stepstick driver pb

Hi,

I'm curious about your thoughts on this :

i bought 4 stepsticks and use them in a generation 7 card for my fresh new repstrap. One of them is acting strangely and make the motor only vibrate ( no turn).
It's the stepstick for me because this behavior (only vibrate) happend on any line ( X, Y, Z) when i use this module and the same line works perfectly with another module.

Question is : Is it burned ? how to test it ? and what could i do about it ? I'm waiting actually for new modules ordered online, but i'm just curious about this behavior.

I had a good look ( with a lens) to the module but couldn't see anything wrong.

Note : playing with the trim makes it vibrate STRONGER ( more noise too) , so I could say the power part works !

Than you in advance if you have any idea ..

Serge

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2011 10:53AM by imprime3d.

... you can measure the voltage between the two pins of a coil with atached motor.

With slow 'moving' the motor with single steps you should be able to check, if the drivers are functional - by repeatedly changing the polarity of the coils ...

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Thank you, I will check that. The module is already on a testing board, so i can just put single steps to see what happend.

Serge

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how to test it ?

Exchange just this module with a working axis. If the axis stops working then, you catched the culprit.

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what could i do about it ?

A few of my StepSticks weren't reflowed properly (nor warm enough). Heating the thing over a candle until the epoxy started to smell fixed this. Along the way you should remove the pins and resolder them after reflowing, of course.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

Thank you,

I catched the culprint from the beginning my first tests was to exchange the modules . I could isolate this module this way : Axis never work with this one for sure .

I will try to reflow, could be funny. I didn't smell birned epoxy for long time .
I will tell if it changed something.

Thx

I have better luck reflowing with a hair dryer.

Ha, yes. maybe better for my poor epoxy ?

I will try that first.

Thx

A hair dryer? That's something like 80 deg Celsius and it you tune the dryer to go near 300 deg, it'll simply melt.

How should that work?

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

I mean a heat gun, my bad.

HO yes. I thought about heat gun too

hair dryer would just...dry the board i guess ? lol

I tried to reflow with candle, i find it more poetic .

Unfortunately, i forgot to read all the post and didn't removed the pins. hehe. I just burned plastic for now , but no reflow.. my bad.

Unsolder, then candle again.

Thx all anyway. It's fun .

Serge