# How borked am I? (I believe my controller is dead) **URL:** \ **Category:** Controller (Buildbotics) Discussion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995 "2024-01-28T20:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Segwayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Segwayne](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Segwayne)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/1 "2024-01-28T20:48:13Z")
Good afternoon. \< EDIT: Support answered me within 10 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. I could not be more impressed… That being said, after trying to get the controller working for a few minutes without luck, I turned it off and walked away to write support and the original message. When I got their response, I walked out to the garage to try it again and for reasons unknown, it fired right up. Weird… Guess whatever happened with the router and tripping the breaker was causing it to pull too much draw and overheat. > TLDR: I fired up the machine today to do a test carve in pine, it started acting weird (monitor blinking) and the Makita fried itself, tripping the breaker. Afterwards, the controller wouldn’t fire up at all… Resolved, both by excellent support response, and weird “it just started working again” mystical luck… Wayne ---
**Author:** ![bpavlack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@bpavlack](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/bpavlack)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/2 "2024-01-30T01:46:36Z")
FYI, my controller just recently fried so it does happen. It cost me $590 with shipping, taxes, and fees. However, they sent a whole new control box. The new box has the push button instead of the rocker switch. ---
**Author:** ![Segwayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Segwayne](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Segwayne)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/3 "2024-01-30T21:59:50Z")
I don’t have $590 to play with right now, so if it dies, I guess I’m out of luck. ---
**Author:** ![WaywardWoodworker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e79b87/32.png) [@WaywardWoodworker](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/WaywardWoodworker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/4 "2024-01-30T22:04:26Z")
Looks like there’s a used one up for sale > [@Controller for sale](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/controller-for-sale/25022): > > Controller removed from X50 Woodworker. Works fine; just went another way. Needs a new home $275 ---
**Author:** ![bpavlack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@bpavlack](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/bpavlack)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/5 "2024-01-31T04:50:07Z")
I didnt really have it either. However, i cant make money from it sitting idle either. ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 12:11pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/6 "2024-01-31T12:11:38Z")
Hey Bradley, hey all, > [@bpavlack](#): > > my controller just recently fried so it does happen. It cost me $590 with shipping, taxes, and fees. At this price, you could also have considered to buy an original [Buildbotics Controller](https://buildbotics.com/product/113/buildbotics-cnc-controller). It is produced in the USA and [is back in stock now](https://forum.buildbotics.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=333) for $699 USD + shipping (without power supply which is $69). It evolved further since Onefinity [forked](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(software_development)) their software and hardware, and unfortunaley Onefinity does not backport any of the new features ([What’s new in Buildbotics 1.0.2](https://forum.buildbotics.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=285), [What’s new in Buildbotics 1.0.0](https://forum.buildbotics.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=230)). > [@Pwr communication failed at reg 0: I2C read word failed: \[Errno 121\] Remote I/O error](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/pwr-communication-failed-at-reg-0-i2c-read-word-failed-errno-121-remote-i-o-error/18177/20): > > …now it has nice new features like programmable G-code macros, remappable I/O ports, 5 V I/O (instead of 3.3 V), G-code is editable in the controller display, more VFDs supported, 0-10 V analog spindle control added (besides PWM and ModBus), better Modbus debugging, WiFi has an external antenna (on the Onefinity, WiFi is enclosed in the case which acts as [faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage) ☹) and it has a [15-pin Auxiliary motor control port](https://buildbotics.com/manual-v1-0-2/#15pinauxilliaryioport) which provides access to the step{X,Y,Z,A}, dir{X,Y,Z,A}, motor enable, and motor fault inputs to the four motor drivers. These lines provide the ability to bypass the internal motor drivers and control external drivers. This allows you to attach [closed-loop stepper drivers like this one](https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/closed-loop-stepper-driver-0-8-0a-24-48vdc-for-nema-17-23-24-stepper-motor-cl57t) and to drive closed-loop stepper motors on the Onefinity classical series (like the Elite Series do). > > The Onefinity Controller has these lines internally too, but there is no access to these. > [@What features would you like to see in 2024?](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/what-features-would-you-like-to-see-in-2024/23761/38): > > The