I have updated my CNC with the SLB controller. Originally it worked fine alongside GSender. Lately it has been getting harder and harder to connect to the SLB on startup. GSender loads quickly and when I connect to ethernet it connects quickly. In the top left it connects immediately, but GSender is not configuring correctly. It displays GrblHAL in the top left and the screen buttons are live but it will not jog and the homing button is missing. I have to disconnect several times and reconnect before the homing is available. Once I do get Sender working correctly it will remain that way until I power down, Then I have to go through the whole sequence again. It appears to be getting worse. I have tried as many different starting sequences I can think of. Engaging the EStop before starting. Starting GSender then powering the controller. Powering the controller first. Resetting the SLB. None of these made any difference.
From a novice’s point of view, it appears to me to be connecting to Grbl even though it reports GrblHAL, those are the symptoms I see anyway.
Has anyone experienced the same and did you come up with a working solution?
I have an ethernet connection direct on a static ip. I also have a test bed with an arduino Gbrl board and if I load GSender 1.6.1 on that I get the exact symptoms but it shows Grbl in the top left. That is where I got the idea it is loading “plain” Grbl and not HAL on the SLB. When it has had problems with the ethernet connection it shows “unable to connect” and flashes in the top left.
@nifty This is beyond me. I don’t understand why you believe the gSender is connecting or trying to connect with the SLB using grbl when it says that it is connecting with Hal as it should.
I suggest that you open a support ticket with Sienci if you have not already done so.
That was only me trying to explain what GSender loads like because the symptoms are similar if I load grbl instead of grblHAL. This video shows what is happening, it only took 3 tries to get controls to respond, but it can take up to 10 minutes of constant disconnecting and reconnecting etc.
@nifty With dark mode on, it’s difficult to see text. Also, as I said, you should not be trying to connect an SLB with grbl. Open a support ticket with Sienci. Be sure to follow the instructions on what to attach to the ticket. I’m sure that they will figure this out.
Grant, thanks for the advice. Yes I have a ticket in. I didnt think of turning off dark mode and to get it small enough I had to reduce resolution. However, I think you should be able to see the homing button is missing and the machine is not responding to any clicks. For what it is worth, I am not trying to connect using Grbl. I was pointing out that if I were to connect to Grbl then GSender would display similar symptoms. Seinci advised to reset the ethernet connection so that is today’s challenge.
Very difficult to read the screen, don’t reduce the quality.
I had weird issues with my Altmill 4x4. At first, I was using a USB connection. It was the pits, I was always losing the connection. I switched to Ethernet, it worked great for a few days, and things went to hell again. I discovered that there are different grades of USB cables. I ordered a high-grade USB cable and all of my issues disappeared after using it.
It seems that you have some weird values for X and Z.
The weird values are just because it hasn’t homed yet. Once homed they zero out. If I didnt reduce the resolution the file was too big to upload. In the end the video wasn’t for reading text, it was to show how the machine was connected but non responsive. I can’t quite get a grip on why it shows as connected but is not connected, or at least appears that way. Anyway I set to default and reset all the network settings as per Seinci advice but it still is difficult to start, although it has improved and it only takes 2 or 3 tries to get it running. That’ll just have to do.
I had similiar problems .it was detrmined that the slb firmware was corrupted.I reflashed the firm ware and everything worked fine afterwords.firmware flashing instrutions . superlongboard handbook on resources page.hope this helps
Thanks for that Stevo, I was running 5.0.5b-NGC so I reflashed with vanilla 5.0.5b and it has improved but is still stubborn. Good enough for me to put up with at least so I’ll mark it solved.
I recently had to get a new controller as well (I have the first version of the longmill) and I am having the same issue when connecting. It thinks it’s connected but nothing works. I have to power off the controller and restart gender (sometimes a couple of times) and it connects. I tried with ethernet and usb and get the same problem. I have not flashed the fireware yet so maybe I’ll try that.
Hi Dwayne, I was advised to do a default reset and then re-enter the network settings but it did not seem to make much difference. After reflashing the firmware I now find if the homing button is visible then I need to wait 30 secs or so for it to connect and most times this works. If the homing button is not showing then it is a power down and power up.
