I can't complete 1 job no matter what I try

The carve stopping before it’s complete could be caused by electro-magnetic interference somewhere along the cables. If your carve stops in the middle, in the dialog box that comes up in Easel asking if everything turned out well, click “No” and then click to “Get help from Inventables.” This will allow you to submit a record of your carve to our support team with additional information. If there were EMI errors they might be able to see that in the carve log.

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Thank you so much!! My USB was in fact on power saver and the computer could turn it off to save power. I have disables that now. I have also changed the baud rates. Hopefully this will be the fix!! Today I will be rebuilding the Z axis to make sure the wheels are on properly. I had issues with them the first time I put it together, but thought I had fixed them. So starting over I will know more what to do. I SO appreciate everyone’s help!!! You have no idea!! XOXOXO

Awesome! Please let us know how it is working after you do all the work.

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Hopefully you got it figured out. One more thing I can recommend is that the software that runs on the controller has a simulation mode that can be engaged by the user. As you get familiar with the machine and the software tool chain (especially when changing software, such as the g code generators or the senders) it becomes a reliable way to test the goods files before committing to the carve. I have not had an issue with Easel, but this mode has saved me a couple times by catching errors in the files that would have stopped the machine at some point during the carve. I don’t have the reference at hand for enabling the simulation mode but it is in the grbl documentation and some g code senders even have a dedicated button for it in their user interface.

Your problem is likely to not be with the syntax of the file but I figured this can be another tool you can have available in the future if later you run into a similar problem.

Good luck!

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So, here is what I have done and I have successfully completed 2 projects without interruption (hallelujah!!) I changed the Com port from 6 to 2. Changed the baud rate from 9600 to 15200. I double checked everything including the individual USB ports to make sure they are not on a power saver mode. Those have all been disabled. I ran a cord from the external USB hub directly to the mother board of the x-controller. I plugged the computer into a different outlet as well as the vacuum so now the vacuum and the computer are on one outlet and everything else (the drill, the x-controller and a battery charger for a Dewalt battery) is on a power strip plugged into a different outlet. I also moved my computer from being next to the x-controller to about 5-6’ away from the x-controller. The first project I carved took an hour and twenty minutes. It carved everything correctly except for one letter was offset. Not sure why that happened, but I sent that one with photos to the Inventables crew. The next two projects carved perfectly. The first was 1 hour and the second was about 1/2 hour. So, I have accomplished more in the last 1.5 hours than I have since I first started up the machine :smile: Hopefully I have found the fix in everything I have done. Thank you again everyone for your suggestions!!! I am truly grateful for all of you!!!

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How did the COM port get set to 9600 in the first place? And are you sure you did not change it to 115200 since this is the GRBL default baud rate? Just curious …

{:0)

Brandon Parker

I had that too on my machine, and im 100% positive I did not change it manually to 9600. Not sure how that happened.

They were all at that rate so I changed them all to 15200. I’m guessing it’s a default rate for my computer??? I don’t ever mess with those settings so it’s not something I would have set it to.

Glad to hear you got this all sorted out. I battled interference/stalling issues for years. I did everything you could possibly do including grounding all my stepper and homing switches shielding and putting ferrite cores everywhere.

One thing that actually helped a lot was using a good power conditioning surge protector for power to my controller.

Hopefully you’ve got it all sorted, but if you still get the odd stall, I’d try a good surge protector.

Good luck with your business!!

Glad to read that you seem to have the electrical noise problems resolved. I have an older Arduino Shield controlled X-Carve 1000. And would get odd stoppages during a job. I redid the motor wiring Using Shielded 4 conductor wiring. The shields are all tied together at one point on the Arduino metal chassis. I also have One wire from that point to the chassis of the power supply. I have two clamp on ferrite cores on my 15’ ft. long USB cable. I use a laptop connected to a different outlet, but same circuit. I use an Iot Relay Bix by DLI, $26 from Amazon. My spindle and controller are plugged into this. I splurged and got an InSinkErater STS-00 dual outlets Sink top switch, $70 from Amazon. It’s an air switch. I mounted the button along side my X-carve. On the right in my case. Now I don’t have to stoop to turn on the Vac. I haven’t had anymore odd ball stops during a run. I think I got the wire from Jameco. These mods were done in 2017 and 2019.

I had the same problem when I updated the firmware. I just went to the last firmware and it works perfectly again.

Don’t be too quick to throw in the towel. There are plenty videos on YouTube, as well as user groups on Facebook and other social media outlets. Some amazing content creators on YouTube include “Dave Gatton” “Mark Lindsay CNC” “Javi’s Wood Shop” Javi does a live feed on YouTube at least once a week “Paw Paw’s Workshop” and “Roger Webb” who has a second channel as well “Roger Webb Channel 2 CNC,s and more”. With these and many many other outlets to find good quality help and advice all over the internet, there is absolutely no reason for you to give up that quickly. Everyone is a beginner at whatever they try, and will make a lot of mistakes, or have a difficult time figuring out how to do something, and that’s perfectly normal, and OK. There isn’t a single person out there who became a pro overnight.

I never expected to be a pro overnight. What I did expect is to have a machine that cost a lot of money just work for me. There was no guidance whatsoever about EMF or how to prevent the machine from stopping. Had there been instruction on that, I would have been able to avoid a LOT of frustration. Seems as though I am not the only one with the issue. It’s ridiculous that anyone would have to “troubleshoot” this issue for a month (or in Rusty’s case, years) when so many have the issue. A disclaimer or something…anything would have been really nice.

