Stepper lights sometimes turn off

I noticed that sometimes when I lightly touch the stepper wire bundle that exists from the Drag chain. when I touched it and moved it 1/4" over, all 3 of the stepper light would turn off., I could then wiggle the cables again and it would come back on.

I checked all the connections and they are solid. not sure whats going on.

you can used a volt meter to check continuity. or may need to replace the wire.

When I called support, they didnt seem concerned about the lights not staying on…

@AdamFilipowicz

The gShield has one green LED for each axis which is connected in parallel with one of the windings on the stepper motor(s) for that axis. Since the voltage can reverse during normal operation of the X-carve you will see the green LEDs go on and off depending on the polarity of the voltage on the winding that has the LED.

If you have the X-carve in a stopped steady state then the green LED for a given axis may be on or off at that time.

Also in that state the LEDs should remain the same (either on or off) as you move the wiring of the machine.

If you can move the wires (without moving the X-carve mechanically) and get the LEDs to change in the idle state then you have a problem that should be resolved.

If you are moving the machine mechanically then you can be generating voltage by turning the stepper motors manually, which will also make the LEDs turn on and off.

If you are sure that you don’t have a motor wiring issue, check the wiring from the power supply to the gShield. Also check to see if the gShield is lifting up from the Arduino when you move the wires.

1 Like