frustrated....cannot seem to get a motor stepping

[strokedmaro]

Ive been trying to get my motors to move for close to a month.  I built a hobby cnc pro chopper board, downloaded their Mach profile which automatically sets the pins correctly and tried to get it working on my main computer (win7 64bit) that I added a PCI parallel card in (mobo did not have one)....I then did some reading that windows 7 is not recommended so I decided to try something else.  I happened to have a PCMIA Parallel card so I tried that with my motion computing tablet with xp.  Did a stripped down XP install with driver and mach only...changed the port in Mach to match (FFF0 I think) and again no movement.  SOoOOOo  I took it a bit further and built a new micro atx pc specifically for this purpose using some parts I had laying around along with a new motherboard/case(again XP install/drivers/mach only).  I verified the on-board parallel port in the bios as having 378 as the address and tried to get some movement last night...again no dice.

There are a couple of possibilities I can think of but Id like some input from the experts...

1.  On both the tablet and this new machine when I run the driver test I don't get a flat line...there are fairly large repeating spikes.  I chalked the tablet up to being a tablet which everyone says is a no no due to power management but my new mini desktop is just as bad...actually its almost worse because it blue screened a few times while running the original driver...switched to the special driver and it locked up.  Went back to the original and the last few times have been problem free (by "problem free" I mean it doesnt lock up but the large spikes are still there).  I still need to find and run through the optimization file.  I just can't believe that this would cause a no movement condition...or could it?

2.  The next most likely problem is with the hobbycnc board as its the only thing in common with all my tests.  Currently I've tried 3 computers...one with a parallel PCI card, one with a PCMIA card and the new PC with an on-board port.  Not sure how I can verify that without the forking over more money for a different controller.

I've watched the video's, read the forums and checked my connections and wiring....I'm frustrated and at a loss especially with the poor driver outputs I'm seeing during the driver test.  What else can I do?

[ger21]

WHen you apply power to the HobbyCNC board, due the motors lock up? If they do, then the board is most likely working correctly. If the motors do NOT lock up, then the board is not working.

The 64bit PC won't work at all, PCI card or onboard port.
Tablet probably won't work either.

It's also possible that the HobbyCNC needs 5v, and the micro atx is only supplying 3.5V.

To get rid of the spikes, try going into the bios, and disabling ACPI. You probably will need to re-install windows after this.

[strokedmaro]

When you say "lock up" do you mean I shouldnt be able to turn them by hand?  Should it lock up with power on only (nothing to do with the parallel port, pc or cable?)  I will check that first thing when I get off work.

[ger21]

Yes, even with the PC turned off, when power is supplied to the HobbyCNC, you should not be able to turn the motors.

[strokedmaro]

excellent!  I will check first thing.  That would eliminate half the guess work....what about the spikes in the driver test?  Would large spikes cause no movement or just erratic??

[ger21]

erratic

[strokedmaro]

ok...I only have the "X" and "Y" motor connected to the HobbyCNC board but I can turn both by hand with it powered on   I guess I found my problem.  I will try and find whats in common between both and do some further troubleshooting.  Thanks for the help!  If Im unable to get this board working, what are some alternatives I should look at?

[strokedmaro]

I figured it out!  I built the HobbyCNC board over a year ago but ended up putting the project off until now.  During the construction of it I remember checking voltages and what not but once it was completely assembled I must have stopped following the instructions....basically I had no motors to test at the time so once soldering all components was completed I stopped.  Today after cracking the case that holds it open and going through the instructions I found that I never moved the jumpers used for the VREF to one of the applicable micro stepping settings.  Once the jumpers were moved the motors hum like crazy and I could'nt turn them by hand!  Opened mach3, motors moved correctly, mission complete!  Thanks for the excellent and quick answers ger21!!