I have a 611 also and Easel usually finishes a second or two before it’s actually finished. However, I don’t see any issues with the cuts.
could there be too much current to the steppers? Ie; thermal shutdown?
I notice that too, but this was’t the case. It just kept cutting deeper and deeper. I let it go another 3 passes. I did pull the USB from the computer and it stopped as soon as I did. I’m really not sure what to make of the situation anymore.
Nothing wrong with your electronics. Machine still trying to complete the circle. If any electronics problem happens, your direction goes out of path. You’re saying different locations, it’s not. Bit is cutting normal following the grain. When trying to cut cross grains your direction is changing.
Three Major possibilities.
- Your belt tensions are not proper and even.
- You have loose V-Wheels, your spindle is flexing under pressure.
- Your one side Y axis stepper is not getting power or set screw on pulley is loose. Other side is trying to finish the job.
Take it slow, go over your tuning one more time. Eccentric nuts on Wheels must be adjusted until wheels very hard to turn with two fingers.
If belts are loose, search this forum how to modify and adjust your belts.
@LarryM posted very good ways to adjust Pods and other stuff as well. Just search with his name.
One last thing, don’t get frustrated. We all go true this level. When you find perfect alignments, you will be happy camper.
If problem exist after you go all these adjustments carefully, you may have to take a video shot while you’re running same circle again. We can give you best possible idea what’s happening.
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I will check everything again tonight. What do you mean by spindle is flexing?
You have Dewalt if I didn’t misunderstand. That is your Spindle, if your wheels are not aligned correctly, it flexes side to side. You can verify by holding it with two hands and force it and watch the wheels to see if you have any movement side to side or back and forward. It must be solidly straight without movement.
I had exactly the same problem with circle. I tight back my belt (a way more that I would think it was ok) until its tight like a guitar. That solve all my problem.
First time I tight it, its solve 75% of my problem (was almost a real circle) when I was cutting circle. so I had to tight it a little more until my circle was perfect.
Thanks Alan, I will check this when I get back to my machine.
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This only appies if your manually homing your machine. Which think a lot of people are. Is your stepper motor going EEEERRRRR!!# once in awhile? I was having similar problems. Here’s an easy fix i think a newer person like myself may find handy. Slide the gantry all the way down to the 0,xx position. Or as close as it will get. Dont force it. But help it along with your hand a bit if it doesn’t go smoothly. Measure the distance and use a 90° square to check that both sides of x gantry arm are the exact distance from the end plates. If not gently push them back to even… I was amazed how off track mine was. One rail crash will knock it off. As @AlanDavis said. V wheel adjustment is critical also. This is the low tech method. Hope it helps.
Also. In easel make sure you select the correct material.
I had this exact same issue, took a month to figure it out. Luckily my office is near Inventables, and I was able to take it to them for troubleshooting. What they found was that the set screws on the x-axis pulley were loose. What this meant is that when it changed direction (in two places on a circle) it would skip across the flat part of the stepper shaft and cause those two jumps on every circle. Hope that helps, was a very frustrating month.
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I actually found that last night! A pully on my y-axis was loose. I’m going to check the x-axis tonight. I only had a few min to work on it last night.
Hopefully that fixes the issue! I used a sharpie to put a red “hash” mark across the top of the pulley and the stepper motor rod, and I periodically check to make sure the lines are still matching up…it’s a quick visual indicator to see if you have any slippage.
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That’s a GREAT idea @Tarry_Brindle! I will do that! There are literally dozens of moving parts, anything I can do to keep an eye on them helps!
Just when I think all is going smooth it screws up. It still has flat sections on circles and halfway through a cut it decides to jump over 1/2 inch or so and ruin the piece
Can you share your plan in easel that we can try our self with the same bit and same material ?
What is the size of your bit
What kind of material
What is the speed of the spindle
What is the spped of cutting
What kind of spindle you have
What is the plunge depth
Can you try it in styrofoam (very soft and easy to cut to see if its a problem when it ask to much force)
(sory for my bad English)
Well it looks like another pulley issue. I need to replace one of the holding screws for the x-axis pulley. It looks to me like one was loose, and I took it out to make sure it was clean and would hold and I dropped it. I’ll follow up once I get it replaced.
Ayyup, when those little buggers get free they run for never-never land. They are also then known as WHEE! parts, they get loose and go WHEE! to wherever they cannot be found.
When I did my assembly I was very anal about using blue Loctite on EVERY thread where appropriate.
If you go this route, be sure to use the (blue?) soft setting kind since the red is more or less permanent unless heated. the blue will allow fasteners to be backed off with just a bit more orce than usual
You can take the pulley off, file the shaft a little, make flat surface for set screw and tide the screw with Loctite. You’ll never have this problem again.
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You should be able to source a replacement for the set screw at any decent hardware store.