Problem Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing


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Thread: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

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    Default Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    The problem: Can't get my newly purchased CNC mill to run. I get error message:

    X Axis Exception Condition Detected
    Emerg Switch Detected - Move Aborted!

    I have a Bridgeport Series 1 with a Ah-ha! Design Group, Inc CNC power system for the SD64/SD124 Motor Drivers. I bought it without testing all of the controls and would like to see if all of its components are working correctly before buying newer software and hardware for it. When I try to manually change the position using arrow keys/ pageup/pagedown, the green light right of the power light turns off until I put it back to the original position and I get the error code. At this point I have not been able to get the motors to move.

    I'm also new to this site as a poster but I have read up on some of the threads before. If anyone could point me in the right direction for help it would be appreciated. It could be something very basic, but I have tried all I can through the different menus. It runs off of a DOS program.

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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Well, to the 100 or so viewers and 0 replies.. I found the solution. Dumb setup mistake. I had the computer tower printer or aux cable going into the cnc relays instead of the motor controller output. After a couple of hours looking at settings and menus inside the program, it turns out the problem was in the cabling. O well.

    Now on to figuring out how to upgrade the computer tower in order to use some newer software. It is floppy disk, 16mb ram old. If anyone could point me in the right direction for that please post. Otherwise I'll be surfing the threads looking for ideas. Thanks all!



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    There are many setting inside AHHA S/W that define the machine (router of milling or lathe) for the software (once the hardware is configured). Those have the be set just right. Can you send me a listing of what you see for settings? Also do you have an AHHA software file you could e-mail me? I had the AH-HA working on my router for years. Just lost the hard disk so need the AHHA to get back up. If you can help would be appreciated. I have a 3axis controller just like the AHHA so should be easy to compare...My screen looked just like the thumbnail you included.

    Thanks, Bruce
    bholtermann@yahoo.com



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    I bought a small mill run by the AHHA system a few years ago. It worked and I cut a sample, but it had a LOT of backlash on one axis, mechanical problem, so I set it aside. I got it out again yesterday and fixed the loose ball nut, and got it running again, all good. AHHA seems to work, all axis move. Today I wrote another test code to try and when I tried to start AHHA up (before loading the new code) it got stuck on a DOS screen. It runs through the normal boot up list, then the last line is
    C:\CNC40>CAFAA40.EXE
    I never paid attention before because that would flash by and the AHHA screen would load, but now after that line, it just says "bad command or file name"
    My uneducated mind suspects it's just something like a syntax error or something in DOS.
    Any Ideas?



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    More info,
    I have a CNC lathe I bought at the same time from the same place, with AHHA. I just booted it on, and the DOS screen flashes buy too fast to read, so I videoed it. I stopped the video and read the DOS screen. It goes through the exact same sequence and syntax as the mill does, but AHHA starts ok on it?????



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    Wink Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Quote Originally Posted by planebuilder View Post
    I bought a small mill run by the AHHA system a few years ago. It worked and I cut a sample, but it had a LOT of backlash on one axis, mechanical problem, so I set it aside. I got it out again yesterday and fixed the loose ball nut, and got it running again, all good. AHHA seems to work, all axis move. Today I wrote another test code to try and when I tried to start AHHA up (before loading the new code) it got stuck on a DOS screen. It runs through the normal boot up list, then the last line is
    C:\CNC40>CAFAA40.EXE
    I never paid attention before because that would flash by and the AHHA screen would load, but now after that line, it just says "bad command or file name"


    My uneducated mind suspects it's just something like a syntax error or something in DOS.
    Any Ideas?
    Hi hope I can help,
    Sounds like you are not in the correct directory to run that command. That line reads in DOS as "change the directory to be CNC40 " and then in there execute the program CAFAA40.EXE

    1) so do something like this CD/C:CNC40 and rtn (not sure the exact syntx but you need to get to the C: drive and the CNC40 directory.
    2) execute once in the c:cnc40 directory by entering CAFAA40.exe and rtn


    The CAF part reminds me of the AHAH program's name itself (perhaps a little different version than mine), that runs the CNC under AHAH. Let me know if this helps. I have been working on getting my DOS AHHA program back up and have it working except for the direction of the axis. They must all be in positive values down to zero at the end. If not the program will not load up properly.

