Centroid Acorn experiences?

[fixtureman1]

My experience with the Acorn controller is I had Gary Campbell build me one that I was supposed to be able to use on my shopbot. He even said it was a turnkey replacement. After many hours of trying to get it to run I never got a file to run more then 30 seconds before it would freeze one of the steppers. I asked many times why I could move the gantry using the G0 command and never have the steppers act up I could put in a move like X96 Y48 and it would move to those positions at 600 inches a minute but if I drew a box and used the Vectric post make the file it would screw up within 30 inches. The fix that they wanted me to do was to spend another $1500 plus so that I could use the controller. I ended up rebuilding my old Shopbot controller and have not had any issues with it since. I think maybe the control card on the Acorn was faulty and could not process the file.

[islaww]

I think maybe the control card on the Acorn was faulty and could not process the file.

That would be incorrect. After the unit was returned and examined it was the ethernet port on the controller had an intermittent issue. It was actually bent sideways and was causing thousands (yes thousands) of "resend requests", which are an indication of a poor connection. This also explains why a single line command would execute flawlessly but a streamed file would not.

After the controller card (Beagle Bone Green) was removed it was obvious that the LAN socket was bent sideways in the direction of the cable entry gland nut, which is usually evidence that the cord had been jerked or tripped over. In any case the LAN cable had been pulled against the strain relief hard enough to bend the socket and cause intermittent connection issues. A simple replacement of the BBG solved all the issues.

That controller was resold as "an open box" at a discounted price and has been cutting parts in NC for over a month without issue.

I would like to take issue with Jerry Stanek' and his "professional victim" postings. This was a well made inexpensive product, (Acorn Basic model) a product that costs much less than what he could have purchased from the OEM mfgr. And it performed flawlessly, lowering his noise, increasing his speeds beyond what the OEM recommends with those motors. And he bragged about it here: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....Centroid-Acorn

Then apparently he tripped over the cord and it all went away..... and since then has been whining like a child.

Jerry Stanek.... THIS WAS YOUR FAULT You jerked on the cord. You were allowed to return the controller for a refund. Get over it and shut up, this whining a couple months after you received a refund makes you look like a fool.

[mactec54]

That would be incorrect. After the unit was returned and examined it was the ethernet port on the controller had an intermittent issue. It was actually bent sideways and was causing thousands (yes thousands) of "resend requests", which are an indication of a poor connection. This also explains why a single line command would execute flawlessly but a streamed file would not.

After the controller card (Beagle Bone Green) was removed it was obvious that the LAN socket was bent sideways in the direction of the cable entry gland nut, which is usually evidence that the cord had been jerked or tripped over. In any case the LAN cable had been pulled against the strain relief hard enough to bend the socket and cause intermittent connection issues. A simple replacement of the BBG solved all the issues.

That controller was resold as "an open box" at a discounted price and has been cutting parts in NC for over a month without issue.

I would like to take issue with Jerry Stanek' and his "professional victim" postings. This was a well made inexpensive product, (Acorn Basic model) a product that costs much less than what he could have purchased from the OEM mfgr. And it performed flawlessly, lowering his noise, increasing his speeds beyond what the OEM recommends with those motors. And he bragged about it here: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....Centroid-Acorn

Then apparently he tripped over the cord and it all went away..... and since then has been whining like a child.

Jerry Stanek.... THIS WAS YOUR FAULT You jerked on the cord. You were allowed to return the controller for a refund. Get over it and shut up, this whining a couple months after you received a refund makes you look like a fool.

That is good that you posted this as there is always another side to the story that people post, I thought it very strange and was trying to figure out what he had done to cause this problem

[fixtureman1]

That would be incorrect. After the unit was returned and examined it was the ethernet port on the controller had an intermittent issue. It was actually bent sideways and was causing thousands (yes thousands) of "resend requests", which are an indication of a poor connection. This also explains why a single line command would execute flawlessly but a streamed file would not.

After the controller card (Beagle Bone Green) was removed it was obvious that the LAN socket was bent sideways in the direction of the cable entry gland nut, which is usually evidence that the cord had been jerked or tripped over. In any case the LAN cable had been pulled against the strain relief hard enough to bend the socket and cause intermittent connection issues. A simple replacement of the BBG solved all the issues.

That controller was resold as "an open box" at a discounted price and has been cutting parts in NC for over a month without issue.

I would like to take issue with Jerry Stanek' and his "professional victim" postings. This was a well made inexpensive product, (Acorn Basic model) a product that costs much less than what he could have purchased from the OEM mfgr. And it performed flawlessly, lowering his noise, increasing his speeds beyond what the OEM recommends with those motors. And he bragged about it here: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....Centroid-Acorn

Then apparently he tripped over the cord and it all went away..... and since then has been whining like a child.

Jerry Stanek.... THIS WAS YOUR FAULT You jerked on the cord. You were allowed to return the controller for a refund. Get over it and shut up, this whining a couple months after you received a refund makes you look like a fool.

I never tripped over the cord and I even had sent the unit back to you to check out for it was doing this from day 1. You should have been able to solve that problem when you had it back on your table to test. Yes you may have sold it again but you did not test the unit very well and I ended up eating over $400 for a faulty unit. At this point I don't think you tested the unit before you resent it to me all you did was add a breakout board to it and call it good. THIS WAS NOT MY FAULT IT WAS YOUR FAULT SENDING A FAULTY UNIT.THAT HAD NOT BEEN NOT BEEN TESTED.

[OlfCNC]

Jerry Stanek.... THIS WAS YOUR FAULT You jerked on the cord. You were allowed to return the controller for a refund. Get over it and shut up, this whining a couple months after you received a refund makes you look like a fool.

Wow, this is how these Controid contractor people doing business?!
Not really the customer is always right attitude.

