Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Discussion specifically about the Shark's bigger brother, the CNC Shark Pro

Moderators: al wolford, sbk, Bob, Kayvon

Djkaukl
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:14 pm

Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by Djkaukl »

Last night, in process of loading a .tap file, my shark pro just stopped working--with the panel displaying an error message: "Exception Access Violation in Module CNCSharkbasicpanel.exe at 0000422C in Module CNCSharkbasicpanel.exe read of addres 00000..." whatever that means. Then Windows 7 displayed a message to the effect that the program (something with "pod" in it) had ceased to work and did I want to wait to see if it fixed itself or exit and troubleshoot otherwise.

Exited, reloaded, now everything on the panel is greyed out and no buttons work, again, and at lower left appears the message "Please check power and USB cables." Which I checked and which appeared to be connected (power because the light in the controller box was on, USB because both ends were, well, connected). And the machine did its "thunk" that it does when power is connected. Although the USB and power cables seem to be as connected as they can be, the panel remains grayed out and inoperative. This is what happens on every reload of Shark control panel program now.

Previously the machine had worked fine. Just before the malfunction, however, it began to lock up requiring me to exit and reload repeatedly. I had been experimenting with very simple toolpath files having a 33K size (cutting out a dollhouse from .25 BP). Temperature here in Western Washington was 72; controller boxes are enclosed in a ventilated drawer away from dust.

I thought the problem might be a long file name, as I've heard this can be a problem, but the program won't let me get to the point of loading anything.

Anybody experience something like this? Or have any ideas on a fix? I called NextWave but Al candidly admitted this one was not in his area and that I needed to talk to another Rep who would be in later. He suggested also that I post this on the Forum while waiting to talk to the other Rep. Thanks.

Djkaukl
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:14 pm

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by Djkaukl »

Just remembered that the "pod" something file was apparently, from its name, some kind of compiler file. This error message has not reappeared, so I don't have the exact name.

spinningwood
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:28 am

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by spinningwood »

It sounds to me like your control program and / or the driver for the controller tried to do something that windows didn't consider that it should be doing. Hence the exception. You can check your device manager and see if the driver is showing an error (look under OEMTech CNC Controller and you will find the ncPod entry for the driver). OR you can turn everything off and reboot the computer and see if that fixes it.

I have found that closing and opening the shark control program without rebooting the computer will eventually result in the "check power and cables" message with the Shark Control Panel unresponsive. A reboot puts things right. Now, I just always leave the control program open and don't close it until I'm ready to turn the machine off for the day. I always shut down the computer rather than using sleep mode. Haven't had any problems with this procedure.

Just some ideas that may or may not be useful to you.

Maybe somebody from Rockler will see your message and post a response........


Ed

GARYR6
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:12 am

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by GARYR6 »

You need to talk with Tim at Next Wave. However, they may all be out at AWF in Atlanta with the release of the new SHARK PRO PLUS.
IF you reloaded the control program (released 8/6/10) for Next wave and updated the firm ware..... you will just have to wait for tim and tec support.
"Tim Owens" <Towens@nextwaveautomation.com>
Good luck.

al wolford
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:58 pm

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by al wolford »

djkaukl did speak with Chris at Rockler.
We are getting the issue narrowed down and hope to hear back from him soon.
Chris and he think it may involve a bad USB cable.
Will try to post the answer when we are sure.

User avatar
fison
Posts: 102
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:24 pm
Location: Tacoma, Washington, USA
Contact:

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by fison »

I could be wrong but I believe this was the same problem I was having a couple months back. I replaced the SD card with a new one and the problem went away.
Paul Fison
Tacoma, Washington, USA
(253) 925-0855

Djkaukl
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:14 pm

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by Djkaukl »

A followup on my Shark failure. Last week I spoke with Chris at Rockler twice. He was incredibly patient and helpful as he guided me through a series of attempts to diagnose the problem. I loaded the software on two separate computers in an attempt to replicate the problem. During the process Chris even uninstalled software on his computer trying to reproduce the malfunction. In the end, and after over an hour of testing, he concluded that the controller box probably had a soldered connection that was permitting variations in voltage. He gave me the direct line to Nextwave to contact them for a replacement controller box. One of my considerations in deciding to buy a $3,500 machine was the availability of support, particularly for a high-technology item like the Shark. Rockler's reputation in this regard alleviated my concerns. And Chris' obvious competence and willingness to take the time to conscientiously get to a solution certainly justified that confidence. Having read my share of support horror studies on the web, it is nice to share an example of outstanding customer support on the part of Rockler. Thanks again, Chris.

Wish I could say the same for Nextwave. I have made, as of monday, six calls to Nextwave--at least one per business day since I spoke with Chris. Each one met with a recorded message inviting me to leave a number and promising that they would call me back. Left an extended message explaining the purpose of my call 3 times. The last three times I just requested a call to discuss a warranty matter for my malfunctioning Shark. Silence. No call back. Their site doesn't seem to have any way to contact them. Will continue for a full week, I guess, and then hand the problem back to Rockler. Maybe I'm expecting too much hoping to get a response to just six messages.

Tim Owens
Posts: 361
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by Tim Owens »

I wanted to apologize to anyone who had support issues that were not handled promptly. We had a large portion of our staff at the IWF in Atlanta this whole last week. The plan was for Rockler to field the calls let people know there would be a delay and anything that was an emergency Rockler had a direct number to me. There appeared to be some confusion and people were directed to a number that was not being monitored while we were at the show.

I talked with Doug and we are taking care of his support issue.

We take are support very seriously and will make sure that our customers can reach someone that will be able to help with their questions.

bmink
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 8:24 pm

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by bmink »

I have had similar problems with the message popping up, but I have been able to close the window and continue. The biggest problem I have is with the message about "Checking the USB/power connection.." I often have to disconnect the USB from the computer and the control box and it takes a while but will usually work. When that doesn't work I unplug the power cord and plug it back in. Frustrating when you are dealing with high school students waiting to load their projects.
Is the "check power" message caused by a bad USB cable, card...?

Tim Owens
Posts: 361
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: Shark Quit--Anyone Have Same Prob?

Post by Tim Owens »

This can happen when the computer is left alone and it goes into a powersave mode and disconnects the usb bus. Any interuption in the USB will cause the Controller to disconnect to prevent stray commands from going into the controller. This can also be caused by wireless connections and wireless mice and keyboards. Many times when these devices loose connection they then reset the whole usb bus to get connection back. This will disconnect your Shark from the computer.

Thanks

Tim

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