Ok…
Sooo, having the same issue, even after switching out the screws on the stepper motor pulley. I don’t know if anyone can reference my last post for more info on my issue or not. We literally ran the machine once and its having crazy issues again. Is there anyone who would video chat with us to help us solve these annoying problems once and for all? Maybe someone is nearby even and wouldn’t mind helping us look at it in person? We are located in the Dallas area. Any help would be greatly appreciated, more than you know. I’m pretty demoralized right now.
I think you should repost your original problem. I am a bit to new to this to help but I will look at your post and see…
Peter NZ
I’m just bad at explaining my issues. Everyone on here seems to use terminology that I can’t really understand and the back and forth takes days but I can try. I’ll post my video from YouTube again.
I’ve replaced the stepper motor pulley screws. I’ve tried to tighten the belts to the tension suggested. I’ve tightened the v wheels. I’ve checked that the cables are connected well. I’m at a loss and super overwhelmed. I dont know why I’m continuing to have problems. The only thing I can think of is the fact the on the left side the flat of the stepper motor will not fully line up with the screw no matter what I do. Seems like a factory defect.
When the X/Y gantry is moving, I feel like I hear the belt vibrating against the Y or X Rails.
Have you ensured they are properly tightened?
Look over this post: Measuring belt tension, squaring and calibration
In it there is a method using your smartphone and an application to see if your belts are in proper tension, depending on the frequency of the belt.
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Well, I thought I had but to be honest a lot of that instruction seemed vague. Any advice on how to ensure proper tension?
Ok, thanks! I’ll give it a read. At this point I just wish I could pay someone to come fix this. Its making me feel super inadequate and my boyfriend just rages. Lol
The thread is long and full of information, it may be a big pill to swallow at first. However, I believe C3D recommends folding the belt over the tension piece, just enough that the bolt that goes through the frame barely touches it. Then tighten that down, not all the way but until it feels snug. Winston talks about this within this video, at this current time stamp:
This type of stuff has a large learning curve, but once you get past it, it becomes fun. So stick with it.
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Yeah, I feel like I’ve learned a lot, mostly through trial and error. Everyone speaks like engineering veterans and its really intimidating and makes me feel like a total moron. Lol I’m more of a left brain person. So this is pretty brutal honestly.
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Feel free to ask questions or send an email to C3D, the community is here to help.
Let us know after you double check your belts if you are still experiencing the weird sound. When I looked at your video, I noticed the sound of the belt bouncing and hitting the Y-Rails. Also when the gantry jerks, or accelerates from a stop, it sounds like the belts are not under proper tension, so the stepper motor/pulley is slipping on the belt, until it finds a tooth and then begins to move.
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First try to figure out what is vibrating like that. Definitely could be the belts as suggested. Make sure they are properly tightened. It could also be something else loose.
Also towards the end it sounds like something is binding. Make sure that everything is square by measuring corner to corner and ensuring the two measurements are the same. If the rails are not square and the carriage is not even on the rails it can bind.
Also make sure your v-wheels are properly tightened. They should be tight enough so that they cannot spin without moving the carriage, but only just tight enough to achieve that goal. You might also want to check that none of the v-wheels are cracked. If they get overly tightened they can split in the grove. At which point they could possibly make that vibration sound or bind the whole thing.
as a wild guess, did you check if your Y stepper cables are plugged in, and the cables have all the same order (red-green-black-blue)? did you check if one of the Y pins accidentally got pushed out of the white plug housing? (asking because maybe one of the motors may not be properly connected, and is causing this jerking)
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Good point. If one of the motors only has one of the phases getting power it could behave that way.
@Erin if you have a multimeter for working on cars or electronics, power off the machine and unplug the Y stepper motors. Measure the resistance between the two outer wires. Then measure the resistance between the two inner wires. Both should read as less than 1 ohm if not a dead short. Then measure the resistance between the two wires on the left of the connector. They should not give you a reading. Repeat for the two wires on the right. They should also not give you a reading.
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I agree, that sounds like a stepper motor issue to me, might be worth removing the drive belts then unplugging the Y steppers, then plugging then in one at a time to see if they both sound clean when the machine tries to jog.
Listen defeatist talk and attitude leads to defeat. No one on this forum was born operating a Shapeoko. Every one can learn what they need to know. You have to have a can do attitude. You will fix your problem if you continue to try. I feel this is a very positive community that will help.
Start with basics, does your machine run smoothly with the power off to all limits. Address any mechanicaal issues first. If machine moves smoothly, don’t push too fast or stepper motors cause back force, check all v wheels. V wheels should not move but you want them at the adjustment they just stop moving. You use allen wrench to loosen them and use wrench to move eccentric till wheel barely moves or won’t move, hold wrench in position and tighten allen screw. Put a marker across your stepper pulley and across stepper shaft. After jogging check marks are still aligned. There are 2 set screws on each pulley and one is over a flat spot. You can remove permanent marker with acetone or finger nail polish remover, remark and try again.
Get the machine working mechanically before moving on to wiring or other electrical issues.
If your pulley won’t line up remove it and clean any burrs with 400 or higher sand paper and reinstall pulley lined up with one screw over flat spot. If you have not done so remove tiny set screws and go to hardware store and replace with 3mm x 10 mm long cap screws. The cap screws uses a larger allen wrench making tightening screws easier. Those tiny set screws can be stripped and would make pulley hard to remove. Don’t use any thread locker on screws.
I’m in the Dallas area, I’m not a pro by any means but I have had my machine for a few years. You could bring it over and we could compare it against yours. Just an offer. Thanks
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I put a little lock tight between the pulley and shaft of stepper motor. This has helped…but I can’t say for sure if it was because I took it apart and re assembled it…
But I have been fighting with this issue from go…my next move is tapping the screw larger
Erin, I have found that the original instructions are good enough to get you going. With the screw and bracket removed from one end of the belt, adjust the belt until you can just start the screw into the belt bracket. (not sure of proper name)
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