Trouble with Groundcontrol and USB connection for the cut of several pieces in a row

Troubleshooting
1

Hi,

I’ve installed the new firmware 1.13 and groundcontrol 1.13 and recalibrated the machine just to be sure everything will go smoothly with the new version.
I’ve tried to cut a box made with Easel. The gCode is also created with Easel.
I download the Gcode and put it where I want it with groundcontrol.
*I’ve found out that the z axis works better if the machine is not tighten in the shoe and if the cylinder of the machine is properly lubricated. I’ve also checked my z axis to be sure that the position of my zero is correct before the cut. *
So the cut starts on the first piece and at some point the cut stops and a message concerning the USB connection appears (see screen capture). My connection to the computer or the board seem fine.
When I try to override, the machine can’t get connected, I have a connection failed message. If I try to start ground control again, it goes fine, meaning the connection is done in an instant. If I want to start my cut over from that point, it doesn’t work. So I’ve tried to get it to the home position by clicking home, the z axis go deeper and cut right through the piece.

unnamed
unnamed2448×3264 733 KB

I don’t know why. To stop that (it happened each time I’ve tried to cut a piece) I’ve made a separate gcode files for each piece of my box. Even there, the problem appears but at least I don’t to start to the beginning of the whole box.
I’ve tried the goto function but I can’t get to the point where I left and the machine almost cut right through the pieces.
You will find in the joined files the log for groundcontrol.
Have anyone out there had similar issues like this one?
Thank you for your feeback :slight_smile:
12
122560×1600 326 KB

log.txt.zip (566.9 KB)

2

The first thing I would try is to replace the USB cable with a shorter one. We’ve found that the long USB cable will pick up RF interference in some shop environments which can cause the connection to drop.

What computer is being used is also important. I’ve seen the exact same behavior when Hannah’s Macbook was controlling the machine, but not when my Asus was controlling it in the same position. In that case we figured out the problem was that if I turned on a particular power drill it would interrupt the USB connection

2 Likes
3

Alright! I have a Macbook also.
I’ll try to replace the cable and not use powertools.
Maybe the ShopVac would have make an interference?

1 Like
4

I think the shop vac is a really good guess, because the issue was just the drill we just stopped using them at the same time. The shop vac is harder to not use. A shorter cable is a great idea

1 Like
5

Thank you bar for the feedback

1 Like
6

Has anyone tried routing the USB cable through standard electrical conduit as a RF shield yet? 10 ft of 1/2 in conduit is less than $5 and might provide a low cost Faraday cage. Especially if tied to a grounded wire.

3 Likes
7

that is not a bad idea! :slight_smile:

8

For the same $5 you can get a USB cable with a ferrite on it which serves the same propose (I’m no expert in this).

2 Likes
9

Flexible conduit might be easier to manage and route. I’ve started using metallic (non-metalic won’t provide any shielding) watertight conduit for tool wiring, although part of that is because it’s kind of a match for the gray on my older Delta power tools.

1 Like
10

You could wrap the exterior of the wire with aluminium foil? Make a hat :tophat: while you are at it :grin:

2 Likes