I’m running a 1F original Woodworker with a BB controller and I’ve had two issues develop lately that are real showstoppers. I’m running software ver 1.6.6 btw. The first problem has happened on and off for a while now but seems to be happening more lately. I get finished running a toolpath, change bits, go to rezero with the block, and the gantry doesn’t move with stick input from the joypad. Nor does it respond when I click the axis arrows on the controller screen. So, I do a restart and everything goes back to normal, until it decides to do it again sometime soon. Any idea what’s going on here?
This second one just started tonight. I plug a USB drive into the controller intending to transfer some toolpath files. I mouse on the controller screen and click Upload. The file tree comes up and I highlight my file and click the OK button. The window comes up where it shows it’s processing the file, goes to 100%, then disappears. Normally, the file just uploaded would be in the file name window, but nothings there, blank white. I individually upload the other 3 files on the USB drive, same scenario again with no file name coming up in the drop down menu. I open the file menu and the only file shown was the one already in the controller.
Here’s the kicker. I go to delete files and lo and behold, all the recently uploaded files are listed ready to be deleted.
This is a replacement controller, new as of the first of this year.
Anyone else experience issues like this? What fixed it?
I’m guessing I need to do a full software reinstall on the controller.
I have had the weird ghost file problem where it doesn’t see my upload. Mine was caused by me using the # symbol in the file name. Changing the file name fixed the problem.
Maybe other special characters cause problems too - I haven’t tried. Since I experienced the # problem, I name my files with only letters and numbers.
To isolate the issue (the block) try the same process instead use a piece of paper to zero out the bit.
If it runs normally, then the block is causing the issue (possibly bad grounding)
Thanks for the help Ken. I’ll play around with things and see if I can isolate what’s going on, but when the failure happens it takes no movement input at all, either from the joypad or the screen. If it did I’d just use the paper method like you mentioned. Next time it happens I’ll work with the block and see if I can isolate what’s going wrong.
Sir, you are exactly right, and it would have taken me forever to figure this out. I just started using the # in my file names so that has to be it. Thank you. So much appreciated!
Update on the second, unsolved non-responsive issue. I may be seeing a pattern that this ‘screen/gantry seizing’ issue may only be happening when I pause and then stop a toolpath from running it’s full course. Again, when this happens, the gantry is not responsive to joypad input or hitting the axis move arrows on the screen. The cursor moves on the screen ok. If I hit the ‘Home XY’ button, I get the popup window asking if I want to Home XY, and when I click Ok or Yes, it does nothing. Another aspect of what’s happening is that all 9 symbols (3 gears, 3 map waypoints and 3 houses) in the 3 axis rows are all dulled out, indicating they’re not available to be chosen, or are inactive.
It almost seems like it’s still busy processing the toolpath I’ve just stopped it from running, and won’t let me move on. I hit the square stop button. Are there any further buttons or functions I need to hit to make it stop processing that previous file?
Significant update to my frozen gantry situation. The error message I’m getting when I try to jog the gantry after pausing then stopping a toolpath halfway through says “Cannot enter running cycle while in jogging cycle.” I don’t know how this hints at what’s going wrong, but maybe it’s enough for the more experienced here to understand what’s happening. Above the red error message there is a section labeled ‘debug’ with about 20 lines of code to the right.
Does this error message indicate why my machine is freezing up? I can do 6-7 of the same kind of toolpath test runs, and for some reason it decides to stop after doing so many. I’m not doing anything different when it happens.