Tree Journeyman 325 with Delta 20: power issue

[CITIZEN F16]

Yes, two 5V outputs. I agree the 15 seems odd now that you mention it. I will be digging into it again this afternoon. I’ll pull the power supply, I’ve read there is a tag under it that shows the outputs. News at 11.

If it is supposed to be 12 it could be too high for the component it is feeding, if it is supposed to be 24 then the low voltage could cause an overdraw of amperage, another bad thing. A lot of people don't realize low voltage can often be more damaging than high. It is common for a monitor to run on 12 volts.

 

[3Wishes]

I measured the outputs on the Dynapath power supply then pulled it out to see the tag on the back. The measured outputs are close to what the tag shows (Q170D) and a list of the values listed by someone in another post in this forum. So… I looked at the PS and found these two resistors that are a little crispy. It doesn’t mean they are bad but it is a possibility. I will be taking the board off the enclosure and will check them.

Another post talks about substituting a Meanwell PS but the white power fail line can’t be used. I don’t know if you can operate without that line hooked up but the guy that used a Meanwell says he didn’t hook it up and the machine has been working.

 

[3Wishes]

Update, Dynapath tells me that the system will not work without the white PF signal line. And a new PS is about $1400 with tax and shipping.

I am still not confident that having this machine plugged into 208 3ph is not the problem. Maybe that one time it started was due to a line fluctuation. It would be cheaper to install buck/boost xformers to eliminate that possibility. I measure the input V to the Dynapath PS at 107V. It calls for 115V. That’s not a big difference but maybe the PS has some weak components in it and the lower input is kicking out the PF signal. That’s what it’s for after all.

Before I go get B/B xformers I will apply 120V directly to the input and bypass the machines source. That’s after I check those crispy resistors. If that kicks it on then I will know I need the xformers.

 

[3Wishes]

Another update, I decided not to mess with the old PS. I bought the Meanwell and will see how that works out. It was only $170 total. It has a provision for the PF signal line. It also has a wider input range which should eliminate the low input voltage as an issue. I’ll update in a few days.

 

[3Wishes]

Well… I installed a Meanwell QP-320F and it went fairly smoothly. But even though it has all the correct voltages and the Power Fail line hooked up, the system has the same WDT red lights on and it won’t boot. At one point I turned on the system and it surprised me to see the screen had a warning that there was a ram test failure. I realized that I had not fully seated the PCB card in the far right slot. Once seated it was back to a blank screen and no boot. At least it reconfirmed the monitor functions. Here’s a picture of the system with the new PS installed.



Any ideas on what else I might look for would be appreciated.

 

[3Wishes]

I have a conclusion. The machine is now functional. I was communicating with ZPS USA in WI and they were very helpful, Thanks Tom!, in narrowing down to the point where the only option left was to pull the Dynapath card cage and send it to them. This afternoon I pulled all the connectors off and removed the cage from the electrical cabinet. Lo and behold, the connector that has the power fail wire (white) was not connected and the multi pin connector next to it was not fully seated. I reseated both and put it all back together and it fired up. I talked with the previous owner about it and he said there was a card replaced by a tech shortly before I bought it. He must have accidentally pulled on the PF wire which is tie wrapped to the other wire, and it was marginally connected. Then we moved it twice, once to storage and once to it’s current spot. That must have made the connector fully disconnect. Lucky me… It’s funny, I actually thought about pulling the cage off to see if that wire was properly connected, but thought what are the chances of that coming loose?

One thing to note, this confirms that the Meanwell QP-320F does work as a replacement, we’ll see how long it lasts.
Here’s a picture of the connector that is behind the card cage.

 

[Don Davis 87]

Actually they do require air pressure because the break is air activated and there is a pressure switch that must first be satisfied before the machine will run.

 

[3Wishes]

Actually they do require air pressure because the break is air activated and there is a pressure switch that must first be satisfied before the machine will run.

Yes, that’s correct. The control will list the air pressure fault if it isn’t there and you can’t run the machine. But the problem I had was the system didn’t boot at all and they were saying that not having air doesn’t prevent the system from booting. Once I got it to boot by plugging that connector back in there was an air pressure fault because I hadn’t turned air on at that point. Turned the air on and the fault cleared.

 

[13engines]

Hi 3wishes,

Very glad to see you finally got the control working on your Tree mill.

Had a 2 axis Tree 220 many years ago. (Dynapath 10. Pre CMOS) Great machine to learn CNC programming on as you don't have to worry about a Z axis. Takes a load off for a newb that's for sure. You'll like your Tree, as they're very beefy compared to the Bridgeport I had used in a Vo-tech class not long before I got the Tree.

Anyway... you ask way back in your first post what WDT means. Stands for Watch Dog Timer. I don't know the inner details of it, but I know, at least for me, it's always been a pain to get past it. It's a protection circuit of sorts. Makes sure everything is peachy before letting the control come up.

Good luck with your new, now working machine. Someone else mentioned it here or on another Dynapth thread, but be sure to give that machine a good ground connection. Heck.. back when I was young and insane, I buried grounding rods for my 220. Such a newb back then...

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Glad you got it running. Isn't it crazy what OEMs charge for power supplies? I got a pair of Meanwells for under $100
including shipping, Star Micronics wants $600 a piece for them. They also sell $15 encoder belts for $150.

 

[3Wishes]

Hi 3wishes,

Very glad to see you finally got the control working on your Tree mill.

Had a 2 axis Tree 220 many years ago. (Dynapath 10. Pre CMOS) Great machine to learn CNC programming on as you don't have to worry about a Z axis. Takes a load off for a newb that's for sure. You'll like your Tree, as they're very beefy compared to the Bridgeport I had used in a Vo-tech class not long before I got the Tree.

Anyway... you ask way back in your first post what WDT means. Stands for Watch Dog Timer. I don't know the inner details of it, but I know, at least for me, it's always been a pain to get past it. It's a protection circuit of sorts. Makes sure everything is peachy before letting the control come up.

Good luck with your new, now working machine. Someone else mentioned it here or on another Dynapth thread, but be sure to give that machine a good ground connection. Heck.. back when I was young and insane, I buried grounding rods for my 220. Such a newb back then...

13engines, thanks! It was quite a feeling of relief finding that loose connector. I’m looking forward to learning how to use this machine. I knew the original owner and he successfully used it all these years in a small shop. It should be good for many more years.

 

[3Wishes]

Glad you got it running. Isn't it crazy what OEMs charge for power supplies? I got a pair of Meanwells for under $100
including shipping, Star Micronics wants $600 a piece for them. They also sell $15 encoder belts for $150.

Yes CITIZEN F16, thanks! I couldn’t believe the price for the OEM power supply. It underscores the value of these forums when you can find substitutions like the Meanwell at about 1/8 the cost. And then lots of info on how to install it.