Is there any sort of UK service support I can phone, or call? Blade runner plasma

[Oldy]

I have weird issues with a plasma cutter I am trying to resurrect.
When I press the left arrow key, the torch moves left, but when I push the right arrow key, the torch moves left? Up and down arrows work fine.
Also, occasionally when I fire up and press reset, there is a strong vibration, without anything being pressed.
It seems like the motors are getting power.
When I run a g code file, the gantry appears to work, until you realise that it never moves to the right.
Seems to have lost its marbles?

Can anyone tell me if there is someone in the UK I can call and pay to have this thing checked out?

Thanks.

[Voicecoil]

I have weird issues with a plasma cutter I am trying to resurrect.
When I press the left arrow key, the torch moves left, but when I push the right arrow key, the torch moves left? Up and down arrows work fine.
Also, occasionally when I fire up and press reset, there is a strong vibration, without anything being pressed.
It seems like the motors are getting power.
When I run a g code file, the gantry appears to work, until you realise that it never moves to the right.
Seems to have lost its marbles?

Can anyone tell me if there is someone in the UK I can call and pay to have this thing checked out?

Thanks.

Now then, the motors that move the torch will likely be working off STEP (how many increments) and DIRECTION (L or R) signals, it looks like the latter isn't working - could be as simple as a bad connection, shouldn't be too difficult to diagnose. Have you done some Googling? a quick search pulled up this page:

https://www.candcnc.net/

which seems to be something to do wit Blade Runner machines, there's something about support and a user forum by the looks.

[Oldy]

Thanks for the reply, it is much appreciated.
The Cancnc forum was helpful, and it got me through initial set up issues, however, the latest problems don’t seem like easy fixes.
I tried all sorts of configurations on the motors (pins and outputs) but nothing seems to change the problem.
The strange thing is that each time I start up, the problem seems slightly different. On one start up everything worked fine, but without changing anything, the very next start up, had the gantry making a graunching sound, and randomly jiggling around.
I am going to try disconnecting all the interface cables and check for pin problems etc. The MP3000e box looks pretty battered about.

Thanks again.

[Doddy]

Without knowing what you have - if it's at all possible to swap the X and Y axis cables to the motors at the control box - try that and see if the problem remains on the X-axis. If it does, then it's the wiring or the motor, if the problem swaps to the Y-axis then it's the control box.

[Voicecoil]

Thanks for the reply, it is much appreciated.
The Cancnc forum was helpful, and it got me through initial set up issues, however, the latest problems don’t seem like easy fixes.
I tried all sorts of configurations on the motors (pins and outputs) but nothing seems to change the problem.
The strange thing is that each time I start up, the problem seems slightly different. On one start up everything worked fine, but without changing anything, the very next start up, had the gantry making a graunching sound, and randomly jiggling around.
I am going to try disconnecting all the interface cables and check for pin problems etc. The MP3000e box looks pretty battered about.

Thanks again.

Mmmm, you could be right about it being connection issues then. If you can get some Servisol Super 10 contact cleaner, spray that onto the connectors, then give them a vigorous plugging and unplugging say 10 times apiece - that will help remove any surface oxidation.

[JAZZCNC]

If it's only going in one direction with either keypress on just one axis then it's usually 99% of the time a Bad Connection on the Direction Pin. It's certainly the first place to look.
If it's doing this on more than one axis then I'd look at the Keyboard first and just replace it.

After this, it starts getting a bit more into the unknown and could be anything from bad connection/broken wire to controller or drive on it's way out.?? . . . . More info would be needed to advise properly.

[cropwell]

On my 3dD printer, there is one cable that connects a stepper that moves a lot, I have changed it twice in the lifetime of the printer as a cable intermittent break causes it to be biased in one direction. The same has happened on the Z axis of my CNC router and that was also a break in one conductor of the stepper cable.

[Oldy]

Hi there. Only just got back to this after a couple of months.
I thought I was making good progress, but the system is still kaput.
When I disconnect the dir wire from the drive, it moves in the other direction only. It looks like the dir command Is being dragged down?
Swapped x and y signals and the fault remains with the same motor channel.
I can see the dir signal toggle fine on the parallel port from the pc. But it does not toggle at the drive.
There’s 2 PCBs in the chain, and I have replaced 1 with no success, however, I can’t get a replacement for the other as it has been significantly up revisioned.
Does anyone know where I could get candcnc support or parts in the UK?