Chiller Alarm signal and Cable Troubleshooting guide for Water Protect Error

This is a guide to walk through troubleshooting a Water Protection Error when starting a job on your Laser

Preface:

Tools you will need:

Flat head screw driver

Phillips head screw driver

Multimeter

Paper clip or Wire jumper and possibly a helper

Things to be familiar with for the rest of this guide

Error Message on the machine controller screen:

LED 9 On the Controller indicates Water Protection is OK for Tube 1:

Pins on Chiller Alarm Cable:

Note that the pin layout is not the same on each end of the cable

When using a multimeter:

Open Circuit  (means no current can pass) = Bad

Closed Circuit Low Ohms (means current can pass) = Good

Basic Steps:

1. Check that chiller is on and not alarming

2. Check Alarm Cable Connections

Check that Chiller Alarm Cable is connected securely to the machine and to the back of the chiller

3. Check multi-tube setting

Check that multi-tube is not enabled in Lightburn under the Device Settings (edit> Device Settings)

4. Check machine settings

Check that the machine settings are correct for water protect signals (Edit>Machine Settings, then expand the vendor settings)

Advanced Troubleshooting:

Before you install or remove a jumper in any of the steps below, power off the machine.

1. Check wiring at the controller for tightness.

Pull the green plugs in CN5 and CN6 (if Blue wire on GND) and tighten the screws with the flat head screwdriver in your tool box. Wire may differ to where the Blue Gnd Wire is on CN6 instead of CN5.

Use the jumper to connect from CN5 GND or CN6 GND to CN5 WP1 pin. Check to see if LED9 Lights up. If it does, then goto the next step. Otherwise email support@thunderlaserusa.com and describe your issue and which step of this guide you completed.

2. Check Wiring at the machine socket.

Disconnect the Chiller Alarm Cable. Insert jumper so that H1 and H3 are jumpered on the machine socket. Hold the jumper so that H1 and H3 are jumpered on the machine socket (likely a 2 person job, one to Hold the Jumper and one to inspect the LED).

Check to see if LED9 Lights up. If it does, then goto the next step. Otherwise email support@thunderlaserusa.com and describe your issue and which step of this guide you completed.

3. Check the Chiller Alarm Cable.

Ohm between the ends of the cable. H1 to H1 and H3 to H3. You will need a multimeter for this step. Set the multimeter up to read Ohms. Place the leads of the multimeter on the H1 and H3 output pins.  Check for continuity by having a reading under 10 ohms or if your meter is set to BEEP you get the BEEP. 

Continuity/Short Check Tutorial

Here is a video on how to check for short circuits and continuity of the cable using a jumper or paperclip:

correction: in the above video, i said the diode check function was measuring voltage on the meter display and shows how much voltage it takes to forward bias the diode (well, i said resistor first by mistake as well) but that is incorrect. the diode test does measure the forward-biased resistance. sorry for the confusion.

4. Check that the Chiller output Signal is working.

You will need a multimeter for this step. Set the multimeter up to read Ohms. Place the leads of the multimeter on the H1 and H3 output pins. If you have verified the cable as being good in the above step, then you can use the cable attached to the chiller for easier reach, just disconnect the other end from the machine and test. Check for continuity by having a reading under 10 ohms or if your meter is set to BEEP you get the BEEP. Power off the chiller and see if the connection for H1 and H3 Drops out and the beep stops and the resistance shows open circuit. If you made it this far and everything checks out, but you are still getting a water protect error, then check out the reference articles below and email support@thunderlaserusa.com and describe your issue and which step of this guide you completed.

5. Unplug the chiller and remove the cover.

Inspect the terminations at the chiller socket and at the relay. Use a multimeter to check continuity from the Red, Blue and Black wires to the pins on the socket. Red and Black are the critical wires.

Wires on Relay:

States: Chiller off or alarm mode: Red to Blue will have continuity, Chiller on and not alarmed Red to Black will have continuity

Example of a broken wire at the socket:

Reference Articles:

How To Use A Multimeter

Thunder Laser Chiller Alarm Interconnect Specifications

Chiller Diagnostics & Theory Of Operation

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