This section is meant to serve as a guide for those learning the basics of troubleshooting controls related items
Case 1: Servicing of motor, XCS:USR:MMS:04, involved terminating of the upper and lower limit switch cables, which also included soldering cables onto the limit switches. It is important to note that the limit switch were previously functioning, in the same location along the beam line, indicating that control settings under the "IMS Motor Control–Main" screen were current. A motor with a similar setup located in CXI was used for the wiring diagram as shown in Image 2.
Image 1. CXI motor setup used to rewire XCS:USR:MMS:04.
| Thought Process | Action Taken | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Is there the ability to communicate with the motor and limit switches? | Accessed the IMS Motor Controls Screen to check communication with the motor. Please see Understanding the AUX screens to know more about IMS Screen Parameters. | The IMS Motor Controls Screen was greyed out, indicating a lack of all communication with the motor. |
Is it unable to communicate due to the lack of power? | Rechecked the connections to the port as well as the motor protection board. The IMS Motor Controls Screen Parameters were reconfirmed. | -While checking the different connections, it was noticed that the designated Port # on the IMS Control Screen, did not match the physical port. Both the power and communications cable were moved to the correct port. IMPORTANT: Notify and seek approval from the POC Controls prior to changing the port #. |
| After establishing communication, are both limits responding when depressed? | At this point, actuator movement was not necessary, since testing purposes only involved operation of the limit switches. Please see Limit Switch Selection for Mechatronics in L2SI (or the Bane of the Baumer) for more information regarding limit switches as well as the designated length of travel for a stage. This is an area covered by controls. Independently pressed each limit switch(both the upper and lower limits), while checking the IMS Motor Controls Screen to read any feedback. Feedback appears under the "Log Messages" section. | No, only the upper limit was working. Feedback message appeared as "Upper limit hit." One operating limit switch indicated that communication was established, ruling out potential issues upstream from the motor protection board. |
| Are cables for the lower limit switch correctly terminated? | The newly terminated cables as well as the soldering associated with the lower limit were inspected. Power supplied to the lower limit switch was checked. This was done by using a multimeter to check if a complete circuit was established on the Molex connections. Tip: Always check the reliability of the device used. In this case, the multimeter should be checked for continuity prior to use. | Continuity was confirmed, indicating proper termination and soldering. |
| Is the lower limit switch wired correctly? | Inconsistencies with wiring of the lower limit switch created by 2 independent people were discovered. | After rewiring the lower limit switch, according to the CXI motor setup used as reference, both lower limit switches were operational. Feedback message under the IMS Motor Controls Screen showed "Both limits hit" when the physically limits were depressed. |