Proma THC SD - Wiring - Plasma Cuts Finally - No THC Though

[AuMogul]

Thanks to many of your posts and comments I have been able to get my table up and running to another level. Currently I can cut simple patterns on flat stock. However, the THC is not engaging or registering when the Plasma Cutter kicks on. Here is the previous thread where I received a lot of solid help and comments on my setup:

viewtopic.php?f=73&t=30485

I have been trying to troubleshoot and find solutions before I came to a post, but I feel stuck at this point. The Proma THC SD is not registering any activity from the DV 1:50 connection from my Everlast 52i. I took the DV 1:50 wire connections out of the CNC relay board and metered the voltage coming from the green and brown wires in the CNC / connector and the voltage is reading roughly: 2.46 volts (see attached picture for wiring). To my understanding the voltage seems accurate for my 110V connection it's on. Perhaps it's not? I'm learning all of this simultaneously. Once I realized there was a reading coming off the green and brown wires I bypassed the relay board and wired them right to the Proma THC SD - DV +/- connections. The THC is still not registering any activity. It stays in the same "---" state.

Next I tried to determine if the "ARC Ok"/"OK-to-Move" signal coming from the CNC connector was working and checked for continuity in my connectors and cables. I am not seeing anything shorting out there. I'm a little lacking of understanding on the "ARC OK" / "OK-to-Move" wires and their function. When the plasma cutter is operating and "OK to Move" do the two wires close to complete a circuit which subsequently signals for the CNC to open the relay for the THC? So if that's the case, then could I test for continuity in the BLUE wires ( see attached pic) when triggering the Cutter?

I'm almost there; it's been a lot of work/troubleshooting and learning which has been enjoyable. I made a 3D print holder for my hand torch that works well while I save up for a CNC style torch. Am I missing anything by using a hand torch instead of a CNC torch? Any advice would be appreciated. I'll be glad to share anything I have learned or created in the process. I don't mind doing the reading and studying if I could get some tips. Thank you all.

[robertspark]

Can you add m07 and m08 to the top of you gcode ( edit it by hand) and load and run it

.... Does the voltage now display

[acourtjester]

From you wiring diagram you do not have a power complete to the Proma you show a wire going to the Plasma unit to the negative power in. You need a separate power supply to power the proma. You could use a 12 volt wall wart to supply power to the Proma.
Now do not hook the power negative any other place on the Proma. here is a site to download the Manual for the Proma SD, be advised many have had problems with the SD model. There is a site I think called NYCNC that has worked with the type of electronics you are using good luck getting things going. https://www.nyccnc.com/library/
https://docplayer.net/21061501-Operatio ... orach.html

[AuMogul]

From you wiring diagram you do not have a power complete to the Proma you show a wire going to the Plasma unit to the negative power in. You need a separate power supply to power the proma. You could use a 12 volt wall wart to supply power to the Proma.
Now do not hook the power negative any other place on the Proma. here is a site to download the Manual for the Proma SD, be advised many have had problems with the SD model. There is a site I think called NYCNC that has worked with the type of electronics you are using good luck getting things going. https://www.nyccnc.com/library/
https://docplayer.net/21061501-Operatio ... orach.html

Thanks for the reply Jester, I failed to mention that I metered the power source that is supplying the Proma and it is a around ~24 volts. It's taking power from the supply that is feeding the whole system. One of the things I can't understand is why does the BLUE wire connect into the (-) of the Proma? The blue is one of the "Arc OK" wires from what I can tell. I'm sure it's just something I don't understand that I'm looking for. Although I did find another Proma owner that had a faulty unit; so hopefully not a faulty unit.

[AuMogul]

Can you add m07 and m08 to the top of you gcode ( edit it by hand) and load and run it

.... Does the voltage now display

I'll give it shot. I haven't figured out what M07 and M08 are. Any ideas? I know from GCode Wiki that M is for miscellaneous functions. So probably user or machine assigned functions, I'm guessing.

[acourtjester]

Ok M7 and 8 are for coolant signals, not needed for Plasma operations. Now looking are you diagram the pins 12 and 14 on the back of the plasma unit are for arc OK or move, these are signal wires and are just a switch to the the Software that the plasma stream is started. They should be treated like other signals as inputs to your BOB board, Now I cannot tell you where they go on the BOB for the software to see them. This signal is the start of the pierce the movement of the cutting action which cannot start without this signal as long as you are in THC mode. Non-THC it is just another line of code.
Looking at the manual's last page it shows the blue wire hooked as you have it but it is only a ground wire as part of the ground circuit. There should be another connection for this ground wire to the BOB as a return path for the signals Pin 12 goes to the BOB as the other wire for the Arc OK signal, without the ground there is not a complete circuit for the arc OK.
I don't know where you got the wiring diagram but the voltage divider output from the Plasma unit needs to go to the Proma input see that attache from their manual.

[AuMogul]

Can you add m07 and m08 to the top of you gcode ( edit it by hand) and load and run it

.... Does the voltage now display

I'll give it shot. I haven't figured out what M07 and M08 are. Any ideas? I know from GCode Wiki that M is for miscellaneous functions. So probably user or machine assigned functions, I'm guessing.

