Tormach PCNC 1100 - Controller Communication Subsystem; Details on Controller Communication Subsystem; Overview

Chapter 10
189
UM10349_PCNC1100_Manual_0916A
Troubleshooting
Should main power be lost to the mill when the control power circuit is on, the control power circuit
turns o and stays o unl power is restored and the green Start buon is pressed.
This prevents the mill from restarng without operator acon aer any power outage, natural or
man-made. Transformer XFM1 reduces the incoming voltage from a nominal 230 (or 220) VAC to a
nominal 115 (or 110) VAC. 115 V control circuits are industry standard in North America (this allows
the use of readily available push buons, contactors, and other control circuit components).
If your wall breaker consistently trips whenever you power on the spindle, you should verify that
mill power is not coming through a ground fault interrupter (GFI, or RCCB in Europe). The lters in
the spindle drive can allow minor current leakage to ground that, while considered safe, may also
be sucient to trip a normal GFI.
10.5.3 Controller Communication Subsystem
10.5.3.1 Overview
PathPilot is the operang system for the PCNC mill. It allows for manual jogging of the X- ,Y- ,Z- , and
A-axis, spindle speed, and the coolant pump through the PathPilot interface. It also allows the mill
to run automacally with operator supplied programs. PathPilot communicates with the control
board to provide mill control. The controller LED on the Operator Panel must be illuminated before
the controller can control the mill.
10.5.3.2 Details on Controller Communication Subsystem
The operang system allows the operator to jog or posion the X-, Y-, Z-, and A-axis and to control
the spindle speed and coolant pump operaon by use of the keyboard, mouse, and the jog shule.
The operang system also accepts G-code programs that automacally control the mill.
The controller’s interface port communicates with the control board via a printer cable which has a
DB-25 connector on each end. In order for the controller to control the mill, the PathPilot operang
system must be running, the Machine LED must be on, and communicaon must be established
between the controller and the control board. Communicaon is established by clicking the Reset
buon on the screen. This causes the Reset buon to stop blinking and also powers on the controller
LED on the mill Operator Panel. Once communicaon is established, the PathPilot controller can
control mill operaon (see Figure 10.7).