Profile cut casualty

[rlstex]

On my 3rd HS1 project ever (big ol' nube here) I was making a simple profile cut in mdf.  Two shapes were being cut.  The first one was finished but the second one went haywire about halfway through.  The router was approx 3/8" deep into the piece when the machine just decided to take-off on me.  Obviously it rumbled pretty good and the router got very bogged down.  The machine was still cutting the correct general shape, just no longer in the correct location (and real deep!).  After I got my heart started again, I jumped on the e-stop via my laptop.

Here's what I know:

1. I'm running Windows 10 on a laptop, communicating through the UC100.  Have had no problems with it so far.  I deleted QuickTime Player weeks ago after reading it can cause problems.

2. I'm using the correct post processor.  No issues so far.

3. Prior to cutting I always perform a dry run (run the toolpath with the router turned off and up high on z axis).  There were no problems during the dry run.

Here's what I don't know: Could any of these be the root cause?

1. The laptop is not connected to the internet.  But I did get a notification to restart for updates to Windows Defender prior to starting the job. 

2. I changed the feed rate several times during the job (by sliding the green bar on Mach3).

3. I recently installed an LED light fixture over the table.  It's plugged into the same power strip.  I know LED bulbs do funky things with wireless devices. That one is a big stretch.

4. After the adrenaline rush of hitting the estop (on my laptop) I went to turn the machine back on to check for any damage.  It wouldn't turn back on.  Turns out, the power cord was barely engaged at the machine outlet.  I had to push it in to the fitting before it would power up.

5. I don't have a vacuum setup yet so I manually vacuum with a small cleaner.  Could static be involved?

6. During one of my previous jobs, the machine did go into emergency stop mode and I had to Reset it to get it going again. 

I'm pretty confused right now and am hesitant to re-do this job, just hoping it doesn't happen again.  Anyone out there ever have this happen?  Thanks.

[romaxxcnc]

The machine cannot make any move on it's own, it must receive a step signal from the PC for the motors to turn. Does the toolpath show this move? My guess is the axis stalled for some reason and lost position. Many things can cause that, cutting dust on the rails is number one cause. How deep are you cutting per pass?

Ron

[rlstex]

Cutting .0625" per pass. The toolpath does not show this move. The run looked good in the toolpath simulation and on the dry run on the HS-1.

I got the nerve to try again later and was successful. BUT.....several times before that I had a recurring weird problem. I wouldn't be doing anything with the machine. It was on and Mach3 was on, just sitting idle. Then for no reason the HS-1 would click and the laptop would go dark. It acted just like a power saver function on the laptop. But I don't have that energized (ditto with screensaver). When I'd get the laptop screen back I couldn't make Mach 3 do anything. The computer would make a noise every time I clicked on anything but that was all. I had to go to 'Task Manager' to close the program and would then see a message stating 'UC100 not detected'. I restarted Mach 3 and everything was good. Then it would do it again and I'd start all over. I got as far as doing a dry run but then it happened again in the middle of the run. Argh!

I remembered reading something about G_Code needing to be on the computer and not a thumb drive (I had been using a thumb drive). I copied it to the desktop and did another dry run. Perfect. Then I ran the program for real and it made a great piece. But the thumb drive wouldn't explain the 'UC100 not detected' error. I think I must have gotten lucky and run the program between whatever is shutting me down. How can I test the UC100 cable? I've only used it a couple times.

[romaxxcnc]

Hi Russ,

That is the computer shutting down for some reason, the screen going black and losing the UC100, the CPU is going to "sleep". It's caused by the PC setting with no input to the mousepad/keyboard etc. There is some sort of power or screen saver still active. The reason I still suggest to use a desktop PC.

Is this an HP laptop?

Ron

[rlstex]

It's an HP. Is there something specific to HP I can look for?

Dang it. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to a tower PC but it sure looks like I may have to.

I've searched Windows 10 for any power-savings settings I might be missing but it's so different from previous Windows versions, I'm obviously not getting it right.

Off to Craigslist to buy a tower.....

Thanks Ron.