X axis likes to stutter, thows off whole print

Not sure why but my x axis stutters occasionally in the middle of moving. I've got an hd camera on the gear on the x axis stepper and I'm pretty sure the belts not slipping, also I've got aluminum drive gears so It's not missing teeth. Sometimes though even when I move the axis manually it will stop and jitter usually the wrong direction for a split second then work again, sometimes every layer on my prints come out about a cm closer to the home point, might be neat if I wanted it to happen. Anyone have a solution for this?

Thanks
Bronston

Try swapping a different motor, say the Y motor, into the same position.
If it stutters, it's the electronics. If you've got pololu drivers, swap driver boards over and see if you can narrow down if it's a driver board or main board fault. Check for dry joints, burnt out components. Run through the diagnostics from the reprap wiki that relate to your board.
If it doesn't stutter, it's the motor. Check all connections including crimps, or if there are any scrapes/cuts in the wires. It could be a loose connection in the motor itself.
Hope that helps.

You may have a single loose wire on that motor.

...or the driver current is just a little too low.

Also sounds like a overheating stepper driver.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

Turns out it was just the pot adjustment. Thanks guys, now if I can get my spool to pull correctly I'll be all set.

Bronston

Well I was mistaken thought it was the pot but its still doing it. Looking into it further now.

"The pot" adjusts how much current your motors get. The more current your motors get, the more tourque they have, but also the stepper driver chip gets hotter. If you need the tourque, you also need a heatsink.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

If it's a loose wire your pololu's might be at risk..

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I had the same problem.
Did everything that everyone suggested.
I solve the problem by using a table fan blowing on the ramp board.
Now I am going to add a small fan to cool the board.

I had a similar issue and found that it was my own stupidity. I wired the endstops along with the motors through a cat5 cable. I think the current required for the motor caused the endstops to fire prematurely. After I rewired all was well.