Do you have a TL or a TH for triggering the laser? If you power the digital side of your laser power supply with 12V and tie the gnd with the PWM gnd on the pokeys57CNC controller, you may be able to use the PWM on the pokeys57CNC controller. Before you do this, I would suggest that you contact polabs support (http://support.polabs.com/) and ask them if this is possible.

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Using a Pokey57 CNC and Mach 4 can you tell me how to connect my laser. The laser has three wires.. Ground - 12V Power and PMW.

Red is A+
Blue is A-
Black is B+
and Green is B-

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I purchased the 3 Axis Heavy Gantry Electronics /w Pokeys57CNC controller and the motors supplied only have 4 wires coming out of them (R,G,B,Blk). Your wiring video shows wiring 8 cables. do you have a video showing how to wire the 4 wire version?

The DRV8825 driver IC by TI (Texas Instruments) has two main connections called STEP and DIR. These are the two main connections that you need to use to connect to the Pokeys57CNC controller. You also need to connect the positive digital voltage pin (5V) from the Pokeys57CNC controller's motor connector to both the reset and sleep pins. The GND pin from the Pokeys57CNC motor connector is connected to the GND pin of the DRV8825 driver. The enable pin of the DRV88525 can remain unconnected.

There is a trimmer potentiometer on the DRV8825 that can increase or decrease the amperage setting for the motor. Depending on the DRV8825 board you purchased, there may be two pads to determine the amp setting while turning the trimmer (in the voltage setting on your multimeter).

The A1 and A2 is connected to one of the motor's coils and B1 and B2 is connected to the other motor's coil. There is a pin on the DRV8825 called VMOT that you will connect to the power supply (max 45VDC) and the GND pin next to the VMOT is the V- for the same power supply.

I hope this helps. If not, please add additional information on this thread.

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I followed (to the best of my ability) the instructions provided to my original question, but I did not receive successful results. When I followed the instructions and connected the ground pin from the Pokeys57CNC motor connector to the DRV8825 / A4988 expansion board, it stops the communication between the Pokeys57CNC board & the motors 1-3 that I had working previously. The DRV8825 / A4988 expansion board will be the fourth driver I am connecting to the Pokeys57CNC. The previous three drivers are PoStep-60's if that helps understand the issue.

Prior to hooking up the ground pin (I used pin 10 from the Pokeys57CNC motor connector) to the DRV8825 / A4988 expansion boards ground pin, I was able to see the power being applied via the red LED being illuminated on the DRV8825 board; after this new configuration the light is not turning on.

With the new recommended setup, I used a heat shrink solder piece to add the shunt for the connection to the sleep pin. The connection to the sleep pin is where I believe my issues are stemming from. I must be connecting it to the incorrect pin (within the 9 pin layout on the DRV8825 / A4988 expansion board). Do you have any reference to the 9 pin pinout on the A4988 expansion board? I double checked the pinout provided on the Texas Instruments page, but it only gives clarity to the pinouts on the DRV8825 board itself. After reviewing their documentation, I tried connecting the 5v (pin 9 from the Pokeys57CNC motor connection that's split to connect with the reset pin on the DRV8825 / A4988) wire directly to the terminal on the DRV8825 board and that didn't work either.

Any help or clarification you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

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How can I connect the Pokeys57CNC controller to a DRV8825 / A4988 expansion board?

You don't need to designate a PIN. In the pulse engine, you may want to try inverting the step low active. You also want to make sure that the pokeys57CNC ID is correct. If you had a previous pokeys57CNC, Mach 4 may be using a previous ID. You can try removing the plugin and start again so Mach 4 can recognize it and reinstall it.

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Downloaded Mach4 and pokeys57cnc software, hooked everything up according to videos and motor isn't turning, do you have to designate a pin number in Mach 4, for the step and dir. using motor 1 block as video described (3,5, and 9). Thanks for your help.

I have very detailed wiring videos for the Pokeys57CNC controller on the pokeys57CNC controller webpage: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach4-mach3-USB-ethernet-Board

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[50] I purchased 3 Axis Heavy Gantry Electronics /w Pokeys57CNC controller (Mach3 and 4 Compatible) and Cable Pack I plan to use Mach 3 do You have a wiring diagram Thanks

There is a video on this page:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach4-mach3-USB-ethernet-Board
that demonstrates the start and stop for a spindle with the Pokeys57CNC controller and Mach3. The video is titled, Spindle Start/Stop Control.

