the aluminum motor pulley. If the marks do not line up, the cogs on the pulley are probably worn, letting the pulley spin in the belt. The cogs should have square corners and not be rounded over. Replace pulley. Note: It is extremely rare for the belts to slip on the plastic pulleys because of the large diameters of the pulleys. B. Electrical: 1. Check for broken or loose wires at the encoder connector and motor power. The strain relief lug of the main harness must be connected to the motor to keep tension off of the connectors. Use an air gun to blow dust out of the connections. 2. Check the harness connection at the control box. Is it secure? 3. Is the slot on the encoder cap pointing to the 2 dots? 4. Is the encoder cap loose or broken? 5. Check the Encoder Counts in Diagnostics. a. Do they read up and down continuously? A 0-1-0-1 reading is a bad encoder. b. Pull the Gantry and Carriage tight into the corner. c. Click the Reset All To Zero button in Diagnostics. d. Move the Gantry forward exactly10 inches and move the Carriage to the right exactly 10 inches. e. The encoder counts should read about 5729 for ten inches of travel. f. Swap the encoder connectors and repeat the encoder counts. Does the problem stay with the same encoder? If it does, the encoder is bad. If not, the harness or control box might be bad.
Page 3 of 6 6. Swap Motors (actually easier to perform than the Harness Swap) a. Disconnect the wiring from the motors. b. Remove both motors and switch them. The Gantry motor will be mounted on the Carriage and vice versa. c. Connect the wiring. d. If the problem follows the motor, then that encoder is bad. e. If the problem stays on the same axis, then the control box could be bad. 7. Swap Harness a. Initialize the machine. b. Have someone hold the Gantry and Carriage tight into the corner while another person disconnects ALL of the connectors. That means the encoder connectors, motor power leads, the Z-motor connector, and the four limit switches. c. Connect only the encoder and motor connectors for each motor. Plug the X-motor encoder and power connectors into the Y-motor and vice versa. Do not reconnect the limit switches or Z-motor. If any other connectors are plugged in, then the movement of the Gantry and Carriage will damage the harness. d. Jog the machine in both axes and do a dry run. Does the problem follow the harness swap or stay on the same axis? If the problem stays on the same axis, the encoder is bad. If the problem switches then the control box may be bad. C. Check motor for high or low resistance. Should be between 27-35 ohms at each of the 16 steps. See the separate Motor Test document for details.
Page 4 of 6 Torch Problems A. Torch does not fire (please see Pages 4-10 through 4-14 of the manual first): 1. Bad torch consumables, low air pressure, insufficient air volume, plasma cutter malfunction? Check for fault lights on the front of your plasma cutter. 2. The Cutting switch on the control panel is not set to AUTO or the switch is bad? a. Set the switch to TEST. Torch should fire b. Set the switch to AUTO. Go to Diagnostics and click Cutting Control. The torch should fire. 3. Test the relay. a. If the relay clicks when the Cutting switch is set to TEST i. Check the pigtail wire going into the torch handle for a loose connection. ii. Test the relay with an ohm meter. With the Cutting switch on TEST, the terminals to the torch should have continuity. If it does not, the relay must be replaced. Relay is 12V automotive relay 78 Ohm resistance available at most auto parts stores. b. If the relay does not click, then test the voltage from the control box to the relay. Disconnect the purple and the gray wires that are connected to the relay and read the voltage. It should read about 18VDC. If you do not get 18 volts then the control box has to be repaired B. Torch moves to pierce position but does not fire and stalls: 1. The torch is mounted too high in the clamp or the Limit switches are not adjusted properly? The torch must be able to press against the metal with enough force to tilt the torch up so that the yellow tab in the Z-force spring closes the Upper Z-limit switch. 2. The Z-limit switch reading in Diagnostics should read Down when the torch is up off of the metal. Tilt the torch by hand so that the Yellow Tab is in between the Limit Switches. The reading should change to Middle. Tilt the torch up until the Yellow Tab presses the Upper Limit Switch in. The reading should be Up. 3. If the Z-axis Limit Switch reading says Error, then one or both Limit switches might be bad, or the wiring is bad or the Control Box is bad. Test the limit switches with an ohm meter or continuity tester. The switches are Normally Open (OFF). They are Closed (ON) when the button is pushed in. C. The torch does not turn OFF: 1. The relay is stuck ON and has to be replaced. 2. The control box needs repair. Possible damage caused by a High frequency/high Voltage start torch.
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Page 6 of 6 Carriage or Gantry shuttles back and forth rapidly A. Connector to the encoder on the motor is loose or upside down B. Bad encoder 1. Open the Diagnostics and read the encoder counts. 2. If an encoder does not read, swap the connectors and see if the same encoder fails. B. Bad Wiring Harness Carriage moves to the right or Gantry moves forward slowly when initializing C. One or both limit switches are bad. D. Limit switches are wired incorrectly or connection is loose. Z-motor Problems - Turn OFF controller and unplug Z-motor before testing! E. Z-motor reverses direction. 1. One of the motor windings is open. Test the resistance of the motor using the Motor Test instructions. Replace the z-motor if the readings are bad. 2. Test for a loose wiring connection to the z-motor. The connector has a Black, Red, and two Blue Wires. Repair the broken connection. F. Z-motor stays on constantly. 1. Controller is bad. Send in for repair. A Service Request Form must be filled out.