I’ve just made a spindle control using a solid state relay. In testing with machine set up it works as it should turning on and off as commanded. When I do a test using the original test carve, during the setup after you click on carve and set your home and Z axis it asks to Raise the bit, when it does raise the bit the app freezes and won’t do anything. I’m running Windows 10 with Fire Fox and the X-Controller with the Dewalt DW611.
With my current laptop whenever the dust collector turns on or off it looses USB connection. (I assume this is due to RF noise from the motors starting / stopping)
It does not do this on any other device.
I switched to a powered USB hub and that fixed the problem.
Some people have also been having some issues with the internal USB cable on the X controllers so you may want to look into that as well
Yes if I disconnect the relay it works as it always has. What I don’t understand is that it tests ok I can start and stop the spindle when it asks to verify that it is configured properly. When it dies it’s not even turning on the spindle it has just raised the bit before asking if the dust collection is set, I never see the next screen to answer the dust collection question it just dies.
Inventables has replaced my internal USB cable and that solved the initial problems I was having not being able to connect. Easel has worked perfectly until I set the spindle control to automatic.If I set it back to manual it works fine.
Easel now asks if you’ve installed the dust shoe. I think you have to tell it you have one under setup first. It shows up on the same screen as the spindle start up.
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Actually, you can click “skip” at the dust shoe question. I appreciate it as a reminder to turn the dust collector on.
Remember, the new X-Carve dust collection system(and the revised SuckIt, for that matter) have that slot that allows you to wait to put the dust shoe on until you just start the carve.
So the last pane for starting a carve becomes:
Attach dust shoe (or skip)
Turn on spindle (automatic control only)
Spindle is on
Then Carve!
Sorry for having started a war. Here is the final result of my testing and getting the automatic spindle to work in Easel. I tried many combinations of machine setup and none would work even if the SSR was disconnected from the X-Controller. The SSR was plugged into a power strip that my laptop and the X-Controller was plugged into. After determining that disconnecting the SSR from the X-Controller did not change anything I assumed that the SSR was creating some kind of interference on the power line. I unplugged the SSR from the power strip and plugged it into a different circuit and lo and behold everything worked as it should. I also tried it with UGS and PicSender and they both worked as they should so I now have an automatic spindle. I should note that Easel still treats you as a novice by asking you if the spindle is in fact running and you have to answer before it will continue.I suppose some people gain comfort by being walked through the process.
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It is Branded Fotec and it looks like the one on their website but there’s no way to tell if it is genuine. I’m going to try one more thing, I didn’t attach the ground wire from my source to the heat sink on the SSR I know it’s isolated from the active circuitry but it may help the noise issue. I bought it from Amazon.