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IndustryArena Forum > Machine Controllers Software and Solutions > Mach Software (ArtSoft software) > Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    9

    Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Greetings!


    I am trying to make a CNC milling machine. Right now I am testing all the components necessary to make it work with Mach3.


    The components I am using are:



    • Nema23 stepper motors (3x)
    • BL-TB6560-V2.0 stepper motor controller (3x):
    • Mach3 interface board:
    • LPT cable connecting the interface board with PC running Mach3
    • 12V or 24V power supply to the interface board and motor controllers



    Right now I am testing only 1 stepper motor, connected to X axis (pins 2 and 3) of the interface board.


    Sadly, I am running into a problem - when I try jogging with Mach3, the motor rotates only CCW when pressing either left or right arrow keys. I also tried wiring the controller to Y axis and controlling it with up and down arrow keys, but same problem happens.


    Here are my "Motor Outputs" settings on Mach3:



    Since the motor rotates, it means everyting is working fine, the drivers are OK, and I have checked the wires several times.


    What I suspect here is the fact that my stepper motor controllers have CW and CLK pins, but the interface board has STEP and DIR pins. Therefore, interface board and motor controllers are not communicating properly. Is that the problem here?


    Please, I need help with this. I have searched all over the internet, but I haven't found any solution.


    Thank you.

    PS: Sorry for enormous photos.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    322

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Clk is the same as step. Cw means dir+ descriptions does not make the difference. Check if You have proper logical 0V connection, and if the polarity of dir signal in comparsion wirh logic 0V from Your board changes depending on jogging direction.

  3. #3
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    Mar 2017
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    9

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Quote Originally Posted by steryd View Post
    Clk is the same as step. Cw means dir+ descriptions does not make the difference. Check if You have proper logical 0V connection, and if the polarity of dir signal in comparsion wirh logic 0V from Your board changes depending on jogging direction.


    A little correction, the Interface board actually has PULSE and DIR pins, not STEP and DIR. Does that make a difference?



    Second, I have made connections like this:

    [INTERFACE BOARD --> MOTOR DRIVER]
    PUL --> CLK-
    DIR --> CW-
    5V --> CLK+
    5V --> CW+


    I left EN+ and EN- unconnected.

    I have also tried swapping polarities and also swapping "Low/Active" accordingly. I still get the same results.



    I am totally new to this (I'm wondering how I managed to get so far ), I don't know how to check the polarity. I understand it must be 0V in one direction and 5V in other, but how do I measure that?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
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    540

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Pulse and Step are the same as far as what you are asking. I recognize the 5 axis breakout board but not your specific driver and of course photos of the motor and power supply(s) wiring aren't shown. If you could post a link to the model or where you got the driver (web page or ebay, amazon?) link to same model etc and a simple drawing or diagram of how you have it wired now someone may be able to offer better help.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    322

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Try to connect only pulse to clk+ and dir to cw+ and connect gnd. Should work

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Posts
    142

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    If bob is not connected to lpt ok or it doesn't work to get the dir pulse the driver, motor acts like this , he only gets in one direction .
    Or maibe the driver is bad .
    At driver side u have to connect the +Step and +Dir to +5v , on -Step and -Dir u have to connect to bob , Step , Dir .

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    9

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Quote Originally Posted by coherent View Post
    Pulse and Step are the same as far as what you are asking. I recognize the 5 axis breakout board but not your specific driver and of course photos of the motor and power supply(s) wiring aren't shown. If you could post a link to the model or where you got the driver (web page or ebay, amazon?) link to same model etc and a simple drawing or diagram of how you have it wired now someone may be able to offer better help.
    Stepper motor driver I'm using is HERE, and HERE is its manual.

    Diagram: (not much of an artist, so bear with me )


    Note that both BOB and driver can work on either 12V or 24V. Also, The diagram shows all driver [+] connected to BOB, and all driver [-] connected to BOB [GND], if you understand what I mean. Second version I have tried is connecting all driver [-] to BOB, and all driver [+] to BOB [+5V].



    Quote Originally Posted by steryd View Post
    Try to connect only pulse to clk+ and dir to cw+ and connect gnd. Should work
    I have tried that and I still get the same results.



