I don’t know which instructions are which. We received one from a link from the product and another from a link from an email. That’s all I remember and once we built the machine, we got rid of those instructions. Trying to calibrate from the links was a disaster so we started looking online for help. I found this forum by searching for an answer to a specific problem.
We got it working … hurray … sort of. “Center” is over two inches inaccurate (to the right). No clue how to fix that but hopefully the testing cuts will help.
When we defined “Zero” for the Z axis, it promptly ignored that. While making the test cuts, it kept stopping to give me error messages about the Z axis and asking me to adjust it: -2mm and then +5mm in rapid succession error messages. Of course, I can’t do that because when I go to adjust the Z axis, none of the buttons change the depth and I have to stop the cut to go back.
We tried another cut after the test cuts and the bit cut the path to the test cut and back. It worked, but the cut was smaller than expected and it cut between paths, which is our new problem.
Thanks for your help - I’ll start looking for Z-axis solutions now …
Gero
So if the heat sink aren’t properly place, one could expect to have this type of issue.
I’m currently experiencing this problem. with the sled.
After many calibrations,nothing at all.
@joramos10 The warning ‘Sled is not keeping up’ has mostly other reasons that a faulty shield. If you have fried one of the chips, this is almost always noticed by one of the motors not moving. To have the heat sinks attached properly is essential. Thinking about my post from '18, I would not recommend the zip-tie approach today. If you had no ‘accidents’ and have not been running the Maslow without heat sinks, your motor-shield should be fine. How far do you get? Calibration completed without errors?
I think resetting the calibration values to the defaults before starting might help address this. If the values end up really wonky it can be tough to go forwards
When I’ve done the calibrations. I go all the way with no errors. Even get the test cut no issue. The last time I ran the machine it looked like no issue. But in the middle of the cut one left motor decided to stop, and the right one continued to run. Went as far as replacing the left motor. The same issue came up, the machine loosing the position of the sled and having to redo the chain calibration. Is like a hit and miss, and when I saw your most on the controller. I wonder if that is the main issue that I’m coming across. I don’t know if there is something that you have seen and/or come across that somewhat resembles this same issue. but any input is appreciated in advance.
I’ve been hibernating my Maslow for over a year now, so not a source for up to date information.
Anyhow my thoughts…
If you have not run your machine without the heat sinks, have not have the chain wrap around the sprocket, do not have a more then 16kg sled and not running in a high temperature region without AC, I still think the motor shield should be OK.
You have eliminated one possible source, the encoder on the motor could have been faulty, but you replaced the motor, so that is excluded.
I’ve fried 3 of the original shields, but that was in the early days of debugging GroundControl when some bug would let the Maslow attempt to tear the sled apart by moving it up way to far.
Usually the chips fry by shortening and then the motor will not move at all. This was with 2 shields. The 3rd was showing that it was faulty by delivering unpredictable distances on clear defined moves.
I was one of the first to switch to a TLE5206 thanks to an honorable donor.
My confidence in the original shield was compromised and having each motor on a separate chip and surviving more Amps made sense to me. Never fried a shield since then.
With a challenge like this where you can’t point your finger directly on the issue, I use the exclusion approach listing all the possible causes in order of their likelihood and excluding them one by one.
I would possibly go this route.
confirm that the feed-rate in GC is set to default
create a test .nc to run dry (without a bit or Z way up in the air), something like a big ellipse with no z-moves at slow feed-rate
run the ellipse.nc at low feed-rate first and move the motor cable, to check if the error can triggered mechanically (possible loose plug, weak solder spot or a broken cable)
use the search and replace function of an text editor to slowly increase the feed-rate in the ellipse file, to check if feed-rates make a difference
(at own risk) set the Position error limit to something high ~20 --> Keeping-Up
last but not least, start from zero, --> save you GC .ini file somewhere safe, delete the original, wipe the eeprom of the Arduino and flash the firmware again. After the first start of GC a new .ini is written. Close GC and replace the new .ini with the one you saved. Start over with calibration.
I know this is not highly motivating ;-), I’ve done it dozens of times. Crossing my fingers and wishing you luck. Kind regards, Gero
last but not least, start from zero, --> save you GC .ini file somewhere safe, delete the original, wipe the eeprom of the Arduino and flash the firmware again. After the first start of GC a new .ini is written. Close GC and replace the new .ini with the one you saved. Start over with calibration.
Where exactly the GC.ini file is at.
Could I just wipe eeprom, and start a new calibration