Alarm Error 1 - Happens only on the profile cut

In the last week my Longmill Mk2.5 keeps tripping the Hard Limit in the middle of a profile cut.

I have run this job many times and never had issues.
After rehome I can pickup the job where it left off then it stops at another point and trips the same error. I have to keep rehoming and start from over and over until the job completes.
Also during these issues I sometimes get the Port disconnect error with a CLOSE / RESUME option.

I have checked all the mechanical aspects as well as wiring to the SLB and replaced the USB cacble too and still I get these issues.

Could my SLB be the issue?

Hi Louis,

Going with the few knowns here, since this only happens with profile cuts I am assuming: You are in a place that is now considerably colder then it was when you succesfully cut this same project, and you are cutting a material that packs inside the profile cut.

If that is the case, I am calling static buildup.

Some testing can be done to see if the static buildup is indeed the problem. One can wrap the usb cable with aluminum foil. If your machine is grounded, you might want to connect the foil and the machine either with a quick wire or by touching both the foil and the machine. No fancydancy needed, its just for testing purpose.

Another way to mitigate static buildup could be to prevent the cut from filling up, either by vacuuming the cut by hand or trough some other innovative way that does not pop into my sponge at the moment.

It might even help to move the project as far away from the slb as you can get it to still run.

Dry wintery weather can do crazy stuff that will have you scratching your head untill one of your loved ones looks at you with that weird look people get when they are reluctant to ask that one question.

Are you getting bold?

**if my assumptions are wrong - never mind me.

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I have been pondering this - I don’t think I have ever had static issues but 1) I have ethernet connection, and 2) I don’t use mine AltMill very often (yet) but I wonder if running a ground strap from the SLB to the frame, from the frame through the cable harness to the spindle (or to the VFD), and of course have it terminate to a known ground would help eliminate static issues.

When I deal with electronics it is necessary to ensure that everything is well grounded - and in the case of DC, share a common ground.

Hi Whitewolf,

I have no Altmill so cannot say things out of measured knowledge, but I think that the Alt is way better equiped to be naturally grounded by default through at least the spindle and the way the machine is put together in general. Having it connect via eth makes it even less receptive for static troubles. If I had a 2.5, the first thing that it would be js connected via eth.

The “problem” with the longmill is that the x axis and with it, the business end of the machine is electricaly isolated from the y axis by the v-wheels so any electrical buildup has no where to go but up.

To me the Altmil is more a single unit, seen from an electrical point of view. All axis connect via metal parts, being ball screw and sliders. Extra plus is the spindle housing connects to the vfd and the vfd grounds with the slb. Now again, I do not have an altmill, so this is from the top of my head, and many a things about the altmill go waaaay over that.

Those people who claim to see ufos? Yeah no…

Anyhoooo, it’s easy enough to take out a universal tester and measure my bold claims. Select Ohms, say 1kohm. One pin at spindle house, the other pricking random (metallic) spots all over the machine. You get any measurement, your nicely protected against static buildup in your machine. Excluding any suction device added.

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