    Quote Originally Posted by Andreiir View Post
    If bob is not connected to lpt ok or it doesn't work to get the dir pulse the driver, motor acts like this , he only gets in one direction .
    Or maibe the driver is bad .
    At driver side u have to connect the +Step and +Dir to +5v , on -Step and -Dir u have to connect to bob , Step , Dir .
    Like I said, I have tried connecting both [+] --> BOB, [-] --> [GND], and [-] --> BOB, [+] --> [+5V]. I still get the same results.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    4252

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Somewhere I have a small matchbox with a 555 and switch in it. The matchbox draws power from whatever +5 V supply is around. The output of the 555 goes to Clk or Step, and the switch goes to Dir or CW. (This is rather shorthand: you will need to fill in the details.) Invaluable little box as it can drive any 'standard' driver just fine, with no BoBs and no Mach. You need one.

    I suspect that your Clk input may have a problem. Details unknown.

    Cheers
    Roger

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
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    142

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Yes that seems to be pulse , u can try another port to see if the problem is from bob or from driver .

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
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    540

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Also, If you haven't already use a meter and double check all your wiring. Make sure every wire has a good connection and make sure you don't have a short between any 2.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    9

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Quote Originally Posted by Andreiir View Post
    Yes that seems to be pulse , u can try another port to see if the problem is from bob or from driver .
    Yup, I have tried the Y port as well, still get the same.



    Quote Originally Posted by coherent View Post
    Also, If you haven't already use a meter and double check all your wiring. Make sure every wire has a good connection and make sure you don't have a short between any 2.
    I am going to do that when I get the chance as I am currently away from the project.

    I know that the meter should show +5V and 0V if it's spinning CW and CCW, respectively. What should I expect to read if that's not the case?

    Also, like I mentioned, I will be using Nema23 motors to power the 3 axes. In case the BOB and/or driver(s) are faulty, which ones could you recommend me buying (from eBay if possible) that is good for personal use and projects, but not overly expensive?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    4252

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    IF the input to the BoB is the same as the LPT, then I would recommend the Homann Designs MB-02 BoB. I use them and I am very happy with them.
    I am sure there are cheaper ones, maybe from China ... but ....

    Cheers
    Roger

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    9

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Hello everyone, I have some news. I finally got home to test things out. I am having the same problem. Here is some more info:



    #1 I triple-checked all the cables and connections. Everything was nicely connected and there were no short circuits.

    #2 I am using 2x 12V batteries, connected in series, providing me with 24V. Actually, they provide me with 26V as each gives 13V.

    #3 I have measured voltage between CLK+ and CLK-, and also between CW+ and CW-. As far as I remember, I had readings that were not 0V or 5V, but somewhere between. I can't remember the readings because of #5.

    #4 Funny thing, when I spin in one direction, the RUN LED on BoB blinks. When I try to go in other direction (one that doesn't work), the motor moves only 1 step and the LED is constantly on. This is obviously a weird behavior.

    #5 After jogging for a few minutes on Mach3, one of the capacitors on BoB exploded! I read that the reason they explode is if you invert the polarity on them. I don't understand? I have wired everything correctly, and triple-checked! The BoB is bought on eBay from China, I suspect the quality here.



    I'm devastated. I really want to get this CNC Lathe to work. Does anyone know the problem here, based on these informations?

    If nobody finds a solution, I might have to buy new BoB (and drivers if necessary).

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    540

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    I have one of those same 5 axis import breakout boards. The 12-24v is for spindle control and the on board relay. The power required for the driver control side comes from the usb cable connection. I simply cut the end off of a usb cable and connected it to a 5v power supply and plugged it into the usb recepticle on the BOB. You can obviously just run it to your computer via a usb cable. My controller and computer are separated by 15 feet or so it was easier to do it the way I did. One way or another, that's where this breakout board gets it 5v for the drivers... not via the 12-14v volt connection. Also I wouldn't exceed the voltage, even by a little. Battery voltage can fluctuate, I'd use small regulated power supplies or the cheapest way is an old computer power supply and obtain your 5v and 12v from it.

