Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Hi, I have had this Acorn for a few months now and just fired it up for the first time. I noticed a noise, it IS a output relay machine gunning, during boot up, after the blue screen is on but before the jog screen on the right side is on, only for about a half second. I didn't think much about it at first but then it started doing it full time when my spindle was on, so I quickly shut it off. I unplugged all the output plugs and it still did it when I turn the spindle on and during boot up. I do run my e stop wire, from the physical button through output #1 then to 0volts side of e stop contactor, which does have a quench arc on it, and I unplugged that also. I checked DC volts going into Acorn at 23.25volts, which I assume is ok. I have a new Huanyang inverter and wired it exactly like in your drawing using outputs 4,5 and 6 same as in your drawing, as that makes it easy, I simply print your drawing and put it in with the documentation of the machine. Everything else seems to run to perfection, although I havn't wired the limit switches in yet and a cycle start and a feed hold button yet, but I do have the e stop button wired in. We always use a new computer and the only time it is on the internet is to do the windows update, which we did a couple of months ago, did your windows turning off updates, etc, and the Centroid software is the only thing we load in it. Any Ideas? BTW when i say "machine gunning", it is going on and off very fast and you really can't tell which relay is doing it because the complete board is vibrating and the LED's look ok. I mount the boards on 5/8" long nylon plastic standoffs and use nylon plastic screws, so I know the back side is not touching anything. In the wizard, I did select the "non touch" screen as the touch screen is on a slow boat from China and someone wanted to see the machine run. BTW, they were impressed with Intercon as they are new to cnc.

My system ID is 6433DB13901E-0813215062
I have software v4.64 in it.
attached is a report file
It's in a Hurco mill with 1KW KRS brushless servos which I have used before maybe 8 times.

You are not providing enough information about your build.
Please follow this post:
https://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1043

Tell us which relay is doing the chattering, a video clip would help. Load it to YouTube, set as unlisted, share it here.
More information will help us try and help give you some suggestions

Might it be relay #2?
Are you using the PWM output Pin 14 on the DB25?

New info for you:

Please remember, everything else seems to work good
I am using header 8, the 2 wire analog out for my spindle, and the output relays.
Also, this is the 10th, give or take, of this version Acorn I bought and wired. I also did the first version and the second version, so this is not new to me. I wired this one the same as the others.
I do have the blue heartbeat
There is no fault messages
Current config files are attached (I hope)
My hookup drawing and computer info is attached, maybe.

I'm almost 70 years old and I really don't want to figure out how to make You Tube videos. If you want to hear the noise, please call me and I will put my phone by the Acorn. I am NOT an electronics expert, I am a Journeyman Tool Maker and a Journeyman Machine builder and I do have a Certificate for PLC programming from Interconnecting Automation in Milwaukee Wisconsin. And I have a bad case of CRS, according to my wife. Bill 616 240 0000 and billalancase@yahoo.com. I havn't used spring lake cnc for a few years now. I would change my contact info in your forum but I couldn't figure out how, I will deal with that later.

This is what I did. I unhooked my servos. I unhooked the Haunwhatever frequency drive. I am using your 24v power supply. I use it now that you have the model with no fuse, that if shorted, comes back to life when you fix the short. I am using the blue Ethernet cable you supply. I only have one input, the E stop button. Nothing wired to the output board. The drawing is attached. (I hope) My computer info is attached also, I hope. I didn't see any stickers on Acorn, maybe they are on the backside, I don't know. In the Wizz, I changed the input info and I think I changed the output info to nothing, just the e stop input is all I have hooked up.

Now the ONLY things hooked up are your 24v power supply, and my E stop button as in the drawing that's attached, hopefully. (computers and cell phones are NOT my friends anymore)

New info:

At power up, it buzz's after the blue screen comes up and before the jog on the right side comes up for about a half second. I cycle the E stop and go to manual spindle on and the buzz starts. As I increase the spindle speed, the buzzing gets louder however the voltages coming out of H8 change and look good. When I decrease the buzz gets quieter. I have a Fluke multi meter, not a cheep one.

