peter
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by peter on Jan 12, 2018 22:45:14 GMT
Just finished my M3 build. A lot of fun to build.
So I am at the point of setting/checking the stepper drivers and motors. First off, the adjustment pot is insanely touchy. It is literally impossible to get even in the range of .55-.63 volts. I'll go just up from bottomed out and get like .35V, then I'll no-joke just touch the pot to the left as little as I possibly can and I get a reading of like .125V. Is this normal?
Second, I got them close, like .70V or .50V. Could this cause the stepper motors to not have enough torque to even move the axees? X & Z move a bit, but not nearly full range. Y hums but will not move the table at all. Any thoughts?
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Post by notso on Jan 12, 2018 22:50:00 GMT
How tight are the V wheels? When you remove power to the system can you with very little effort move the platform? (be sure to remove all power, once power is on it 'locks' the steppers.) Also, it jogs them in mm, I thought mine weren't working at first either, change it to inches and set it for .5 and see if it works better. I really thought mine were broken as well since the movement was so small. If not then you have them too tight or they are not even lined up vertical/horizontal. Lay a level on on them in the X and Y direction to make sure. And yes, too much or too little power can cause issues as well. They are touchy but it can be done, just takes LOTS of patience Not the best but MY video on the adjustment process www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGIvaWH5I9Y
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Post by Mototech on Jan 12, 2018 23:14:01 GMT
How good is you multimeter? Wondering if your meter is making it hard to dial in the stepper voltages.
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Post by Derek the Admin on Jan 12, 2018 23:34:43 GMT
The steppers have plenty of power, so it's probably a matter of adjustment. As notso mentioned the v wheels can't be overly tight and you should be able to push it around without any trouble when all power is off.
Also, a couple tips on setting the drivers: 1: The alligator clip method talked about in the instructions makes your life a lot easier. 2: Sometimes when people experience this they actually have their multimeter set one magnitude lower than they should and they are setting 0.06V instead of 0.6V. Also, be sure it is set to measure DC. I'm not saying that's the case, but it's worth checking.
Derek
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peter
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by peter on Jan 12, 2018 23:47:07 GMT
How tight are the V wheels?.............. They are at the loosest point. At that they are just about perfect as far as tightness goes. Even the Z with the bearing blocks, it slides easily and smoothly. I took a belt off the idler pulley and tried the stepper. It took almost no finger pressure to keep it from turning.
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peter
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by peter on Jan 12, 2018 23:47:32 GMT
How good is you multimeter? Wondering if your meter is making it hard to dial in the stepper voltages. Fluke 77
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Post by Derek the Admin on Jan 12, 2018 23:49:45 GMT
That's certainly a good meter. What's the voltage reading at the screw terminals on the red board where you put the power wires?
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Post by notso on Jan 12, 2018 23:52:47 GMT
PS could be week. What are you getting on that? (you can test on the plug contacts) Might be a weak/bad PS, should read 24v If not then that is an issue. Is the shield seated correctly on the arduino? All pins lined up and not 1 off maybe (not sure it would even work if so but at this point check everything)
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peter
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by peter on Jan 13, 2018 0:11:36 GMT
2: Sometimes when people experience this they actually have their multimeter set one magnitude lower than they should and they are setting 0.06V instead of 0.6V. Also, be sure it is set to measure DC. I'm not saying that's the case, but it's worth checking. Thanks Derek!! Sometimes we need to be told to check the obvious. I thought my mm was in auto-range but it was not. Sorry about that. All is working fine so far. Other than this I was very thorough and patient with this built. The instructions are great and encourage you to be that way. Thanks again!
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Post by Derek the Admin on Jan 13, 2018 2:06:42 GMT
Thanks to you too. That’s what I’m here for.
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