Ok.
Z movement, hurray, with new gecko, the old one was foolishly sacrificed
X movement, hurray, new gecko, and new motor.
Y noise but  no movement. a sweet whine, responds to the keys. This has had no parts but did bind at the end of the last session, when it made a noise like a toothed belt slipping, which is what it drives.
What could hve affected this axis, or what does the noise suggest?
Thanks for replys
Jim

and the stepper is singing quietly when it is idle. very high whistle.

There's only continuity in the phases, and none where there shouldn't be, and 3 phases settle at 1.3 Ohms one at 1.2.
Now I have taken the belts off, I can see the spindle is stuttering, doing maybe 1/4 turn, sticking, vibrating etc.
Does this point to any suspects?
Oh, the gecko tests ok, and remade all the contacts on it with new blocks.
Jim

Blow a drive and you are forgiven. Blow another drive and you deserve to pay the price! Wink

RICH

 How prophetic, that was you to me last september Rich.
Searching the forum it's the Gecko isn't it.
I'll swap them in the am and see if the fault migrates, since it isn't a Deadly fault

is the y stepper working when not attempting to drive anything?

sounds like a step pulse issue. id start at the default 2 and fiddle from there. step direction and pulse possibly, but nah...one would make it go backwards, and one would make it spin UNTIL you tried jogging, which would stop it...

and try the x axis from the y driver, etc, etc

tis why i have a large box of various steppers lying around. nema 17s are cheap enough to sacrifice when required! ie, free from the scrapyard

No, juddering and stuttering, not turning. I will swap the drives shortly.

Try swapping round the pin assignment if Mach for the Step and Dir signals for that axis, or you could alternatively swap the physical wires.

Hood

new lead from NON to PC.

non? i still type by sight and the white out on half my keys from some program that made it into a piano doesnt help...

BOB to PC...

BOB itself... i still couldnt be bothered backtracking and seeing if you mentioned what breed, what species of gecko you have...

intergral BOB or separate?

and finally, what happens if you hook the lot up to the other PC you have that also has mach3 installed? just incase its your motherboard?

just ideas...if swapping doesnt help, etc etc...

Hi Guys, greatful for the follow up suggestions.
An update. I contacted a local guy who saw my cnc machine years ago and went away and built himself one, then another, and another, to see if he had any bits, because even if it is my gecko, I would have had to wait two days to get a new one, and then, who knows? and I have the customer waiting,,, Unbelievably the guy lent me his machine. Its in the workshop now wizzing away. My priority is getting the job done before I try repairing mine.
At which point I will swap the Geckos, which is ok this time because the fault isn't a gecko fatal one. In other words, if the Gecko blows, don't put another one on If the motor stutters, swap the geckos and track the fault.
jim