Pocket NC V2 User manual

V2 Troubleshooting Guide

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 1

Revision History 1

Intro 1

Common Problems 1

Machining/Performance 4

Error Codes 6

Resetting/Updating the Machine 8

Revision History

First Release: October 2017 (JD)

Introduction

Our goal at Pocket NC is to produce an excellent product at an affordable price so that people

can turn their ideas into reality. We hope that using our product is a straightforward process and

the the machine functions perfectly. But, we know that things don’t always go perfectly.

Hopefully this troubleshooting guide can help you resolve some of the problems that come up.

If your problem is not covered here, or if you need some more information, please contact us.

For instructions on how to run the machine, set-up parts for machining, measure tool offsets and

other operation instruction see our tutorials.

Section 1: Common Problems

Problem

Possible Solutions

I can’t connect to my Pocket

NC or the user interface is

not loading correctly on my

computer.

1. Check that the Pocket NC is is plugged in and is

powered on. The red LED on the E-stop button will

light up when the machine is on. The user interface is

ready to boot when the red LED starts blinking. It

takes 2 and half minutes to fully boot the Pocket NC.

2. The computer must be connected to the mini-USB port

on the mill not the standard USB port.

3. The mini USB may not be fully plugged into the

machine. The pocket is deep so the plastic around the

plug may have to be trimmed to fit.

4. The machine may not be fully booted. Wait 1 minute

after turning on the machine before trying to connect.

5. The user interface may not load properly in every

browser. Try using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari

6. Try rebooting the machine: power off the machine,

unplug all the cords, wait about a minute for the

capacitors to drain then plug it back in and restart.

7. You may need a different driver. Try downloading a

new driver from the Beagleboard website.

8. Contact the Pocket NC help desk or post of the Pocket

NC forum for help.

The Pocket NC is

unresponsive, nothing

happens when I tell the

Pocket NC to move.

1. Check that the Pocket NC is plugged in and that the

power switch is on. The Pocket NC’s electronics can

run off computer power, but the motors can’t.

2. Make sure that the Pocket NC is not in E-stop mode.

When the machine is in E-stop the red button on the

machine will blink and the buttons in the upper right

corner of the user interface will be gray/white.

            Push the E-stop button to enable the motors.

3. Check that the computer is still connected to the

Pocket NC with the USB cord.

4. Try rebooting the machine: power off the machine,

unplug all the cords, wait about a minute for the

capacitors to drain then plug it back in and restart.

5. Contact the Pocket NC help desk or post of the Pocket

NC forum for help.

One of the axes on my

Pocket NC is not working

1. Try rebooting the machine: power off the machine,

unplug all the cords, wait about a minute for the

capacitors to drain then plug it back in and restart.

2. Check the electrical connections for that axis. Look for

damage and debris.

3. Contact the Pocket NC help desk or post of the Pocket

NC forum for help.

The Pocket NC motors are

noisy when the machine is

running

Particularly at low feed rates, the stepper motors can produce

quite a bit of noise. This is due to the electrical interference in

the driver circuit.

Increasing the feed rate usually decreases the sound.

The Pocket NC is not cutting

in the location that I

expected.

1. Make sure that the origin for your toolpaths is the B

table offset/machine origin point of the Pocket NC.

This is a point in space about 0.839 inches above the

center of the B table.

2. Check if the coordinate system of your machining

setup in CAM is set up so that the positive Z axis

points at the spindle of the Pocket NC, the positive X

axis points at the A table, and the positive Y axis

points straight up from the B table.

3. Check if the toolpath origin is also the B table

offset/machine origin point and that the toolpath

coordinate system is appropriate. Remember that the

Z axis is always the Pocket NC spindle.

4. Make sure that your stock is located in the same place

on your machine as it was relative to the origin point in

your CAM program.

I can’t find/load my G-code

file

1. Check if the selection set for the file type includes your

file extension (file type) for example you can’t find

machining files with a .nc extension if the selection set

is looking for only .ngc files

2. The file must be a text file that the Pocket NC is

capable of reading. Generally these will have a

extension like .ngc, .nc, or .cnc but any machinable file

should work.

Section 2: Machining/Performance Issues

Problem

Explanation

Possible Solution/Things to Try

My tool chatters during

the cut.

Vibration causes the cutter

to not cut smoothly. This

vibration is due to the

natural frequency of the

tool/spindle.

1. The feed and speed, and/or

step-down and step-over

need to be adjusted. See

the feeds and speeds

tutorial for more

information.

