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Bad stepper

Discussion in 'Trouble Shooting - Support - Help Section' started by filthybeast, Mar 26, 2009.

  1. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    1st prob already :cry: one of the steppers does not respond during testing. I followed the video step by step and after hooking it all up noticed one of the leds were not lit on the controll board, I double checked all connections & there tight & in the right spots. The stepper in question feels different than the others, the other 2 spin freely with a slight ratcheting feel when connected to the board, while the offending 1 I can not turn at all, feels frozen?

    I also have puter probs, its way to slow and am going to have to get another, mach3 barely runs, but I believe this is unrelated to the unresponding stepper.

    Help!
     
  2. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    Try connecting the stepper in question to one of the other working control outputs.

    If you have a good digital ohm meter, read the resistance across each coil. Should be in 9 to 15 ohm range.
     
  3. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    Good call flash, seems to be the x axis on the controller, the resistance on the stepper was 10ohms for each coil, seems right in range. Checked the other 2 steppers as well and all coils on all 3 steppers were 10ohms.
    The x axis remains unfuntional with any stepper, no visible breaks in the filament on the fuse but swapped it out anyway and still no go-
     
  4. Evil-Tunes

    Evil-Tunes Moderator Staff Member

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    FB
    You might want to try the chip swapping next. When the chips go the light will not light .
    make sure there is no power to the board when you change them out. I lost a chip by not powering the board down while swapping the chips out.


    Cheers E-T
     
  5. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    Well, I pulled the heat sinks off of the x & y axis and was going to try the chip swapping but man, them things are in there, I thought I was going to break the plastic housing it sits in, after several failed attemps and the sound of crushing plastic I gave up in disgust and just put the heat sinks back on.
    After all that I still wasnt ready to give up and hooked it all back up for one last try, what the $%#@ it works! The chip must not have been getting good contact with its pins & my prying around fixed it, maybe, at first it was getting intermitten contact, if I wiggled the heatsink the led would fade a little. A little more prying & I seem to have fixed it now, but am wondering whats gonna happen when its subjected to the vibrations of this thing running?
     
  6. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    That is strange that you had trouble getting the chips out. Mine are certainly not held in very tightly and are very easy to remove.

    Time will tell once you get up and running.
     
  7. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    After the kids went to bed last nite I was able to finish the electronics video, & everything works! Thats a relief, thought I was gonna need a new board.
    It is strange ur guys chips practically fall out and mine is welded, I thought maybe I did something wrong, eyesight is not what it used to be :oops: maybe I was prying in the wrong place, so I went back to look at again with a magnifying glass. No go, every chip is firmly in place like its been glued there, & Id say about a 50/50 chance of gettin it outa there without bustin something.
    I thought I read on the easycnc site that this is a selling point of this board, most componets could be replaced, they just made that much more difficult.

    Fred
     
  8. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    Im still having probs with the controller board, dont know how I missed it before but its the wire block on the x axis causing the intermitten contact, I can wiggle it araond & the led goes off/on, & seems to be getting worse. I just sent an email to easy to see if I can exchange it.
    I also have a dremel with a bent shaft ,its not the bit, tried different one and it still wobbles pretty bad, gonna more than double the kerf line if I leave it. Of course I did not notice this till after I was finished with the z axis :( I have 2 other dremels, just wished I noticed it sooner-

    fred
     
  9. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    Turns out some of my controller chips are also nearly impossible to get out as well.

    My Z axis started acting up and I was going to try swapping it but could not get it out.

    Two days later, the Z axis locked up and would not budge.

    Turned out to be a frozen bearing in the stepper motor. I had kept the two bad steppers I had gotten in my original kit which have bad coils so I was able to rob a bearing from one of them and get things back up again, but am now concerned should I ever need to replace the chip.

    Be careful of loose connections to the board... That is a good way to blow out a controller chip for sure!
     
  10. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    Bad bearings? bad steppers in the original kit? U startin to scare me lol. Im seriously wishing I had bought all new stuff now. Where did u buy your new steppers flash?
     
  11. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    In all fairness, I run my phlatprinter every day. It gets a real workout and it has a lot of hours on it.

    In my original kit, I burned up two or three, not sure now steppers because I applied too much Vref voltage to them. I followed the video that Mark made rather than following the instructions sent with the steppers, so I can't really blame easy-cnc for that.

    I kept those steppers just the same because only the coils were fried.

    I decided those type of steppers did not have the power I was seeking so I replaced two of them with 282oz/in steppers I got from eBay. They are dual shaft and longer than the standard stepper so I also had to modify my case.

    So the only axis still left that uses the 90oz/in stepper is the Z axis which is the one that just fried a bearing.

    Who knows, maybe some of the little dust particles being cut worked into the bearing. It was the top bearing that went after all.

    So keep the faith. The kit is sound, but if you become a junky like me, you are always going to be striving for better performance.



     
  12. filthybeast

    filthybeast New Member

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    Thanks for the info flash, Ill keep the steppers i have, but make removal ports just in case.
    I dont plan on giving mine that much of a workout :D My main intention here is to learn enough of cnc to build myself a full size machine, (plus end up with a nice little router for cutting my planes).What I really want is machine that will mill cabinet doors from 4x8 sheets of mdf, custom signs, furniture, ect., so ill think ill save the mods & money for the big project.
     

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