Epilog Mini-18 Losing it's home- artwork skews

[Bruce Clumpner]

I've searched the archives for this error, I remember seeing photos of an image drifting along the x-axis as the job ran, but couldn't find it so I'm looking for your help.

Here's the situation. My system has thrown out a couple of errors prior to this issue. It reset in the middle of a job a couple of times and also stopped with the "X/Y Disabled:X" and X/Y Disabled:Y" but when I started this run all seemed OK during start-up check

I'm raster marking a job with 1/8" plex @ 100speed & 60power and cutting at 11s & 100p. I've pretty much filled up my 12x18 bed to get as many pieces out of a full sheet. As the job runs, the head seems to move farther out past the edge of the left and right edges of the bed than normal, and I start to hear that dreaded "Klunk" as the head reverses direction. As some point my artwork starts to drift and skews, either to the left or right. When I cancel the job, the head does not return to the home position I set, again it's off either left or right. I've cleaned my belts, the encoder strip, and anything else I could reach, but it's still happening irregularly.

I've been able to work-around it by reducing the speed and reducing the number of pieces on the sheet, and moving everything into the center of the bed, but this obviously increases my time for the job.

Anyone remember the prior discussion, or can provide any tips?

-bc

[John Noell]

Sure sounds like a dirty encoder strip to me. When it gets dirty the carriage skips along until it can read a line, but now it is further along than it should be. If you get too close to the far side of the table, and it thinks it isn't that close yet, it keeps going until...kabang!

[Bruce Clumpner]

Sure sounds like a dirty encoder strip to me. When it gets dirty the carriage skips along until it can read a line, but now it is further along than it should be. If you get too close to the far side of the table, and it thinks it isn't that close yet, it keeps going until...kabang!

Yea John, I hate that sound, but the latest drift occured without it running wide, it just seems to loose it's home position on the x-axis and drifts a bit (either left or right) then finally sticks. Hope someone has a solution before Tech support opens on Monday.

-bc

[John Noell]

Did you try cleaning the encoder strip? It's a quick easy thing to do and the symptoms you descibe sure match a dirty strip.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

While it sounds like a dirty encoder strip, I have noticed the tube that coils around the air assist along the x-beam can catch on the cover. When the carriage moves to the right, the coil tightens up into a spring, but when the carriage returns to the left, the tube has to fit back under the cover and can catch. Look for wear marks inside the cover or on the tube. That might be what is causing it to drift? Another thing I saw once was the <ahhh brain fade, can't remember the name> white cable that runs the length of the x-beam .... it can catch on the screws on the back side that hold the cover in place. Make sure it is centered properly in the clips so that it does not catch.

[Martin Boekers]

Does it not return to the home position but you can see it's off a bit?

Does the vector cut line up with the raster edge?

When I have this issue I find it best to clean the encoder strip, the encoder reader and
take the X axis motor out and with a pin clean the grooves this whole procees takes about 15 min.

I tend to find if one area is dirty then all three probably need a cleaning!

[Rangarajan Saravana kumar]

Hi,

Best way to check if any encoder dirty...

once you start from the middle of the bed, the movement of x axis is hasty at any place while moving to home position, makes a mark to be dirt

Else, see the motor is in good condition

[Bruce Clumpner]

and blown out the reader head, and pulled the belt and cleaned it, but was wary to pull the motor. Is the motor's position critical, or can I just pull, clean and replace it like the mirrors?

Finished my job yesterday, so nothing is in the que. I'll call Tech support today to see what they say.

-bc

[Bruce Volden]

The X axis motor is somewhat critical. If you notice, there is a "choke" for the wiring harness--if you take this motor off and replace it, note how it was originally positioned!! Otherwise it is possible for the belt to ride against it and cut through the wires. This is the way it works on the Legend TT's anyhow. HTH

Bruce

[Bruce Clumpner]

Will take a look today.

Thanks

[Bruce Clumpner]

Talked with Tech support this morning... Ended up reversing the x-axis ribbon cable seemed to fix the issue. Hopefully a $14 fix to replace it will work long term. Thanks for the suggestions.