If you are trying to start/stop a router rather than a spindle, all you need to do is apply the same concept of using the relay by passing the black (live) wire of the power cable through the relay. The Mach3 configuration is the same.

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how do you automatically turn on the router with pokeys57cnc and mach3. Mach3 is different from the mach4 example "step by step guide".

it is possible to install 2 motors on a single axis but you will require another driver and motor, but wire it directly to the same pins on your breakout board. Also the orientation of your motor since it is opposite side of the original so getting it to move accordingly to the original motor it will need to be orientated correctly. The slight shift could be the cause of the rod not being completely flat where the set screws are suppose to tighten the sprocket to the rod, so sanding it to a flatter surface might fix the shift in directions.
Currently do not have a kit or schematic available.

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I am interested in your Black Toe (24" X 48") machine, and am wondering if using two medium motors on the "X" and "Y" axis makes sense relative to power and alignment (racking). What would you recommend?

The formula for finding the steps per mm is found in the units itself. First, you mentioned that the motor is a servo. This needs to be clarified as a servo is different than a stepper motor. Some servos behave similar to a stepper motor, so I will continue with this in mind.

The formula is (steps/mm):

You need to find the steps. The stepper motor has a natural number of steps per a full revolution. This is typically 200 steps per revolution.

The driver for the stepper motor allows you to increase the number of steps per revolution by adding a specified number of steps between each step. For instance, if you set the driver to 1/4 microstepping, then instead of having 200 steps per revolution, you would have 200 x 4 = 800 steps per revolution.

So now we have the first part of the formula:

Steps / mm = (200 x 4) / mm

Lets determine the mm side of the formula:

You mention that the pitch is 0.5 mm. Check to insure that the lead is also 0.5 mm. This could be a multiple start lead screw where the pitch is different than the turns per mm. If in this case, that the 0.5 mm is the travel for one full revolution, then you can simply plug this into the formula as:

mm = .5 mm

Otherwise, determine how fat the travel is for one complete revolution.

Therefor, with what we know and the driver is set at 1/4 microstepping and the stepper motor has a natural step count per revolution at 200:

steps / mm = (200 steps x 4) / 0.5 mm = 800 steps / 0.5 mm = 1600 steps / mm

If your travel for one revolution is not 0.5 mm, then plug in your travel distance instead.



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i know about steps/mm calculation for stepper motor, because i am using servo motor that why i asked about that. please tell for servo motor.

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because its my first time with servo motor i have no idea about calculation of parameter with servo.

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Have you attempted to contact the manufacturer or seller of the servo? We typically respond to customers of our products on this customer service area, unless we have extensive knowledge of the subject and can answer the question efficiently.

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hello there, i am using servo motor for my X and Y Axis but i dont know how to calculate steps/mm for that, the lead screw i am using is have pitch of .5 mm. please helpme on this i have done everything only this point is pending.

blackToe requires a minimum cable length of of 15 ft for X, 17 ft for Y and 18 ft for Z for the redLeaf to be positioned at midpoint along the long axis and under the table. Each axis would need have 6 feet extra (form the midpoint)

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IF WE ASSUME DESIRE TO PLACE THE RED LEAF 6' AWAY FROM TABLE, HOW MUCH CABLE IS NEEDED CONNECT MOTORS ON TABLE ITSELF?

If the Z-Axis is moving down when you press the page up or page down (or by moving the z-axis by another means like with an MPG, Pendant, or the built-in MPG in Mach3), then the direction signal wire is not connected correctly. The direction signal wire works by moving in one direction with a low signal (like gnd) and moving in the other direction with a high signal (like 5v). If the signal stays at one of the two signals, it will only move in the direction of the current signal state. Recommended action is to determine if the DIR- and DIR+ signal wires are connected securely and make good contact at the driver and controller sides.

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I installed a pokeys57cnc and use Mach3 for the mill. When I page up or down the Z axis moves down. Is there a setting I need to change? I checked the Z axis wiring and it matches the X and Y axis which function correctly.

If the Z-Axis is moving down when you press the page up or page down (or by moving the z-axis by another means like with an MPG, Pendant, or the built-in MPG in Mach3), then the direction signal wire is not connected correctly. The direction signal wire works by moving in one direction with a low signal (like gnd) and moving in the other direction with a high signal (like 5v). If the signal stays at one of the two signals, it will only move in the direction of the current signal state. Recommended action is to determine if the DIR- and DIR+ signal wires are connected securely and make good contact at the driver and controller sides.

