Learn/GcodePilot/Automation & safety
Power Supply Link (RS-485)
Updated v2.5.4At a glance
- Sends the cut chart's amperage and cut mode straight to the plasma power supply at run start
- Hypertherm Powermax SYNC, Powermax 45XP-125 with the serial kit, and ThermaCut EX-TRAFIRE
- A power supply fault blocks Cycle Start and names it — gas, over-temp, consumables, retaining cap
- Live PSU readout in the toolbar: set vs actual amps and gas, cut mode, faults, cartridge life
- The front panel always comes back — on run end, Stop, alarm, reset and disconnect
- Monitor-only mode reads faults and live values without ever changing a setting
- Torch fire and arc voltage stay hardwired, so THC behaves exactly as before
Set the amperage once in the cut chart and it lands on the machine. GcodePilot talks to the plasma power supply over RS-485, pushing this program's amperage and cut mode into the unit at the start of every run and reading its faults and live values back — so a job never cuts at the last job's current because a setting got missed on the front panel.
It is a second serial connection, separate from the one driving motion, and it carries settings and status only. The torch fire signal and arc voltage stay exactly where they are, so Arc Voltage THC is completely unaffected.
Supported power supplies
| Power supply | What you need |
|---|---|
| Hypertherm Powermax SYNC (45/65/85/105) | RS-485 serial interface kit — 806710 for 65/85/105, 809930 for the 45 — plus a SmartSYNC torch for cartridge data |
| Hypertherm Powermax 45XP/65/85/105/125 | RS-485 serial interface kit |
| ThermaCut EX-TRAFIRE | The TC Interface upgrade kit and RS-485 cable |
On every one of these the serial interface is a field-fitted option — check whether yours actually has it before ordering a cable. On the PC side you need any USB-to-RS-485 adapter.
Setting it up
Machine Settings → Cutter → Power Supply Link (RS-485). The section only appears for power supplies that support it. Pick the serial port (the motion controller's port is filtered out — one port cannot carry both), set the node address to match your unit, and choose how much control to hand over:
- G-code controlled — the amperage and cut mode from the cut chart are sent at the start of each run, and the front panel is handed back when it ends.
- Monitor only — faults and live values are read, nothing is ever written. Useful if you prefer to dial the machine in yourself but still want fault reporting and cartridge tracking.
On an EX-TRAFIRE the node address is DIP switches inside the TC Interface module, or leave them all off for
automatic addressing. Its 9-pin connector wants pins 1 and 5 tied together to D+ and pins 4 and 6
tied together to D-, with pin 3 as ground — that tie-together is the single most common install mistake.
During a run
The amperage travels with the program: post it, load it, press Run, and the power supply is set before the torch fires. If the cut chart has no current for a row, or a nest mixes several different currents in one program, JetCad3 sends nothing and leaves the panel alone rather than guess — one program can only put the power supply in one state.
A fault stops the job before it starts. If the unit is reporting a gas problem, over-temperature, a consumables fault, a bad retaining cap or a phase problem, Cycle Start is blocked and tells you which one in plain language instead of a code. Faults that appear mid-cut are surfaced without interrupting the program.
The front panel always comes back. JetCad3 holds remote control only for the duration of the run and releases it the moment the run ends — including when you hit Stop, on an alarm, on a reset, and on disconnect. You will never be left standing at a power supply whose knob does nothing.
The PSU readout
A PSU pill appears on the toolbar whenever a link is configured. At a glance it shows the commanded
amperage, or FAULT in red, or dims when the link is down. Click it for the full picture: link and remote
state, set versus actual amperage and gas pressure, the active cut mode, any fault with its description, and
a hold-to-run gas test for checking your install without striking an arc.
On Powermax SYNC the popover also shows the smart cartridge's identity — its name, part number, rated amperage and its own cut counts, read from the cartridge itself rather than estimated from program runtime. That pairs naturally with the Consumable Tracker.
Bring-up check
With the link enabled, connect the machine and run a program. On an EX-TRAFIRE the unit's display shows AUTO while remote control is active; on a Powermax the front panel locks out. Both should return to normal the instant the run ends. If the pill reads Not responding, check D+/D- orientation, the 3-wire tie-together, that the node address matches the DIP switches, and that the interface kit is genuinely fitted.