Easel jobs randomly(?) freezing up

I am using the X-carve to engrave some text onto some beehive boxes and the machine keeps randomly pausing midway into a job. If I click the X button to cancel the job in Easel, it will go back to the zero work position like normal. If I try the job, again, it will go through the motions, but freeze up in exactly the same spot.

If I turn the X-carve controller off and back on, home the machine, then start the job over, it will usually get through the job (or most of it). If it freezes up, it is typically in a completely different point in the job, but will be -the same- spot if I just cancel and restart without power cycling the machine.

I’ve tried doing this with the router off and I’m not using a vacuum, so I know it is -NOT- an electrical noise issue (I’m an electrical engineer, btw, and know how to deal with that sort of thing). It’s not a USB disconnect issue, because that wouldn’t explain why it stops at exactly the same point each time, nor would power cycling “fix” the issue.

It’s not an over temperature issue, either, because I’ve run the machine with a thermal camera on the stepper chips with the controller cover off and there isn’t excess heat visible.

If the freeze up occurs, the probability of it happening -seems- to be a function of how long the machine has been on. If the ambient temperature is 100F, the chances of it happening seem to be the same as when it is 20F ambient, so temperature isn’t the root cause.

BTW, I’m controlling the machine with a Raspberry Pi 4.

Any thoughts of what the hell it could be?

Is the amount of time spent carving before it stops fairly consistent? Like, 20 minutes? 60 minutes? It could possibly be a power savings setting that reduces power to the USB or turns it off after a certain period of time. I’m not familiar with Raspberry Pi to tell you how to turn that stuff off.

If it shuts down at the exact same spot every time, it could be something in the g-code that it errors out on. I use UGS so that I can see the console messages to be able to identify errors when they happen.

Try to narrow it down to something less than ‘random’. There is bound to be a better hint at what is going on.

Yes, it is consistent… sort of. The jobs I’m running are very short - just drilling ~14 holes, cutting a single 2" circle perimeter, or engraving 6-8 letters of 2" tall text. All jobs are less than 5 minutes and it tends to crap out after less than 1 minute. Definitely not a power savings thing.

If I run the same job within the same power cycle, yes, it stops at exactly the same spot each time. If I change the job, it will stop at a different spot, but will keep stopping there within the same power cycle.

If I turn the X-carve off and turn it back on, it will usually run fine for a while and will often complete the job. However, after running the -same- job over and over, it will eventually freeze up. If I then restart that same job, it freezes at the exact same spot and will keep doing it until I power cycle the X-carve.

I don’t think it’s the g-code, because Easel SHOULD be producing exactly the same g-code each time, if I change nothing. That also wouldn’t explain why everything is fine by simply power cycling the X-carve, right?

Also, I have tried this without the router running at all and no vacuum. I’ve also tried directly connecting the USB to the internal USB connector on the X-carve control board in order to minimize the possibility of the noise being introduced and dropping out the USB.

I have a good bit of embedded systems programming experience and this “feels” like some kind of memory leak issue.

One last thing - It just ran perfectly for 52 jobs in a row!.. Until I bashed the HDMI connector for my Pi, just now and killed it. Oops. Thank god for Amazon Prime same day delivery with a new one.

Okay. I know you talked about this not being a heat issue, but I think you should revisit the possibility.

There is a fan on the controller for the machine, and I have had to replace mine a couple of times now. I don’t know if a PI has a fan (it should), but an integrated circuit board in a small enclosed case like a PI can overheat and quit working too.

Try to look at a bigger picture, outside of the box so to speak. 52 jobs in a row without a problem? What was different? Was it a cooler day? What changed?

The Pi is definitely not overheating. I can monitor the CPU temp and it’s more than fine. The xcarve controller is also not overheating. The problem happens just as commonly when it is 20F as when it is 100F. That’s an 80F swing which, if it were a heat issue, it should happen FAR more often when it is hot outside than when it is below freezing, but that isn’t the case.

The only thing I’ve found that makes it FAR less common is if the Makita router is dialed down to a 2.5 or 3.

So, once again… most likely a damned electrical noise issue.