I gave the code a few tests with M07 and M08. M08 activates a relay #3 which is not wired for anything. M07 places the controller state in "HOLD." A little more testing around with the different M codes and learned the following:

M04 activates relay #2 (which is wired for the (+) red wire to the proma, and the brown wire from the CNC port for (+) DV 1:50). Which after looking back at my G-Code file, there is an M4 reference already in the code.

Unfortunately I'm trying to cut a piece of steel that is not perfectly flat and the plasma cutter keeps sliding the piece due to contact with sloped areas. Here is the beginning G-code for a file that runs fine, but the Proma does not activate:

****************************


G21
G17
G90
G38.2Z-500F1270
G92 x0 y0 z0
G0 Z50
G0X181.118Y8.024
G0
G38.2Z-500.0F1270.0
G92Z0.0
G0Z2.500
G92Z0.0
G0Z4.064
M3S1000
G4P0.4
G1Z3.048F508.0
M3S1000
G1X181.351Y8.393F1511.3
G1X181.497Y8.805
G1X181.547Y9.239
G1X181.499Y9.673
G1X181.356Y10.086
G1X181.124Y10.456
G1X180.816Y10.766
G1X180.717Y10.846
M4
G1X81.565Y90.324F2159.0
*************************************************

I feel like all the ingredients are there just something is crossed up or I'm not understanding the software right. I'm using. UGS with their post processing code and tools.

[AuMogul]

Ok M7 and 8 are for coolant signals, not needed for Plasma operations. Now looking are you diagram the pins 12 and 14 on the back of the plasma unit are for arc OK or move, these are signal wires and are just a switch to the the Software that the plasma stream is started. They should be treated like other signals as inputs to your BOB board, Now I cannot tell you where they go on the BOB for the software to see them. This signal is the start of the pierce the movement of the cutting action which cannot start without this signal as long as you are in THC mode. Non-THC it is just another line of code.

Just to update. The G-code files I'm using are being processed with the CNC table's post processing file (File was found on Delusional Design's website; which is DOWN right now) in SheetCam. All the G-Code files I've processed so far have been able to run through a complete cut without the Proma ever showing any sign of life. So whatever Arc Ok Move (Blue/WhiteBlue Wires) is doing, it doesn't matter or it's doing what it's supposed to. If the Arc Ok wires are a Switch, I couldn't measure any continuity off the blue wires when the Plasma Cutter was turned on. Which made me think there's something wrong with the blue wires, or I am completely wrong about them being the Arc Ok Move wires. This is with the wiring setup how it's shown in the picture I added to the OP. The cuts look beautiful on metal that is flat of course, but when I tried a slightly warped plate of steel the tip ran into it drug it off alignment.

[robertspark]

I mentioned m7 and M8 because the board is using a coolant signal to control the voltage to the SD proma

Screenshot_20200618-212844.png

... But I later read that you buy passed the relay for that thc hack signal....

[acourtjester]

Yes you can cut metal without a THC which you have done. Now to have the THC operational and the software is looking at it, it needs to be functional that is where you are at now. You can cut but no THC. You said you have power on the Proma does it light up?

[AuMogul]

Looking at the manual's last page it shows the blue wire hooked as you have it but it is only a ground wire as part of the ground circuit. There should be another connection for this ground wire to the BOB as a return path for the signals Pin 12 goes to the BOB as the other wire for the Arc OK signal, without the ground there is not a complete circuit for the arc OK.
I don't know where you got the wiring diagram but the voltage divider output from the Plasma unit needs to go to the Proma input see that attache from their manual.

Thank you Jester for looking into my situation. I need to look in to what you are talking about with the Blue wires. The wiring diagram is to show how I received the CNC table. I purchased the table from somebody who couldn't get it working, most likely due to lack of computer knowledge. The picture is to show what I'm working with , which is what I'm trying to understand. I don't know if it's completely correct. I know most of it is correct because I've been able to control the CNC movement and Plasma Cutter through the G-Code as I should be able to. The only feature I don't have operating is the Proma THC SD. From what I can see the (+) DV/1:50 connection from the Plasma cutter is run through a relay, and then on to the Proma. When I'm talking about BLUE/WHITEBLUE wires, I'm referencing the "Arc Ok/Move" wires that are coming from the CNC connector on the Everlast Cutter.

[AuMogul]

Yes you can cut metal without a THC which you have done. Now to have the THC operational and the software is looking at it, it needs to be functional that is where you are at now. You can cut but no THC. You said you have power on the Proma does it light up?

Yes you are exactly correct. Also, Yes the Proma does initiate at power up and cycles through a startup, ending on the "---" waiting for voltage signal. I have yet to get green LED with any of the indicators just above the "---" red voltage read out.

I've tried a few things, such as send a G-code command to through UGS to switch on the Relay for the Proma (+) wire. And then manually igniting the torch handle. No voltage readings are making it to the Proma. I've even tried wiring raw arc voltage to the Proma raw voltage connectors, from inside a plasma cutter. I still haven't been able to get a signal.

[acourtjester]

I looks like the wiring diagram you have is why the other guy could not get things going
I would forget about the relay board, for example wire from 12 goes to trigger relay 4 and nothing is hooked to relay 4 output contacts. Wire 12 and 14 should go to the Proma voltage divider input as shown from the manual page I attached. That should give you an indication on the proma when you are cutting. For power for the Proma just put a switch between the power supply and the proma to turn it on/off. get back to a basic wiring you can change it later if you get thing going. make sure you have the plus and minus hooked correctly.