1 Topic by ebarton97

  • ebarton97
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Topic: Stepper Drivers

Long story short my extruder stepper motors are functional, but wont respond to any extrude commands.

Basics Facts:
   Geeetech I3 Pro C Dual Extruder Printer
   GT2560 Board (I think I'm Using Marlin Firmware)
   Just installed (5) DRV8825 Stepper Motor Drivers to replace (5) A4988
   Repeiter Host- USB Cable

Circumstance:

So I finally had my printer running and now it stopped working(exturders wouldnt extrude. I came to the conclusion that the driver boards for the extruders were burnt up, as i had read that the A4988 boards are known to over heat. I knew the motors worked because i plugged them into the X-axis driver and they spun fine. So that eliminated cord or motor problems.

I ordered and replaced all the A4988 boards with DRV8825's (i read they dealt with heat better) but i set them to 1/16 microstepping so I wouldnt have to change any settings.

Problems:

I never had any stepper motors heat up with the original boards. Now the X and Y motors get hot (but i can still touch them without being burned, and someone said that was normal). Also the Drv8825 boards get VERY hot and the pots are only set in the middle, a little less. My fans are inadequate but I'm using the heatsinks. Also the PCU has been making a loud noise and although the X and Y motors run great now, they make some high pitch noises. And lastly even though i replaced all boards, the extruder motors still wont turn, and the boards arent heating up(so i feel they arent getting information somehow).

Questions:

Any idea why the extruder motors wont respond?
Is the heat really normal for the X and Y motors?
Can the DRV8825 boards handle a burning heat(If not, how do i fix)?
Why is everything now making so much noise?
Was it a bad choice to switch to DRV8825's?

Notes:

I have no idea how to change firmware settings. I know how to open marlin and see the configuartion.h settings, but  I dont know how to change anything. Therefore any firmware changes also have to have this explained thouroughly.
I'm very new to 3D printing and Im loving it and the helpful community, and i appreciate anyones help.

Im getting frustrated and am regretting buying a kit.

Sorry for such the long post, but i hope i pre-answered anyones questions. Thank You!
-Evan

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2 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: Stepper Drivers

ebarton97 wrote:

Long story short my extruder stepper motors are functional, but wont respond to any extrude commands.

Basics Facts:
   Geeetech I3 Pro C Dual Extruder Printer
   GT2560 Board (I think I'm Using Marlin Firmware)
   Just installed (5) DRV8825 Stepper Motor Drivers to replace (5) A4988
   Repeiter Host- USB Cable

Circumstance:

So I finally had my printer running and now it stopped working(exturders wouldnt extrude. I came to the conclusion that the driver boards for the extruders were burnt up, as i had read that the A4988 boards are known to over heat. I knew the motors worked because i plugged them into the X-axis driver and they spun fine. So that eliminated cord or motor problems.

I ordered and replaced all the A4988 boards with DRV8825's (i read they dealt with heat better) but i set them to 1/16 microstepping so I wouldnt have to change any settings.

Problems:

I never had any stepper motors heat up with the original boards. Now the X and Y motors get hot (but i can still touch them without being burned, and someone said that was normal). Also the Drv8825 boards get VERY hot and the pots are only set in the middle, a little less. My fans are inadequate but I'm using the heatsinks. Also the PCU has been making a loud noise and although the X and Y motors run great now, they make some high pitch noises. And lastly even though i replaced all boards, the extruder motors still wont turn, and the boards arent heating up(so i feel they arent getting information somehow).

Questions:

Any idea why the extruder motors wont respond?
Is the heat really normal for the X and Y motors?
Can the DRV8825 boards handle a burning heat(If not, how do i fix)?
Why is everything now making so much noise?
Was it a bad choice to switch to DRV8825's?

Notes:

I have no idea how to change firmware settings. I know how to open marlin and see the configuartion.h settings, but  I dont know how to change anything. Therefore any firmware changes also have to have this explained thouroughly.
I'm very new to 3D printing and Im loving it and the helpful community, and i appreciate anyones help.

Im getting frustrated and am regretting buying a kit.

Sorry for such the long post, but i hope i pre-answered anyones questions. Thank You!
-Evan



I would go and back all the pots off and increase them just to the point where the motors move then just a slight nudge more. 8825s can actually be run without heatsinks as they are made with an integral heatsink and the chip is rated at 2amps with no heat sink. They are the cream of the crop of stepper drivers.

Did you unplug or plug them in while power was applied? Did you unplug a motor was power was applied? Any of these actions will damage a driver and could damage your board. If they are getting hot something is wrong for sure. Did you verify that your 8825s are actually pin for pin the same as your old drivers. I ask because of those Chinese boards like the GT2560 come with drivers that are flipped sometimes from the norm.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

3 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Stepper Drivers

^look for the pin labeled GND and line it up with the socket of the same markings.
I run 8825's with heat sinks and would still recommend running a cooling fan.  They do get hot after a lot of use.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

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4 Reply by ebarton97

  • ebarton97
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Re: Stepper Drivers

I turned all the pots down and then up till the motors ran and that worked fine for the axis motors. With these boards I always turned the power off before working with anything. And I'm pretty sure I installed them correctly. Especially since 3 of the 5 are doing what they're supposed to. And if I switch the board from say extruder 1 to the x-axis, the x-axis still works. So all boards and all motors are functional. But my extruders aren't responding to commands still. Oh, and yes I do have the heat on so it doesn't think it will cold extrude.

And once I get the printer running I will print fan mounts for extra cooling.

5 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Stepper Drivers

Just keep at it you'll figure it out.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

6 Reply by ebarton97

  • ebarton97
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Re: Stepper Drivers

wardjr wrote:

Just keep at it you'll figure it out.

I know. I'm trying. Some day I'll get it to work.