I am having a similar problem...

Movement occasionally (maybe 40% of the time) stops at approx X80 Y46, give or take an inch or two. XYZ movement stops, the "on" light on my control box goes out, andMach3 continues to run. If I stop and back up a bit in the code, and execute a "Run from Here", it almost always sucessfully runs past the problem area. It only fails in this area of the table, nowhere else.

I can manually run the machine around the problem area with no issues.

I'm running a Windows 10 computer, ESS, PMDX-126, and Gecko 203v's.

On the advice of a local CNC guru, I replaced my old XP computer with a new computer. No change in symptoms.

I replaced all the Estop, limit switch, and stepper wiring. No change. All is quality, shielded cable.

I see no error messages, nothing looks amiss in the ESS data monitoring.

Mostly I think it's the deadline sensor. Somehow it knows I have a short deadline, high margin, high volume job to work through.

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

I wish we knew what Darin's resolution was.

First questions that come to mind are:

Is this about a magic location on the table, or is it about the length of time since the start of the job, or perhaps about the type of move that gets you to that location?

You say the "on light" goes out. What causes it to come back on?

What would trigger a similar condition ( motion stops, but Mach3 doesn't know it )? Does that happen when you estop? Or trigger a limit switch? Maybe we can isolate which subsystem is causing this.

At the moment I suspect there are two things happening here - something that triggers the motion to stop, and a machine setup that doesn't tell Mach3 when that happens. The second may be obscuring the first.

Um, X80 Y46 is pretty near the limits of your table, no? So you're pulling the cables farther than at any other time? I'd take a hard look at where the main cable chain transitions to the gantry cable chain, and at where the main cable chain ends and gets to the control box.

And maybe do the wiring jiggle wiggle thing with the machine positioned near that location - router off, not moving - and see if you get the control box light to go out.

I'd pay special attention to any cable that runs all the way through both chains, especially if it is limit / sensing / estop related.

Finally a minute to respond :-)

It's a magic spot on the table, plus/minus about an inch. This has happened on a variety of files, and at random run times, and random number of lines of code.

The "on" light (enable light) comes back on when I hit the enable button on the control box, and the machine is quiet willing to run (but I've lost position and need to re-home or bad things happen).

When I Estop (manually or when something went wrong), I get estop messages and indicators. Same messages with limit switch hits - which cause an Estop.

I'm about 20" from the end of X, and about 8" from the end of my Y travel. I can manually jog over the area with no problems. I've jiggled all the wires, then replaced the wires. The problem has not changed. It seems like this problem would make more sense near the limits, not in the middle of the table.

Sorry, I've been away a week. So, "Magic spots" in my experience:

- Greater motion resistance due to supply wires, or dust collection. Tends to be nearer the limits, but not exactly on them.

- Imperfect rails causing prox to trigger. Can be so hairline that speed matters, so jog is okay, but under deflection cutting forces it fails. Is this the highest spot on both the X and Y rails?

- Gantry deflection. Any chance you aren't quite at 100% parallel when you reach this point on the table, based on some prior force?

In all of these the issue was with everything good enough to cut elsewhere, and jog anywhere on the table, but sloppiness at the one magic area when under cut forces just tilted the balance over the edge. It is a game of fractions of MM.

Brad- no appologies- we are all volunteering here :-)

Thanks for the list of things to check. I lowered my prox switches and didn't notice any difference. But, there may be a high spot- I'll check the rails for high/low, anything wonky and rolling resistance every way I can imagine.

All this said, it seems the solution was to simply ask for help. I have had no failures since my post asking for help. (Honest, my car was making the funny noise when I drove it in.) (Or maybe my machine decided to fall in line after I started ordering parts for its big brother, soon to be born. )Gotta be something!

Thanks!

Glad you're solved for now. Onwards and upwards!

I am to getting the same error, It might be due to my router should I need to talk to a Router Customer Service Number ?