2600 emergency stop won't clear

[wwbatkins]

We ran the collet into a balsa co2 block and the spindle motor shut off. It continued to feed for a second or two until we hit the emergency stop. Once we stopped the program, we reset the emergency stop, but the door will not open and the screen still shows that the emergency stop is activated. Could this be related to a fuse, or is it a fault with the emergency stop switch? The help screen says to clear the ways etc., but the door won't open! Why would the machine go into a mode when it hits interference that won't let you clear the interference?

[Martin]

It sounds like you may have blown the spindle drive fuse.

If you remove the end cover you should see a PCB with 5 fuses mounted on it. It should be marked up FS4 or Spindle (10amp).

[wwbatkins]

That worked. I couldn't find 10 amp fuses, so I had to put in a 6.3 amp fuse temporarily, but that got it moving and let the door open until I can get the 10A.
Thanks for the quick assistance!

[Steve]

The fuse you refit MUST be F Rated (Quick Blow) so as to protect the PCB If you fit a slow blow T rated by the time the fuse blows you may have caused damage to the PCB.

While you can put any fuse in to allow the machine to jog clear and home up you should not run the spindle until the correct fuse is fitted.

[wwbatkins]

So here we go again with the Emergency Stop not clearing. We blew the spindle drive fuse AGAIN and replaced it with the correct quick-blow fuse; the machine reset back to normal and we continued with the project. We set up another blank and had to shut down for the day before starting to cut. When we switched everything back on we get the Emergency Stop indication. When I push the emergency stop button with the end panel removed the LEDs on what I assume are the 3 stepper drivers go from green to red. They change back when I reset the switch but the Emergency Stop indicator in the software does not clear. Any suggestions as to the best way to diagnose further?

The 8-segment display shows a - followed by a beeping . the a 2, then the sequence is P E S t o. Don't know what that all might mean but wanted to include it in case it is important.

[Denford Admin]

If the seven segment LED is cycling through the letters E.S.T.O.P. then it means that the estop signal into the control is not present.
Depending on the age of the machine, it could an issue with a stuck contact on the e.stop relay (on the smaller PCB with big orange connectors)
The control will stay in e.stop mode if it sees that certain feedback has not changed state (ie, is stuck on)
If you take a photo of the electronics we can tell you what needs checking with a voltmeter

[wwbatkins]

Here's the picture of one board. I'll post the other in the morning - we had some minor camera issues today.

[Steve]

In the photo shown both LEDs on the distribution board are lit and you say the stepper drive LEDs are green indicating that the E Stop relay has been energised.
The signal to the Next move comes from a contact on the EStop button and if the machine is a pro it could be in series with the spindle drive status.
Is your machine a Pro? If so what is displayed on the spindle drive? It should say stop to indicate it has power. If the display is not lit then this could be the problem.. Also if you stall the spindle and the drive goes into alarm it has to be powered off for over a minute to clear.

It could also be a faulty estop contact on the button. One contact operates the relay which is working the other operates the signal to the control card.
Can you post a photo of the E Stop button? Also take a photo of it.

Operate the button a few times and vacuum the contacts at the back of it while you do this (with the power off)

[wwbatkins]

Machine is a pro. I'll vacuum the switch and take a photo to post later today.

[Denford Admin]

Also take a close look at the contacts on that large relay on the right of your photo.
If you press the estop button in and out, all the contacts should move...look out for one that doesn't

[Steve]

the relay is working as the steppers are energised. Its the E-Stop signal to the nextmove thats not there.

Check the spindle drive has power and says STOP.

[wwbatkins]

What's my indication that the spindle motor has power? Am I still looking at the 7 segment display?

[wwbatkins]

There is significant arcing in the large relay, the upper set of contacts second from the left. You can see the discoloration in the photo. Also, are the stepper driver LED's supposed to be off when the e-stop is pressed or should they be red? They are green when the e-stop is released.

[Steve]

The arcing on the Estop relay is normal and this is not the problem.

The spindle drive is at the top right of the electrical panel and will be purple or yellow. There is a display on this. If its not lit then the drive does not have power. The normal status is that it says stop. It will display the frequency or current when the spindle is running.

The fact the LEDs go green shows the drives have power which is normal.

[wwbatkins]

We tracked down the problem! The spindle drive did not have power so we checked the new fuse we just replaced...it wasn't visibly "fused" but it didn't have continuity. Replaced it and had power to the spindle drive and we're back in business!
I must say I learned a lot tracking this down. Thanks for your help!

[Steve]

Great. Thanks for letting us know.