X32 Malfunction/Not Recognized

Got a new desktop PC so moving old one to replace laptop to run LEAD 1010. Reset old desktop to new and started over there so CNC will be the only thing running on it. Had BlackBox4X running with laptop. Only issue was having to unplug and plug the USB in to get it to recognize it each time I turn laptop on.

Set up desktop at the machine and went to plug in USB and the outer shield of the USB sparked. Like it was grounding out while plugging it in. Once plug was inserted then Black Box shut off and came back on. I unplugged it thinking maybe I had jostled some wiring around and shorted something. Wiring confirmed good. Double checked getting 24V from power supply and polarity is correct. Plugged 4X into laptop and it doesn't even recognize anything was plugged in. Figure I bricked it. Odd that I don't get the sparking on any other USB device plugged into the desktop (mouse/keyboard/speaker power), but those aren't powered.

Ordered X32 and once here I only plugged in power (24V) and USB. Nothing else has been connected. Got the same spark on the desktop case so did not even try to insert plug into USB port. Plugged it into laptop and it says that the device malfunctioned and Windows does not recognize it. It won't even allow me to install driver for it.

Obviously there is an issue with the USB ports grounding to the case in the desktop as I don't get that with the laptop. Any suggestions to get the laptop to recognize the X32?

Thanks in advance.

 

Just checked it and the PC is grounded.

 

Not sure what that could be. I had only the 24V power plug in and the USB cord that came with the X32. Confirmed that the polarity is correct on the 24V and that I have 24V coming out.

Any suggestions for getting the X32 to show up on the laptop?

 

Thanks David.

I have gone through the documentation multiple times and double checked everything. I went ahead and pre-installed the FTDI drivers again on the laptop. I still get the same device malfunctioned and Windows does not recognize it.

I did a little troubleshooting on the PC grounding issue. I have confirmed the PC is grounded. I have ran a ground wire between the 24V power supply case, the black box case, and the PC case. Everything is grounded and I still get the spark. Still have not plugged the X32 into PC USB for fear of bricking it like I think I did the 4X.

I have some USB test leads so I can check voltages and found something interesting. If the 24V power supply is off, there is no sparking on the PC case. Turn the 24V power supply on, leaving black box off, there is spark. I used a multimeter to check the voltage (VDC) and if I put a probe on the black USB wire coming out of the black box and the other on the PC case, it shows 24V. Same voltage reading if I test it from shielding to PC case.

Does that give anyone any ideas? Since the X32 says it's malfunctioning and can't be recognized, does that mean it's fried already? It was never plugged into the PC and has had nothing else plugged into it yet (motors, limit switches, etc.).

 

Let me clarify -

I have only plugged in the USB cord and the 24V power into the black box. When I went to plug the USB into the PC I got the same sparking as I did with the 4X box, so I have not plugged the X32 black box USB into the PC. I did plug the 4X box USB in fully and I think that bricked it. I have not done that with the X32. I instead plugged it into the laptop that was running the 4X as I knew that I had been running the machine on that for the last couple of years. When I plugged the X32 USB into the laptop is when I got the error that it doesn't recognize the device.

So I have only had the USB and power plugged in on the X32 on the laptop. I agree that there is some issue with the PC as it was the only thing that changed in my setup and bricked the 4X. I had no issues with the PC in the house for 5 years and only replaced it to upgrade. Am unsure where this shorting issue came from as nothing changed on the PC except for wiping it and starting over.

So basically you are saying that I will have to buy another black box?

 

OK. I got the SiLabs driver installed on the laptop and still will not recognize X32.

Guess I'll be ordering another black box.

Thanks for your help!

 

Just wanted to provide an update about my issues...

First. let, me say that I am impressed by the support team at Openbuilds. They gave me some trouble shooting things to try and we were finally able to narrow it down to the power case. Once I removed that and hooked everything up direct to the power supply the grounding issue was gone. Something inside the power case must have went haywire and it was shorted. I put the power case back on to confirm that was the issue - and then couldn't get it to do it. Maybe was an intermittent problem? How it worked for so long with the laptop I'll never know. I'm guessing because it was a plastic case? The guys at openbuilds said they have never seen that before and sent me a new power case and a black box. I've been up and running for about a month now and having no issues and am using the desktop as I intended when this problem showed itself. I sent the power case back to them so they can troubleshoot what happened.

It's great to know that these guys are committed and stand behind their product(s). I really appreciate all they did for me and I also appreciate the responses I received here in the forum. I didn't feel like anyone was "talking down" to me because I'm new in the forum and that was my first post.

Thanks all for your help.