However, I didn't know if I set the accel too low, or if you have high velocity with low accel, if it could lose steps
Velocity is constant movement of the axis, and as long as the stepper can maintain the required torque to deliver
the force necessary to keep the axis movement at that speed it will not skip. Now the stepper looses torque the faster it
rotates.
Acceleration is the change in the velocity from a higher to lower or lower to a higher value in some time.
The stepper must have adequate torque to provide that acceleration to the axis. One of the factors is the mass
which it is trying to speed up or slow down. You know F=MA
So if you are trying to increase the axis velocity and it is at max velocity / unreliable you may not have the torque available to do it
and the stepper will skip. Also you may want to move the axis a small amount in a very short time such that you need adequate
torque to provide that move. IE; say the Z must move 0.0003" in a fraction of a second if can't do it it will skip.
So try all axis at say velocity = 100 and accel =10, then just double the velocity values until it skips, then reduce the
velocity 30%. Then double the acceleration values until it skips. Now reduce the accel value by say 30%.
You do the above in a linear move with the axis from a dead start to rapid stop for both a long and short move.
You will quickly find approx velocity and acceleration values for your machine and you should use the values of
the weaker axis. The 30% provides some headroom for different materials when cutting and you may find from experience that
you want to additional reduction of values. IE; what happens when you hit a knot in the wood?
Rapiding forward.........
you want power from the motors which is function of speed times torque.
Since you modified the machine as compared to what it was designed to do ....whatever that was
.......you need to
change some values to account for the modifications.
Do the above before getting into other possible system contributing factors and quit quessing what is wrong!
RICH