    If you are having issues with an axis spinning the same direction no matter which way you jog, it is one of the following and I personally would troubleshoot in the order listed. 1) the computer parallel port (low or inconsistant power at the dir pin) or bad parallel cable, 2) a loose or damaged wire connection to/from your brreakout board to the driver or a shorted wire between the driver to the motor. 3) a bad breakout board 4) bad driver

    I suppose if you had the hot key the same for both directions, or incorrect pin assignments it would cause this issue, but I'm assuming that's the first things you'd check.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    9

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Quote Originally Posted by coherent View Post
    I have one of those same 5 axis import breakout boards. The 12-24v is for spindle control and the on board relay. The power required for the driver control side comes from the usb cable connection. I simply cut the end off of a usb cable and connected it to a 5v power supply and plugged it into the usb recepticle on the BOB. You can obviously just run it to your computer via a usb cable. My controller and computer are separated by 15 feet or so it was easier to do it the way I did. One way or another, that's where this breakout board gets it 5v for the drivers... not via the 12-14v volt connection. Also I wouldn't exceed the voltage, even by a little. Battery voltage can fluctuate, I'd use small regulated power supplies or the cheapest way is an old computer power supply and obtain your 5v and 12v from it.

    If you are having issues with an axis spinning the same direction no matter which way you jog, it is one of the following and I personally would troubleshoot in the order listed. 1) the computer parallel port (low or inconsistant power at the dir pin) or bad parallel cable, 2) a loose or damaged wire connection to/from your brreakout board to the driver or a shorted wire between the driver to the motor. 3) a bad breakout board 4) bad driver

    I suppose if you had the hot key the same for both directions, or incorrect pin assignments it would cause this issue, but I'm assuming that's the first things you'd check.
    Are you absolutely sure that BoB logic gets 5V ONLY from USB port? Because I was only providing it with 12-24V that went for spindle. It spins, so it works, and I don't think it needs voltage exclusively from USB port. Are you really sure about this?

    Parallel cable was new, but the PC with parallel port is like 11 years old and still working fine, but without battery.
    Also, the cable is 1m long, if that means anything
    I have checked all wires for shorts and loose connections, it's all good.
    And the driver, I just installed the ones that come with Mach3 installation.

    Also, do you think that 26V blew up my capacitor? Or was it a defected board? It came from China, so...

  16. #16
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    Apr 2003
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    540

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    Quote Originally Posted by wngdadventurer View Post
    Are you absolutely sure that BoB logic gets 5V ONLY from USB port? Because I was only providing it with 12-24V that went for spindle. It spins, so it works, and I don't think it needs voltage exclusively from USB port. Are you really sure about this? .
    Mine would not drive the steppers without the USB cable connector supplied with 5 volts. To get both the drivers and the relay to operate properly (I used the relay for the plasma torch switch) I had to supply power to both locations. I emailed about a dozen ebay sellers of the board with question regarding power requirements and although it seemed many had no clue one way or another, the consensus was that the 12-24v connector supplies power to the spindle/relay circuit, not the driver.circuit. The documentation for the boards is inadequate to say the least but does state power is supplied via the USB port and 12-24v is optional. It also states that the USB Power supply and external power supply are completely separate circuits, Actually the 12-24v isn't optional if you want to use the on board relay. I suppose there may be different versions of these cheap import 5 axis breakout boards but this was my experience. Mine was less that $10 on ebay. Once I figured it out, it does perform fine and I've had no issues. Especially for the price.

    On a side note there are 2 small LED's that light indicating power to the board. One when 5v is supplied via the USB and the other when 12-24v is supplied via the spindle/relay connections. The one that lights up when the USB power is supplied does not illuminate when only the 12-24v circuit is powered.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    17

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    I have a ST-PMC1 controller that would only move in one direction so I went over the parameters and changed the Pulse Mode from 0 to 1 and got back both cw and ccw.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
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    10

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    You can also use USB phone charger to supply 5 volts. you also need 12 volts to get inputs working, this is just a bug on BOB, I lost three days to find out I need both power supplies.

    Poslano sa mog MI 5 koristeći Tapatalk

  19. #19
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    Apr 2016
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    10

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    overvoltage deffinitely killed your capacitor, I believe 15v is max on cheap chinese BOB

    Poslano sa mog MI 5 koristeći Tapatalk

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    35538

    Re: Stepper motor spins only CCW when jogging with Mach3

    The inputs require both the 5V and 24V.
    Gerry

    UCCNC 2017 Screenset
    http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2017.html

    Mach3 2010 Screenset
    http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

    JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
    http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

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