PCB lets out the smoke

After weeks of rearranging garage to get machine setup.
I get everything setup, workbench built and CNC setup and going, I run my first test job. Y axis doesn’t hold position and wanders and left/right motors skewing the rail slightly while moving. As I panic and abort job to try figure out what’s going on, and unscrew control box from its place and start troubleshooting, works fine.

I screw control box on holder on side of CNC, start up machine and Y makes the slightly odd ‘burr’ noise while homing like before. take box off…no noise while homing.
I spend some time scratching my head how screwing it to the CNC in its place causes it, cannot figure out why.
I wiggle the cables and realize y motors make a short high pitched squeak as I jiggle the cables. Unconnect all the connection and reseat them thinking one was loose. Triple check all cables and plugs on control board and start it up.

I hear a POP and puff of smoke out of control box housing :frowning:

After some panic and wondering what happened. Noticed one of the Y motor cables female pins was not formed right, and did not seat all the way into the connector so can be pulled out with no force. Assume it came out and touched another in the same 4 pin connector maybe? And moving the box around jiggles it and makes it work sporadically, and not others.

So $200 more later for board and fastest shipping I can get, got another board on the way. But I cannot find where I can buy replacement cables, and one of mine is clearly not made right.
Is it possible to buy one 4 pin connector cable?

Please let us know at support@carbide3d.com and we’ll send you a replacement cable.

Can do! Thanks for the quick reply.
I dug all around the shop but didnt see cables as an option :slight_smile:

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