Tap-off issues

[thomo78]

Hi,

When I try to set the z-axis origin the tool starts to bump-off of the "puck" repeatedly until I hit stop. This has happened a couple times within the last month. When it has happened, I clean out the female part of the tap-off connector to make sure that there is not dust in there and then plug it back in. After that it works... until the past few days. The problem is almost constant now. Sometimes if I wiggle the male connector around it will suddenly work. My machine is almost 6 months old. Do I need a new tap-off puck? Is the female connector bad? I'm afraid to use it until the problem is resilved for fear that it could damage the z-axis motor. Any advice would help. I'm also going to contact axiom directly. Thank you.

[Mezalick]

Until you get this issue resolved why not just lower your z axis with the bit in, to the spot, Material surface or machine bed, and push the Z-0 button...
That will do the same as the touch off puck.
Michael

[johnb]

First Rule of Faults - "No mechanical or electrical fault ever repairs itself" ...so quit using it until you fix it.

Since cleaning it didn't work, trace the electrical connections. It may be a bad connection to the puck itself, or it may be the connection where the male plug is attached to the wire, a bad plug (male or female) or connections inside "the box".

How this works is that a small electrical charge is introduced into the tool tip through the spindle. When it touches the puck, the circuit is completed (through one single wire). An intermittent fault is most likely the result of either a broken wire or a bad connection on either end of that wire.

Get out your multimeter & check for continuity from plug to puck (when it's not plugged into the machine). Wiggle things around until you figure out where the problem is cropping up and fix that. If you don't have a multimeter, you can pick one up pretty cheap ...or you can spend hundreds of dollars on one. They are handy to have around.

[redwood]

I used to have that problem intermittently and it was a loose wire connecting the puck. I have since stopped using the puck and just zero directly to the surface of my material with a sheet of paper.