Heartbeat

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hman
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun May 19, 2019 6:05 am
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
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CNC Control System Serial Number: B0D5CC46CB03-1206170337
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Heartbeat

Post by hman »

OK, I've been watching a couple of cnckeith's and Marty's videos about the Acorn. In Keith's video on how to update the software to 4.5, he mentions checking "the heartbeat" several times. He always seems to be looking at the PC screen when he mentions this.

But in the Acorn bench test (initial setup?) video, Keith points out that the heartbeat is indicated by the pulsating blue LED on the "dogbone" board and the red/green pulsating +24V LED on the main Acorn board.

My questions:
1. Does the heartbeat actually show up somewhere on the PC screen?
2. Where is it?
3. Do I have to do something special to get it there?
4. -or- was Keith actually looking an the Acorn board when he said he could see the heartbeat?

If #4 is the case, I guess I'm SOL, because my Acorn board is inside a closed and opaque control cabinet ... aw, shucks!

Thanks for any insights!
- John Herrmann
martyscncgarage
Posts: 9912
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:01 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
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CNC Control System Serial Number: none
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: Yes
CPU10 or CPU7: Yes
Location: Mesa, AZ

Re: Heartbeat

Post by martyscncgarage »

The only way to see the heart beat is to look at the Acorn. Look at Beagle Bone green board on the Acorn, to the right of the Ethernet connector
The NEWEST revision of Acorn also has a dual colored LED on the corner of the Acorn. Older hardware revisions to not have that.

Marty
Reminder, for support please follow this post: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=383
We can't "SEE" what you see...
Mesa, AZ
cnckeith
Posts: 7166
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:23 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
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CPU10 or CPU7: Yes
Contact:

Re: Heartbeat

Post by cnckeith »



a search would have resulted in....

viewtopic.php?f=61&t=1460
Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
Answers to common questions: viewforum.php?f=63
and here viewforum.php?f=61
Gear we use but don't sell. https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... _gear.html
cnckeith
Posts: 7166
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:23 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
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CNC Control System Serial Number: none
DC3IOB: Yes
CNC11: Yes
CPU10 or CPU7: Yes
Contact:

Re: Heartbeat

Post by cnckeith »

and in the Acorn install video at 1:51

Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
Answers to common questions: viewforum.php?f=63
and here viewforum.php?f=61
Gear we use but don't sell. https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... _gear.html
hman
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun May 19, 2019 6:05 am
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: No
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: B0D5CC46CB03-1206170337
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Re: Heartbeat

Post by hman »

Thanks, Kieth!
Just for funzies, I'm planning to run a fiber optic from somewhere near the beglebone to (through) the front face of the controller cabinet. I've tried holding the fiber optic near the LED, and I think I can make it work. So I can keep a continuous eye on the reassuring heartbeat. All the videos I've seen have been absolutely packed with solid information. Thanks again, Kieth and Marty!
cnckeith
Posts: 7166
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:23 pm
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CNC Control System Serial Number: none
DC3IOB: Yes
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CPU10 or CPU7: Yes
Contact:

Re: Heartbeat

Post by cnckeith »

i like the fiber idea, please post info about it when you have it completed for others to benefit from.
Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
Answers to common questions: viewforum.php?f=63
and here viewforum.php?f=61
Gear we use but don't sell. https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... _gear.html
hman
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun May 19, 2019 6:05 am
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: No
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: B0D5CC46CB03-1206170337
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Re: Heartbeat

Post by hman »

There are a couple of videos where @cnckeith talks about the "heartbeat" LED on the Acorn, and how useful it is to verify that all is well with the board. I was a bit confused about what exactly he was talking about when he mentioned it in the setting-up video. My hope was that, being so useful a diagnostic, it would be visible from somewhere outside the control cabinet. I was wrong (and disappointed, to say the least!) Turns out the "heartbeat" LED is hidden away on the underside of the Beaglebone board, which sits atop the main Acorn board. So unless you have the control cabinet open and know where to look, you might never see it.
Fiber image 5 annotated.jpg
I decided It would be nice to somehow see the heartbeat from outside, without having to open the control enclosure. OK, it's not vital. If there's a problem with something, chances are the machine will either stop running or otherwise jam somehow, and I'd eventually have to open up the enclosure anyway. But it looked like a fun, do-able, "outside the box" project, so went for it.

