Applies to

• Platesetter 3244
• Trendsetter 3244
• Trendsetter Spectrum
• Proofsetter Spectrum
• VLF Platesetter
• VLF Trendsetter

Machines affected

Error number

7005:CARRIAGE: operation timed out

Component

Problem

The usual troubleshooting procedure has been to replace the carriage driver board and motor and/or lower carriage mspeed from 2000 to 800 mil/sec, but this hasn’t solved the problem.

Symptoms

1. Carriage stalls, but you can hear a humming sound from the motor. Turning the leadscrew by hand sometimes restarts the carriage.
2. Subscan scale errors, overlapping swaths seen on image.
3. After finishing an image, the carriage moves to the position where it expects to find the edge of the plate and does not re-home itself.  It's an open loop system, so if it stalled anywhere, it would go to the wrong position for edge detect.
4. Error messages 7003 or 7005 are displayed.

Causes and solutions

Before you attempt a solution, do the following:

1. It is not yet known if this problem is firmware-related or not. To help the firmware engineers analyze this problem, save workstation log file with verbose all 1 and verbose carriage 2, and forward to the appropriate Response Center product specialist.
2. Check carriage NVS parameters, and compare them to the initial parameters set by production (see the appropriate Factory Settings page). If necessary, change parameters back to factory settings.
3. Run the carriage at maxium speed: Enter carriage moveto 44000 2000, and then enter carriage home.
4. Perform visual mechanical check of the carriage, leadscrew, and track conditions. Things to look for:

• Contamination of lubricant or debris in track wipers
• Leadscrew centered in hole where it passes through carriage; not touching at any point.

3. If necessary, perform one of the procedures below:

• Cause 1: Leadscrew not centered
• Cause 2: Flex tube distorted, setscrew too tight
• Cause 3: Mechanical interference on carriage
• Cause 4: Too much grease on leadscrew
• Cause 5: Leadscrew pulley slippage
• Cause 6: Fan failure on carriage stepper motor (VLF Platesetter/VLF Trendsetter only)
• Cause 7: Motor and/or Cable Problem
• Cause 8: Drum Speed Set Too Low on Blank Media Slot

Cause 1: Leadscrew not centered

Solution: If the leadscrew is not centered in the hole where it passes through the carriage, use the ballscrew alignment jig procedure to center it.

Cause 2: Flex tube distorted, setscrew too tight

Solution:  A setscrew is used to attach the away end of the flex tube to the ballscrew nut. If the setscrew is too tight, it may bend the end of the flex tube, causing it to drag on the leadscrew.  To check, send the carriage to the away position, undo the setscrew, and inspect the end of the flex tube. Make sure that the end of the flex tube is not distorted, and that it is centered around the leadscrew.

Cause 3: Mechanical interference on carriage

Solution:  After inspecting the flex tube in the previous procedure, roll the carriage along the track and ensure that it is not binding or getting stuck anywhere. Watch the cable track too, and make sure that it does not interfere with carriage movement.  If you feel “bumps” during carriage travel, inspect the rails for debris.  Clean and regrease with NSK #1 grease if necessary.

Cause 4: Too much grease on leadscrew

Solution: Too much grease can cause carriage stalling.  Only a small amount of grease is required to lubricate the leadscrew. When applying NSK #1 grease, just apply a 5 mm wide line along the leadscrew to the depth of the threads.

Cause 5: Leadscrew pulley slippage

Solution: Inspect the pulley at the away end of the leadscrew.  During manufacturing, a stripe of nail polish is applied across the pulley and end of the leadscrew.  If the pulley slipped, the nail polish line will be broken and it will not line up. Also, hold the leadscrew firmly, and try to rotate the pulley.  It should not slip on the leadscrew shaft.

Cause 6: Fan failure on carriage stepper motor (VLF Platesetter/VLF Trendsetter only)

If the fan mounted on the carriage stepper motor fails, the carriage motor will get very hot. This could lead to stalling or motor failure.

Solution: Check the electrical connections to the fan and fix as required. If the fan itself has failed, replace it with a new one. (This fan should be replaced once a year during a PM visit.)

Cause 7: Motor and/or Cable Problem

Check the CM.LIMIT LED on the ALE board when the carriage is stalled. If it is illuminated, it indicates that the carriage limit signal is active. This signal is no longer used and is masked in the NVS. This signal is hard-wired to the carriage driver board and will disable the carriage driver, regardless of the nvs setting. If it is active, it indicates that the HA-BP cable is bad, or that the carriage home/away board is the wrong type or it is faulty. It is possible that the ALE board is bad, but it is most likely the HA-BP cable.

Solution:

If visual inspection did not reveal any problems:

1. Reseat the carriage motor drive board and cables by disconnecting and reconnecting them.
    
   Note: On the Platesetter 3244, the carriage motor driver electronics are part of the ALE board in the card cage. In this case, try reseating the ALE board.
    
2. Run the carriage at maximum speed to see if it still stalls.

If reseating the drive board and cables doesn’t work:

1. Disconnect the choke (inductive filter on the cable connecting drive board to the motor) found inside the power box.
2. Run carriage at maximum speed to see if it still stalls.
3. If carriage doesn’t stall, replace choke (10-3790A-A) and send the defective one to the Response Center, addressed to the appropriate product specialist.

If  the choke is not the problem:

1. Check power supply on the drive board for correct voltages.
2. Troubleshoot any incorrect voltages.
3. Run carriage at maximum speed to see if it still stalls.

If the power supply is not the problem, order the following parts:

^*for all 3244-based machines except Platesetter 3244

Note: If you suspect the carriage stepper motor drive board, and you have a digital multimeter and analog or digital oscilloscope with you, you may want to perform the carriage electronics troubleshooting procedure rather than wait for a new drive board to arrive.

When the parts arrive:

1. Replace the stepper motor cable.
2. Run the carriage at maximum speed to see if it still stalls.
3. If the new cable fixes the problem, return the old one to the Response Centre, addressed to the appropriate product specialist.

If the stepper motor cable is not the problem:

1. Disassemble motor and belt, and rotate motor by hand, checking to see if the rotation is smooth and even, without any “bumps.”
2. Reassemble motor and belt, making sure that belt has correct tension (not too tight).
3. Run the carriage at maximum speed to see if it still stalls.
4. If the new motor fixes the problem, return the old one to the Response Centre, addressed to the appropriate product specialist.

If the stepper motor is not the problem:

1. Replace stepper motor drive board with the new one.
2. Run the carriage at maximum speed to see if it still stalls.
3. If the new drive board fixes the problem, return the old one to the Response Centre, addressed to the appropriate product specialist.

Cause 8: Drum Speed Set Too Low on Blank Media Slot

When an NVS drum speed value is set too low, the carriage may stall intermittently. In addition, it may only stall at high speed but not at low speed.

Solution: Inspect ALL 16 hdm drum_speed settings (including blank media). All drum speed should be set to 50 rpm or higher. For blank/empty media, if the drum speed is below 50, change it to the factory default (150rpm). For valid media, if the drum speed is below 50, contact the Response Center to obtain the proper setting for the media. After saving the changes, reset the machine so the new setting will take effect.

See also

• Belt wear
• Carriage stuck at home position
• Carriage stalls during retrace
• Carriage motor shaft slips inside the drive pulley
• Subscan or mainscan scale errors
• Carriage electronics troubleshooting

Technical Contact(s)

Al Edge

Date Submitted

1 April, 1999