Troubleshooting

We aim to make any product as plug and play as possible, though sometimes challenges crop up right out of the box or years down the road. See below for solutions to common operational challenges.

Motion

Issue	Checkpoint
Motion is not smooth	Confirm cable is wrapped correctly on the drum.
Confirm cable rigged correctly maintaining a fleet angle less than 1.5 degrees.
Confirm cable path and scenery is clear of obstructions.
Check PID tuning in Spikemark: Proportional Gain = 6 Derivative Gain = 0 Integral Gain = 0
Motor is spinning, drum is not moving	Confirm drive chain is connected and intact and under tension.

Rigging

Issue	Checkpoint
Cable is rubbing on keeper	Re-rig so the cable is on the correct side of the keeper.
Cable not aligned with drum grooves	Verify that your fleet angle is less than 1.5 degrees.
Machine is experiencing faults at repeating locations	Verify that your cable at its termination point is flat against the cable groove and not catching the cable keeper.

Onboard Stagehand Display

Stagehand Display	Checkpoint
E STOP + IP Address	The E-stop cable is unplugged or the E-stop is engaged.
DISCONNECTED + IP Address	Machine is on and ready to connect to Spikemark.
CONNECTED + IP Address	Machine is on and connected to Spikemark.
SET IP	Confirm the IP Address is correct, use the scroll wheel to highlight OK and click.
SET SUBNET	Confirm display shows 255.255.255.0, use the scroll wheel to highlight OK and click.
DRIVE FAULT	The Servo Drive is in a fault state, reset from Spikemark or by removing the main power at the breaker for 30 seconds.
FWD LIMIT + IP Address	The Forward limit is engaged. Adjust set screw of rotary limit, manually jog off the limit, verify that the cable keeper is resting correctly against the cable on the drum.
REV LIMIT + IP Address	The Reverse limit is engaged. Adjust position of roller arm limit switch or manually jog off the limit.
ULT Limit + IP Address	The Forward Ultimate or Reverse Ultimate limit is engaged or the cable keepers has engaged a cross grove detection. First, manually jog off the limit. Next, verify that the cable keeper is resting correctly against the cable on the drum. Last, adjust the set screw of the rotary limit.
Blank Display	Check main power and local breaker.

Faults

One of the great features of the Spotline Mini is the inclusion of a dedicated safety PLC that monitors 8 different conditions. The conditions are monitored through different types of sensors and then communicated from the safety PLC to your Stagehand Motion Control Card inside the electrical enclosure of the Spotline Mini. These conditions are:

1. E-Stop - The e-stop on your Showstopper is engaged.

2. Overspeed Detection - The drum is moving faster than the rated speed of the motor.

3. Speed Deviation (Speed Delta) - Occurs when the drum encoder and motor encoder are not in sync with each other.

4. Drive Fault - There is an error with the drive inside the control cabinet.

5. Forward Limit - The motor has been run too far in the forward direction.

6. Ultimate Limit - The motor has been run too far in the reverse direction.

7. Cross-Grooved Detection - The wire rope has jumped a groove on the drum.

8. Load Brake Error - There is an error with the external load brake.

Even though there are 8 conditions being monitored, the controller on the Spotline Mini only will show 4 types of faults on your OLED screen. These faults are E-Stop, Drive Fault, Ultimate Limit, and Brake Fault. These categories are differentiated not only for safety, but also so that you can have an easier time narrowing down what could be causing problems. If you experience a fault that is listed in column C of the Truth Table below, use the column A inputs (conditions) to discover what could be causing this fault and where to look first to solve your fault.

FAULT TRUTH TABLE

Inputs	Outputs
Actual Error	Stagehand Display	Hoist Action
E-stop	E-Stop	Halt
Over Speed	E-Stop	Halt
Speed Deviation	E-Stop	Halt
Drive Fault	Drive Fault	Halt
Fwd Ult	Ult Limit	Halt
Rev Ult	Ult Limit	Halt
X-Groove	Ult Limit	Halt
Load Brake Error	Brake Fault	Halt

If an E-stop fault is displayed, either you have an e-stop button engaged, a disconnected e-stop cable, Over Speed detection, or a Speed Deviation (Speed Delta) detection. If you are experiencing an E-stop fault and if you have made sure that you have disengaged your e-stop, you will need to cycle power on your Spotline Mini to clear your Over Speed detection or your Speed Deviation fault.

If a Drive Fault is displayed, you have a drive fault. There are different categories of drive faults that are managed by our safety control circuit inside of the machine. For most drive faults, you can reset the drive in Spikemark by clicking on the “reset drive” button in the drive settings. If you are unable to reset the drive in Spikemark, you will need to cycle power on the Spotline Mini to clear the Drive Fault.

If an ULT Limit is displayed, either you have engaged the forward or reverse ultimate limit. To clear this limit, Jog your machine off of the ultimate limit. If you are not on a forward or reverse ultimate limit, you likely have the cross groove detection engaged. Make sure that the aircraft cable has not cross-grooved on the drum and that the cable keeper is riding nicely against the drum.

If you're NOT actually cross-grooved, and you are seeing spurious Ultimate Limit faults, use the socket head cap screws to adjust the sensitivity of the switches. The more threads that are towards the switches, the LESS sensitive the switches are to movement.

Cross Goove Switches

If a Brake Fault is displayed, you have a problem with the wiring of your brake. If you experience a brake fault, your machine is likely in need of repair and you should give us a call at 401-289-2942 x2, or drop us a line at [e-mail]

Connection/Power

Issue	Checkpoint
Stagehand display is blank	Confirm machine power is connected and the local breaker is ON.
Able to manually jog the machine from the Stagehand but unable to connect through Spikemark	Confirm IP Address is set correctly on the Stagehand, in your computer’s network settings, as well as in Spikemark.
Confirm Ethernet cable is connected.
Confirm network switch is connected and powered on.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you get stuck, we’re here to help. The best way to get in touch with a tech expert is via email - even during normal business hours - because most days we are spread around the shop and may not be near the phone. There’s someone in the office from 8:30a-5pm EST Monday - Friday and will return an email or phone call quickly. After hours (honestly when most tech support issues arise) we have a crack team monitoring email and voicemail who will respond quickly to help get you moving.

• Online: www.creativeconners.com

• Email: [e-mail]

• Phone: [phone] x2