Z Axis Quit Working

Not exactly sure where this fits since I’m not sure what the issue is but I was cutting a couple days ago and it just turned out horrible, so I decided to move to a different piece of my sheet to try cutting again and watching it closer, but the Z Axis wouldn’t move. I updated GC and the firmware both to 1.02 and removed my router from the base (leaving just the lead screw on the rigid router basically) to see if that moves and nothing. When I test motors in GC Left and Right motors pass but the Z Axis fail instantly. Has anybody else had this issue before?

Have you checked both ends of cabling yet?

Thank you

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I made sure that both were plugged in, I didn’t check to see if current was going all the way through.

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Does the Z-axis motor turn? If so, then maybe the coupler is loose (I had a set screw back out on me and caused a problem)

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If it fails the test, switch the cable out with the left or right motor to make sure its not the cable or connector.

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Have you smelled the motor?

Thank you

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Running that test was a great idea if the test fails then we pretty much know it’s a hardware issue. The next thing I would try would be to plug the z-axis into one of the other motor ports and run the test again to see if it passes there. If it does then we know it’s an issue with the board, if it doesn’t then there is something up with the motor itself (or the cable).

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I flipped the wires around (L and Z), and L failed instantly meaning a bad motor for my Z axis, correct? Are there any motors still available for me to purchase?

Darn, I was hoping it was anything else. Thanks for running that test. We’re pretty much flat out of z-axis motors right now. There are more on the way but they won’t be here for six week.

I have two sleds right now and I can send you the used motor off my second sled right away if you PM me your address, and then I can send you a not dirty one when the rest of them arrive. Would you be ok with a pretty dusty used one as a temporary fix while we wait for the new batch to arrive?

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that means bad motor or wire, try switching the entire wire (so the wire going
from the L port to the L motor is the one that used to go from the Z port to the
Z motor)

if the problem is where the motor is connected, it’s the motor

if the problem is where the wire is connected, it’s the wire

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The problem with flipping the wires is that the connector for the Z Axis motor isn’t the same as the one for the L and R motors. I am not sure how to test it otherwise, and the cable was in sheath except for the very ends which were protected for the most part.

Thank you Bar! Very much appreciated. I’ll take whatever I can get. I will PM you my address. Do you want me to send mine back in so the gearbox can be used from it or even try to fix the motor/ encoder?

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Great!

No need to send it back. Unless something notably bad happened to it it’s probably a manufacturing issue. I’ll try to get that in the mail today so you should have it soon.

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If you have an ohm-meter, it would be worth checking the z cable for a broken wire. There has been at least one case of that in the distant past. In that instance the break wasn’t visible, it was hidden within the sheathing.

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certainly worth checking before throwing a motor away. If it is the cable then you might save a lot of hassle with getting new motors mailed and installed.

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