THC Upgrade Issues

LS-THC (Torch Height Control)
#1

Hi Guys & Girls i am still having issues with the THC upgrade and Fire Control. I am in Oz and had the first OG table in the country.

About 18 months ago we extended our table to accommodate full sheets of steel and it has run flawless ever since with all the original electronics and Mach3.

I was about to build my own THC System when the upgrade was released so we decided to purchase the upgrade thinking it would be more reliable being a fully integrated system. Well so for it has been far from a reliable system and since our business is our table i need to get to the bottom of these issues.

At the moment i have gone back to using Mach3 to keep up with orders and when we get a chance we keep trying to work out the bugs so any help would be great.

We have performed all the checks that are listed in the trouble shooting guide and i will list the problems and results.

Problem 1) SOLVED

Table in Rapid movement was to fast for our long lead screws on our extended table. The answer to this was to modify the code in the post processor in relation to rapid movements.

Problem 2) We keep getting an error with THC turned on, i have seen a lot of people with the same or similar problem where it pierces the stops with an error message (See Below) I have tried adjusting the pierce delay all the way from .4sec all the way to 3sec in .1sec increments with the same results for all. If i turn THC off and just use IHS it works fine.

When i perform the voltage test i get 118v Raw before the VIM and 1.6v after the VIM which is all with in specs (sorry i forgot to write down my live voltage when performing a straight line cut)

All other test where ok.

Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance.

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#2

you are well versed in the plasma world…but the newer control box and software is a little different.

  • you need to make sure you laptop or PC is isolated from ground…cut the ground off or use a ground isolated plug adaptor.
  • make sure you are clamped to the work and not the table…this can make a difference.
  • have you done the THC test?..
  • have you used the manual fire button in firecontrol…does it work?
  • try adjusting your pierce delay a bit
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#3

Can you perform the THC Test (red TEST button on the THC module in FC) and post your results? 1.6V should be fine after the VIM so the issue may exist elsewhere.

#4

That, sounds AWESOME! :nerd_face:

#5

Thanks for your reply, we are NOT using a laptop we are running from a desktop computer. We use a magnet clamp for earth. We have completed the THC test and it said everything was ok and yes the manual fire works fine we have also changed the pierce delay from .5 sec all the way to 3 sec in .1 sec increments. Have a few more things to try when i get more time to spend on it until then we will just keep using mach3 and the old electronics.
Thanks again

#6

Thanks for you reply we are flat out with orders at the moment so as soon as i get a chance i will perform the test and advise the results, in the mean time we will just keep using mach3 and the old electronics.
Thanks again

#7

Longshot here, but I’ve read that the Gen 2 controller/THC board appears to be more sensitive to EMI than the old. I got that message a bunch with my Pro (for months on end) and never found the cause. The errors stopped immediately when I changed plasma cutters. If nothing else jumps out from your next troubleshooting session, try separating your leads, making sure that they have no coils or loops and moving the cutter as far as you can from the motion controller.

#8

Did you ever get this solved?

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