New Project with Mesa 7I96 and THCAD-05

Man I have tried everything something is interfering with the ok to move pins on plasma I even by passed the interface card and tried to go directly to the j10 connector on my plasma where the interface card connects to and I just get a solid light now not flickering but it’s suppose to be a open circuit cause the machine if off. I need the card installed cause of the divided voltage and the start and stop. Will get with thermal dynamics again and trouble shoot with them for the 3rd time and see what say.

I need the post processor file for plasmac and sheetcam cause my Z drive all the way up and just continues to drive up when it can’t get arc when I tried to do a test cut and finding out about the arc ok issue. Where can I find that post processor file at for sheetcam?

The parts may as well stay in Texas. Email me a price at

TexasCNC wrote:

Man I have tried everything something is interfering with the ok to move pins on plasma I even by passed the interface card and tried to go directly to the j10 connector on my plasma where the interface card connects to and I just get a solid light now not flickering but it’s suppose to be a open circuit cause the machine if off. I need the card installed cause of the divided voltage and the start and stop. Will get with thermal dynamics again and trouble shoot with them for the 3rd time and see what say.

I need the post processor file for plasmac and sheetcam cause my Z drive all the way up and just continues to drive up when it can’t get arc when I tried to do a test cut and finding out about the arc ok issue. Where can I find that post processor file at for sheetcam?

forum.linuxcnc.org/plasmac/38427-plasmac-post-on-sheetcam

I had issues also when I first did mine. I didnt read this whole thread and I dont know how your setup but once I installed QTplasmac everything started to come into play and it is much easier to configure and work with.

Start with checking halshow and see if it is beinig triggered properly, if not then disconnect from plasma and physically short the wires and see if it is experiencing the same behaviour. Check with halscope and see what is happening with the input. You have the tools to fix it, but you have to apply the proper troubleshooting behaviour or else your just running in circles.

There is a boatload of help here. I got really frustrated with mine and ran in circles for days until I listened and checked closely what phil, tommy, rod and pcw was telling me.

Why dont you load something up in linuxcnc to cut, remove the ark ok wires from the plasma cutter. Cut the file normally, when you get the arc, short the arc ok wires in your hand or connect them to a switch or something. If it works then you know where to start looking further.

I did do that I ran a simple job to cut a circle and it just pierced and didn’t move and gave an error that arc was lost. Yes I disco the arc ok wires from plasma and short the wires and the led comes on fine. The plasma is off and ground clamp off from table and I connect the wires to the interface cnc cable one to 24v and the other to input pin and the arc ok light is off normal but when I connect the ground clamp to table the light start to flicker. I used my volt meter to check continuity just make sure wires were correct and all is correct. I bypassed the interface card went to pin 1 and 3 on the plasma board as I followed the schematic from my machine and when I place the wires from input to pin 1 and +24v to pin 3 the led stays lit on GUI. I switched wires around and still the same going to call TD right now and see what else I can do.

Will do… let me call thermal dynamics and see what else it can be and if no fix is found I can email you.

tried to do the post processor from that link and loaded it on sheetcam and gives me error can you post the sheetcam PP here that way i know which to use cause that other link has a couple and they say they for fusion360 and other programs. The current one I am using i tried for a test cut and when it errors out it drives my Z axis all the way where it bottoms out and tries to go more causing the z axis to crash and i have to turn off machine that it doesnt mess up my Z. On my other machine I am using a proma. Thought it would work here with this setup but no it doesnt.

You have three or 4 different things going on and some are related. Fix one thing first. The ark ok.

Then move on to the next issue.

IF you disconnected the arc ok wires from the plasma and short them and you can see it in Lcnc, then run a job and you do the arc ok with the two wires. Short them and see if it works. It looks like to me the issue is the plasma board. Check voltages on what they say is a dry contact. I'm betting it is not a dry contact.

A place to start........

Yes I was trying to run a job but the z axis drives up thinking I don’t have the correct post processor. But anyways what did try was shorting out the 2 wires like you said and ran a job and it was able to run it so I know the config is right. I talked to TD again today and they said that my relay in interface board might be bad and to return it. So I decided to troubleshoot more on my own I got my hand torch and triggered the torch to cut something on table manually and ohmed out the arc ok pins on the interface board and it closes the the relay I also check the voltage on the divided pins and was able to get what I have it set at. So I think the board is good it’s open loop when idle and then activate the torch and cut something there with my hand torch and the loop closes on the arc ok wires. The thing is that as soon as I connect 1 wire from interface cable the led start flickering I even ran both wires to ground one to input on board and the other to ground just for kicks and the led is still flickering on GUI. Not sure what else to check