A quick note here - recent Acorn boards pulsate the power LED, reflecting the pulsations of the LED on the Beaglebone. Mine is an older Acorn and the power light is steady once power is on. You may well have to modify my design, depending on your own hardware, how it's laid out, and whether it's easier for you to use the Beaglebone LED or the Acorn power LED. I'm just illustrating my own solution to the challenge.

Rather than trying to solder to the absolutely microscopic pads on the Beaglebone, and most assuredly ruining it entirely, I decided on a non-electrical approach. Back when I designed and built assembly line equipmentat Hewlett-Packard, I often had occasion to use Banner photosensors equipped with fiber optic light pipes. These allowed sensing items that were distant from a convenient place to mount the sensor body. The light pipes came in 2 meter lengths and were cut to size as required by the equipment. I still have a few of the offcuts.
kHPIM0433.jpg
The light pipe is the 1mm diameter core inside a plastic sleeve ~0.087" dimeter. Similar fiber optics can still be bought from Banner or their distributors:
https://www.bannerengineering.com/us/en ... 87543.html

I started by sanding one end of a fiber at a 10º angle. The resulting rough-surfaced flat, placed against the face of a surface mounted LED, would allow the light to enter the fiber and send it down the pipe. Drilling through the component mounting plate and the front face of the control cabinet (ø3/32") got fiber out into "the world." An external block of black Delrin, screwed to the face of the control cabinet, secured the end of the fiber. That end was recessed a bit, inside a 60º tapered hole, to help exclude ambient light.
Ext Fiber Mount Dims.jpg
My first attempt was only a partial success. I got the light to show up nicely. But it turned out I hadn't paid attention to @cnckeith's video about the heartbeat ... so I latched onto the wrong LED! I was looking at the power LED, not the heartbeat. OK, at least I had a proof of concept!

The heartbeat LED is the outermost of four LEDs near one corner of the Beaglebone, as illustrated above. Unlike the power LED, which is nicely bordered by the Ethernet and USB ports, there are no handy features near the heartbeat to keep the end of the fiber in the correct place. So I devised a Delrin locating block to sandwich between the Beglebone and Acorn boards, and between the Ethernet port on the Bone and the terminal strip on the Acorn. I milled a 3/32" slot in the top of this block in line with the correct LED, ramped at a 10º angle to match the end of the fiber. A second set of holes through the plate and housing got the fiber outside. Note that the only thing holding the fiber in place is friction, plus its natural curvature. Gluing would have been nice, but I have yet to find an adhesive that works well on polyethylene or Delrin. However, there's no real stress on the fibers, so they've been staying in place nicely.
Int Fiber Mount Dims.jpg
This screenshot illustrates the path of the "heartbeat" fiber.
Fiber image 1 annotated.jpg
This one illustrates the beveled end of the fiber optic atop the internal mount, ready to receive light from the LED.
Fiber image 3 annotated.jpg
This photo of the beveled ends of the two fibers (illuminated from outside the control cabinet with white light) illustrates how the light interacts with the beveled surface. The following shot shows the ends of the fibers in place against the power and heartbeat LEDs.
kHPIM0444.jpg
kHPIM0450.jpg

The last two photos show the light from the power LED (lower) and the off-and-on light from the heartbeat (upper).
kHPIM0423.jpg
kHPIM0424.jpg
martyscncgarage
Posts: 9912
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:01 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: Yes
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: none
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: Yes
CPU10 or CPU7: Yes
Location: Mesa, AZ

Re: Heartbeat

Post by martyscncgarage »

Nice work John!
Marty
Reminder, for support please follow this post: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=383
We can't "SEE" what you see...
Mesa, AZ
cnckeith
Posts: 7166
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:23 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: Yes
Oak CNC controller: Yes
CNC Control System Serial Number: none
DC3IOB: Yes
CNC11: Yes
CPU10 or CPU7: Yes
Contact:

Re: Heartbeat

Post by cnckeith »

great post! thanks.
Need support? READ THIS POST first. http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043
All Acorn Documentation is located here: viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397
Answers to common questions: viewforum.php?f=63
and here viewforum.php?f=61
Gear we use but don't sell. https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... _gear.html
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