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IndustryArena Forum > Hobby Projects > Hobby Discussion > Wiring is confusing...
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    10

    Wiring is confusing...

    I have 3 tb6600 stepper drivers to wire up to some nema 23 motors(2.3V at 2.8A, inductance of 2.2mH)and basically I have no idea about how to connect anything. I was watching This Old Tony and he mentioned using 1/3 or 2/3 of the rated amperage(through the driver) for the motor to run properly. This entire time I assumed that I would be setting the driver at the 2.8 amps that the motor is rated for, but now I'm all messed up for wiring. Anybody out there who could explain this to me?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    1662

    Re: Wiring is confusing...

    This Old Tony and he mentioned using 1/3 or 2/3 of the rated amperage(through the driver) for the motor to run properly
    I love This Old Tony ! Was he referring to a minimum ? It could have been specific to his motors as well. With a decent drive that shouldn't be a maximum with a suitable motor. Then again this is a tb6600 so who knows ?
    For example Gecko sells 3.5 A/phase steppers for use with their 3.5 A drives.
    You could try a low setting and raise current until motors get unacceptably hot. Don't do this to the point the motor melts

    Anybody out there who could explain this to me?
    I am really not that guy but now your thread got a ^BUMP^ .
    Many people have bought these tb6600's so maybe one will weigh in.
    Anyone who says "It only goes together one way" has no imagination.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    10
    I did a bit more looking around and found a "Step Motor Basics" article on Gecko's site. It says "A motor control will always draw less than 2/3 of the motor’s rated current when it is parallel (or half-winding) connected and 1/3 of the motor’s rated current when it is series (or full-winding) connected." So I guess I should still have the output of the driver at 2.8A and it just means that the driver itself won't draw 2.8A from the power supply? I have until tomorrow morning to wire everything up so I guess I will have to do more research and Sonic my way out of this. Thanks for the reply!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    1662

    Re: Wiring is confusing...

    Hmm.....no tb6600 users reading this thread ?

    Parallel is the common way but that explains where the 1/3 number comes from. The 2/3 draw figure is new to me but second guessing the Gecko folks would be a losing proposition
    If the concern was having too many amps available on the power supply, it doesn't matter. What Gecko is saying is there's nothing gained from more as far as the drives are concerned.
    For the setting on the drive itself it might be safest to start conservative. One reason is the tb6600 current reduction at idle may not be as clever as a Gecko.
    Reducing current won't do harm beyond some torque loss.
    Anyone who says "It only goes together one way" has no imagination.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Posts
    4

    Re: Wiring is confusing...

    I have been using the TB6600's for quite a while with some mid-sized Nema 23 motors on a 2'x3' DIY CNC with a 2HP spindle. No problems whatsoever with the drives. I'm happy to help any way I can.

    I believe that when I set them up (3 years ago) I was a bit hesitant and set the drives for a lower current than the motor rating. When all worked fine, I tried increasing the drive settings and had no problems.

    One of these days I plan to feed a higher voltage in hopes of getting a bit higher holding torque though I can't say for sure I need it. But generally I've found that my motors do not get hot (so I am not hurting them) and am not (yet) at the max settings for the drives, so not expecting issues there either. For the short money investment balanced with me not pushing my machine for every ounce of performance, these have been a great decision.

    Happy to help, lmk how.

    Jay

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