Hi everyone,
I’m quite new to cnc stuff and got a problem with my system.
I’m not able to get the motors running (just holding torque).

System:
Pokeys 57E
Stepper Motor Driver DQ542MA (wantai kit)
(http://www.wantmotor.com/ProductsView.asp?id=257&pid=82)
Stepper Motor 57bygh627
(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y439/michelle08070238/57BYGH/57BYGH627marked_zps435699b0.jpg)

I downloaded the latest Mach 3 Software and I’m running the 3.1.38 Pokeys Mach3 Plugin.

Therefore I copy and pasted the pokeys.dll tot he plugin-folder of mach3.
I activated it and just enabled under ports and pins the X,Y, and Z-Axis.
according to the Pokeys manual, thats all. Now I should get started with the motortuning, but nothing works.
When I connect the Pokeys to the PC and I test the pulse engine nothing moves.

At the wantais page you get two possible wirings:

1.   Pul + , Dir+ Enbl+ go to 5V and Step- Dir- go to the Controller (Pokeys)
Enable- can be left unconnectetd (enabled)

2.   Pul + , Dir+ Enbl+ go to the Controller (Pokeys)  and Step- Dir- Enbl- go to ground
Which wiring should I use?
At the moment I use the first wiring, because I read in here that it works like that.
When I give power tot he drivers, the green LED goes on and the red is out (allways, never had it on). The Drivers provide holding torque but dont move the motors.

When I’m in the Pokeys config menue under the toolbar „pulse engine“ an try to test movements, the green LED on the board starts flashing fast but nothing moves. When I close the Pulseengine setting the LED is on (stable).

What is my Problem?
Mach settings? Wiring?

Would be nice if someone could help me out here..

Thx Lukas

Dear Lukas,

May I suggest the following failure detection procedure:

First of all you should check if the stepper motor driver works without the pokeys controller. This can be done by using A frequency / pulse generator or you simply use a switch to generate some pulses. If this works the wiring of the driver is correct.

Second: You have to check the current which is consumed by the opto coupler of the driver. The pokeys outputs can only handle up to 4mA (Please see pokeys manual version 2/4/2014 page 24 - chapter 8.1). I also use the pokeys 57E and I use a transistor switch on each output to my motor comtroller. This has also the advantage that the 5V which are necessary for the driver have no influence to the pokeys board. Please be careful with the current: You can damage the pokeys board if the current is too high!

Third: Have you wired the correct pins to the motor controller? Please see the pokeys 'PulseEngine.1.pdf' on page 7. Also have a look on the circuit with the resistor! The pokeys board can sink or source outputs so the direction which you have choosen is correct.

Do you have the possibility to use an osziloskope? Than you can check the output of the pokeys board.

After you have checked all these hardware points we can check the software part.

I'm shure that you will solve the problem! Please let us know if you have solve it and what was the problem - thank you!

Kind regards,
Markus

Hi Markus,

I tested the Driver:

I connected Power to the Driver...
Connected +5V to .....PUL+(+5V), DIR+(+5V) there is no reason for ENBL, because it is enabled without 5V
For testing I touched Ground to the PUL- (PUL) and the Motor stepped.
So, the Drivers work.

I tested Pokeys:

I connected a LED to x-DIR (PIN 36) and 5V on Pokeys...
When I start the Pokeys Configuration Program the LED in ON,
and when I go under Pulse engine settings, at the beginning I always have to unlock the pulse engine.
When I press RUN and move the x-Axis, the LED is on or of, depends which direction I move [I think this should be fine].
Meassurement with the multimeter is 4,84 V in one direction and something about 1,8 in the other direction.
The Power supply for Pokeys is a USB charger with 1A output..should be enought...

When I do the same procedure with x-STEP (PIN 46) the LED is ON, even when I'm not connected to the config-program or mach3...
when I enter the config program and move the axis its always on...I thought I'd see the LED flickering, but it seems stabel....maybe a tiny tiny flickering, but everytime (eben when I dont move the axis).

The ON OFF switching of the LED (5v and X-DIR) works with Jogging in Mach3 as well.


I have no osziloskope, so what else can I do?

Could it be a Timing Problem?



Driver DM542MA

Step Time         Step Space         Direction Hold         Direction Setup          Steps on
5050              5050                  500                        500                        ?
Source:
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Stepper_Drive_Timing


I dont know what to do...
please help me

Lukas

Dear Lukas,

1. Driver is working -> fine!

2. To test the pokeys Outputs with the LED is a good idea but be careful regarding the current! Due to the fact that the DIR Output is changing depending on the direction you jog we know that there is a communication and the outputs are switched. Depending the LED test on the PUL output: your Settings in the pulse engine create a frequency. If this freq. is more than 100Hz you will not see any flickering of a LED.

The next tests:

1. Do you have a multimeter which can measure frequency? If yes you can measure the frequency on the PUL Output. If you jog the axis there has to be a frequency which you can measured.

2. If you do not have a multimeter with freq. measuring function you can try the following: Set the Maximum Speed in the pulseengine of the pokeys SW quite low (approx. 1000 pulses/s) and try it again with the LED because the jog Speed 1% of 1000 pulses/s is 10Hz. So you should see the LED flickering.

3. If this will not work please can you post your Setting of the pulse engine (max. Speed, max. accel, max. decel., ...).

By the way: Have you connected the pin52 (Emergency Switch Input or have you inverted the Input? Because if you do not connect or invert the Input the pulse engine will not send pulses to the Driver.

Kind regards,
Markus

Hi Markus,

unfortunately I don't have a multimeter which can meassure frequency...

so I just did, what you advised me to do under point 2, but still got no flickering...

Yes I have connected pin 52 to ground...


I post my settings as attachment.
Mach 3 should be uninteresting for the moment, cause I think at first I should get it going with the pokeys config program...

Thanks Lukas

...more pics

..and one more time...

Dear Lukas,

I have checked your setting of the pulse engine in the pokeys sw -> ok. So I have build up the system like you have done it (electrically) and I have set the same settings in the pulse engine of the pokeys sw -> it works.

There are two differences between your system and that I have build up:
1. The driver
2. I use the firmware version v3.1.17 instead of the latest version like you. I would suggest to download this version and try it again. Could be that this is the problem because I had also problems with the latest version.

Please try and let me know.

Kind regards,
Markus

Hey Markus,

I tried what you suggested me to do, but it didn't work.

I tried it with the Driver connected and I tried the LED test --> LED is always on.
The strange thing is, that when I try to invert or inactivate the PIN 46 the LED is still on... only if I reset the Pokeys I can put it as Digital Output or click inactive and the LED goes on or off.

I also tried a diffrent Power supply (meassured 5,12V).

Could it be that my Pokeys is broken?
I mean, from my side it seems not to be able to send pulses...

I'm pretty annoyed and don't know what to do...
I reinstalled mach an pokeys several times...

I uninstalled mach and Pokeys and tried everything with the firmware 3_1_17 and 3_0_65 as well...

Thank you for your help.

Is there something else that I could test?

Thx Lukas

Dear Lukas,
What you can try is to use one of the other pulse outputs but do not forget the pullup resistor.

The pokeys board cannot deal with high current. This is the reason why I have build up transistor switches for reach output.

Kind Regards,
Markus