plasmcan blown 5A fuse

[PatA]

finally got my new to me plasmacam table home. hooked up power cable and switched power on and nothing , side switch is set to 120v , took apart to find 5 A fuse inside blown. I ordered new fuses off amazon, my question is is there anything I should check or know reasons for fuse to blow? I can spin both motor shaft by pushing them so they don't appear to be seize, circuit board appears to be intact, and nothing burn or burnt smelling.
also when i get the power to it working will I be able to control table with keypad to test movements or will I need my pc hooked up?

[acourtjester]

Since you say new to me, sounds like you bought a used table, If so did you see it work at its old location? I'm not a Plasmacam guy but most tables need a PC for communications to test thing out. I believe David is a PlasmaCam guy so he can give you a better answer to that question.

[adbuch]

finally got my new to me plasmacam table home. hooked up power cable and switched power on and nothing , side switch is set to 120v , took apart to find 5 A fuse inside blown. I ordered new fuses off amazon, my question is is there anything I should check or know reasons for fuse to blow? I can spin both motor shaft by pushing them so they don't appear to be seize, circuit board appears to be intact, and nothing burn or burnt smelling.
also when i get the power to it working will I be able to control table with keypad to test movements or will I need my pc hooked up?

Pat - you will need to have your pc powered up with 3.xx or Design Edge installed in order to communicate with the controller. You will need to have a functioning parallel port card installed into your pc and connected to the controller via a parallel cable as well. The controller is designed to function in concert with the Plasmacam program installed on the pc. Once you have everything connected and powered up, then you will go to your settings, system setup tab to "connect to machine". In general, when a fuse blows it is due to a over-current situation caused by one or more components. You could try replacing the fuse and then powering up the controller - with the main wiring harness disconnected - and see what happens. It is possible that your controller is damaged and in need of repair. As you know, Plasmacam no longer supports the old software, so you will need to upgrade to the Design Edge software in order to have them repair your controller. Good luck!

David

[tcaudle]

Typically fuses are put in for "last resort" meaning they blow to prevent fire or added component failure. A 5A fuse takes a lot more amps to blow instantly. I would guess you have a short in the controller . It has the FETS that power all of the motors and if one of those short it will blow the fuse . Since that system runs off the AC and supplies the motors with high voltage DC (no transformer or isolation) the 5A would be for the high voltage section. .

The table you bought is a "system" it has a PC with parallel port and it has proprietary software to drive that table . Pretty sure you have to have that software loaded and running before the table will respond to any signals from the control box (jog wheel) If you did not get the PC and software you may be in for a shock. You cannot simply load some other software from a PC (like MACH3) and get anything to happen.

Hopefully you got the whole ball of wax and you can get it running .

[PatA]

thx i will try to power it up with new fuse and see what happens
thank you

[adbuch]

If you did not get the PC and software you may be in for a shock. You cannot simply load some other software from a PC (like MACH3) and get anything to happen.

Hopefully you got the whole ball of wax and you can get it running .

tcaudle - Pat apparently purchased this Plasmacam table in non-operational condition without the pc or software required to run it. His table is one of the older models using the older 3.xx software version - which is no longer supported by Plasmacam. Unless Pat is able to come up with the original 3.xx software, he will most likely need to purchase the newer Design Edge software from Plasmacam ($1995) at which point he will then be eligible for controller repair - typically at a cost of around $500.

David

de upgrade.jpg

[PatA]

i do have version 3.11 , i will try and fuse wit everything disconnected first. is that proper way to do it?

[adbuch]

i do have version 3.11 , i will try and fuse wit everything disconnected first. is that proper way to do it?

Pat,

I would recommend powering it up with the wiring harness and motors disconnected first. Once you are able to detect machine and have communication between your pc and the controller, then power it down and connect the harness, power up and make sure the fuse is still intact. Repeat for each motor. If everything is still good, then try jogging the table around. Before doing this, make sure that you are able to manually move the gantry and carriage along their paths (with power off) and movement is smooth with no rough spots or resistance to movement.

David

[PatA]

ok thank you, I can move gantry and carriage with little to no effort. I will follow your advice and diagnosis sequence. thanks again

[adbuch]

ok thank you, I can move gantry and carriage with little to no effort. I will follow your advice and diagnosis sequence. thanks again

Pat - Good Luck! Let us know how you make out.

David

[Joe Jones]

finally got my new to me plasmacam table home. hooked up power cable and switched power on and nothing , side switch is set to 120v , took apart to find 5 A fuse inside blown.

You can get a 5A fuse from any auto parts store, or WalMart, or virtually anywhere. There is nothing special about the fuse.

