Control connection issues

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Henry Lance
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:51 am

Control connection issues

Post by Henry Lance »

I have an older Shark Pro Plus HD that has had USB connection issues from day one. I have seen other posts with the same issues, having to due with the ncpod, there has never been a true fix posted that I am aware of. This has cost me countless hours of lost time through the years. I was thinking of purchasing a new model for my business, but will not buy a Shark if these issues are a problem on the newer models. Does anyone know if there are still connection issues with the controllers on the new models?

Rando
Posts: 757
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 3:24 pm
Location: Boise, ID
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Re: Control connection issues

Post by Rando »

Henry:

In high-static, and high electrical noise environments, the old shark controllers definitely had problems. I even sold a kit that had users modify the wiring to fix that problem, and it helped many people fix those pesky connection issues. The root cause was that the static-drain/shielding wires coming from the stepper motors not only were connected onto the digital printed-circuit board, but that ground was routed directly under the USB connector, and then right next to the motion-control processor. My kit severed those lines in the cables and ran them to the metal case instead, and linked the bed to the rest of the system with a 480K ohm resistor: enough to drain off the static, but not so much it interfered with the touch-plate circuit. That re-routing of the drain wires solved the problem in the old systems, or at least the 40-odd people who purchased my kit claimed it did :D .

The newer controllers do not appear to have **the same** issues, but some still have problems, especially when one of the larger dust-extraction systems are used. Those tend to create pretty strong static, and so grounding that is quite important.

That said, I will say that over the last six months or so (say, from about May 2021), the number of people having these issues has gone down significantly. Maybe NWA finally implemented a more-effective fix on the latest machines coming out of their factory. There are still some issues with the pendant not responding, but that seems to have been traced to needing to unplug the touch-plate when starting the system. Either way, reported problems in the Facebook group have dropped off quite a bit.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Rando
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tonydude
Posts: 1581
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:23 am
Location: Buffalo,NY

Re: Control connection issues

Post by tonydude »

One of the top USB connectivity problems is caused by Windows USB Power Management.


To change the power management settings of your USB hubs, please follow these steps:

1) Go to Control Panel and click "Device Manager" OR type "Device Manager" in your search box
2) Click "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" (Usually at the bottom of the list), a new drop-down list will display.
3) Right-click on the first "Hub" listed (Typically the list will start with "Generic USB Hub")
4) Click "Properties"
5) Click "Power Management"
6) Uncheck the box labeled "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"
7) Click "OK"
8) Repeat this for each "Hub" listed.


If your control box was powered on during this process, turn it off, wait 5 - 10 seconds, and then power it back on.

Additionally, it will be helpful to make sure your computer has completed all necessary system updates as Microsoft continuously releases patches and bug updates which can affect device connectivity.
Buffalo,NY

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