Power failure during a CNC job

[estabon]

Has anyone been caught in the middle of a job when the lights went out? How did you recover?

[thomas]

I'm not sure how big of a job you are running but i've had it happen to me. I basically started over and reset my zero points and hoped I got I got it to where I started it the first time. One thing I've done is set up a jig on my table in the corner of the xy stopping point so all I have to worry about is the z setting. This allows me to allways make sure I can restart on the same place in the bottom left corner. Good luck.

[Eagle55]

I know this is too little too late, but thats the value of running the whole system on a UPS device just as you would any computer. I have had it happen several times where it just flashed off for a few seconds and then back on. Made me glad to hear everything continue running while the lights were out. Anyway, I was thinking that you may not loose your zeros when the power goes off but it would be good to verify this just before you start back at the beginning of the project run.

Roger

[jgrove255]

@Eagle55

What size of UPS are you using and what's the size of your router? I've been interested in using a UPS, however I'm unsure as to what rating to use with my 2-1/4hp Bosch router.

[PeteD]

Even worst is running a 6 hour program and with a half hour left the hydro flickers off for a half a second but the laptop running my machine keeps going. When the power comes back on the router started up and continued from where it stopped and ruined the piece. This has happened twice in the last year.

[jeb2cav]

You'll find a number of conversations on this topic here on the forum. An example is http://cncsharktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1106. I think having a power conditioner providing the power to the computer and Shark Control Box is a requirement. I spent $4K on a CNC machine, I'd have something to ensure no spikes, etc - and the bonus of having a power conditioner with battery vice a surge protection only is that the power is conditioned to be 'the right thing', and I get a few minutes of good enough power to account for the momentary on/off conditions I experience here in KY.

This is also recommended/highlighted in the Shark Owner's Manual.

[Eagle55]

I have included a link to the one that I used. It is the Cyberpower 1500pfclcd 1500VA/900 watt Sinewave model. I bought it a couple months ago and paid a base price of $186 which included free shipping (and no sales tax LOL) Then got a $9.29 promotion discount and $65 reward credit that I had built up. Think my final price was about $112. My policy is to always buy "good" but get the best price you can for what you want.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00429 ... 00_details

All that said, do a quick search for UPS on the forum and you should find some of the same info I looked at that helped me decide. I am thinking that they recommended at least a 1300 VA model for the larger routers, and my preference that I added was to go with the sine wave type unit because motors sometimes act differently with the stepped square wave (aka simulated sinewave) wave form, than they do with the sinewave house power. I can't really talk negatively about the squarewave version and I know a lot of people use them and have little or no problems. It might be different if you were going to run for long periods on the ups, but keep in mind that you are just wanting to have some time to decide how you are going to stop and power down your system. The main thing is that you don't want to power down and come right back up a couple seconds later. The ups buys time that you can either cut for a couple or few minutes or maybe decide to pause and turn the router off buying time to let the power come back on. Just like with a computer you can be in control of how to handle the situation, but you can't finish a 2 hour carve on UPS "emergency" power. However you do have to keep in mind that you have to run a heavy motor for at least a few seconds or very few minutes. Mine has a power indicator on the front of the unit that is typically indicating that I am using about 3/4 of the power I have available from the UPS when I am powered on and carving. I use a laptop with its own battery so I don't try to power my computer... just the Shark HD. I am currently using the Porter Cable 690 router. I haven't done any test to determine how much run time I have while carving but have had a few one second to ten second power outages that have made me feel like it saved my bacon several times.

Roger

[estabon]

When I originally posted this question, I already had a solution in place. I simply wanted to find out if others had the same issue. It appears that is true. I will now share my solution with you. I am using the Shark Pro HD with a Bosch 1617 2.25 HP router controlled by a laptop. During a power outage, even a brief blip, is the same as hitting the e-stop. The post-processor loses all of its memory and you have to start all over again, assuming you are able to replicate your starting point exactly. This is unlikely and you will likely end up with a double image. I am talking about a large job containing 50,000 to 60,000 lines of code and expensive materials. The key is to keep the post-processor running as well as the router as well as the vacuum hold down until you can walk over to the machine, place the program on 'pause', stop the router and stop the vacuum pump. When power is restored, you start the vacuum pump and the router, hit continue and carry on with your project. Of course the laptop is unaffected, however, if you are using a desktop, it is critical to keep this running as well. After some research, I purchased an APC UPS unit (model SMT2200) capable of providing 2200VA. What this means is during a power outage, everything continues to run for at least 5 minutes, giving you lots of time to pause and turn off motors thereby increasing the standby time into several hours. The investment was significant at around a G-note by the time it got here, however, how many projects are you going to ruin before taking action?

[PeteD]

For the signs and stuff I carve I can loose a lot for a g note.

[estabon]

I guess that is the difference between a hobby and serious income.