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I installed a pokeys57cnc and use Mach3 for the mill. When I page up or down the Z axis moves down. Is there a setting I need to change? I checked the Z axis wiring and it matches the X and Y axis which function correctly.

To make an axis move in the opposite direction to what it is currently moving, you will need to toggle the ":direction:" active low setting for that axis. for instance, if when you press the page up button and your z-axis move down instead of up, then you need to make this change in the configuration.

To do this in Mach3:
- Click on the config option in the top menu
- Click on ports & pins
- Click on the motor outputs tab
- on the axis you wish to reverse, click on the "dir active low" to toggle the state of that parameter.

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I installed a pokeys57cnc and use Mach3 for the mill. When I page up or down the Z axis moves down. Is there a setting I need to change? I checked the Z axis wiring and it matches the X and Y axis which function correctly.

If the motor has 8 wires, you will need to wire the stepper motor in bipolar parallel. This motor (425 oz-in) is wired as follows:

Red and Blue wires to A+ on driver
Yellow and Black wires to A- on driver
White and Brown wires to B+ on driver
Orange and Green wires to B- on driver

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[54] There are 8 wires on this motor. How do you connect to the driver?

Can you provide the model number of your VFD?

Yes, I have the "YL600 - 2S - 2K20"

It just came with a small booklet that is all in Chinese...

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I WIRED MY VFD (2.2KW VERSION) AND TRIED TEST RUNNING THE SPINDLE. CONFIGURED TO YOUR SPECS ON THIS WEBSITE, ONLY ISSUE IS WE GOT AN ERROR CODE. ERR 02, DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS? OR HAVE A LIST OF CODES? THANK

If one of your stepper motors decides to stop moving and the others are moving during a CNC milling or laser cutting job, then there could be two things that could be causing this.

- The motor found its limiting torque (usually comes with a not-so-pleasant sound). This is where the control software is trying to move the stepper motor too fast (velocity, or too fast too quickly, acceleration) and the load against the stepper motor (inertia of the machine, or the material against the end mill while milling). Recommended action is to lower the velocity and/or acceleration, and/or lower the feedrate when cutting.

- There is a wiring issue with the wiring from the driver to the motor. This could be a loose wire, or a chafed wire (or two shorting together). It can also be a loose digital wire from the controller board to the driver. Sometimes wire ties can be the culprit. Recommended action would be to thoroughly inspect the wiring.

It's probably not the limit switches since that would cause a stop to the entire motion of the cnc router or laser machine.

Sometimes Mach3 will show a status when something goes wrong, but in cases where the motor is stopping due to its torque limit, then that would not be shown in the status. It's always good to check it anyway.

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I need to clarify my situation a little better after going to my shop and trying to run another program on Mach 3. About 15 minutes into the milling process all the motors (2-X axis, Y axis and Z axis)stop but the program continues to run. I stop the program and after a couple of minutes when I try to restart the program all the motors start working again. Then after another 15 minutes or so, all the motors stop again. I checked and rechecked my wiring. This has never happened to me before when running the same programs with the same setups and motor speeds. All of a sudden when I reloaded a program I successfully used before it does this. Do you have any recommendations?

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Yeah, it sounds like a more complex issue. Have you tried running in the air without using the spindle. This may be a power related issue.

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That's exactly what I did. I ran the program without the router motor on just to see if the motors would get through the whole program but they stopped working after about fifteen minutes and then I was able to start them again after about 3 or 4 minutes. I never had this problem before so you can imagine my frustration especially after ruining a couple of projects on expensive material.

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Sure. I can completely understand. Try this: disconnect all but one of the driver from power and digital connection and do the air run. Repeat this for each driver and note your findings. This will rule out the drivers causing a power failure.

Also, is your stepper motors and drivers on a separate power circuit from the computer?

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I will try disconnecting each driver and digital connection, which will be a real pain because it will be hard to access.

All the stepper motors, drivers and computer are plugged into the same power strip.

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Ok, so there is no power failure going on, but I believe it is necessary to test each stepper motor and driver pair individually. Hopefully that will lead to a conclusion.

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It will take a little time but I will do it and report back on my findings.

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Curious, what machine is exhibiting this problem?

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I purchased a BYCNC kit back in 2009 with an approximate cutting area of 2' X 4'. I later changed out the Z-Axis Motor and controller for a larger one and have two X-axis motors and controllers. In 2010 I rebuilt the machine out of birch plywood instead of the particle board that the kit supplied. I sent Patrick pictures to him. The machine never gave me a problem till now.

