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Driver failure

Discussion in 'Controller Boards' started by Ren Copeland, Jun 25, 2017.

  1. Ren Copeland

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    Why would two of my drivers (DQ542MA Stepper Motor Driver), one for x-axis and one for y-axis, both fail when my machine is not even being used, and i mean its not even powered on.
     
  2. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    Good question Ren. How do you know they have failed if you haven't powered them on?
     
  3. Ren Copeland

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    because they didn't work WHEN i tried to power them on, and they worked the last time i powered them on.
     
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  4. Rick 2.0

    Rick 2.0 OpenBuilds Team
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    Aside from a power surge or back flow from the steppers being moved by hand it's not likely the problem occurred while the system was turned off. It's more likely the issue occurred with the last power off or the most recent power up. What have you done in the way of troubleshooting to help isolate the problem? (Swapping motors/drivers, tracing wires/checking for shorts, etc.) Also, what type of board do you have them plugged into?
     
  5. Ren Copeland

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    To eliminate the possibility of faulty wiring, I left the power and ground wires screwed into the terminals of a driver that is working. I removed the plug from the driver and placed it into the driver that was not working and it would not power on(no leds). They are plugged into the Mk3/4 board offered on the openbuilds part store and the powered with the 12v power supply from the part store.
     
  6. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    Twas a Joke Ren.

    I agree with Ricks logic. Was there a lightning storm between power cycles? Did you shut the machine down while motors were in motion?
    BTW, How many times have you cycled the power on this unit?

    Joe
     
  7. Ren Copeland

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    no lightning storm. and i don't have a cycle count, i would venture to say 50 or so cycles. after inspecting the units, it looks as though they overheated......which would make since seeing as i have them in an enclosure.....and failed to include any fans.
     
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  8. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    Next question was to show us what your setup looked like. New drivers then?
     
  9. Ren Copeland

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    My setup is apart right now for the obvious reasons, but once i get the new drivers and fans installed, i would like to post the pictures of it and get some input.
     
  10. CiaraB

    CiaraB Guest
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    Hello Ren. Just wanted to drop a line and say that it was a pleasure speaking with you regarding.

    We are glad that we could assist you and look forward to seeing your Build with the new drivers!

    If there is anything else that we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to ask.

    We appreciate your support!
     
  11. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    Sure thing Ren.
     
  12. TJT

    TJT New
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    Good day All,

    I'm hoping to get a little advice on an issue I am having with my stepper drivers. I started to put my electronic controls together the other day and everything seemed to be going well. Once I got my control board (MK3/4), Stepper drivers (DQ542MA) and motors (Nema 23 high torque) placed and wired, I ran a test. I found that only 1 of the 3 motors actually functioned properly. All the lights on the drivers came on with a solid green but 2 other circuits did nothing. I swapped motors and all 3 worked on the driver that was working. Then i swapped the drivers from axis to axis to make sure my control board worked. All axis turned the motor/driver combo that was functioning but failed to turn the other 2 motors. I have a 24v 14 amp power supply connected to the drivers and also the control board. All the components are new, this is the first time they have been assembled and powered up. My wiring connections are as per the instructions for the DQ542MA driver using the Yin (Fig 2) schematic. I have a 2K resistor in series with each of the Pul, Dir and Enable +'s, and my dip switches are set as follows 1-off, 2-on, 3-off, 4-5-6-off, 7-8 -on, with the exception of the last driver on the right as it's motor is a 1.6 amp 400 step nema 23. I'm not sure what other info i can provide at this time but any advice is greatly appreciated. A few pics of my wiring are included. IMG_0093.JPG IMG_0094.JPG IMG_0095.JPG IMG_0096.JPG
     
  13. Ren Copeland

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    I'll take a look at my set up and compare it to yours when i get home for lunch.
     
  14. Ren Copeland

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    I can tell you that i did not use any resistors in my wiring.
     
  15. TJT

    TJT New
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  16. TJT

    TJT New
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    Ren,

    Thanks for the advice. I rewired the drives excluding the resistors and the enable circuit. Things are working good now. All drives function and my speed is up to where I expected.
     
  17. Ren Copeland

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    Awesome, Im glad that helped.
     

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