FW: supertech failure analysis info

So, I laid out a line, with coordinates 1.6, 1.6 and
1.6,-1.6, -1.6,-1.6, -1.6,1.6, and 1.6,1.6.

Then I used the 'fill' command to fill it at .031 increments. Making a
pocket, you know? What happens, is it decrements all the way across on the
x axis, decrements y by the fill increment amount, increments back across on
x, and THEN the y-axis motor makes noise but nothing moves, then it
decrements x ok, then decrements y, then increments x, then screams with no
movement on y...etc.

I'm not a software guy, but I'll make a semi-educated guess...as I've
observed this, it appears that every Nth decrement-y move [where N is
possibly a random variable, different for each session I mean] it's like
only outputting one of the two quadrature signals to the motor.

As a check, I manually laid out to machine the same pocket, in a spiral
pattern:
1.6,1.6
1.6,-1.6
-1.6,-1.6
-1.6,1.6
1.6,1.6
1.57,1.57
1.57,-1.57
-1.57,-1.57
-1.57,1.57
1.57,1.57
1.54,1.54
1.54,-1.54
and so on. I got the values entered all the way down to 1.39,1.39 etc, and
it stepped right through the whole operation without a problem.

All that having been said, I'm thinking this is somehow software-related.
It fits with the prior history of occasionally [unpredictably] dropping
steps or omitting entire moves and scrapping a workpiece.

I'm going to have to find a solution one way or another...these issues have
been there to varying degrees all along, and I'm getting up against the wall
pretty hard here...as it stands now, until I can have confidence the machine
will work as intended I can't take in any more orders for product...that's
an issue. I'm in my 3rd year of being one of Super-Tech's unpaid beta
testers...actually I'm a "paid" beta tester--as in "I paid over $3000 for
the privilege."

I've communicated this failure info to Super-Tech and how they respond,
whether they will ontinue to support a product I haven't had satisfactory
results with from day one, will determine whether I ever even consider
buying another Super-Tech mill when this one wears out. Will keep everyone
posted...

Lurch