2. Turn the spindle speed up.

3. Adjust the feedrate, usually

moving slower will be

smoother, but this is not

always the case

4. Increase the step-down,

taking a deeper cut into the

material

5. Increase or decrease the

step-over, the width of the

cut. Typically the ideal

step-over is about 60% of

tool diameter.

Spindle sounds like it is

slowing down during the

cut.

The spindle power is

insufficient for the amount of

material being removed.

1. Decrease the feed rate in

5% steps until the spindle

stops bogging down

2. Decrease the step-down

and step over in your

toolpaths.

3. Switch to a tool with more

cutting flutes.

The Pocket NC is not

cutting in the location

that I expected.

1. Make sure that the origin

for your toolpaths is the B

table offset/machine origin

point of the Pocket NC.

This is a point in space

about 0.839 inches above

the center of B table.

The stock may not be

located in the same position

relative to the origin point

that it was in the CAM

software used to create the

toolpaths

2. Check if the coordinate

system of your machining

setup in CAM is set up so

that the positive Z axis

points at the spindle of the

Pocket NC, the positive X

axis points at the A table,

and the positive Y axis

points straight up from the

B table.

3. Check if the toolpath origin

is also the B table

offset/machine origin point

and that the toolpath

coordinate system is

appropriate. Remember

that the Z axis is always the

Pocket NC spindle.

4. Make sure that your stock

is located in the same place

on your machine as it was

relative to the origin point in

your CAM program.

The drive/lead screws

squeak.

The end of the lead screw is

touching the frame of the

machine when it turns.

1. Make sure that the screw

and the hole are free of

debris.

2. If the noise it minor is is

best to let it wear into

position. The noise should

decrease with time

- Use a very small amount of

general purpose synthetic

grease to lubricate the tip of

the screw.

- Do not grease the whole

screw.

- Do not put grease where it

will contact the

anti-backlash nuts.

- Grease will collect debris

and may cause increased

wear on your machine.

Section 3: Error Codes

Error Code/Message

Explanation

Possible Solutions

Near Line XX Linear Move

Exceeds Joint X’s

Positive/Negative Limit

This error means that the

toolpath/G code is telling the

machine to go past one its

travel limits

Joint 0 = X axis

Joint 1 = Y axis

Joint 2 = Z axis

Joint 3 = A axis

Joint 4 = B axis

This error is often caused by

a tool length offset being set

incorrectly or by a part that is

outside the Pocket NC’s

work envelope.

The move that is causing the

error is located on or near

the line of the program

indicated

1. If the error is on joint 2 (Z

axis), check if your tool

length offset is set

correctly. See the “Tool

Length Offset” tutorial for

more information.

2. If the error is for

exceeding the negative

limit of joint 2 and the tool

length offset is correct,

increase the tool stickout

or switch to a longer tool

holder.

3. If the error is for

exceeding the positive

limit of joint 2 and the tool

length offset is correct,

decrease the tool stickout

or switch to a shorter tool

holder.

4. Check if your toolpath is

asking the machine to

exceed its limits of travel.

Open your code in a text

editing program and use

the search bar (CTRL +

F) to search for any

values that are greater

than the limits of travel for

the Pocket NC mill.

a. The X limits are

-2.00 to 2.55

inches

b. The Y limits are

-2.4 to 2.6 inches

c. The Z limits are

-3.45 to 0.10

inches*

d. The A limits are

-25 to 135

degrees

e. The B limits are

-9999 to 9999

degrees

*you have to add the tool

length offset to the Z axis

value

5. Adjust the location of the

part/stock so that it is

within the Pocket NC’s

work envelope

6. Decrease the retract

height on the toolpaths if

the part is close to the

limits of the Pocket NC’s

travel.

7. Oversized parts may be

able to be fixtured and

cut one side at a time

instead of all in one

program.

14 Unexpected Real Time

Delay on RT Thread 1

This error means that there

has been a delay in the

Beaglebones processor.

1. This error can be caused

by a temporarily dropped

connection between the

computer and the Pocket

NC mill or by a program

that is so large and

complicated that the

Beaglebone’s processor

cannot keep up.

2. Check that the

connection between the

computer and the

machine is good.

3. Try slowing down the

feed rate or reducing the

file size of the G code file

by breaking it into more

than 1 operation or by

loosening the tolerances

in the toolpath and

reposting it.

Section 4: Resetting/Updating the Machine

This section will have instructions on how to update the machine when that capability is

available.

This update process will require an internet connection through the ethernet port on the Pocket

NC.

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