[mactec54]

Wow, this is how these Controid contractor people doing business?!
Not really the customer is always right attitude.

Not in this case I would of charged him for the repair and the lose from the resale it was clearly his fault no matter how he damaged the Boards Ethernet Port connection

[fixtureman1]

Not in this case I would of charged him for the repair and the lose from the resale it was clearly his fault no matter how he damaged the Boards Ethernet Port connection

I should have charged for the bad unit that ever would run a file only move with the arrows and G command. I kept complaining about this and even sent it back for that problem that he never repaired until he had a new buyer. I have a picture of the network cable that shows it was never pulled. I can't help if he damaged it himself when he built it remember there is a strain relieve on that cable.just to keep it from happening. I did say how nice it moved and how quite it was when I used the arrows and G code but that was before I tried to run a file.

[islaww]

I can answer the question why it would not run a file, but would execute axis moves from the VCP arrows. LAN cable did not have a good connection. Below are 2 snippits from the log file showing that (in this instance) a first occurance on 5/13 and the second on 5/22 showing a total comm loss.

The 2nd 2 are email snips showing that there were LAN issues going back to mid-March and assuring me that it was under control.

The log file from 5/22 shows the machine is virtually useless.

[fixtureman1]

And the report was sent back in March which is a lot earlier then the ones you show in fact you had the box at that time. why not show the original report

[DannyBee]

Wow, this is how these Controid contractor people doing business?!
Not really the customer is always right attitude.

Speaking as someone who has bought stuff from Gary - i have had nothing but good experiences.
But I understand his frustration.

He's getting slagged on here by someone who clearly damaged their own unit, and despite pretty irrefutable evidence of this, just can't possibly accept that maybe they did it.

Customers are definitely not always right, and you definitely do not always want them as customers.

Especially the ones who can't stop and say "you know what, maybe i'm wrong, maybe i did screw this up".

[Kenny Duval]

Sometimes it is the right call to fire a customer.

[fixtureman1]

What part of it did not work from day 1 and I sent it back to Gary because of this problem. Same problem when I received it back the second time. He never tested it just added a breakout board and said it was good to go without testing. What kind of repair person doesn't test their work and then make stuff up to look like it was the customers fault. and then try to pass it off. Just because some others have had good luck with theirs doesn't make it right. When I started this I just wanted to give you my experience. Calling me a liar does not go over to well with me.If you want to believe Gary then maybe you believe every thing but I have all the documentation to back me up

[Kenny Duval]

I don't have to believe either of you to state my opinion. However I only see one person making an additional effort to trash someone in a thread outside of their initial complaint thread.

[DannyBee]

What part of it did not work from day 1 and I sent it back to Gary because of this problem. Same problem when I received it back the second time. He never tested it just added a breakout board and said it was good to go without testing. What kind of repair person doesn't test their work and then make stuff up to look like it was the customers fault. and then try to pass it off. Just because some others have had good luck with theirs doesn't make it right. When I started this I just wanted to give you my experience. Calling me a liar does not go over to well with me.If you want to believe Gary then maybe you believe every thing but I have all the documentation to back me up

I actually am willing to believe you think what you say is true, but it makes no sense. The physical damage described could not have occurred outside of a user damaging it and precisely matches the problem given.
I can find no reported examples *anywhere* of similar issues. I'm sure there are QA failures, but this does not seem like a likely one.

In the end, if you ask me to make a choice between
1 .Believe Gary, when there are hundreds of customers and examples of him helping people, doing the right thing , being willing to own up to the things he screws up, etc
2. Believe you, when you *come off* as a customer who broke something and is annoyed they have to pay for it. I'm not actually saying this is correct, but that is definitely how it comes off in this thread.

In that situation, I'm going to choose #1.

[fixtureman1]

You can see how the ethernet socket is bent according to Gary this is a picture just before I packaged it up to send it back. I said I had all the documentation and I do including pics.

[mactec54]

You can see how the ethernet socket is bent according to Gary this is a picture just before I packaged it up to send it back. I said I had all the documentation and I do including pics.

Looks like you did a hack job of the install you don't want to have any pressure like what you had there on that Ethernet cable and it's socket, what is that Ground wire doing and what was it from, you probably should not of posted this photo as it's not how it should be done

Is that a Power wire right next to the Ethernet cable

[fixtureman1]

That is how Gary wired it not me. All they wiring was from him so then he did the hack job. now what are you going to say about that.

[mactec54]

That is how Gary wired it not me. All they wiring was from him so then he did the hack job. now what are you going to say about that.

So they had your complete control box, and they installed everything in the box for you, so you don't know what the Ground drain wire is or what it is doing or where it is from

[fixtureman1]

So they had your complete control box, and they installed everything in the box for you, so you don't know what the Ground drain wire is or what it is doing or where it is from

That is correct I bought a turnkey unit guaranteed to work on my CNC and that is what the wiring looks like. Like I said many times it didn't control my machine without problems. So I ended up sending iit back to Gary to fix which he never did before he got it back he determined that it needed a breakout board without testing it. So he added the board and still did not test further and sent it back. It still did the same thing he got mad at me and said I wasn't doing what he wanted like putting in the settings that worked when there I never had it working properly.

[mactec54]

That is correct I bought a turnkey unit guaranteed to work on my CNC and that is what the wiring looks like. Like I said many times it didn't control my machine without problems. So I ended up sending iit back to Gary to fix which he never did before he got it back he determined that it needed a breakout board without testing it. So he added the board and still did not test further and sent it back. It still did the same thing he got mad at me and said I wasn't doing what he wanted like putting in the settings that worked when there I never had it working properly.

I disagree with that as he could of tested it and it got damaged in transit anything could of happened to of caused the problem it had