original [Buildbotics](https://buildbotics.com/) now provides **access to the internal axis control lines** on their [15-pin Auxiliary motor control port](https://buildbotics.com/manual-v1-0-2/#15pinauxilliaryioport): > > ![Comparison_Buildbotics_Onefinity_controller_-_Back_Panel__15-pin_Auxiliary_Connector](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/onefinitycnc/original/3X/5/5/559a1f16b7ca78071d04b316db2ae0fa7b52a32c.jpeg) > > _Image: Comparison of recent Buildbotics controller (above) and Onefinity controller (bottom): The Buildbotics now has an additional [15-pin Auxiliary I/O Port](https://buildbotics.com/manual-v1-0-2/#15pinauxilliaryioport) for access to the axis control lines._ > > This would allow to circumvent the internal four [Texas Instruments DRV8711](https://www.ti.com/product/DRV8711) stepper drivers and to use your own stepper drivers, and other stepper motors. > > The pins available would be the same as on the Masso G3 for connecting stepper motors: > > > [@Controller/Software Question](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/controller-software-question/4901/11): > > > > - step{X,Y,Z,A}, > > - dir{X,Y,Z,A}, > > - motor enable, and > > - motor fault inputs. > > This would allow users to connect other stepper drivers, e.g. to **retrofit closed-loop stepper motors** (as used on the Masso, or to connect [closed-loop stepper drivers like this one](https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/closed-loop-stepper-driver-0-8-0a-24-48vdc-for-nema-17-23-24-stepper-motor-cl57t)), or servo motors etc. to the PRO/Original Series Onefinity Controller. ---
**Author:** ![Segwayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Segwayne](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Segwayne)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/7 "2024-02-02T18:46:15Z")
Question, in case my controller dies for real… OneFinity support sent me a troubleshooting document for the original BB Controller. On the very first image, I noticed that the power supply (the thing you test first) is a Meanwell 350-36. This is literally a 36-V version of the power supply I’ve become VERY familiar with swapping out over the years on my 3d printers. (they’re 350-24 24v Power supplies)… If, in step 1, the lights on the power supply don’t function, that’s a good indication to me of a dead power supply. That being said, _ **Is there ANY reason that if my controller bleeps the bed again that I CAN’T just pull the controller and try swapping out the $36 power supply with a new replacement from Amazon?** _ Wayne (Mine, I’m praying, just got overheated in the original post apparently) ---
**Author:** ![WaywardWoodworker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e79b87/32.png) [@WaywardWoodworker](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/WaywardWoodworker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/8 "2024-02-02T18:49:12Z")
You can swap it with a known good one if you know you have input power and the e-stop triggered (isolating the power supply from the remainder of the system) the green light is off. ---
**Author:** ![Segwayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Segwayne](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Segwayne)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/9 "2024-02-02T18:50:21Z")
The one potential issue I see is that the “original BB controller” on that site appears to be run by a 48V supply. I haven’t opened my controller up just yet but the document OneFinity sent me for troubleshooting shows it running a MeanWell 350-36 (36V) power supply… Might matter, might not. Wayne ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/10 "2024-02-02T19:21:02Z")
Hey Wayne, the recent version of original Buildbotics controller runs on 24 V – 48 V DC input. The previous version ran on 12 V – 36 V. Regarding this change, they write: > The 24–48 Volt version of the Buildbotics CNC Controller provides the ability to bypass the internal motor drivers and exposes the control signals through a DB15 connector on the back panel. As good as the internal drivers are, some users have needs that go beyond the capabilities of the internal drivers. The 12–36 V Version is not manufactured anymore, but most recent Buildbotics firmware version 1.0.2 runs on it. The 12–36 V or the 24–48 V Voltage is only available on the Load-1 and the Load-2 outputs. For the Raspberry Pi and the AVR mainboard, the voltage is regulated to 5 V on the power input of the mainboard, so it does not much matter if it’s a 12–36 V or a 24–48 V Meanwell power supply inside, except if you want to drive external motor drivers and motors that require more than 36 V. ---
**Author:** ![Segwayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Segwayne](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Segwayne)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/11 "2024-02-02T20:48:33Z")
That’s all Greek to me. Can I plug and play it with my X50 Journeyman, or not? ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/12 "2024-02-02T22:44:38Z")
Hey Wayne, > [@Segwayne](#): > > That’s all Greek to me. Can I plug and play it with my X50 Journeyman, or not? Yes, you can! The [Buildbotics.com](http://Buildbotics.com) is a universal 4-Axis CNC Controller. It can fit a lot of CNC machines. What it does not provide, because it is universal for many CNC machines, is the specific workarea dimensions, settings for the specific stepper motors and ball screw pitches, the XYZ limits etc. that are specific to the Onefinity machine. You can copy and paste them from a running Onefinity Controller or take them from a default Onefinity Configuration file or from a backup of a Onefinity Configuration that you can save to a file on the Admin page. ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 6:12am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/13 "2024-02-03T06:12:40Z")
