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IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking Machines > DIY CNC Router Table Machines > DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Question DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    Hi,

    I just started having this issue with my machine...wondering if the stepper motors could be the cause...i've tried three cuts of the same file i've always used...at some point in the routine they've all gone off (see attached image)
    they're cheap motors, I have an extra, so going to try swapping it out and hopefully its just that?

    Anyone else had issues like this??
    thx
    Attachment 461144
    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	461146

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    35538

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    Stepper motors rarely go bad. It's likely something else is causing it.
    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)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    any ideas on how to trouble shoot and narrow things down??
    driver is a gecko 540....figured I'd start with the motor as thats a quick things to do...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    swapped the motor...i ran a different similar file...worked ok....then i ran the same file i usually do and was watching it...at some point it started doing weird stuff that not in the code...on one arc move it did a full circular motion...and in some of the straights i could see it doing a jerky movement...

    now i'm really worried....gecko driver botched somehow? no idea i have even trouble shoot this....

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    644

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    Quote Originally Posted by airbrush View Post
    swapped the motor...i ran a different similar file...worked ok....then i ran the same file i usually do and was watching it...at some point it started doing weird stuff that not in the code...on one arc move it did a full circular motion...and in some of the straights i could see it doing a jerky movement...

    now i'm really worried....gecko driver botched somehow? no idea i have even trouble shoot this....
    The Gecko drive could not change an arc to a circle, that's more likely a controller or Gcode fault

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    thats why its the strangest thing...i just ran an alternate file, worked first time...tried my original file and back to this alternate file...and this strange stuff happening...so it can't be the gcode...

    so the gecko 540 could be at fault for this stuff????

    kinda lost here...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    ok...next theory...Dust?!
    opened up my controller box and my computer...it was pretty dusty....blew it all out good...
    ran my small file again and worked fine...will try my normal file tomorrow and see....

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Posts
    5728

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    Random stuff like that can happen because of radio frequency interruption of the logic signals. Are you running the spindle leads next to the motor cables? Are they grounded at one end? One way to check if this is the problem is to run the program at a high Z level, or without the tool in place and the spindle off. Is someone doing arc welding nearby? Non-existent or bad grounding of the machine can also cause this.
    Andrew Werby
    Website

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    nothing changed on the machine itself or its setup...worked fine before...
    Will see if the dust theory works...?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    i ran the file today after blowing everything out and it worked...so just dust messing everything up?? ..fingers crossed

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    35538

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    Do you have a fan on the G540?
    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)

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    there is a fan on one end of my controller box that houses the power supply and the gecko...and two filtered fan covers...one on the other end and one on top

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Posts
    6248

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    Hi AirB - Does it do it if you air cut? If you get the fault then rerun the code but in air to see if that makes a difference? Peter

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    crap...it happened again today....i'm really at a lose as to what to do or how to trouble shoot this...
    will try re exporting my gcode...but dont see it being that as it never happens the same way...pretty random...other than it seems to always be in the same axis the issue...

    I just cut my smaller file again no problem...ughhh

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    446

    Re: DIY machine having issues...stepper motors the issue??

    cutting my re exported file again no problem...so weird...
    a cable issue? dunno...i moved my cables so they weren't dangling off the connectors like they have been for years but supported them...dunno...maybe I need to take apart my cable connectors and make sure all is good....?

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