Controller problems

[dfurlano]

I bought a controller box with a Xylotex 4 axis driver board and it has worked fine for over a year. The other day I power up the box and hear an awful noise then nothing. I open the box and the power supply has a burn spot on the bottom.

I go to try and buy another PS and find out it was a custom from Power-One and is no longer supported. I get a recommendation on a new power supply and install it but not really sure what the pin outs are on the original Power-One.

Anyhow I get this mounted and when I push the power button it only stays on for a second before shutting down. I can see a small red light illuminate on the Xylotex board but like I stated it only lasts a second.

I am not getting much help from the person I bought it from so I thought I would ask he for help. Is there anyone I can send this for repair? should I just scrap it and buy a new controller? Any other suggestions to try to get it to work?

Thanks

Dan

[Torchhead]

It is possible that there is a bad driver chip on the Xylotex card and when the new power supply starts up it is going into overcurrent and shuts itself down.

Pull the Xylotex card and send it back to Jeff at Xylotex and offer to pay for a repair. It will be less than buying a new one.

Before you hook up the repaired Xylotex buy/borrow a DVM (digital voltmeter) and measure the DC volts of you new power supply. Carefully observe the DC polarity and make sure it gets connected correctly to the Xylotex.

Before you hook the motors back up check all of your wiring and use the Ohmmeter to check for open or shorted connections to the motors. Check each winding against the motor frame for shorts. Throw away any motor that shows a frame to winding short. Make sure the Xylotex card has adequite cooling with plenty of airflow across the heatsinks.

Never plug or unplug a motor with power on.
Never let two motor wires short with power on
Never let a motor wire come loose with power on.
Never use more than 28VDC motor power.
Never hook up power backwards to the card
Always set the motor current adjustments per the instructions


You can run a card with no motors attached or just one and move it (with the power off!) to each axis and test that axis.

Power supplies do sometimes fail. Normally a switching type supply will not fail and put out more voltage than its rating. Only if the feedback loop gets compromised (in the supply) could it put out more than it's rated voltage.

Dan, we have sold over 75 Xylotex based mutilaxis controller boxes in the last 18 months. None have come back defective. We use an external 24V 5.5A commercial switching power supply and we have had to replace one that failed with no output.

The Xylotex when used properly within it's specs and temp range is very reliable. I have one in a proto of the 4 axis product we sell that we use on our table top router and it sees hours of use every day cutting out front and back panels, aluminum sub-plates and doing other jobs. It often gets left on overnight (grrrr!) and it has never failed or had to be taken out of service. Still going strong after 2 years.

Tom Caudle
www.CandCNC.com

[dfurlano]

Tom,

Thanks for your response. I was actually able to get the controller to work for a while by playing with a KEST relay that is in the system. Although it turned on and every thing worked it does not consistentaly turn on even after playing with the relay some more. I am going to change out the relay and see if that fixes the problem.

Have you ever heard of a relay causing this problem?

Also if i get this to work again I am going to buy a new case. There is only one small fan in the case and I am sure that is why the PS blow is from over heating.

Again thanks for the input.

Dan

[Torchhead]

Relays seldom fail to mechanically operate but they can get burned contacts over time if they switch DC or heavy inductive loads. It's sometimes cheaper and faster to replace a relay (even a soldered-in one) than to try and troubleshoot it. If it clicks when its activated and no juice gets through it, then suspect the contacts are burned. KEST is a real common brand but just about any relay with the same footprint and coil rating (volts) and contact rating should work.

www.bgmicro.com has the 12V 10A KEST relays cheap.

TOM CAUDLE
www.CandCNC.com

[dfurlano]

Again thanks for taking the time to respond.

As I stated the controller come on and the motors entergize for a second then it shuts off. I took apart the relay and sanded the contacts put it all back together and at first it again would come on and then after a second turn off.

But after play with it a few times I did get the controller to stay on and and I used the machine for several hours before turning it off. Just for kicks I tried turning it right back on but it would not stay running.

I did check the voltage and it is rock solid at 24v. I did order a new relay. I am guessing there really isn't much else that can be wrong with the unit.

Dan