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Thanks for the update. This is Patrick by the way. I answer pretty much all of the Customer Service questions. That machine has given quite a good history.

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I love the machine and made a number of samples of my work for my e-commerce site, but I can't start selling product until I know this problem is solved because I will not be able to fulfill orders. I finally got all the electronics out of its enclosed protected area near the machine so that I test each controller as you recommended. I hope the problem can be rectified. Will let you know.

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Thanks.

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I tested each stepper motor and driver pair individually and they worked so what might be the next step?

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Did each stepper motor driver pair work for the full +15 minutes?

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Yes, I had them in operation for over 30 minutes.

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Ok, well it’s good that the motors and driver are ok. We are now down to the power supply and the breakout board as possible causes for the stop. I have a feeling it may be the power supply where with all three drivers drawing current and the power supply maybe getting too hot. Is the fan in the power supply working? You can also test to see if there is 36 volts on the power supply voltage output (V+ and V-).

Regarding the breakout board, if you have an oscilloscope, you can test if the driver pulses are outputting, but I would consider this as a last resort after you determine if there is a problem with the power supply.

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I tested the power supply with a voltmeter and each output was registering 39-40 volts. I think the problem may be the g-code. I am using V-Carve pro to do design and output to Mach 3 Mill g-code. When I studied the g-code lines I noticed that further into the program the z-axis g-code stopped zeroing out to move to the next part of the carving. In other words both the x and y keep moving and the z just stopped working because there was g-code missing. I think something is missing when the design was converted to g-code. I noticed that when I ran a simpler project it worked without problems so I need to investigate this further.

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New Update, Its not the g-code. I started to run the long program and everything was working fine until about 45 minutes into it, all the motors stopped working (but the program was still running) and there was a high pitched hum. When I put my hands on the motors they were all trying to move but it seemed they were all stalled. I turned the power off, gave it a minute and when I turned it back on I was able to move the motors again. Could this be a power supply problem?

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It does sound more and more like a power supply problem. Did you test the power supply after the motors stopped?

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No, I did not. What should I be looking for.

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It’s good that you know the voltage during normal operation, so you have a base understood. If the power supply is the problem, the voltage will be reduced or non existent when measured after the problem.

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Also, check to see if the fan is running on the power supply when the motors stop. That may (not absolutely) be an indication.

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I'll run another test, check the voltage and fan when the problem occurs and let you know. Thanks for hanging in there with me as we try to resolve the problem.

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It’s my pleasure. This service is rarely used and is faster then email. Odd nobody uses it. Any recommendations you can give would be great. No problem using this FAQ to pose ideas as this resolution will be cleaned up later.

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It might be that people do not realize you can communicate through the sight like this because they are so used to e-mail and texting. You may want to explain this feature in the customer service section.

I ran the program this morning and it did not take long before the motors stopped. While operating the voltages for all three motors was 46 volts, when the motors stalled (and again there was a high pitch hum) the voltage went up to 60 volts and the fan on the power supply was operating.

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So, the driver work individually, but not all together. There is a high pitch sound when the motors fail. You have noted 60 volts from the power supply and the supply fan remains on. This is a difficult issue to resolve, but it seems to me that your power supply may be bad. The 60v measurement tells me that the current dropped and ohms law tells us that is current drops, volts will rise if the resistance stays the same.

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As one last test I am going to test each driver again and let them go through the entire program because it seems that the failure can occur at the beginning or towards the end of the program. When I originally tested ach driver I let them run for about a half an hour and the program takes over an hour to run completely. I just want to make sure that it is not the drivers. I will report back when I finished but as you noted it may be the power supply but I want to make sure.

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That’s a great idea.

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I just ran the x-axis through the whole program and there was no problem especially since I have two NEMA 23 motors moving that axis. Before I check the Y and Z could having a NEMA 34 on the Z axis with appropriate controller be a problem. I used the larger motor on the z axis because the router I am using is a large 1 1/2 hp. I've run this program in the past with this set-up and have not had a problem.

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Having a, say 3.0 amp driver, driving a stepper motor that typically requires a 6 amp driver would not seem to be an issue since the driver is limiting the current draw, but the driver may not be able to handle larger coil and back EMF with the protection on the 3.0 amp driver. With that said, I don’t believe that is the issue in this case.

