Z-Axis uncommanded Down

[Larry Gardner]

This morning I was setting my HD up to run a project and when I was zeroing out the Z-Axis with my blank, after I touched the page down button it started going and did not stop.
By the time I got the th E-Stop, it already broke the Router clamp. I was running the new Control Panel Software 23C, has anyone came across this before?
First time problem with the HD, also where can I get a new router clamp? I looked on Next Waves store but did not see a clamp for the Bosch 1617 Router???

[Larry Gardner]

I just got off the phone with Next Wave and they are sending me a new router clamp since I am still under the one year warrenty, which is outstanding....
quick and fast support thankyou Next Wave... just wanted to pass that along.

[jeb2cav]

Hi Larry,

I'd just call support and ask them about the cost of replacing the mounting bracket. You're correct, the store does not currently list an HD replacement bracket.

I have been using 23c for a few days now and have not seen this behavior for what it's worth. I have been doing a lot of jogging as I've been fooling with my table setup and table lead screw.

I have experienced momentary run away jog from a keyboard from a stuck key. Fortunately no damage, and to get the movement to stop I was able to just press repeatedly until it stopped - cleared the stuck key. Not saying this caused your problem, but an idea to look at. Unfortunately in the case of dust type debris, not something that readily duplicates.

Just curious - are you using a USB keyboard or bluetooth? Anything else plugged into the computer - either usb or bluetooth besides the Control Box?

[Larry Gardner]

Hi Joe
I use a usb keyboard and I use a bluetooth key pad. I am thinking this is a hiccup. I am glad Next Wave is sending me a replacement part. So hopefully I will be cutting soon.
I have the controller, keyboard, monitor, and my battery backup plugged in the Back of the computer. Bluetooth is plugged in front. Never had a problem before.

[jeb2cav]

I just went to a new computer setup - the old one died. I decided to go to a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, but kept the usb numeric keypad. I found that this combination of devices didn't work well with the Shark Control Panel - it's why I asked.

With a little experimenting, I found that BT only, or usb only, no problems. I hadn't seen much about this on the forum, so maybe I'm just lucky. This is also a Win7 setup. I had the same unexpected results with v22 and v23c, so I don't think that is a discriminator. Maybe not an issue with a BT keypad.

Thanks for the info.

[Eagle55]

Just for input to be considered... I have noticed what is possibly the same thing. I use a USB keypad for jogging and have had several occasions where the jog signal would not stop when I let up on the key. I don't believe that my situation is due to a stuck key although it could look like that on the surface. I have experienced it with multiple axis. Not sure if it is all three or not but I think it is. Of coarse it is a blood chilling experience when it happens especially if you are close to the material. My suspicion is that what is happening is that the usb signal corresponding to the release of the key is not seen by the computer and the second keypress (followed by a release) IS seen and the travel stops. With that theory in mind, what I have noticed is that it only happens when I have been using the computer/Shark for several hours. I don't know if the culprit is the computer (which I suspect) or the Shark Control Panel (still computer related) or if it is the Control Box. When it does it (only now and then) and if I was to reboot the computer it wouldn't do it again for hours, if at all. Continuing with my theory..... I don't' know how "y'all's" computers are but after mine has been on a long time there is something that goes on that I am not aware of. I don't know if it has started a virus scan or if there is some other program that is running in the background and soaking up the CPU time, but there can be times periodically where what ever its doing, it doesn't react to the commands that I am giving it. Most of the time it comes back in a few seconds but if the keypad signal went in during one of these lapses it might cause this. I have turned off screen saver on this computer and stopped the automatic Windows Update and haven't solved the problem yet. The operating system that I am using is XP and the post processor hasn't been updated since I got the machine in November last year. ( I hate to pioneer new updates til they have been tried, plus with the absence of problems I'm hesitant to try to solve a problem that isn't there so I have hesitated installing the updates just yet. I realize that none of what I said leads to the solution just yet, but if we get all the information on the table it might eventually lead us to a solution.

Roger

[jeb2cav]

Hi Roger,

I had no problems with a laptop and usb numeric keypad. I did have to purchase 3 different keypads before I found one that was mechanically sound. It is bloodchilling. I do think there's not a lot of demand for keypads anymore, so not only are they few and far between, they are really, really, cheaply made. Your thinking about what is happening is correct - but the no signal part of this I'd bet is on the side of a defect in the pad.

With the computer spinning after a few hours - open up the task manager to see if you can see a process running that you don't know about - and google it. I'd also look at the disk space available on your machine. I found some sort of backup process running on my XP laptop that was creating and maintaining a backup file that sucked up a good chunk of space, and so there wasn't much disk left, and as a result, no disk swap so laptop would run like a pig and I was doing nothing with it. When it gets into a state of low disk space, it is running pretty hard, and there would be an opportunity for keyboard inputs to be lost as well.

If you do find a virus scan running at times like this, tweak the settings to run when ordered vice when scheduled. A little more arcane, but possible are other services - like a backup (that isn't hogging disk) that is running every few hours. Again, looking at task manager after starting it up and then looking again at the list of processes running every hour to get a sense of 'new things' since the last check may help you narrow this aspect down.

My laptop finally got too hard to start - 6 years old and a few hundred thousand air miles and trips on it as well, so went to a new setup to run the shark. This is when i discovered the challenges with the usb/BT/touchscreen monitor - at least on Win7. I've sent a note to NWA on this - we'll see what and when they address it. This is separate though from the intermittent signal or computer slowing down.