My machine stopped today (after many fun filled hours of operation in the last 3+ years). I suspect the 36V 8.8 amp power supply as there is no power to the stepper motors. Is there a breaker to check, or do I need to get another power supply? Should I assume the stepper motors are OK?

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Question #: 3675

Question: My machine stopped today (after many fun filled hours of operation in the last 3+ years). I suspect the 36V 8.8 amp power supply as there is no power to the stepper motors. Is there a breaker to check, or do I need to get another power supply? Should I assume the stepper motors are OK?

Current Solution

Your deduction of the power supply at fault is probably correct. When you attempt to power the power supply, check the V+ and V- (COM) with a multimeter on the DC setting. You should measure 36 volts.

If there is no voltage on the V+ and V- (COM) there should be a fuse inside the power supply that you might want to check. Also, while you in there, check the electrolytic capacitors. Electrolytic capacitors have a finite lifespan much shorter than other components and are often the cause of many problems with all electronics.

Please let us know what you find.

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In my 4'x8' Blackfoot rig, there is a maximum wire length of 16" between drivers, breakout board, and power supply as well as a maximum wire length of 10' from drivers to motors. What AWG wires should I use to connect power supply to drivers, drivers to motors, and drivers to breakout board?
What we intend our customers to use for wiring the motors to the drivers will be 4 conductor 20 AWG cable, now for the PSU to Drivers; 16-18 Gauge wire should be used, and drivers to BB(Breakout Board) should be a 24 AWG wires.
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In my 4'x8' Blackfoot rig, there is a maximum wire length of 16" between drivers, breakout board, and power supply as well as a maximum wire length of 10' from drivers to motors. What AWG wires should I use to connect power supply to drivers, drivers to motors, and drivers to breakout board?
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No, you do not need another motion controller if you have the parallel breakout board and you are using the "Legacy Parallel Port Plug-In" with Mach4. The motion controller is the parallel port.
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I purchased hardware for my plasma table which included 3 nema 34 stepper motors and drivers, power supply,Blue brew BOB, and Mach 4 Control software with parallel port plug-in. In configuring the Mach 4 software it asks for a motion controler. Do I need another device such as a smoothstepper motion controler?
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Yes, the 651 oz/in motor requires a driver that is compatible to the motors (the motor will draw 6 amps max and the driver paired with this motor will be able to allow for a 6 amp draw). I would also recommend a 36 volt power supply for better high velocity performance.
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I have one of your smaller stepper motors running my X AXIS bridge crane and if it is moved to fast the stepper motor sounds like it is skipping steps will the 651oz stepper motor require a different power supply and controler?
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The 8 wire motors need to be wired in bipolar parallel configuration. The wiring is as follows: Red and Blue to A+, Yellow and Black to A-, White and Brown to B+ and Orange and Green to B-. To find the wiring for the 4 wire motors, the wiring is Red to A+, Orange to A-, Blue to B+ and Green to B-.
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I have constructed the cnc router machine as shown in woodsmith magazine. I have purchased the 3 Nema stepper motors. The one larger motor has 4 wires, as do the other two. However, on the schematic, the Z, and Y axis motors indicate 8 wires each. Did I go wrong, or are there different Nema 23 motors?
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Yes, the 651 oz/in motor requires a driver that is compatible to the motors (the motor will draw 6 amps max and the driver paired with this motor will be able to allow for a 6 amp draw). I would also recommend a 36 volt power supply for better high velocity performance.
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I HAVE ONE OF YOUR SMALLER STEPPER MOTORS RUNNING MY X AXIS BRIDGE CRANE AND IF IT IS MOVED TO FAST THE MOTOR SOUNDS LIKE SKIPPING STEPS WILL 651OZ REQUIRE A DIFFERENT POWER SUPPLY CONTROLER?
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VCC is the same as 5v. I will clarify on the instructions.

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In the BlackTooth instruction the concluding sentence suggests connecting a wire from the right terminal of the pot to the VCC on the Laser Supply. There is no VCC on the power supply for the Laser that I can find. So, does this wire go to a different terminal on the power supply, or somewhere else where VCC exists, such as either stepper motor control?
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The 12V power supply has 3 terminals for AC in: N, L and earth ground. The output of the 12V power supply has 2 DC + and - terminals. Cut the connectors off of the ends of the fan and pump wires. Strip the red and black wires of both units. The fan will connect to the 12V power supply red to the + and black to the -. The pump will connect in the same way, but the white is not connected.

