X/Y axis squareness and stepper calibration

Hello everyone,

last week I finished re-assembling my 1000x1000 X-Carve and did some test cut today.

I’ll try to explain the better as I can: I have cutted a guitar neck template profile and all seem to be accurate except for the lenght. The template should be long 665,4/5mm but it’s actually 664,4/5mm.

While I have re-assembled the machine I checked the wasteboard squareness (it wasn’t square before) and now seem to be accurate 135.4/5mm in both diagonal.

I also re-done all the wiring, and re-checked the V-Wheels and Eccentric nut. Made the 30 minutes X axis stiffening.

Calibrated the stepper: Now on a 600mm line I have 599,99mm.

But I still can’t figure how those template are always a mm short than they should be. Also cutting a square, seem to be not exact square and not about the correct dimension!

Any thoughts or tips? Could the X axis be not perpendicular to the Y axis? I found that pic “stolen” from @AlanDavis while seems that he had an X to Y axis square problem too (if is my case).

I’m near to have the machine working like I want/need and this is so frustrating!

Thanks in advance!

Check out this thread and the calibration video that Robert posted.

I talked with Robert many times, I also followed his video for stepper calibration and other things.

As I said above, if I cut a straight 600mm line for example with a 0.5mm bit it turn out exactly 599.99 which is quite perfect I assume. But, if try to cut a complex template, general dimensions look nearly perfect, just 1.2/4mm shorter than it should be.

I also have the square problem, if I try to cut 50x50m square it turn out 49,60x49.70 pretty much. Of course also circle are a little bit oval

I have setted all the pot near the max power, do you think I’m loosing micro-steps?

Well, better to say just a little below the thermal shutdown

if your circles are still coming out slightly oval, yes you are losing steps.

Same thing for the square? But why they are not of the correct lenght? Is possible that I have the X axis not squared to the Y axis?

Anyway I’m more than sure that I can’t get more power from the pot because they will go in therman shutdown

belts and wheels. I swore up and down I had my belts right.

my belts were not right.

In fact I setted them “by ear”, I don’t know any reliable method to set the belts

Wheels. What could be? Too loose?

I don’t understand that, sorry. Are you saying that I have setted the pot with too much power? Because before setting them I have REALLY loosing step problem.

I don’t have to touch the Z pot? Because I added a little more power to it too

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Hi! I will do that again, no problem.

Anyway I noticed this morning that my X axis is a bit not square to the Y axis, do you think Alan Davies solution will solve my problem? Without saying that i have to re-check both Y axis V-Wheel that seem a little bit loos on the right side