Stagehand Pro 4: Troubleshooting
If you’ve reached this section of the manual, things aren’t going well. Take a look at some of the common problems and solutions.
Common Problems
The motor will not run either from the jog controls or Spikemark
Confirm that the VFD Keypad is in EXT mode, not PU mode (press the PU/EXT button to change)
Confirm that the Stagehand is connected to a Showstopper 4 Base (or similar) and the E-Stop is released
Confirm that there isn’t a drive fault registered on the status displays. If so, press the RESET button on the VFD keypad.
Confirm that there isn’t a limit fault on the status display. If so, either move off the limit or use the Limit Override buttons to temporarily defeat it.
When running forward, the encoder position decreases. When running reverse, the encoder position increases
The encoder and motor have electrically inverse polarity. You need to either change the motor wiring or the encoder wiring.
To re-wire the motor to match the encoder polarity, swap two power legs on the motor by swapping the wires on Pin 1 and Pin 2 inside the motor plug.
To re-wire the encoder to match the motor polarity, swap signal A with signal B Swap signal /A with signal /B. You may need to rewire both the Position and Speed encoder signals.
The OLED status display is dark, but the main power indicator is on.
The motion controller may be disconnected internally, to fix it:
Unplug the power cord from the Stagehand.
Remove the top cover of the Stagehand
Check that all terminal blocks/RJ45 connectors are securely mated onto the circuit board.
Motor runs roughly or makes strange noises when jogging manually.
The Stagehand is rolling through FWD/REV/ULTIMATE LIMIT faults and the motor won’t move.
Make sure the Sensor Input cable is plugged into the rear of the Stagehand.
Check the placement of your limit switches, if both are physically activated, adjust the placement to clear one or both switches.
Check the limit switch wiring, confirm that the switches are wired Normally Closed (N.C.)
I’m trying to jog the motor, but the status display shows “SET IP” or “SUBNET”
The motion controller is in IP Address setting mode, which happens when the knob is pressed (either intentionally or just bumped in passing). Turn the knob until the cursor is blinking over the word CANCEL and then press the knob. The motion controller will now be in normal mode and can jog the motor again.
Drive faults whenever the motor tries to move.
There are a few reasons why the drive may be faulting. The first step is to look up the fault code in the Mitsubishi manual that is shown on the VFD keypad, or read the description in Spikemark. Here are some possible codes and solutions:
ETHN – overload caused either by too much load, or failure of the brakes to release. Make sure the brake(s) are wired correctly and plugged in.
ELF – output phase loss caused by the motor being disconnected. Make sure the motor is properly wired and plugged into the Sensor Input.
EOSD – speed deviation error. Caused by a mismatch between encoder feedback and command motor speed. Make sure the Speed Encoder is properly wired and plugged in.
EECT – encoder signal loss. The Speed Encoder is disconnected, make sure it’s wired up and plugged in.
EOS – over speed. The motor was running faster than the maximum value programmed for the drive. This usually means the motor was in free fall. Remove the load from the motor and begin testing in a controlled environment to determine if the machine is healthy.
Last updated