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I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
The 12V power supply has 3 terminals for AC in: N, L and earth ground. The output of the 12V power supply has 2 DC + and - terminals. Cut the connectors off of the ends of the fan and pump wires. Strip the red and black wires of both units. The fan will connect to the 12V power supply red to the + and black to the -. The pump will connect in the same way, but the white is not connected.

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I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
I would like to build the 2’x 4’ blackToe2x4v40 CNC router. I have your book. I want to build the latest model blackToe2x4 v40. Are those the correct plans on your web book page ? Is there a bill of materials? If I use a Porter Cable 3-3/4 router motor what size stepper motors do I need?
The blackToe 2'x4' cnc machine is sold as a kit only. We offer plans for the scratch (book) build machine that can be found here for purchase and also comes with a DVD showing the build process: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/cnckitintro.aspx and the plans for build in the book is on the CNC book page: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/Book.aspx.

You can use the same size stepping motors referenced in the book: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/category/elcombo
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I would like to build the 2’x 4’ blackToe2x4v40 CNC router. I have your book. I want to build the latest model blackToe2x4 v40. Are those the correct plans on your web book page ? Is there a bill of materials? If I use a Porter Cable 3-3/4 router motor what size stepper motors do I need?
Provided they will fit and I install a ventilation/cooling fan, is there any reason why I should NOT mount the electronics (breakout board, stepper drivers and power supply) inside the gantry box in my BlackToe 2x4?
First, see Jack's build: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/JackRehak.aspx

The difference between mounting the electronics in the gantry is that the connection from the computer (signal level) is long. The alternative, where the electronics is near the computer, the motor cables are long (to reach from the drivers to the motors).

Mounting the breakout board, drivers and power supply within the gantry will cause you to have a long signal connection from the computer to the breakout board. That is fine as long as the cable is long enough, possibly shielded, and can carry the signal at long cable lengths. Make sure to have the cable well away from the motor cables as these will cause quite a bit of interference.
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Provided they will fit and I install a ventilation/cooling fan, is there any reason why I should NOT mount the electronics (breakout board, stepper drivers and power supply) inside the gantry box in my BlackToe 2x4?
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Since you mentioned there is a nasty smell, I'm wondering if there might have been a issue with the power supply. Can you email us your name for the order and specific voltage you are using for the redFly? at techsupport@buildyourcnc.com. Also I want to mention if you have the USB cord plugged in to the redFly if it has the parallel interface board?
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When I first hooked up my redFly and was manually testing all the axes, everything was going well, then my Y axis stopped working all together, and now my X and Z have stopped also and my redFly has a nasty smell coming from it and none of the stepper motors seem to be getting power.
Can I connect a 36V power supply to 2.5 AMP Stepper Motor Driver. On the actual driver it shows 12V - 24V, but in the description and data sheet it indicates that it can accept 8V - 45V. Will I benefit from more powerful power supply. Thanks
The 2.5 amp driver can only accept a power supply between 12 volts and 24 volts. If a 36 volt power supply is used for this driver, the main driver chip will exceed its maximum voltage rating and cause failure.

If you need to spin your motor faster, you can either use a more appropriate driver (i.e. 3.0 amp driver) or you can change the mechanical parts so the axis has faster travel.

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Can I connect a 36V power supply to 2.5 AMP Stepper Motor Driver. On the actual driver it shows 12V - 24V, but in the description and data sheet it indicates that it can accept 8V - 45V. Will I benefit from more powerful power supply. Thanks
If i can get the autocadd drawings of the building mdf peices that need to be build are the plans detailed enough for me to make my own autocadd drawings? I have access to another machine to build my own.
Yes, the plans are detailed sufficiently enough to produce CAD drawings. If you wish to create AutoCAD drawings from the plans that we provide, we ask that the information conform to the creative commons license established on this site.
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If i can get the autocadd drawings of the building mdf peices that need to be build are the plans detailed enough for me to make my own autocadd drawings? I have access to another machine to build my own.
I bought and built the Blacktooth laser cutter. It works, but one of the stepper motors makes a loud static hiss a second after the CNC power supply is turned on or off, and makes loud tweets and twirps when running. It seems to operate fine otherwise. I was wondering if it was "going bad" or if that is normal?
Stepper motors are known to make noises while function, however this does not affect accuracy or job function. However we recommend to check your wiring for solid connections, and for good connectivity!

