New solutions to X-Carve Stopping?

X-Carve
1

I’m helping students at a University, cut their final projects.
There’s been a number of times that jobs stop, causing the students to be discouraged and waste /loose their good stock.

I see a number of great threads here, with dozens of suggestions.
I guess I’m wondering if anyone has an idea of the most important of these to try.
I will certainly make my way through the half dozen+ possible culprits, but would be great to get feedback as I’m helping two students with important jobs tomorrow and Friday.

Thanks very much.

Below are the threads I’m trying to work my way through.

2

Of course most of these threads will mention that you don’t have to run your X-Carve directly from Easel. You can export your G-Code and then run that G-Code with a G-Code sender like UGS or GRBL. If you have any of the Vectric products like V-Carve Desktop, you can also send from the latest versions of that provided you have suitable drivers.

If you’re running Carveys, those will have to run from Easel unless you are willing to void the warranty.

I don’t have an X-Carve. I have only ever exported the G-Code and run it through my sender.

3

Well I’m a bit biased since one of those threads was created by me :smile:
I would definitely try the USB hub and connecting directly to the Controller (bypassing the bulkhead) first. Followed by the other cheap and fast solutions I listed (especially the software /windows setting) . If you’re lucky you won’t need new wiring or anything expensive.
I didn’t have problems with my vacuum but a lot of people had. Maybe try running a job without vacuum.

4

hey Guys: thanks for the quick reply!

@HarryC.Ragland thanks for the tip. I’ll look into that. If that is a more reliable solution I’m all over it.

@DominikMai thanks for your original great tips! I just followed all that I could easily, including the Windows settings, powered hub, vacuum on separate outlet etc. Ran a 30 minute cut and it completed.
Regarding the bypassing the bulkhead; how do I do that? do I open the four hex bolts on the front or back of the machine to access that? I really want to try it :smiley:

5

No problem, I was hoping I could spare anyone having similar problems the frustrations I had :wink:
You just open the controller and you will see the bulkhead is just connected to a mini USB on the board itself. Get rid of the bulkhead and just connect directly to the mini USB, have a look here.
I don’t have my controller here but if I remember correctly I just opened it up on both sides and semi-disassembled it into 3 parts, so I had access to the board, should not be a huge effort.

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Mine stops if I use my band saw. Tried all sorts to stop it happening. I just don’t use my band saw at the same time now :frowning:

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In my experience (about 4 years now with the x carve,12 years cnc, 40+ years woodworking/metalworking) these types of issues are typically caused by power surges in the electrical supply causing the controller to glitch.

Things to check:

1: Since these machine are self assembled, Q/C comes down to you! Make absolutely certain that all cables and connectors inside the controller are 100% FULLY SEATED. Even though the connectors for the ribbons may “click” in place, that does NOT mean they are fully seated, leading to intermittent connections.

2: If you are running a shop vac or dust collector for the X carve, make CERTAIN to have them on completely separate circuits due to current draw on the circuit. Most shop vacs or dust collectors draw in excess of 12 to 14 amps of current while in use. The DeWalt DW611 requires 7 amps of current. This is way in excess of a 20 amp circuit supply. Even if it does not trip the breaker during use, continued draws of current like this will overheat the receptacle and breaker and potentially cause a fire.

3: If using a IOT relay to run the DW611, this over current condition is especially true as the router is turned on/off during a carve session. If the D/C or shop vac is on the same relay, it follows the same rapid on/off during a carve (or speed changes) and will most definitely lead to a phantom stop.

4: do NOT place the X controller and the DW611 on the same circuit if possible. Especially, do not place the DW611 on the same SURGE PROTECTOR as the X carve. Have the DW611 plugged directly into the receptacle, then place the X controller on the surge protector by ITSELF.

Once these steps/rules have been followed, most of your phantom stops should disappear. It is only after following these steps that I would investigate an issue with a powered hub, changing USB settings (they typically reset themselves anyway when a device is unplugged and then plugged in again), or any other computer based issues.

We can all be quick to blame technology for our troubles (myself included), but most of the time, it is user error, or an unforeseen issue that is the root cause of the problem. I’ve been there myself, and this is what I have found to be true. Not only on my own machine, but many many others that I have assisted in solving these phantom stop issues with over the years.

Good luck and Happy carving!

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