Sync error with UC100

[jdix03]

So I get me a UC100 hooked up to my G540 and for some reason I will randomly get uc100 sync errors. I am using my laptop to run mach3 and I believe it is powerful enough for this not to be happening. Then the other day I just got an all around lost connection error and had to restart mach3. This has only happened once so far but the sync error I have had happen several times in an hour long job. I have tried to track down the issue but sometimes it won't happen for several jobs. Then suddenly it happens every 5 minutes for awhile before it just goes back to normal without me doing anything that resetting and starting from the last line of code. Anyone else run into this problem?

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[iBeta]

What fixed it to me, was to alter the priority of the Mach3 process. In Win7 this can be temporarily done by setting the process to 'realtime' in Taskmanager. This will be reset on reboot, but there are 3rd party tools that can make it permanent.

[ger21]

Make sure that your USB ports aren't going into a power save mode.

[jdix03]

I read somewhere else about making sure the USB doesn't go into power save mode, so I changed that already. I will try to change the priority today. It's so odd. It gave me hell for about 10 mins the day before yesterday. I had around 5 sync errors in that time. Yesterday I ran all day and had one sync error. And it was while I was setting the z-axis of all things. I wasn't even running code. I'm trying my best not to give up on it and start looking into a smooth stepper or something.

Thanks for the ideas. I will double check my USB settings and try changing the priority.

[mactec54]

I read somewhere else about making sure the USB doesn't go into power save mode, so I changed that already. I will try to change the priority today. It's so odd. It gave me hell for about 10 mins the day before yesterday. I had around 5 sync errors in that time. Yesterday I ran all day and had one sync error. And it was while I was setting the z-axis of all things. I wasn't even running code. I'm trying my best not to give up on it and start looking into a smooth stepper or something.

Thanks for the ideas. I will double check my USB settings and try changing the priority.

To add to the USB, the Cable needs to be Shielded and should have Ferrite Cores on it, even a light switch being turned on/off can affect an unshielded USB Cable

[jdix03]

To add to the USB, the Cable needs to be Shielded and should have Ferrite Cores on it, even a light switch being turned on/off can affect an unshielded USB Cable

Is that true? I'm using the cable they sent with the device. If even a light switch being turned on can affect the performance of the device in such a manner I would think the manufacturer would have documented it. Or at the very least not sent it with a cable that was almost certainly going to cause problems. I'm not denying that it is needed, it just seems kinda irresponsible for it to be shipped with an unshielded cable if a shielded cable is necessary.

[mactec54]

Is that true? I'm using the cable they sent with the device. If even a light switch being turned on can affect the performance of the device in such a manner I would think the manufacturer would have documented it. Or at the very least not sent it with a cable that was almost certainly going to cause problems. I'm not denying that it is needed, it just seems kinda irresponsible for it to be shipped with an unshielded cable if a shielded cable is necessary.

Those that are blind to good sound information are lost before they start, the same thing happened with the USB Smoothstepper , the UC100 is the same concept doing the same job with less output, testing in an environment that is noise free, a standard USB cable is fine

This was also only a suggestion, of something to look at, it is also the reason why you can buy a high quality USB cables, which is essential for any CNC operation and of course to be used as short as Possible

This Video may open your eyes

[ger21]

Those that are blind to good sound information are lost before they start, the same thing happened with the USB Smoothstepper , the UC100 is the same concept doing the same job with less output, testing in an environment that is noise free, a standard USB cable is fine

The USB Smoothstepper had a design flaw. Not the same at all.

[jdix03]

Blind? I never denied what you said. I simply wondered out loud why something would be shipped with a substandard cable when a high quality one is needed. I actually already purchased another cable based on your suggestion after my last post. So thanks for the advise.

[OlfCNC]

Better cable can help with noise not because it is shielded, but because higher quality cables have thicker ground wire.
You can get the same better noise performance with connecting a thick single wire from the computer's ground to the UC100 ground bolts.
Not the cable is what is effected by noise but the computer and through the UC100.
The lower impedance connection you have between them the more the noise becomes common mode instead of differential.

The higher quality cable or better grounding may be needed if your system is noisy, if it is not then it is not needed.
If you run the UC100 without your machine, just purely the UC100 and still have this problem then it is something else and not noise though.

[jdix03]

Better cable can help with noise not because it is shielded, but because higher quality cables have thicker ground wire.
You can get the same better noise performance with connecting a thick single wire from the computer's ground to the UC100 ground bolts.
Not the cable is what is effected by noise but the computer and through the UC100.
The lower imedance connection you have between them the more the noise becomes common mode instead of differential.

