When I power up the machine and home X or Y or X and Y the Z-axis goes up 5mm first as it should. If I make adjustments to the Z-axis height and then home XY the Z-axis raises and will not stop until I cut the power. I would like to set Z over a work piece and then home XY. I could then drop Z the 5mm and set 0. My board is Rambo 1.4 from VI in December 2021. I’m using the LCD for control. This happens both in the Motion menu for X and Y individually or in the V1 custom menu for XY Home. Firmware is stock V1 510D 2.0.7.2, I haven’t learned how to mess with that yet.
Your symptoms are puzzling and not something I’ve not seen on the forum before.
- Other than homing, does your machine work correctly or are you just starting to get it set up?
- When the version number is painted on the display screen, is it exactly as you have listed in your question, or is there an LR in the text?
- You are using a touch plate?
- You have tested all your endstops including Z using an M119?
The thing that fits best with the limited information you’ve given is that you have LowRider firmware on your control board rather than MPCNC firmware. LowRider firmware homes Z up rather than down. If you don’t see an LR in the version information, and everything else is working correctly (i.e. you’ve done a successful crown test and your machine moves Z up when you give it positive Z movements), you might try sending an M502 to your board to do a factory reset.
Also, as I read your process, it appears you are using your machine’s home position as the origin for cutting operations. This can work, but it is not typical, and it can be hard to setup for accurate cutting. The problem is that, in addition to finding the corner of the stock, you sometimes need the stock square with the machine. This can be done by creating a fence of some sort that is carved by your machine.
Typically, MPCNC users place their stock somewhat arbitrarily on the spoil board, position their router over the corner of the stock, then execute an G92 to set that position as the origin. Users often set up their process so that the G92 is automatically placed in the g-code file by their CAM software.
Robert,
Thanks for the reply. I’ll try to answer your questions
I purchased a complete Primo kit from Ryan. Firmware is 510D 2.0.7.2, no LR showing on the LCD screen at startup. I haven’t changed anything in the configuration menus.
Everything else works correctly, the XY endstops function as they should at power up and Z works with a touchplate as it should. There is no endstop for Z going up.
I started in December with a crown then a dozen other ink plots of my own design and have since done several projects in wood. Everything works as it should except this homing issue.
Yes, I use machine XO, YO as a starting point and offset that from the workpiece in ESTLCam as necessary. I engraved X0 and Y0 lines in the spoilboard to offset and line up the stock as necessary. Close enough for my purposes and keeps the process consistent.
I haven’t input any commands to the board other than the gcode from ESTLCam. I’ve used only the LCD and SD cards. I now have a garage notebook with Repetier Host and cncjs that I’ve just started playing with. I’ll try the M119 and other commands when I figure the software out. I’ll also try homing from them in different situations.
I did a dry run on a little program today and stopped it in the middle. When I did a Home XY the Z axis went up until I killed the power. It’s not a big deal. I can work around it by homing only when I power up the machine. It just bugs me.
When I ordered the Primo parts I debated the Emergency Stop Button. Best $6 spent, I’ve hit it often on the learning curve.
Thanks
This is a really strange problem, and I only have vague ideas about what might be going on. Here are some things you can try to either fix the problem, or narrow it down.
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Pay attention to anything on the display while your Z is moving the wrong way. You can video it using your phone if things are happening too quickly.
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Duplicate the problem using a simple job…say a contour cut of a square. Upload that g-code file to a post in this topic, and I’ll (or someone on the forum) will take a look to see if there is anything out of the ordinary in the g-code.
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Rather than rehome X and Y, just execute a G0 X0 Y0 to go to the already established home position and then try and home Z using the touch plate. You can put this line of g-code in a file and execute it from the SD card. The line must be terminated by a newline, or Marlin won’t process it.
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Create a file with a single line of g-code, ‘G28 Z’. You must have a newline at the end of the line, or Marlin will not process the line. Put this file on your SD card. Use this file to home Z rather than the command on the display.
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Do a factory reset. I’ve never done one, but you should be able to put a ‘M502’ in a file and run that file from the SD card. I doubt this will fix anything, but, since you have not made any setting changes, it is worth a try.
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Upgrade your firmware. This is a pretty painless process using XLoader.