Stepper motor clicking

X-Carve Assembly
1

I have just finished setting up X-carve and it is working fine there a couple of issues that I would like to clear up, first is the stepper motor on the right Y carriage makes a click on every revolution of the spindle, it does not do this if the belt is off and I turn the spindle by hand, the other is I am wondering if the machine is square, when I measure from the Y plate to the plate on the X carriage at any given point there is always 1/8 inch difference, it is a bit tricky trying to measure corner to corner, if it is off square how do I get back in square, I have not done much work with it yet and would like everything running as it should first

3

I would check to make sure it is reversed they 2 y steppers travel at opposite directions sounds as if it is fighting the belt as it gets dragged along the y axis

4

Yes thank you Angus you got it right, I have always called the motor shaft the spindle,I have checked to see if the grub screws on the pulley are tight and they are, the clicking is not there when I remove the belt and run it self-powered, I have tried loosening the belt but it makes no difference, I am going to work on getting it square today

5

Thank you, but that is not the problem, the motors are wired correctly and reversed

6

I have squared the machine now by using two pieces of wood sliding against each other and locking in the middle, like people use to square boxes, and it is now perfectly square, I also took off the pulley and put it back on again making sure it was vertical to the idler wheel, that seems to have fixed the clicking sound, the only problem is measuring between the Y plate and the X carriage plate is still off by 1/8 inch, if I push one by hand to get the same measurement on both sides and then jog it using Easel it goes off again

8

Thank you Angus for that excellent information, I am learning a lot on this forum, I will have a go at shimming tomorrow as it seems a bit risky to start grinding and shorten the makerslide, and as you say trying to correct any error will only make matters worse

10

Go to your local Tackle shop and buy a Weighing scale. Run your gantry all the way to the back of your Machine. Put the hook under the middle of the belt and raise it up an inch or so. Do it on both sides and make sure the weight is the same. If one belt is looser than the other it could take it a second to Catch and begin to travel… this could be giving you your Eighth of an inch offset.

11

To me it sounds like you have to turn the current up for that axis
Gary

12

Thank you Angus,great idea, I think I should have some feeler-gauges somewhere, if I can find them I will use them, and of course my own scissors

13

Thank you Curtis, I will get some scales and do that

14

if the shimming and the belt adjusting does not work, I will try upping the current

15

I describe it as ‘clunking’, and think the belts are jumping teeth as they coordinate/align themselves(Y1 Y2). Interestingly, my Instructables coach indicated they discourage manually moving the axis’, as that could backfeed a current out of the stepper.