Computer or software problem?

[jguerrera]

I have been working on this problem for about 2 months. I am having a problem with the X axis growing as the machine runs. When the X axis goes off it is off the same for all the other tools in the machine. I took out all the special codes that I have written to see if it was anything that I did that may have caused the problem. I still had the same results. If I run a short simple program which uses standard G and M codes and no tool Numbers the machine runs great. I then added one tool to the program and the machine worked great. I then added two tools to the program T1 & T2. I ran the program and after about 1/2 an hour the X axis is off .0025". I have been given some real good ideas to what be causing the problem but now looks like it pointing to the control. I have been able to make the machine run great with all my moves ending up on the money. This does not happen when I have more than on tool in the program. This is what is leading me to believe that it's software or computer related. I just want to know if I am heading in the right direction. I have been working with camsoft and they keep wanting my part program and log files. We seem to be looking at what I have done and not so much the control end of it. If there is an answer I would like to hear it.

Thanks
JGuererra

[Al_The_Man]

I would say it looks definitely a software issue, but I did not see any answers to some of the questions/test that were suggested.
Such as when the error occurs and either a G28 or a actual Home command is given, is the error corrected, say after the home command is given?
IOW, what does it take to get the position back on track? Power down and power up?
Al.

[jguerrera]

AL,
Thanks for the fast reply. I have had many issues with this system since we purchased it from Camsoft. Let me start out with the few things that has happened. We purchased the system with the computer from Camsoft. So every thing but the drives was from them. I have had the computer lock up several times. I had to reload the software back in and this did not allways solve the problem. I had to get some files from camsoft to put back in the computer becuase they said the files that comes up with an error may be corrupt. This computer is not hooked to a network or is it hooked up to go on line. The E stop on the screen does not work sometimes. There are times I need to stop the machine and I can't. I should be able to stop the machine any time I need to. I have had problems with the MDI screen. I go into MDI and write a code and the screen shows an error and then shuts the control down. This has happened a lot of times. This problem goes away by it's self. I can't explain why. I have had problems with the hand wheel. Once in a great while I select an axis and when I turn the hand wheel I get two axis moving at the same time. This goes away if I shut the control down and power it back up. Sometimes I have to do the a couple of times before it works. I could not set the hand wheel up as a standard hand wheel. I had a problem with the hand wheel I had so I bought the hand wheel from Camsoft. When this came in I put it in and it did just what the one I had did. It did nothing. After a month of trying to get the hand wheel to work they had me set the hand wheel up as a slave and now it works. I feel like I have to do all thses special things to get the standard things to work. Now to the X axis problem. I did notice about 2 months ago that when I gave a command to send the Y axis a distance of 13" the drive would kick out. I was told the problem was the ratio or a tuning issue. So I checked both and it looked good to me. I still had the drive kicking out. I gave the command G0T1 the drive kicks out. Then I gave the command G0Y13 and the axis went right to position. Both moves would be identical but the one did not have the tool number. The one with no tool number worked. I wanted to know why and was told it must be a tuning issue. I did not agree with that. If it worked for one it should work for the other. This brings me to were I am now with the X axis going off. I did try checking the ratio to make sure it was right. I checked the movements with an indicator and it was right on. I put the indicator in one of the tool spots an ran the machine with a very shot program using the X axis and no tool number for 5 hours. the indicator was right on the money. There was no drift of the X axis. Camsoft was trying to tell me it was the machine warming up or tool ware or there was electrical noise that was the problem. After running for that long and the reading on the indicator was right on I did not think any of these were the issue. I did run a program with one tool and things were fine. Once I got two tools in the program the problem came back. Thats what leading me to think it's software related.

Thanks
Joe

[Al_The_Man]

Having worked with Galil products for some years, I prefer to do all tuning and diagnosis in the Galil Terminal screen using native commands, just because I am more comfortable doing it this way.
This brings it down to the PC and the Card.
There may still be some Galil driver conflicts when doing this and then running Camsoft again, I am not sure if this has been resolved yet.
As to the E-stop Issue, from a safety point of view and a code perspective, the E-stop should always be hardware activated.
In fact, the use of Safety relays are becoming mandatory over the older simple multi-contact relay solution.
On screen buttons do not satisfy the code.
I always set my systems up with in a hardware fashion, that not only disconnects power but disables the drives using the enable input.
This E-stop circuit simply advises the PC that a E-stop has occurred.
Al.

[davesnd]

As far as an emergency stop the ESC key on the keyboard 'should' stop all motion but it is not 100% either - I know the sick feeling of watching a tool blow up as you helplessly try to stop the machine - Al is right - you need a hardware e-stop that will disable the servos if they take enable inputs and cut the power to them if they don't. This needs to be totally seperate from the computer stuff so even when retarded windows glitches happen you can still get stoppped.