Where are you located?

Joe

[Joe Jones]

finally got my new to me plasmacam table home.

Tell me about your table. Is it a DHC, or a DHC2, or a Samson 510? Post a photo of the controller and the carriage assembly so I can understand what you bought.

Joe

[PatA]

i bought a dhc table , i got version 3.11 , got axxon pci card and cable , put fuse in , powers on , no communication from table to controller , not sure if i did pci card set up properly, where would i find a manual for this plasmacam and software? im located in ontario canada

[rdj357]

Is your pause light flashing? Did I talk to you about the AXXON card and send you to the guys there in Canada?

If the pause light is flashing, the guys at AXXON will be more than happy to chat with you by phone or email to get it connected. They have excellent support. If you have other problems still, feel free to reach out to me and we'll get through them and post results here.

[Joe Jones]

i bought a dhc table , i got version 3.11 , got axxon pci card and cable , put fuse in , powers on , no communication from table to controller , not sure if i did pci card set up properly, where would i find a manual for this plasmacam and software? im located in ontario canada

Is your PC connected to the controller? Do you have 3.11 up and running on the PC? Did you DETECT MACHINE (successfully) in the PlasmaCAM software? Did you INITIALIZE the table prior to attempting to move the machine with the buttons on the controller?

Joe

[adbuch]

i bought a dhc table , i got version 3.11 , got axxon pci card and cable , put fuse in , powers on , no communication from table to controller , not sure if i did pci card set up properly, where would i find a manual for this plasmacam and software? im located in ontario canada

Pat - here is the portion of the Video Manual with information about detect machine. If the auto detect doesn't work, then there is a separate process to follow.

David

detect machine.jpg

parallel port BIOS connection settings.pdf

[PatA]

yes im the guy from canada that you talked to and i got cable from axxon , and got the control cable for plasma from you at 490 creations, the pause light is flashing , appreciated! will call axxon tonight to get it working, i also want to say thanks to everyone for your help , its greatly appreciated! ill post up my results yhx

[PatA]

david i dont see link for manual , can you email me it?

[adbuch]

david i dont see link for manual , can you email me it?

Pat - there is no link for manual. I simply printed out and screen shot the Video Manual text pertinent to your problem with connection between your pc and controller. I have the Video Manual installed onto my computer from the Video Manual CD I received from Plasmacam. As Robert mentioned, he is not aware of an email version of the Video Manual. The Video Manual is a combination of text and video, and I am only able to print out specified sections of the Video Manual as text only.

David

[PatA]

Thx David
Got the table connected and talking last night
Did Led and key test. All works
When I initialize table screen goes black and monitor resets
Also get error message
Table does go to left front corner of table ( opposite of controller end ). Side to side feels little inconsistent (x axis?)
How free should the gantry move on x and y axis

message says " could not control gantry position, check for jamming or disconnected cable."

should i be posting on here or owners community?
thanks
pat

IMG_3981.jpeg

[rdj357]

Here is fine - just not both for my poor brain to separate please haha

May need a different monitor and/or keyboard that can cause the crazy things.


Make sure gantry and carriage move freely and that the gantry is square to the rails so that the stops at each end touch at the same time. Check the limit switches in diagnostics

[Joe Jones]

message says " could not control gantry position, check for jamming or disconnected cable."

Pat, the gantry and carriage motors have encoders on them. They are also GENERATORS. so when you manually move the gantry or carriage with your hand, move it s-l-o-w-l-y (walking speed), so that you do not send a surge of power back into the controller box. Also, moving it too quickly may cause the software to lose track of the encoder count, and that will result in the error message above.

Initialize the table to clear the error.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

im located in ontario canada

Dang. Too far for a "dew drop inn" visit!

Joe

[PatA]

i get the message when initialize table at the same time the screen blanks out . canada is great place to visit come on up for a visit

ill check squareness , how do you test limit switches in diagnostic? manual activate them and what should i see?
when i move them it don't seem to move consistently easy , seems to have some resistance at some spots and then get easier

[Joe Jones]

i get the message when initialize table at the same time the screen blanks out . canada is great place to visit come on up for a visit

ill check squareness , how do you test limit switches in diagnostic? manual activate them and what should i see?
when i move them it don't seem to move consistently easy , seems to have some resistance at some spots and then get easier

If your screen is blanking out, you need a better video card in your PC. The limit switches can be checked manually using a simple continuity checker. Touch the two leads to two of the three terminals where the wired are connected, and press the small micro switch with your finger. The circuit will either connect or disconnect, depending on the at-rest state of the switch.

Joe