The higher quality cable or better grounding may be needed if your system is noisy, if it is not then it is not needed.
If you run the UC100 without your machine, just purely the UC100 and still have this problem then it is something else and not noise though.

I have never had a sync error other than when my machine is in motion if that is what you mean. The cable didn't break the bank so if it is not the problem then I haven't really lost much. I just want to figure it out.

[mactec54]

The USB Smoothstepper had a design flaw. Not the same at all.

I never had any problems with the USB Smoothstepper Board, after using it with a shielded cable, ran it for more than 2 years, and it never faulted, sold it with a machine and it's still running without any problems

[jdix03]

Well I got my higher quality shielded USB cable with a ferrite core and switched mach3 to high and realtime priority. Still a no go. Today i am getting a sync error about every six minutes or so. I'm at a loss at the moment on how to proceed. Going to keep researching and see if I can find some other solutions.

[mactec54]

Well I got my higher quality shielded USB cable with a ferrite core and switched mach3 to high and realtime priority. Still a no go. Today i am getting a sync error about every six minutes or so. I'm at a loss at the moment on how to proceed. Going to keep researching and see if I can find some other solutions.

What do you have running on your computer updates, antivirus Etc, this can be another problem area,It could be the 540 also with a noise problem, disconnect the UC100 from the 540 and run it by itself and see if you get the same problem

[jdix03]

I disconnected from the 540 and started to run code and noticed that when I click in the title bar at the top of the mach3 window the blue light flashes. When I click and hold the Maximize or Minimize button the light will stay off for as long as I hold it and give me a sync error. I actually was able to replicate this on two different computers. I have no idea what it might mean. I am rarely ever doing anything on the computer when I get a sync error during operation and the second PC had been purchased in the last year and is fairly powerful.

Also, when I just ran the program while disconnected from the 540 and left it alone it still gave me a sync error after about 6 or 7 mins. I had my antivirus and as many other background programs that I could identify shut down and I was disconnected from the internet at the time.

[mactec54]

I disconnected from the 540 and started to run code and noticed that when I click in the title bar at the top of the mach3 window the blue light flashes. When I click and hold the Maximize or Minimize button the light will stay off for as long as I hold it and give me a sync error. I actually was able to replicate this on two different computers. I have no idea what it might mean. I am rarely ever doing anything on the computer when I get a sync error during operation and the second PC had been purchased in the last year and is fairly powerful.

Also, when I just ran the program while disconnected from the 540 and left it alone it still gave me a sync error after about 6 or 7 mins. I had my antivirus and as many other background programs that I could identify shut down and I was disconnected from the internet at the time.

So that was a good test, there is nothing wrong with the 540 connection, so it is either the computer or something happening in Mach3, with any CNC control like this, it should be machine dedicated, and can not have any other things going on, some computers are good some are not suited for machine control use, Dell in the past was one of the worst to use, if this is computer related, it sounds though you don't have a dedicated computer

Another thing to check is the firmware,you may have a firmware problem with the UC100, have you watched what is happening in the UC100 window this is under Plugin Control at the top of the screen

[zcar2043]

Hello guys, I have a UC100 and I keep getting the sync error several times, I am new to all this cnc, and I really dont know a lot of stuff about codes and settings . But I found out that this error happened only when the spindle is running. I found online that the uc100 is better to keep it away from the cnc control box ( chinese machine 6040 in my case). Once the spindle is running I start having the error. One of those times when I was trying to figure out the problem, I noticed the keyboard lights from CAPS and NUM LOCK blinked. And is when the error happened. So I set my machine to zero disconnect the usb keyboard and a usb memory stick And no problems so far. Im trying to get an old keyboard and mouse to test that way. Im using Windows 7 professional 64.
Any ideas
Thanks
Sorry for my English

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[OlfCNC]

Sounds like your spindle producing noise which effecting your computer.
Check your VDF and control system grounding, makes sure there are no ground loops.

[Dan911]

Hello guys, I have a UC100 and I keep getting the sync error several times, I am new to all this cnc, and I really dont know a lot of stuff about codes and settings . But I found out that this error happened only when the spindle is running. I found online that the uc100 is better to keep it away from the cnc control box ( chinese machine 6040 in my case). Once the spindle is running I start having the error. One of those times when I was trying to figure out the problem, I noticed the keyboard lights from CAPS and NUM LOCK blinked. And is when the error happened. So I set my machine to zero disconnect the usb keyboard and a usb memory stick And no problems so far. Im trying to get an old keyboard and mouse to test that way. Im using Windows 7 professional 64.
Any ideas
Thanks
Sorry for my English

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Replace wire that came with your UC100 with a shielded 1. This fixed my sync errors.

[zcar2043]

will try that


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