Nomad seems unusually loud, y axis makes odd noise when x/y moving together

CNC Machines Nomad
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Hi everyone!

This is my first post since I was recently able to acquire a Nomad 883 Pro from a friend. It came without sides so I’m still waiting on those but I figured I’d use that time to get familiar with the machine and to some noise level tests.

I have sent an email to Carbide’s support already but then figured that people on the forums might have good tips as well and it can’t hurt to have a wider audience :slight_smile: I am completely new to CNC, but have experience with cartesian 3d printers, so please bear with me, in case my findings don’t make sense or are completely normal.

TLDR: the machine sounds quite a bit louder than what I’ve gathered from other videos online, especially during initialization. Additionally the y-axis seems to make a weird stuttering noise when both x and y are used at the same time, e.g. when going from NW to SE, but sounds fine on its own.

I have conducted some decibel measurements, albeit on an amateurish level using my phone, results below (I have cleaned rails and lead screws properly and oiled them using Super Lube before conducting any tests):

Idle, decibel peak: -76db
This seems totally normal to me.

Machine Initialization through Carbide Motion, decibel peak: -38db

http://lum.pe/carbide_nomad_tests/machine_initialization_1.mov
http://lum.pe/carbide_nomad_tests/machine_initialization_2.mov

I was very surprised at the massive noise increase during initialization and this does not sound exactly “normal” to me.

X-axis movement: peak -64db

X/Y-axis movement NE to SW: decibel peak -53db
This seems already kind of loud and is also where an odd stuttering sound can be heard on the Y-axis. I have added a video for this to the first reply.

Z-axis movement: peak -63db

Are these noise levels expected? Any and all help is greatly appreciated because I really would like to hit the ground running once the rest of the sides arrive :slight_smile:

Note: I would have put more videos into this post but new users seem to be limited to just two links per post.

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One additional video showing the odd stuttering sound of the Y axis:

http://lum.pe/carbide_nomad_tests/ne_to_sw_movement.mov

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I hear it, but see no video. The two from your first post sound like normal homing. The second post sounds like jogging on 1mm or slow.

This doesn’t sound any different than my macing does in some movements, but without seeing what is going on, I can’t say for sure.

SO, the questions:

How are you producing the motions?

What are you using to record them? A sound meter is really needed to measure sound levels, since phone aps are not calibrated and, in some cases, may report incorrect relative levels as well.

The massive increase you refer to is a large RELATIVE increase by the numeric value, but with no defined reference, doesn’t mean much. Measuring sound levels is really not easy. (I have been trained and qualified, but when it matters at work, we bring in professionals. My training mostly was so I can talk to them without sounding like a dunce)

4

Ditto - no video but do hear the audio. The initialization sound to me about right - a couple of chirps there I am not sure about but overall what you hear is what I hear.

The Y axis motion does seem to have a clicking sound that I would not expect - are you jogging the Y axis with the “Fast” increment?

Oh and yeah - it is way louder than a 3D printer

@Moded1952 has delved into the Nomad sounds recently in an effort to decrease - maybe he can have a listen?

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I can see the videos, but I don’t have a Nomad. I wouldn’t guess that it is louder than it should be.

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The initialization sounds come from the normal process of initializing the machine via Carbide Motion. Every movement was done using the “Rapid movement” option in the controller software. In the second video it’s a full diagonal movement from NE to SW, in a fluid motion without small, manual increments.

As for recording: I’ve used the Spectrum app on my iPhone to just look at the decibel difference. So yeah, no professional equipment at all.

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I was jogging the x and y axis using “Rapid movement”. So they are traveling from SE to NW in one fluid motion.

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My first go to on Nomads making noises is lubrication:

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Right - just checked on my machine. Sounds are the same with the rapid NE to SW on my machine. Not statistically significant but I’d call it “Normal”

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I did that before taking the videos/measurements. I cleaned all lead screws with cotton threads (one thread at a time) and wiped down the rails before I put some Super Lube on them and then jogged the carriage back and forth as well as the table to spread out the lube. Is there anything else I can do here?

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Oh interesting! I appreciate you checking that out a lot - gives me peace of mind if that sound is expected :slight_smile:

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No problem - and welcome to the group of Nomads!

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Thanks :slight_smile: Hopefully I’ll be able to start carving and cutting soon!

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You can see a bunch of the tests I did here.

TL;DR, my machine is a tad louder than yours assuming our decibel meters are both accurate. What you’re seeing seems normal for a Nomad.

Unfortunately the noise is a design choice: the Nomad uses stepper drivers that are rather abysmal when it comes to noise. I hear they’re great for reliability and consistency so there’s a reason for it but when it comes to noise, I’ve tested a variety of drivers and I’m yet to find stepper drivers louder than the Allegro A5977 drivers that the Nomad uses.

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This puts my mind at ease! I appreciate you taking the time to reply, thanks :slight_smile:

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These sound perfectly normal to me too. Exactly like my nomad.

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