CNC Shark Forum

Piranha FX with touch plate. Suddenly became very unreliable, refusing to set the Z axis 100% of the time. I tried doing continuity tests but cannot fathom what it wants. Any ideas or help? I am using paper setting for now.

If you're using a meter, check to see if there's a voltage between the plate and the spindle bit. They use a low current to sense the contact.

Things to check include:

Did the grounding or power situation, or the spindle/router change? Did you move the router power cord from the controller (is there a plug there?) to an outlet, and the ground there might be bad?

Did something about the touchplate change?

The touchplate is plugged in...we both know that. But check anyway; sometimes the plug doesn't get plugged in all the way, and that can make it intermittent.

When I'm using the Control Panel software, there's a step between when I click "detect touch plate", and the machine starts moving. At that time, before I set it going, I'm able to lift the touch plate to the bit, and the on-screen dialog will change to say it's making contact. Is that available, and is it working right?

And finally, is the touch plate resting directly on the bed, or is there otherwise contact between it and ground? If you put a piece of paper or cloth under the touch plate, does it magically start working again?

Those are the things that normally turn my getting a Z0 into loading a brand new bit and cursing the divot .

Hope that helps, I know that can be way more than frustrating, especially when they're tiny fragile bits.

Thom

Thanks so much. I will do some of your detective work tomorrow.

Make sure the cable didn't go bad. if there's a disconnect on the cable at the magnet or where the magnet is wired into the main touchplate cable you will get intermittent results.

the fix was strictly mechanical. The plug that has shrink wrap was the culprit. The wires that connected to it came unsoldeder. I tried to resolder them, but that connector would not, repeat...would not take solder. I am an amateur radio operator who know how to solder, and this cheap connector just would not cooperate. I finally just took a fairly large cotter pin, shoved the wires between the sided of the cotter pin, then shrink wrapped that for a good mechanical connection. Problem solved!

NL7U wrote:the fix was strictly mechanical. The plug that has shrink wrap was the culprit. The wires that connected to it came unsoldeder. I tried to resolder them, but that connector would not, repeat...would not take solder. I am an amateur radio operator who know how to solder, and this cheap connector just would not cooperate. I finally just took a fairly large cotter pin, shoved the wires between the sided of the cotter pin, then shrink wrapped that for a good mechanical connection. Problem solved!

May the Flux be with you...preferably rosin, applied by brush .

Of course, there's no telling...it might very well be a non-plated steel connector.

Glad you found a solution, NL7U.