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Thread: MPCNC Plasma Cutter and it's troubles

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    Cool MPCNC Plasma Cutter and it's troubles

    Hello Mates

    I'm in a bit of a situation where i don't know how to proceed, i got a DIY MPCNC Machine, i used this setup now for a half a year. First with a cheap Chinese Spindle that used PWM, because it cased irradic behavior i upgraded pretty fast to a router spindle also because i needed morar powar Well, in the same time, i also shielded the cables of all axies. Ferrite cores on the stepper side and the controller side, as well as hooked the shield up to the steppers themselves, and on the other side, grounded them as well as the chassis of the power supply for the cnc controller with earth. At the end, the usb cable got also a ferrite core attached, just because i had them

    Now, the setup is a Arduino with a grbl cnc shield, nema 17 steppers twisted and shielded cabels to all steppers, and everything is put behind a EMI filter as well, grounded separately to a water pipe that is positively going into the dirt and is copper all the way. Now with the 220V Router spindle on the mount, everything works fine.

    So last week, i stepped my cnc game up a notch, got myself a HF pulsed plasma cutter, build a bassin/pool to accomedate the water and got to make the mount and hook up a relays board with a optocoupler based setup. The Plasma is a pretty good unit, but only HF and no pilot arc, but again, solid and good machine that works in other setups. (50amps @ 220v, realistically more like 40-45 amps tops)



    Well i got noise from somewhere, so i am troubleshooting the setup now.

    -removed ground
    -removed the shielding connection to the stepper, shielding still the cables
    -run the arduino and the computer only on batteries, disconnected from mains
    -insulated the wooden cabinet fully with aluminum foil, connected it up to ground and tested all off the above
    -moved the computer (its a tablet surface 2) away behind the cabinet and good 2 meters away from the actual cutting action, repeated both, with and without mains power for the cnc shield and the tablet.

    i got now as far as it will start the program, ignite the arc, move up to around 1/8 or 3mm, and actually it cuts, and that not bad. I can replicate the same situation with around 19-22amps for a 1mm sheet metal, as well as around 40-45 amps for a thick 10mm steel plate, it begins, lift up, cuts pretty nice until i got around 2/3 into the first operation when the controller goes haywire, disconnects from estlcam, and yeah. No movement. At this point, the machine traveled around 10-15cm before it happens.
    It will work on battery this way, and on mains power, it does not matter where the computer sits or if the USB hub is between it or directly attached to the tablet.

    The controller holds then the actual position. Sometimes, it's possible to just disconnect the usb, re-plug it in and directly reprogram the controller, sometimes i need to remove power and then it works again.

    i tried to move the axis around a bit, maybe because there are areas where the noise was a bit higher than others, but other than ever so slight changes, it did not help either.

    On a other side note, for every 3 out of 5 attempts, the windows button is pushed, i mean the menu came up after estlcam crashed because of the loss of connection to the controller, without any user interaction. Strange as i can't see that noise on the usb side could emulate a HID device

    anyway, I appreciate any thoughts on the topic, what i could do to get it work.
    What I've seen it cutting is awesome, and if i can make it consistent, that would be the holy grail.

    I added some pictures, so you get an idea just how much amateur is at work here :P don't judge to harsh please

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  2. #2
    Activation process yeti86's Avatar
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    Default Re: MPCNC Plasma Cutter and it's troubles

    Topic not relevant anymore.

    It's a HF Machine, and can't be made work in this setup. I go for a pilot arc machine now and hope the best.



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MPCNC Plasma Cutter and it's troubles

MPCNC Plasma Cutter and it's troubles