I moved to a new shop a while ago and when I got my machine running the THC became flaky, it would sometimes detect a good voltage and sometimes the voltage sensing was extremely low. I have a Everlast 82i, and wired it directly to the raw terminals, and validated that those connections were still solid, checked the voltage reading with a multimeter and saw it in the right range of ~110-120. I was cutting 3/16 steel for that project so just turned off the THC and let it work with just the tap-off height sensing (IHS).
Now (a few months later) I’m trying to use the machine again, and now find that the IHS isn’t even working correctly. When I try to start cutting, the machine lowers the torch a little but doesn’t actually contact the steel, backs off slightly and then turns the torch on. All this is well above the proper cutting height so it never pierces.
Any pointers to what I should investigate? Prior to moving the machine everything was working fine, so its my assumption that some connection was loosened in the move and now is flaky and probably causing the sensing to be off for both THC and IHS.
You might want to check the posts that the z axis carriage travels up and down on.
Mine get spatter on them from time to time jamming the rollers and stopping the full travel of the carriage.
If your system has been moved, check that the electronics enclosure is not shorting the USB connector to the case. This is a fatal flaw of this system, not enough clearance to keep the USB connector isolated. Of course, they’ve only known about this since the Pro enclosure came out…
So I got the IHS working by adjusting the eccentric bolts on the Z-axis bearing, or at least it worked for a while as there was definitely some binding there. However after running for an hour or so the Z-axis stopped moving consistently, and I diagnoses that extensively, including removing the motor. It turned out that the motor would always buzz a bit when jogging the Z axis up and down, but wouldn’t reliably fully turn.
So I swapped the X and Z axis plugs, and found that the Z-motor worked fine on the X-plug, but also the X-motor seemed to work fine on the Z-plug. I swapped them back and I still saw issues on the Z-motor. I then unscrewed the Z-plug and tried again, and without the Z-plug without a solid connection worked reliably. So I managed to finish the next ~4 hours of cutting but clearly there’s still an issue with my machine, since a loose plug “fixing” things imply something in the controller is wrong. I’m guessing grounding, but won’t have time to tear things apart and probe with a multimeter for a while.
There was an issue with the DB9 connectors, where the screws were too long and fully tightening them would bottom out the screw and push the connector out enough to cause arcing across the pins. This would cause erratic stepper motor movement and sometimes reverse movement.
For the IHS, first make sure it is not bottoming out during the touchdown. If it is not, check the brass contacts inside the IHS. You can get a better view by manually lifting the black torch plate on the IHS by hand. It should have about 1/2" of movement when the torch is in mid-air. Lifting the plate will give you better access to the brass contacts. Please clean the contacts thoroughly, as any debris or particles between them can cause issues. Also, make sure the contacts are not loose. If this does not resolve the issue, manually lift the IHS plate and check whether the IHS light on FireControl turns on. If the light does not turn on after completing these steps, there may be a loose connection to the IHS or a faulty cable. Please email us for further troubleshooting regarding both the IHS and THC issues.
P.S. Since it also sounds like there may be electrical issues, it would be a good idea to open the enclosure and make sure you are receiving the proper voltage at each driver. If the voltage is correct, one of the drivers may need to be replaced.
