Acorn+ClearPath Servos - Axis Fault during Home (Resolved)

[Dave_C]

When you power up, you should be able to use the VCP Axis buttons to jog the motors.

Marty, Interesting!

If I do that I get "drive fault"!

Once I hit "cycle start" the motors become enabled and the machine homes fine. Or if I chose "MDI" they become enabled as well.

So is they a parameter that can be set so the enable signal is "enable" on startup?

Dave C.

[martyscncgarage]

When you power up, you should be able to use the VCP Axis buttons to jog the motors.

Marty, Interesting!

If I do that I get "drive fault"!

Once I hit "cycle start" the motors become enabled and the machine homes fine. Or if I chose "MDI" they become enabled as well.

So is they a parameter that can be set so the enable signal is "enable" on startup?

Dave C.

When you try and jog one axis before Homing or using MDI, CNC12 will enable that axis, try and jog another axis, it will generally enable that axis.
Take a look at the drive enable LED's on Acorn when you jog an axis after starting CNC12. Should be as I described.
Keep in mind, I have not hardwired Clearpath motors using the Centroid schematic. And for $50 and knowing it has been approved for use by Teknic,
I will continue to use the C86ACCP WHEN the terminal version comes out and IF I do more conversions with CP motors.

Marty

[wolfgangr]

Hi @martyscncgarage - sorry for that - it's my bad starting another thread and thanks for helping out. I do enjoy your videos do please keep it up.

Cheers Wolfgang

[Dave_C]

When you try and jog one axis before Homing or using MDI, CNC12 will enable that axis, try and jog another axis, it will generally enable that axis.
Take a look at the drive enable LED's on Acorn when you jog an axis after starting CNC12. Should be as I described.
Keep in mind, I have not hardwired Clearpath motors using the Centroid schematic. And for $50 and knowing it has been approved for use by Teknic,
I will continue to use the C86ACCP WHEN the terminal version comes out and IF I do more conversions with CP motors.

Mystery solved:

I used the $10.00 relay board that Gary Campbell recommended years ago. I have only one input set for "drive Fault" and so I daisy chain the NO contacts of three of the relays so that if one relay opens on a drive fault I get the alarm. It does not matter which drive faults.

Marty said you can use the VCP to move the table on startup and Acorn will enable that drive and, yes it will but therein lies the issue. Acorn only enables the one drive and so drive movement is tried but the other two HLFB relays are open and so I get a drive fault.

If I touch the F3 key (MDI) all three drives enable and I can then exit MDI and they stay enable just as if I had homed the machine.

Nothing wrong, just all depend on how your wired your HLFB for drive fault. If you have an ether16 and plenty of ports this is not an issue. Just use one input for each drive fault input.

[martyscncgarage]

I'll use C86ACCP on any future Clearpath builds. It takes care of all of that and no external relay board to deal with. The Power4-hub is a good value at $49 from Teknic too. I'm trying to talk them into a terminal block version. Not sure how well that will go....

[Dave_C]

I'll use C86ACCP on any future Clearpath builds. It takes care of all of that and no external relay board to deal with. The Power4-hub is a good value at $49 from Teknic too. I'm trying to talk them into a terminal block version. Not sure how well that will go....

Thanks for the input. I may rework my panel at some point if the C86ACCP comes out with terminals as I have already cut the connectors off of one end of my Clearpath cables.

Did the install instructions get any better? Last time I read through them I could not understand how to set the switches on the C86ACCP.

Dave C.

[martyscncgarage]

I'll use C86ACCP on any future Clearpath builds. It takes care of all of that and no external relay board to deal with. The Power4-hub is a good value at $49 from Teknic too. I'm trying to talk them into a terminal block version. Not sure how well that will go....

Thanks for the input. I may rework my panel at some point if the C86ACCP comes out with terminals as I have already cut the connectors off of one end of my Clearpath cables.

Did the install instructions get any better? Last time I read through them I could not understand how to set the switches on the C86ACCP.

Dave C.

I am encouraging CNC4PC to use NoFaultOut to enable the drives as can be done with their Version 2 hardware. Use SOFT ENABLE jumpers, and of course set the Active Axis jumpers. If you use soft enable, then when you recycle the Estop button, the NoFault output will cycle and C86ACCP will reset the drives just like they should. This is a change I discovered and noted.

I also suggested they clean up their schematics a little bit. They are getting better. Here is the manual for C86ACCP V2:
https://www.cnc4pc.com/pub/media/produc ... 2_VER1.pdf

Hopefully CNC4PC will have the terminal block version of C86ACCP soon.
I made the suggestion to Teknic to put terminal blocks on the $49 Power4-Hub for the same reason. Its a very good product worth having to distribute power to the drives AND with a separate +24VDC power supply, it will keep the logic on the drives powered up. There is a setting in MSP that tells the drives if the motors move from the last commanded position while motor power is off, as soon as motor power is restored, the drives will command the motors BACK to the last commanded position! Very cool feature. Furthermore, if there IS a drive fault, with Power4-Hub, a user can visually check the blink codes on the drives with main motor power removed. I'm trying to find out where you guys can contact Teknic to request that a terminal block version of Powerr4-Hub can be made.

Marty

[rdsmith24]

Here is how I have the drive okay inputs wired. I only have shown one axis here but all three are the same just using a separate input on the Ether16.

Thanks
Roger S.

[RogDC]

Your red wire should go to 24VDC Common and the green wire to the input. The HLFB will sink to ground, you should see the common voltage from the 5-8 common pin on each input until the HLFB sinks to ground. The HLFB should sink to ground on the input pin until there is a drive fault.

The HLFB is rated for 5-24VDC per the latest Teknic Manual. Also check to ensure the HLFB output is configured properly in the MSP, which is under the advanced tab IIRC.

[rdsmith24]

When you power up, you should be able to use the VCP Axis buttons to jog the motors.
You can remove the Axis1,2,3DriveOK Input assignments temporarily to see if you get motors to move.
If you left Ether1616 in its default, it takes a GROUND to pull its inputs low to activate them. The inputs themselves should not be receiving 24VDC.
The .pdf file you posted Acorn24VDCInputs.PDF shows that it takes a 24VDC COM to activate the inputs.

Please sketch how you have things wired ( a schematic per se') and post it.
Marty

Marty,
We CAN get the motors to move...as I stated when we move the THIRD one....no matter what order using the VCP we get a drive fault. I think I have tried removing the drive fault inputs from the Ether16 as well temporarily but I've tried so many things I will have to go back and try that again.

The drive fault inputs are wired like the attachment here. I can see them turn on and off when I estop the system and the Teknic servos are showing fast blinking green when we try. Of course the way I have it now the NoFaultOut is going to go away when I get a drive fault but I can force the output using the diagnostic screen.

Thanks for the help