On a personal note, here is one cool video dealing with making songs with stepper motors!
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I bought and built the Blacktooth laser cutter. It works, but one of the stepper motors makes a loud static hiss a second after the CNC power supply is turned on or off, and makes loud tweets and twirps when running. It seems to operate fine otherwise. I was wondering if it was "going bad" or if that is normal?
How can I decrease the rapid acceleration of the cutter from a completed cutting operation to a new location so that the stepper motor will not lose its steps and mess up the machine zero settings? I am using CamBam and Mach3 on my machine with a chain drive. what is the best way to reduce accleration
Decreasing the speed of acceleration in the cutter? Meaning of your router/spindle?, To modify the speed of a router will be going to the router itself and modifying the speed, but if a spindle is being used modifying it will be done either manually in the VFD (VFD Setup:
Change PD001 to '0' (source of run commands)
Change PD003 to 300 (main frequency - Hz)
Change PD004 to 300 (base frequency - Hz)
Change PD005 to 400 (max operating frequency - Hz)
Change PD006 to 2.5 (intermediate frequency - Hz)
Change PD008 to 220 (max voltage - V)
Change PD009 to 15 (intermediate voltage - V)
Change PD010 to 8 (minimum voltage - V)
Change PD011 to 100 (frequency lower limit - Hz)
Change PD142 to 7 (rated motor current - Amps)
Change PD143 to 2 (motor pole number)
Change PD144 to 3000 (rated motor revolution))<- make sure these are your settings in the VFD. If the spindle is wired to the breakout board and is working through Mach 3 then the modification will be done in your CamBam/Feed rate settings.
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How can I decrease the rapid acceleration of the cutter from a completed cutting operation to a new location so that the stepper motor will not lose its steps and mess up the machine zero settings? I am using CamBam and Mach3 on my machine with a chain drive. what is the best way to reduce accleration
My stepper motors stopped working all of a sudden. Mach 3 is running fine, just no signals getting to the motors. The lights on the motor drivers began blinking erratically when this started. Any advice where a problem like this can come from would be greatly appreciated.
The drivers have quite a bit of protection, so you probably won't ruin anything. You motors are jumping and that is just the motors engaging from getting power from the power supply.

There could be many reasons your motors don't turn. Consider these troubleshooting tips:

- If you are using our parallel breakout board, make sure that the step pins are set for active low (config -> Ports and Pins -> Motor Outputs -> the steps pins should be enabled and set active low)

- The parallel breakout board is powered (connect the USB to the computer using a USB cable)

- In Mach3, make sure you have jog enabled (a little green button at thelower middle of the page in the program run screen).

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My stepper motors stopped working all of a sudden. Mach 3 is running fine, just no signals getting to the motors. The lights on the motor drivers began blinking erratically when this started. Any advice where a problem like this can come from would be greatly appreciated.
How can I get a replacement part for my Green Lean machine that i cant order from the Stuff For Sale page? I need the bearing truck plate for the Constant Force Spring. Or is there someplace I can get a drawing of the part so that I can make one?
I can provide a drawing for that part or I can sell you the part of the machine that you need. Just email me at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com with a description of the part you need.
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How can I get a replacement part for my Green Lean machine that i cant order from the Stuff For Sale page? I need the bearing truck plate for the Constant Force Spring. Or is there someplace I can get a drawing of the part so that I can make one?
Where do I wire the ground of my "th" and "power 0v - 5v" command on the power supply ? Is it possible to have a detailed blueprint of the electrical wiring (not for the blacktooth but in general) ? Many thanks :)
I just posted the "enhanced" Blacktooth wiring diagram I developed. Check it out here.

http://www.buildyourtools.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4872
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Where do I wire the ground of my "th" and "power 0v - 5v" command on the power supply ? Is it possible to have a detailed blueprint of the electrical wiring (not for the blacktooth but in general) ? Many thanks :)
The electronics for my current cnc machine has a 36v 8.8 amp power supply. Is this power supply sufficient to power my new Mach3 USB interface?
The Mach3 USB interface card uses 5V (powered from the computer's USB) and a 24v to power the inputs, outputs and spindle control

the mach3 usb interface can be found here:

https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

But the mach3 usb does not absolutely need the 24V supply. The 24v supply is only needed if you will be using limit switches (I1-4), VFD controlled automatically and for use with the outputs (O1-4)

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The 36v 8.8 amp power supply we typically recommend is for powering the stepper motor drivers.
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The electronics for my current cnc machine has a 36v 8.8 amp power supply. Is this power supply sufficient to power my new Mach3 USB interface?