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I don't either because I was able to run this and other complicated programs with this set-up in the past. I will let you know on the y and z axis.

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Thanks

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I ran the Y axis and z axis separately through the entire program and there was no stopping or problem. I guess the culprit is the power supply and I'll order a new one and hope that resolves the problem.

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Yes, that is the most probable cause. Please keep me informed. Thanks!

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Received and installed the new power supply. I ran the program with the router on and it worked flawlessly. The program runs for an hour and a half and I did not have a single problem. I guess it was the power supply but I was glad to go through all the diagnostics we discussed before replacing it. I hope this power supply lasts a lot longer than the last one. Thanks much for hanging in there with me and coming up with the solution.

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It’s my absolute pleasure and I am so happy to hear that the power supply replacement solved the problem.

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Y axis stop working X & Z work fine Y axis has two motors have check wiring & connections new breakout board still the same port & Pin set OK dont no were to go next David

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my cnc plasma cutter will run out the program when cutting. what is the cause?

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The cnc plasma question shod be a separate question. Can you pise that question by clicking the customer service live menu button at the top? Thanks.

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WHAT CAUSES ONE OF MY TWO AXIS MOTORS TO STOP WHILE THE MACH3 PROGRAM IS STILL RUNNING

To replace all of the electronics for a 4 axis system with all NEMA 34 motors, you will need the following components:

4 NEMA 34 stepper motors:
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-nema34-651ozin

4 drivers (one driver for each motor):
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-stepper-driver-6!0a

One controller:
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

24v Powers supply for the controller:
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-power-supply-24v-1a-dc

2 48V power supplies for the motors and drivers:
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-power-supply-24v-36v-48v

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what do i need to buy for a complete replacement 4 axis cnc mill nema 34 motors mach 3

To move two stepper motors simultaneously with the same signal, simply wire the two stepper motor drivers to the same interface board signal terminals (CP and CW).

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using a ardino uno controller and a cnc sheild on top of that how to wirer 2 motors to 1 axis its the x axis ?

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I have my motors wired like the wiring diagram I have two motors on Y axis how do I wire the second motor

The settings that you will use for your 3.0 amp driver to properly power and turn your 425 oz-in stepper motor will cheifly depend on your application and the mechanical parts you are using on your machine. In all circumstances, the amp setting for the stepper motor (according to the datasheet) should be 2.8 amps. Use the closest setting on the driver without going over.

Here is a good rule of thumb for the microstepping which will correspond to the resolution, but wil also affect torque. You always want to try to achieve the best torque and resolution for the axis you are moving but go with the lowest microstepping possible. In cases where there is mechanical advantage, like a lead screw scenario, where for each motor revolution, the axis move a very small amount, you will want a very low microstep value. This is because the mechanical configuration will provide most of the finer resolution and you will not need the microstepping to assist in this. Increase the microstepping only in conditions where the axis is not moving smooth enough, or where there is a mechanical disadvantage. A mechanical disadvantage would be where the stepper motor is causing a great amount of movement in the axis and the resolutions suffers from this condition. Increase the microstep value up to your desired resolution, but don't go over since the torque of the motor will decrease.

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I'm building my own machine using your motors and drivers. What is the best dip switch settings for the 3.0 amp drivers powering the 425 oz motors

In all CNC electronics configurations, you will need the motor paired with its own driver.

If two motors/drivers are intended for a single axis and the motors need to turn at the same rate and in the same direction, then the two drivers for these motors should be connected to the same signal wires from the breakout board (step (CP) and direction (CW)) signal wires.

If the motors need to turn in opposite directions, then either one driver will need to have the direction signal inverted, or resolve the opposite direction through a change in the mechanical drive train (i.e. flip the rack on a rack and pinion configuration, or in a roller chain setup, have the chain ride along the opposite side of the drive sprocket).

How do I go about purchasing a redleaf system with 4 drivers, where the (y) and (a) driver are connected to the same signal from the breakout board? I'd also need them to rotate in opposite directions.

The redLeaf webpage contains a purchase option for an extra motor and driver. We can setup the redLeaf system uniquely so it conforms to your application (i.e. motors running in opposite directions).

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I've built a machine where the y axis has (2) 425oz motors, x axis has (1) 425oz. motor, and the z axis also has (1) 425oz motor. Would it be better to purchase a redleaf system with 4 drivers? or can I just connect both y axis motors to the same driver for a total of 3 drivers?