Denford Software & Machines

I am using VR Milling V5 with a Microrouter Compact. It was working fine. I cleaned it with a shop vac. It displayed "timeout error". So I shut everything down, cleaned everything and restarted. I could home the router, but the z when down instead of up. So I hit the E-Stop. Restarted and now the numbers move in VR Milling, but nothing moves in the router. I checked the fuses. The feedrate knob changes the numbers in VR Milling. The E-Stop shows up in VR Milling as being pressed or not. Those two knobs seemed to be working. I cannot see any problems on the boards or wires. What should I check next?

Have you checked the fuse on the drive board? Locate the 7 segment display on the drive board and then look to the right and down and there should be a fuse, usually located inbetween 2 black electrical components. If the fuse is OK, check you have a voltage on the 2 terminals marked DRIVE just below the fuse. Note! we have done both AC and DC supplies to the DRIVE terminals on machines so check for both.

I rechecked the fuse and it was OK. If I am doing this correctly, I am reading 25 V DC across the red and black wires under the fuse. I am not getting any readings across the two yellow wires under the fuse. I added a picture of the wires that I checked.

Am I on the right track? What should I do now?

Have you still got an Emergency Stop Error on the software ? if yes, it seems the Emergency Stop Relay (ESR) is not activating, if it is not activating, then it could be the E-Stop button / contacts are faulty. If the ESR does not activate then it does not close the contacts supplying power to the Drive input terminals (2 x Yellow wires). See drawing

The Emergency Stop button works. When I press it, it displays on the VR Milling program. When I release the stop button, it changes the display on the VR Milling program.

The original error message that I got was "Timeout on ICM (Host TX)". After that message, I shut everything down, and restarted. X and Y homed but Z went down instead of up. I could jog the microrouter. Now, everything clicks and the numbers move on the screen, but none of the axis will move.

Is there an easy way to test the Estop button to see if the AC part is not working?

The Z axis going down when homing is usually a clogged up datum switch (Brush out any dirt/debris with a stiff brush) or a broken wire.

There will be 2 x contact blocks on the back of the emergency stop button, one allows a signal to go to an input on the controller, this will then control the emergency stop message on the screen, this appear to be working fromwhat you describe above. The other contact goes to the Emergency Stop Relay (ESR. see drawing above). Depending on what type of ESR you have fitted, you should be able to see it change state when the Microrouter is powered up. If it does change state it will close the 2 x contacts names ESR on the Nextstep Drives circuit of the drawing above.

Check out this link for the "Timeout on ICM (Host TX)" error

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=203&hilit=Timeout

The relays in the picture all move when the estop is pressed and released. If I am correct, that should be telling me the Estop button is working. Am I looking at the correct relay? It is marked Emergency Stop.

What should I try now?

The long oblong block is the Emergecy Stop Ralay (ESR), if this is working correctly as you suggest, then it should have closed the 2 x ESR contacts (12, 24) and (34, 31) and you should have power on the NEXT STEP DRIVE terminals 1 and 2 (2 x Yellow wires). If not it looks lile the ESR is faulty i.e. one or both of the conntacts are not closing when the ESR is energised.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

When I took the picture of it last night, the relays were closing and opening. When I tried it this morning, they worked one time and did not work the next 5 tries. So the Estop button works intermittently. The router runs when the Estop works. Thanks for your help and explanations.

Should I look for anything special to replace the Estop button other than getting one like the one that is in the machine?

If you get the choice look for sealed contacts.
I think the type you probably have is one that turned out to be susceptible to fine dust getting into the switch block.

Early versions of the Compact had an E-Stop button with contact blocks that clipped onto the rear. These had a problem when dust got into them.

In your case if you can get access the the back of the switch and vacuum it out while pressing and releasing the button you may get much more use out of it.

The current E-Stop button is:

EAO - 84-5040.0020 - SWITCH, EMERGENCY STOP, 2NC, 240VAC


They can be purchased in the UK from the following company:

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/sear ... &x=12&y=13


They can be purchased in the USA from the following company:

http://www.newark.com/eao/84-5040-0020/ ... -5040.0020

Thanks for the links. I did vacuum the E-Stop button and it is working. I put some electrical tape over the openings in the button. Still, I will order an E-Stop so I have one for a backup. Thanks again for the help. My students are happy to have the machine back and running.