    I need to mess with it some more anyway. You can also reach me directly at bholtermann@yahoo.com Bruce

    PS if you wish I can fire up my machine and give the exact key stroke syntx required. You can run the DIR command to see what programs are in the directory you are in. The CAFAA40would haveto be there to run.
    Also make sure to back up your AHAH software asap and keep it away from the hard drive so you can recover if the hard drive quits...they do. There are configuration settings in the AHHA for your machine you do not want to loose or it is really hard to get them back and you face going to Mach 3 or something like that.




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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Thanks Bruce, it's so hard to find anyone who knows this stuff any more. I have a big Gantry Router on Mach3 and would love to convert the mill, but for a few simple jobs I thought if AHHA works then ...
    It's been a Long Time since I worked in DOS.
    I think I'm in the correct directory, but?
    Here is a screen shot showing the lead up to the error.Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing-mill-dos-screen-jpg
    And thanks for the offer to email direct, just thought if it's on the forum others might be helped too.
    I'm at morgan@customflightltd.com

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing-mill-dos-screen-jpg  


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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Ok when you are in the C:\CNC40> type in DIR and rtn to see if the program CAFAA40.exe resides there. If not, it needs to be there to be fired off. You can change Directories with the CD\ command and then look for it.
    It appears you are in the correct directory but the file is missing. I will see if my AHHA has the exact same name and advise. If you have a copy of the .EXE file you can copy in to the c:\CNC40 directory.

    My AHHA program is called CAFAA31U.EXE so yours perhaps is newer? My controller was supplied as a package by BOBCAD and made by Anahaine out of CAL.

    Can you locate the CAFAA40.exe file on your hard drive?

    Bruce



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    OK, you have enlightened me with the obvious, I screwed up BIG time.
    This came loaded with lots of old cut files from the previous owner, a school. So never thinking that the program to run the machine would be in the same directory as the old cut (Gcode) files, I cleaned house and deleted the old files, and I guess the EXE file along with them. That's why it ran yesterday and not today!
    The Lathe seems to have the same files, so I will try to copy those into the mill computer and see if it works.



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Quote Originally Posted by planebuilder View Post
    OK, you have enlightened me with the obvious, I screwed up BIG time.
    This came loaded with lots of old cut files from the previous owner, a school. So never thinking that the program to run the machine would be in the same directory as the old cut (Gcode) files, I cleaned house and deleted the old files, and I guess the EXE file along with them. That's why it ran yesterday and not today!
    The Lathe seems to have the same files, so I will try to copy those into the mill computer and see if it works.
    The lathe is very different from the 3 axis milling parameters.You will need the correct version for your milling. Not sure if your machine would work with lathe settings at all, but may cause axis movements you do not want. Please be careful. Also if your machine came with any back up files they may have the mill routine with all the right settings for your particular machine. Each machine has different axis lengths and sizes of parts etc. so you tailor to the particular individual machine accordingly. That can be a lot of work and complicated. If you were doing the "house cleaning" with windows perhaps the files are in your deleted files folder too? Those old NC files may provide you insight on the feed rates and other settings to use to work different materials so could be helpful examples especially if they ran properly on your machine before. There used to be a way to get at deleted files in DOS ,because the files were actually still there IF you did not write or save new files there. Often they just put a indicator in a particular field to designate file was deleted. Perhaps a search on the internet will help with that; if that is your only option to recover a lost file.

    I could email you a copy of my AHHA but the parameters would not match your machine without editing a lot of details.
    Bruce

    Last edited by bholterman; 05-28-2019 at 08:08 PM.


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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Yeah your probably right.



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    After a bit of time at "youtube university" , I typed undelete/all, and 315 files were undeleted! When I type DIR /p , It lists the files.
    18 files with extensions like TMP, PCK, SYS, EXE, BAT, TXT, HLP, TLS, PMS, SSD, HTF, and all the rest are AGC Gcode files, but no CAFAA40.EXE, couldn't be that easy.
    The Lathe has the CAFAA40.EXE file, I wonder if it's the same, and the difference is in how it's configured during install or ?
    I'm hesitant to copy and install it because it seems deleted files are still there until the space on the disk is over written, and the CAFAA40 may still be there waiting to be found.



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Another weird thing is that on the recovered files, most of them had the first letter replaced with # , like INSTAL40 BAT became #NSTAL40 BAT
    There is probably some significance, but I don't remember enough about DOS to know the meaning.



