Hi yall i searched through the forums and could not find any newer post talking about connection issues to firecontrol so made a new one.
Currently the issue i keep having is when i load up firecontrol it will go green on both top icons but will not connect to the table it just says help conmect in orange top right corner to update firmware so iv tried that multipe times aswell as hard resets and still having the same issue curently im running the newest windows 11 on my laptop its a msi gs76 stealth 11ug when plugged in to the laptop i do get the green light inside the ls power box on the white mother board so it is getting power to it iv tired 4 different cables and same issue the table yesterday morning was working fine nothing changed no updates had been made just started not wanting to connect iv been having issue with getting my thc system to work but i dont think that would cause this issue any suggestions would be greatly appreciated to get back on track to cutting again. 3-14-2024.
Welcome to the forum.
Sometimes the updates for FireControl seem to miss a setting or something, here or there. When problems go awry, the best way to troubleshoot/correct FireControl is to fully uninstall and reinstall.
Here is a concise description of how to go about that:
The fact that you have the green icons on the top, indicates the table is connected to both the cutter and the THC module as well as your computer.
After re-installing, make sure you turn the enclosure box off and then on before starting the computer. It seems that is what made a difference when I was updating firmware once upon a time.
thank you for the quick reply i erased everything including the usb drivers on my computer and re installed programs again and it was able to read the table again thankfully now the issue that its giving me is its not seeing the z axis limiting switch i can see voltage go on and off at the switch as it should with a meter but the system doesn’t tell the z axes to stop and go up it just keeps going it cant see the open from the switch
never mind turned machine on and off and again its not connecting back to square one
ok so if i turn the ls power box off first then connect my laptop it reads then i power it on and it works but still have no z axis zero shut off
Can you do a screen capture so we can see what you are referring to “no z axis zero shut off”?
hi yes the z axis donst see the switch open and close like it did before so i keeps the motor running till it sets a g code
I noticed an alligator clip on the top of the z-axis. What is that for?
When you are talking about the z-axis and “no shut off” are you saying that it is not sensing the plate surface? Just to help you problem solve that, the z-axis or IHS (initial height sensing) switch is closed unless the torch is forced upwards by contact with something.
You can check to see if that switch is working properly by manually pushing up on the torch assembly and see if the IHS light turns on.
If that light is not turning on then there is something that is completing that connection. Try to find out why the connection is not breaking with contact with the plate.
I am not 100% sure that the z-axis motor turns off when the IHS turns on. It is possible that if you keep giving a movement signal with the manual buttons, the z-axis motor will try to comply. That switch is only for the the IHS to sense where the plate is and not to stop the movement of the torch.
If you set the job speed to 10 IPM, are you able to stop the torch and virtually any spot of the z travel? If so, I think it is working correctly.
sorry the alligator clip was just there when i was testing grounding issues but it has no purpose.
as for the ihs light when i run it to he metal surface it dose go green but flashing before the fire control software started acting up i was able to run the z axis down and it would stop on its own same with up travel it would not let the motor keep moving unless i clicked again on the toggle for up travel then would stop after a few seconds on its own when i try to cut anything it will go to starting position then just run the z axis down to the metal but wont travel up to start cut
at 10ipm i was able to get the ihs light to stop flashing annd stay steady green.
I know it’s not your issue at the moment, but your torch is mounted incorrectly.
This will cause problems in the future.
Thank you i will re clamp the torch and fix that so it dosnt give me any gremlins down the road
I just wondering if the plunger inside is stuck. Take off the nozzle cap and push up on the electrode. It should move up and snap back down. If the pilot arc doesn’t fire the machine may keep moving til it acknowledges no arc.
BigDaddy might have part of your solution. Remount the torch, then set your torch to be able to go about an 1/8 of an inch below the level of the top of the slats. You are not getting an accurate sensing of the top of the metal plate. That is why it is not going back up. You are not completely tripping the IHS switch. It is sticking or something but it should not be having a blinking green IHS switch. Either it is on or it is off.
I’m not up to speed on your problem yet. I will read backward to see. You are in good hands with Old Jimmy. Hey Jimmy, did you bring me back some Cuban cigars from Belize?
Never could figure out they way they wanted to exchange money. They would claim they took credit cards and then when it was time to pay they would say “Oh, our machine is down.” The bill comes to $180 Belizian dollars which would be about $90 USD. You give them $100 USD and they give you $10 Belizian. They are consistently gaming the system.
No cigars. Just plum forgot!
I did get pulled over for random enhanced screening at SeaTac. As the attractive young lady escorts me I call out to the other agent “Been looking forward to the strip search.” An older woman agent scornfully yells back “She won’t be doing it!” They just have no joy in their lives, I feel. 
Glad you are back. Let’s figure out his issues. Dam ugly, am I not?
Gear head: is your laptop plugged into 120v, or are you running on battery? Do you have one of these lying around the shop?https://a.co/d/eEwEYBS
Looks like the IHS switch isn’t working. Check connections and wiring and make sure there are no opens/shorts and the contacts are clean.
Gearhead, the switch he is referring to, is on the back of the THC unit. It has a cheap ass spring on it and a set of contacts that close when it moves.