Polar 80 "Light Barrier Interrupted" Error

[Michael Rylander]

Hello, I recently acquired a 2002 Polar 80.

It had a bit of damage in shipping to the left light barrier.

Taking off the cover off the barrier reveals that the PC board and UV receptors are intact.

The cutter powers up fine, back gauge moves, screen functions, and the blower works. But when attempting to make a cut, we get the "Light Barrier Interrupted" message and the two red LEDs.

So far:
Checked to make sure both barriers are 90 degrees to the machine.
Removed covers of both left and right housings, inspected all the infrared emitters and receivers.
Blew out dust and cleaned the red acrylic covers.

Any ideas? Thank you in advance.

 

[Mathew]

Hello Michael,
It looks the light barriers are not aligned as it shows the 2 x RED LEDs on transmitter (left) are ON. While there is no obstacles, it shows 4 x LEDs horizontally. I recommend to align the receiver (right box) 90 degrees against the table, then loose the other one and start playing with until you reach to the right alignment.

Good luck,

 

[Michael Rylander]

Thank you very much Mathew. This is my first Polar cutter and I'm at loss where to go from here. I aligned both the receiver (right box) and the emitter (right box) 90 degrees against the table, but still get 1-4 off and 5-6 on. Are there any other diagnostic tests or hints?

 

[Mathew]

You are welcome
One or more sensors may be misaligned due to the damage. If you're familiar with electronics, you should measure the voltage between the sensor pins on the receiver (right bar).

 

[Umbrellawest716]

Have you resolved your issue? Your red LED pattern indicated it believes the light barrier has been obstructed since the power was turned on. Voltage to each side of the light barrier should be confirmed at both 12 and 24 volts DC. to eliminate a faulty power supply.

 

[Michael Rylander]

Issue is resolved. After days of testing and troubleshooting, we decided the problem was most likely in the left hand light barrier computer board. I found a (used) replacement and it works perfectly. Even though the old board had no physical damage and looked perfect, there must have been a failure in a circuit or connection. Thanks for your help!

 

[Umbrellawest716]

Great news. As a servicing dealer in New York for these paper cutters since 2000 we still have many in the field that we support. If you need assistance in the future please feel free to reach out comgraph.service@gmail.com