Is my stepper motor shot?

Hey guys, I have been trying to get through a fairly routine job for the last few days, but my machine seems to be behaving inconsistently, and after a closer look it appears I may be having issue with my X axis stepper motor. Even when the machine is powered on, I am able to move the gantry left and right quite a bit, I’d say an eighth of an inch or so, which would explain why multiple versions of the same job are being inconsistently carved. Is this a faulty stepper motor, or is there something I am missing that may need tightening?

I wasn’t able to attach a video for some reason, so here’s a link. Any advice would be appreciated!

Hey Corey,
Check your X wiring, especially the connector that’s probably in the drag chain.
Also, is the stepper moving WITH the pulley? Or is the pulley slipping back and forth on the shaft and catching once in a while?

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Also check your motor pulley set screws. One on a flat and the other tight as well.

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Hey guys, thank you for the suggestions. The wiring all seems okay, at least as far as I can tell. As for whether the stepper motor is moving with the pulley, I am honestly not sure! I think I’d have to take it apart in order to see, it’s just too hard to see whether that motor shaft is actually twisting or not.

And when I first posted I had thought my motor pulley set screws were tight (those are the ones on the side of the shaft, that are visible in the video, correct?) but then realized I was using the wrong size wrench. I’ve got a new set of wrenches coming tomorrow, since I can’t seem to find the original one that came with the machine, so I will double check that when they arrive. I am very much hoping that is the problem :slight_smile:

Use a sharpie to make a line on the back of the motor shaft, behind the machine. No need to disassemble…yet.

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