Here's a weird one.  Program runs fine except every once and a while (usually when my back is turned for a second) I'll get an estop request and the machine will shut down.  I'll do a "Run from here" and continue and all is OK.  But where the heck does this estop request come from.

I thought maybe it was my cheap/Barney McGee limit switches?  Got new nice Honeywell's and nope same problem.  Perhaps bad wiring?  New wires installed- same problem.

So, I'm glancing through the bible, I mean the Mach 3 .pdf manual and on page 5-22 there is a little blurb about a "Use Watchdogs" check box.

Anybody know anything about this sitch and/or if I should check/uncheck this box to see what happens?  Any down side to disabling the watchdogs?

Thanks,
Sid

Uncheck the checkbox for the watchdog and put in a debounce of 500 Because I think you are getting noise on the input line...

LOL- I just read the post you wrote on the "homing not working thread".  Too bad I couldn't work my question into that thread-then you coulda had another 2 in 1.

Thanks Dude!

Regards,
Sid

Hey Brian,  I unchecked the watchdogs & set the debounce but same results (i.e. E-stops out of the Blue).  I'm gonna change my Limit switch wirinto something that is shielded (instead of the speaker wire that is there now).  Is it necessary to ground the shield in the cable or is just having a shield in the cable enough? 

Thanks,
Sid

Hi Sid :

You can crank up the debounce some also, Try 1000, or 1500.

AS for the wiring, you should get some shielded cable for the wires. It will help Lots!
You DO want to connect the shield to ground but only at the controller end. It is the reason that a tin-foil hat won't stop the mind control rays, that is why mine has a ground cable

Do you have one wire that connects serially through your limit switches or one pair of wires from each switch and then daisy chained at the controller?

If that still doesn't work put a .1 mfd cap as close to the db25 as you can get it and wire one side to the input to mach and the other side to gnd..

chad

Chad Man!  all Awesome suggestions- THANK YOU.  I'll give them a go tomorrow & let ya know what's shakin'!

Thanks again!

Sid

Well, here's the update.  Increased the debounce, Changed to sheilded cables- same problem.  Turns out I had a bad switch that was triggering when the router vibrated (usually with super long cutters).  I think that this one is resolved.  Thanks for the help.

Regards,

Sid

That is a VERY hard problem to find! Good work tracking that one down