1 Topic by XistenZ

  • XistenZ
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Topic: Motor skips or jumps

My Y-motor behaves extremely weird, it will "skip" with an even interval (about one second between skips). It does from powering on until powering off, so it's still "skipping" even though the printer isn't moving. If I touch the "thing that spins the belt" I can clearly feel it skip/jump/vibrate for some reason. When printing, needless to say it's impossible to do, the motor behaves as if it's briefly shut of (if for example the printer is travelling diagonally it will sometimes only travel in the X direction while the Y-motor is having one of its seizures, then continue as if nothing happened).

If I loosen the belt it never have any of these seizures, with loosen I mean completely detach it. If I tighten it even the slightest it will start to seizure again.

So, summarize: the motor will "skip" with a very constant interval, even though it's not printing. It will only "skip" while the belt is on.
Now isn't that weird.

2 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Motor skips or jumps

I would check the VREF for that driver.  Sounds like the voltage is set too low.  Also make sure you have a fan on the board itself those drivers get hot.

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3 Reply by XistenZ

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Re: Motor skips or jumps

You were right about the VREF, however it was set too low. When I upped it it clearly made the "skipping" more intense, so I lowered it and it went away, although coming back once in a while, don't know if it's still a set interval. Going to get a table-fan tomorrow and see if that makes it go away completely.

4 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Motor skips or jumps

If your not cooling those drivers they will skip and are even difficult to adjust properly when they are hot.

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

5 Reply by XistenZ

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Re: Motor skips or jumps

So I tried putting a fan towards the motherboard, and I could actually print for over an hour! Then it started behaving again. But I'm pretty sure it's really a heat-issue now, since when I removed the fan after it started behaving again the clicking noise, or skipping, whatever I could call it, intensified. It got less intense when I started the fan again.
What kind of fan are you supposed to use, and how to attach one properly? As I said I used a small table-fan (maybe 9-10cm diameter), but I still have the plastic cover over the motherboard, so I probably should remove that and try again.
Anyway, what fans do people use, and do they connect them to the printer somehow?

6 Reply by IronMan

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Re: Motor skips or jumps

Try something like this...you will need to buy the appropriate size fan either online or at Radio Shack (or grab one from an old CPU if you have one laying around)...

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:53529

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