H100 VFD getting Alarm 14, but it worked with FluidNC...

[machinedinwood]

I'm running a Root Controller ISO v3, using the web builder to generate GRBLHAL firmware. EVERYTHING except for the H100 VFD, connected via rs485, is working exactly as expected. The VFD DID work when it was running FluidNC on the same hardware setup, so I have to suspect some kind of config/software issue, but I can't figure it out.

I have verified what appears to be clean rs485 comms using a scope, so I don't have any reason to suspect any kind of wiring issue. As far as I can tell, all pin mappings are correct for the Root CNCv3 board as described when clicking the 'board map' button on the Web Builder.

In summary, this system was 100% functional with the out of the box FluidNC install. I wiped out FluidNC, installed GRBLHAL and the spindle doesn't work anymore.

I'm at a complete loss on this. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Edit: Also, to be clear, this isn't an error being generated when trying to run the spindle - this is immediately upon booting or resetting the controller and it never goes away.

UPDATE: I reinstalled FluidNC back onto the controller so that I could see if everything worked as it did before, or did I mess something up along the way. It worked as it did before. While I had it working, I put a scope on the rs485 and verified that the signal wasn't wildly different from what I was getting with GRBLHAL and it wasn't, so rs485 IS working.

So, I can rule out a any type of hardware issue since I know that the VFD is talking via rs485, the spindle turns when commanded to and the controller wiring to the VFD is functional. I'm pretty confident that I tried every possible GRBL setting in ioSender (which is f'ing awesome, BTW...) so I believe this is either in source code or the web builder.

After reading through the source for this, I found line 171 in h100.c has a todo comment about not raising an alarm… If I had any idea how to compile this on my own, I could probably fix this… I haven’t been able to figure out how to compile this, what tool chain is required etc. I used to do software work, but it’s been a while. I’m a wood worker now…

[terjeio]

Is the baud rate correct? grblHAL defaults to 19200, I believe FluidNC defaults to 9600. $374=2 sets it to 9600. The default Modbus address for the VFD is 1 - use $360 to change it if not correct.
I do not have a RootCNC controller to test with so I use a dev board instead - and that communicates with the VFD as it should.
FYIO the pin mapping for grblHAL is based on data from this webpage.

[machinedinwood]

It’s set to 19200 in FluidNC and the VFD, which is the default. I’ll have to switch back and double check, but I’m 99% sure that I was seeing call and response signals on the scope even when it wasn’t working, so I don’t think it’s a baud rate issue. I’ll double check either way.

I really want to make this work. I’ve been running Masso G3s and they feel ancient compared to this. The jerk control alone… brilliant. This is amazing work you’ve done here.

[terjeio]

Can you power cycle the controller, connect with a terminal, send $MODBUSSTATS and post the result?

[machinedinwood]

[MSG:Info: TX: 151, retries: 15, timeouts: 150, RX exceptions: 0, CRC errors: 0]

Edit: FWIW, I can see what appears to be good comms on the scope...

[terjeio]

The controller has an onboard RS-485 chip that requires a direction signal and that was not enabled by the Web Builder, should be ok now. from the $pins report:

[PIN:4,Aux out 0,Modbus RX/TX direction]
[PIN:I2S0,Aux out 1,P0]
[PIN:I2S1,Aux out 2,P1]
[PIN:34,RX,Primary UART]
[PIN:35,TX,Primary UART]
[PIN:16,RX,Modbus]
[PIN:17,TX,Modbus]

[machinedinwood]

CONFIRMED!!!!!!!!

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your time and effort not just for looking into this issue, but for moving grbl forward the way you have. Over the past week I’ve been inspired to pick up an extra ESP32 and learn more. In my previous career, I was actually doing software development full time, but it was something I picked up along the way and I was completely self taught on mostly very niche systems that we developed internally. That knowledge and experience has no value outside of Bose, but this rekindled that curiosity again.

Now I just have 2 more machines to convert from Masso G3 to grblHAL………..

[machinedinwood]

Just to follow up on this after a couple of days - it still does throw the occasional Alarm 14, but now when you unlock the machine the alarm goes away. It seems to happen if the machine has been sitting for a while.