My light bulb moment was indeed true.
Managed to get a few minutes on the machine, uploaded my latest test and 99% success, cutter works, feed ok, clamp ok, stamping ok, sheet counters not????
The major change I made was to bring the whole auto process into one subroutine, before I was trying to share the cut / feed cycles with the manual code - bad idea, it's a sequential process and it seems happiest when run as a sequence.
The counters - there are two, one is a batch counter(C1) the other counts how many cuts per feed we need(C2), usually one but can be three. Neither counter is incrementing.
They are both triggered on the the final state (S9),when the cut cycle completes it jumps to S9, in S9 I test to see if C2/DN if yes then loop to start, if no then loop to feed start so we get a series of feed-cut until C2/DN is true.
Obviously without the counters incrementing, it loops endlessly.
The auto run sequences are in a subroutine and the states/outputs are in the main ladder, I did this because I need access to the various outputs from the manual sequences.
Possibly a scan cycle issue I am not seeing?
Its definitely hitting S9 but the counters are not moving.
Edit...
I have just re-read my code and the S9 rung has an OSR in it, would that upset the counters?
I am guessing it will, it's not needed any more as the states take care of the pulse so I'm pulling it out.
Will not be able to test until January now
but I am very confident now, especially so as the rest of the sequence worked perfectly.
I can write the manual sequences at home over the break, at least I know what goes on now.