Now I believe the buzz may be coming from the Acorn, I don't know. If I had a doctors stethoscope I may be able to pin point the buzz. The boards are mounted close to each other.

I unplug the output relay board and no buzz at power up and no buzz when I turn on the spindle. The analog voltages look great, 0 to 10 as I increase and decrease.

I bought extra ribbon cables from Centroid so I changed to a new ribbon and it still buzzed when the output board is plugged in, so the ribbon cable is not a problem.

I think the output board has the Covid, any ideas?

I have bought hundreds of Centroid controllers and I am really impressed with Centroids quality and have had no problems with any of them. I was buying them when Jeff krebbs was onboard with Centroid, he was a great guy! This may be the first Centroid I bought that had a hickup from all of these years. BUT, I may have screwed up also, I don't know. I may be the first guy to ever put a Centroid on a automatic tool changing machine, the now old, cnc3 and cnc4 stepper motor control. They were slow, but remember the story about the turtle racing the rabbit? The old cnc3 just kept chugging away, but it was as fast as the Bridgeport Boss control!

Marty, thank you for your help, your a good guy, I like your videos.

This is not the “noise” issue but looking up the details of the pc and its specs listed in the last post, this pc doesn’t even come close to meeting the minimum requirements for a Centroid controlling pc.

Springlakecnc, you are looking at the “average cpu mark” when you need to be looking at the “single thread rating” for the CPU. The single thread rating is 1152 for your processor and you need a minimum of 1500. Just food for thought.

I loaded your report. The issue is that you have PWM turned ON.
Please go into the Wizard
Left side under SPINDLE
Click on PWM Setup
On PWM ENABLE Slide the slider to NO
Save and restart CNC12

Also, I looked at your logs (F7 Utility, F9 Logs, F1 Errors)
You have some PC MPU Resends. That is noise.
Assuming all you have is Acorn, Acorn's power supply, Acorn's relay board connected, and the PC to Acorn connected via the supplied Ethernet cable, I can only wonder if the drivers on your PC need updating. Really wish you could take pictures and upload them so we can "SEE" what you "SEE"

As Shawn pointed out, your PC does not exactly meet the minimum requirements for the CNC PC. But that is not necessarily the cause of your errors. Usually it is EMI noise (Electro Magnetic Interference)


Marty

In addition to what Marty and Shawn have commented, I believe this CPU is usually installed in Laptops rather than "PCs" . As Laptops are NOT recommended, please confirm your spec.

IT'S A MIRACLE it didn't have a buzz between screens and no buzz when I turn the spindle on.

I'm guilty and I will confess. Please try to understand, After figuring out how to get the MPG going, it's different than the last one, you have to put a couple changes in the config file, I clicked on the Wizz, spindle, I thought “looks like we have to turn on the analog signal to the freque drive”,that's why it got turned on. You probably read every new word Centroid publishes, so you are very knowledgeable on all their subjects and you make good training videos. New users read all the stuff also. Our goal is the faster we get this running the better. We only look at books if we have to. I haven't really studied anything since Centroid came out with the RTK2 – MPU11 boards. It was hard using their oscilloscope, I didn't really understand it although my son came through. I pretty much put the last 20 or more controls together without reading anything more than I had to, and had very little problems. I read most of the install book for the first Acorn I installed. Anyways, the new Oak controller is very easy to tune the drives, and once you have one servo tuned in, the same values pretty much work for the other drives, and if using the same drives on the next machine, the same values work also, unlike before. I'm glad they changed.

I do an extensive positioning tests for hours to make sure we don't move even .001 out of posistion. We also use shielded wire on everything, even the 110 going out to lube pump. I do turn on the pulse multiplier in the servo drives so Acorn don't have to fire 10,000 shots per rev. @ 3,000 rpm. Wouldn't that be the hardest thing Acorn has to think about? Machine gunning those pulses?

I will read the newest complete Acorn install book. BTW, I looked at all the solder joints on the back of acorn, when I was double checking something wasn't stuck on it, nice job, no cold solders no burn marks, it looked really good.

Thank you very much for your help.

Bill

When PWM is used for something like laser, output two has to be disabled.

Marty