Hey Wayne, here you can see that the four stepper motors, the monitor, the Ethernet port, the four USB ports and the 25-pin I/O port have identical connectors. On the Buildbotics, the power supply is external, and for the probe and laser, you’ll have to use the corresponding pins on the breakout board of the 25-pin I/O port. What the Buildbotics Controller offers that the Onefinity does not, is the 15-pin auxiliary port. It allows to circumvent the internal stepper drivers and use external stepper drivers, for using closed-loop stepper like the Masso stepper motors, or Servos, etc. This auxiliary port makes the STEP, DIR, ENABLE and ALARM control lines for each of the four axes accessible from outside, like on the Masso. ![Comparison_Buildbotics_Onefinity_controller_-_Back_Panel](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/onefinitycnc/original/3X/b/0/b0f12d44f582bfe035338ac62a4dba68e5127533.jpeg) _Image: Top: Buildbotics controller, Bottom: Onefinity Controller._ And the Buildbotics has a small status display on its front panel: ![ready-screen.jpg](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/onefinitycnc/original/3X/7/a/7a0e40abfb86c72959174081c31337786e1f1368.jpeg) _Ready screen_ ![New-Status-LCD](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/onefinitycnc/original/3X/e/e/ee050949e009aa9c1a0e3cab3aae037c2c0d7668.jpeg) _Status screen_ ![buildbotics_controller_front_network](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/onefinitycnc/original/3X/7/7/774aa3a6953fd407bb3559dd0c14461620b48b08.png) _Network screen_ ---
**Author:** ![Browzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Browzer](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/Browzer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/14 "2024-03-16T20:58:07Z")
My machine would die just randomly. Sometimes in the middle of a run. I took the front cover off and bypassed the rocker switch. I have the controller hooked in to a plug outlet with a switch. So far it is running okay. It will take several days to see if it fails or not. I hope that was all the problem. ---
**Author:** ![JimHatch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.onefinitycnc.com/jimhatch/32/3928_2.png) [@JimHatch](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/JimHatch)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 1:06am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/15 "2024-03-17T01:06:05Z")
> [@Browzer](#): > > I took the front cover off and bypassed the rocker switch. You can get a replacement on Amazon (or write to OneFinity support). There have been a number of folks who found theirs got filled with sawdust. (If you search you can find the threads) and either replaced it or disassembled the switch and cleaned it out. ---
**Author:** ![OnefinityCNC](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.onefinitycnc.com/onefinitycnc/32/7_2.png) [@OnefinityCNC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/OnefinityCNC)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/16 "2024-03-17T01:47:14Z")
The switches are available on our website under replacement parts! ---
**Author:** ![USAF\_Paul](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.onefinitycnc.com/usaf_paul/32/132_2.png) [@USAF\_Paul](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/USAF_Paul)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/17 "2024-04-10T19:20:03Z")
For what it’s worth, and for anyone else (like me) whose original controller died due to a failed power supply, this is what I swapped out one-for-one: [Amazon.com: MEAN WELL MW LRS-350-36 36V 9.7A 350W Single Output Switching Power Supply : Electronics](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071HSNP83/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?tag=benmyers-20) Installed a week ago, and have run a few jobs already – flawlessly. (I bought my Woodworker in Sept 2020, not one problem except for this.) ---
**Author:** ![349iq2345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/bb73d2/32.png) [@349iq2345](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/u/349iq2345)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-borked-am-i-i-believe-my-controller-is-dead/24995/18 "2024-04-10T19:31:18Z")
Hey Paul, > [@USAF\_Paul](#): > > [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com): [MEAN WELL MW LRS-350-36 36V 9.7A 350W Single Output Switching Power Supply : Electronics](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071HSNP83/?tag=benmyers-20) why pay less if you can pay more? 😉 - [https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/lrs-350-36-mean-well-350w-36vdc-9-7a-115-230vac-enclosed-switching-power-supply-lrs-350-36?search=Meanwell%20LRS-350-36&description=true](https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/lrs-350-36-mean-well-350w-36vdc-9-7a-115-230vac-enclosed-switching-power-supply-lrs-350-36?search=Meanwell%20LRS-350-36&description=true) - [https://octopart.com/lrs-350-36-mean+well-51943648](https://octopart.com/lrs-350-36-mean+well-51943648) #### Further reading - [How To Switch The Controller from 110-220v](https://forum.onefinitycnc.com/t/how-to-switch-the-controller-from-110-220v/2125)