I have heard the same complaints from many other X-Carve users, which is why I gave you all those YouTube channels to check out, in the hopes you could find solutions to your problems. If you want to, and are still able to, send that machine back, here is a link to the Ooznest Workbee 1510 which has a much stronger frame, and a larger work surface than the X-Carve, and they cost about the same as an X-Carve. They also have plenty video tutorials on YouTube to show you how everything is supposed to go together. This is the same machine that I am planning on buying, hopefully by the end of the year. I have also not yet read any negative reviews about this company.

https://openbuildspartstore.com/openbuilds-workbee-1510-60-x-40/

Here is a video showing assembly of the frame, they also have other videos showing how to connect the electronics, and much more.

I really do hope I have been able to help.

So in the complex thread above it seems like you got the issues solved? If not, do you have dust collection (a major source of EMI if you don’t have static dissipation (if you don’t google grain elevator explosion and you will!). The static discharges throw a heck of a lot of RF into the air (hence the first radio transmitters used sparks to create the wideband RF). And a key point about grounding things on a machine is you have to use the same ground for everything or you can get ground loops. All my wiring up to the steppers and switches is shielded for just that reason. We live near a massive set of antennas (on my oscilloscope you can listen to ABC-news by touching metal framing in my house!) but with proper grounding the x-carve works like a charm.

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How do you have yours grounded? Twice yesterday mine just lost its connection during the carve and stopped the carve and the button goes blue? I power off the x controller then manually lift the Z and start over. Its been 6 months or more since I have had any issues and seems when I do its intermittent at best maybe total this is the 5th time doing it in 2 years.

My wood room has a concrete floor and there is a nail in the concrete from where the carpet tacking was. I have the wire wrapped around the nail so I am literally grounded.

I would suggest to make sure you are using google for your browser and make sure all of the functions on your computer to make it sleep to save power are turned off. I had to go into the drivers and click on that specific port and tell it to not ever sleep. Also make sure your port numbers are correct at 15200.

I also moved my computer away from the machine and plugged that and the vacuum into a different outlet than the x-carve. The only things plugged in with the x-carve control box is the drill. I’m not sure what to suggest from that other than to call Inventables. They will troubleshoot with you to help you find the issue. They are amazing and very patient with their customers. I get how frustrating that is. I can’t imagine dealing with that for an extended period :confused: I hope something in this thread will help you. A lot of people have this issue and there are a lot of suggestions to help cure the problem. Best of luck!!

So the x-controller itself of course has a power-supply ground, but the issue is dust hosing ground since I don’t want a dust explosion from static charge (and those sparks generate huge amounts of RFI -a la marconi spark gap transmitter). So originally I took a ground off the steel wire inside the hose to a plumbing ground (the HVAC system is right next to the x-carve. My father who is an electrical engineer (who specializes in EMI/RFI) felt he clearly failed me as a parent as he noted that the machine and the hose were on different grounds (yeah, I get we are all in the same quantum universe so ultimately all grounds tie together at some level, but that’s a great way to get a ground loop; he then proceeded to tell me some horrifying (and fatal) ground loop stories in manufacturing. So OK, I then ran a 14ga silicone (super flexible) insulated copper ground line up to the Z-axis and attached the clip on the end to the coil in the hose (the hose supposedly is conductive? the wire is a recommended technique by the manufacturer of the hose) the other end of the silicone wire goes to a “real” ground wire (the green 12ga stranded grounding wire you’d use for equipment by code) and that goes to a regular 3-prong plug that only uses the ground pin (looks a little weird like that - see below) that goes into the same power strip as the x-controller. i measured the resistance from the alligator clip to the x-controller ground on the power supply and it was a very, very tiny amount (I mean it is like 10’ of wire after all). Also if you use any sort of “earth” ground like a pipe or structure you had damned well better verify that that is actually earthed. I almost got killed by working on a friend’s house where the prior owner had used a plumbing ground but then due to pipe corrosion had put a dielectric union (disconnects the plumbing from ground to prevent corrosion) so the pipe ended up being live at 220V. Blew my linesman pliers to pieces (and they were a nice set of Klein tools!)


(and while I am sure someone is going to point out “OMG that will totally fall off, and you will die” it has lasted through a lot of carves!) and the clip has been handy to have when I’ve needed to move stuff around. I just used an x-acto to slit the vinyl outside and get the alligator onto the sire [I sanded the wire as it seems to have some coating on it]). Oh and it’s wire-tied to the outside of the drag chain, as I have the original 2015 drag chain which doesn’t open, so yeah… Note that wire is silicone covered stranded (which makes it super flexible) and since this is static dissipation there had better not be any current so gauge doesn’t matter as much.


While mechanically this appears kind of janky, it actually works surprisingly well. and it did (with a little electrical tape to thicken it at the stress-relief point) clamp the wire into place well enough. There is zero-strain on this cable (and to be honest as just static dissipation if it did disconnected it’s not dangerous like a power-supply ground could be. Wire and plug just from Home Depot. Obviously only wire that to the ground pin.

Thanks Henry! I will be modifying mine this week, I Currently I have the Inventables dust collection setup. It has a strap around the hose and I have it wired to a metal outlet box. I need to see how well that box is grounded. The Fein Shop Vac is on a different circuit. So if I understand correctly you have the shop vac, laptop and CNC all on the same circuit? I have a dedicated line for everything listed through a power strip but the shop vac.

No the key is the grounding for the hose and the x-controller are the same ground. Otherwise you can get a ground loop. I have the dewalt and x-controller on one circuit and the shop vac on another. Both the shop vac and dewalt have a relay control from the x-controller.

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