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Quote Originally Posted by planebuilder View Post
    After a bit of time at "youtube university" , I typed undelete/all, and 315 files were undeleted! When I type DIR /p , It lists the files.
    18 files with extensions like TMP, PCK, SYS, EXE, BAT, TXT, HLP, TLS, PMS, SSD, HTF, and all the rest are AGC Gcode files, but no CAFAA40.EXE, couldn't be that easy.
    The Lathe has the CAFAA40.EXE file, I wonder if it's the same, and the difference is in how it's configured during install or ?
    I'm hesitant to copy and install it because it seems deleted files are still there until the space on the disk is over written, and the CAFAA40 may still be there waiting to be found.

    You are thinking right about this and well you are making some progress! As far as I know the AHHA software is actually the same for both lathe and 3D CNC. The differences is in the number of axis, how they work, and the related settings. I am not sure but they may be one/some of the files you got back; and all you need to do is copy over the lath program...You would normally have to add at least one more axis in the tailoring of the AHHA configuration settings. It would be easiest to just find that missing file and replace it. I am not sure what the # is relating perhaps a DOS search would help there? I would perhaps search each disk or location on the hard disk to try and locate the exact CAFAA40.EXE . If that fails, as I said, I could send you a copy of mine but you would still have to update the axis sizes, rotations per inch etc.. Right now I am trying to get my Z axis to work properly but I think it is just that it must always be positive even though you are thinking it will go down.

    Let me know if I can help further.
    Bruce



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Thanks Bruce, it looks like undelete command replaces the first letter with # so it will be different and might not overwrite and ruin a file if it's still there. Looks like you can change # back to the original letter.
    The undelete command doesn't recover all files, and I can find unrecovered files with undelete/list, but I can't seem to slow down the readout to a page at a time like can be done with DIR/P, so the needed file may still be there.
    Also there is ** before files in that list that supposedly indicates the first cluster is missing, whatever that means.
    I think before I do any more damage I will look locally for an old computer geek that knows DOS.



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Yes the; DIR/P is to pause after each screen in full; a DIR/W spread them across an 80 col display. I think the # character is there to not inter fear with an existing file perhaps with the same name. In working with the AHHA software I see that it can save the configuration as an SYS file so perhaps that along with the "generic" CAFAA40.exe from the lathe may get you going again. But if you try that, check the Alt S in AHHA for the configuration of the axis first.

    Bruce



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    Default Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    My computer geek told me that if undelete didn't bring some files back its because they are damaged files, and don't waste time trying more. So I had nothing to lose, I copied the CAFAA40.EXE from the Lathe computer to the Mill computer. When I tried to boot it up it found the file but got stuck on another, but it was one of the files that undelete had changed the first letter to #, so I changed it back, then it booted up normally and the mill runs fine, no issues!!!! I guess there is good in the fact that AHHA is a simple program by today's standards. Thanks for all the help and moral support Bruce!
    Morgan



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    Red face Re: Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

    Quote Originally Posted by bholterman View Post
    Hi hope I can help,
    Sounds like you are not in the correct directory to run that command. That line reads in DOS as "change the directory to be CNC40 " and then in there execute the program CAFAA40.EXE

    1) so do something like this CD/C:CNC40 and rtn (not sure the exact syntx but you need to get to the C: drive and the CNC40 directory.
    2) execute once in the c:cnc40 directory by entering CAFAA40.exe and rtn


    The CAF part reminds me of the AHAH program's name itself (perhaps a little different version than mine), that runs the CNC under AHAH. Let me know if this helps. I have been working on getting my DOS AHHA program back up and have it working except for the direction of the axis. They must all be in positive values down to zero at the end. If not the program will not load up properly.

    I need to mess with it some more anyway. You can also reach me directly at bholtermann@yahoo.com Bruce

    PS if you wish I can fire up my machine and give the exact key stroke syntx required. You can run the DIR command to see what programs are in the directory you are in. The CAFAA40would haveto be there to run.
    Also make sure to back up your AHAH software asap and keep it away from the hard drive so you can recover if the hard drive quits...they do. There are configuration settings in the AHHA for your machine you do not want to loose or it is really hard to get them back and you face going to Mach 3 or something like that.
    Glad you are back in business. Just remember to check the length of your axis and also note there are 2 places to 1) save your configuration once working, and 2) print off your configuration on hard copy. As there are so many settings I strongly recommend you do this. My machine in 38X25X12 workable space a BobCAD router from years ago. I have worked in wood,plastic, metal, stone and done burnishing, diamond drag and basic milling large and small engraving. Lot of fun learning about the possibilities.

    Wonder what you plan on making with your new tool?
    Thank you,
    Bruce



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Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing

Troubleshoot old Ah-ha! CNC equipment, new to CNCing