[skullworks]

One of our VF-0E machines will start moving in the Z negative direction while seaching for home.

Complete powerdown - diconnect off for a few minutes will sometimes cure the problem, but its been getting worse.

Last Monday morning it took well over a dozen power cycles to get the machine up.

This Monday will also likely be fun.

Another problem is that a few times due to all the repeated attempts to zero the machine, the head is down almost to the table and without Zero this edition of the software does not allow any manual movement to get the head back up.

Any Ideas?

[Geof]

The zero proximity detector on the Z axis probably has a chip of metal stuck to it or it is in some other way malfunctioning.

When the axis homes it moves negative until the proximity detector is activated then it moves positive until the proximity detector goes in-active and finds its zero.

If there is a chip or something on the detector it never goes inactive so the axis just keeps moving positive.

You probably can move it without zero. Go into Settings and turn ON Setting 53 JOG W/O ZERO RETURN. Be careful doing this now you can run the axis into the hard stops if you get carried away.

[skullworks]

Thanks Geof:

I bet your spot on as this machine has also had some recent issues with the Z axis way covers.