Tormach PCNC 770 - Controller Communication Subsystem

Chapter 10
188
UM10350_PCNC770_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.
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 operang system is the control soware 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 (see Figure 10.7).
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.