Do both motors, the main and slave work correctly when using the arrow keys?

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How do you slave an axis with mach3 and pokeys57cnc? My slave axis is only going one direction as a slave and goes correctly in both directions when I direct it with an xbox controller.

If the z-axis motor changes directions when jogging, and continues even when replacing the motor! It seems as it is either a wiring problem or the driver? I would recommend changing the z-axis driver and check the wiring going form the driver to the breakout board.
If problem continues please contact us at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com


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z axis soft limit at 7line

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z axis soft limit at 7line

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z axis soft limit at 7 line

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z axis soft limit at 7 line

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I have a Nema 34 motor (Z axis) it was working perfect but suddenly changes direction when jogging, I already try changing another motor to Z axis but problem persist in spite of following all suggestions, what can I do?

If the motor starts acting rough or is excessively trying to move without physically moving the input shaft. Re-check that your pins are in the correct settings and always set the amps required to the closest needed but not exceeded (ex. required 3.00A, but only having 3.14A revert from using 3.14 and go lower to 2.57A).
Also a software issue that can affect the motor is Config/MotorTunning/(x,y,z)-axis, if you are trying to push your motor to move at a faster rate by modifying the acceleration and velocity could cause your motor to fail if the settings are to high. Lastly out of those two tests, would re-check wiring for continuity lastly.

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Also, even if the wiring was checked thoroughly, re-check the wiring for any chafing from wire ties or any other means of causing a short with two or more of the motor wires.

You can also try swapping the motors from another axis to determine if the cause is derived from the driver or the motor.

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I disconnected the stepper motor entirely except left the yellow and blue wires tied together and the motor still made the sound when manually rotating the shaft. When I disconnected the yellow and blue wire the motor rotated smoothly again, so there must be a short inside the motor. Is there a warranty on the motors you sell?

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The X-axis stepper motor on my BlackToe suddenly started acting up. It is wired bipolar series, and was working great but then in the midst of a cutting operation the stepper started sounding rough- as though one of the phases was shorting out. However, all the connections and wires are in tact. Any ideas what would most likely cause this?

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.

Most likely, the driver is not receiving the high or low signal for the direction terminals. The way direction works for an axis is the controller will output a high signal (5V) for one direction and low signal (0V) for the opposite direction. If the signal is always at one signal, say 5V, whether it is commanded in one direction or the other, then the axis will only move in that direction.

To solve this problem, make sure that the wiring is secure at both ends (from the controller to the driver). Also, make sure the Dir+ and DIR- are both wired correctly (i.e. the Dir- is connected to the signal gnd on the controller and the ZD is connected to Dir+ on the driver.

You can use a multimeter to determine the voltage at the ZD terminal by:
- setting the multimeter to DC voltage (the V with a straight line, or dashed line above the V)
- place the black lead on the gnd terminal
- place the red lead on the ZD terminal
- press the page up button and check the voltage
- press the page down button and check the voltage.

You should see the voltage change from 0V to 5V or vice versa.

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Hi I have just set up my machine using a mach 3 USB board I can only get the Z to go in one direction Y and X are Ok I have check wiring and looked at video over and over what have I missed??

We are developing plans for our machine, but they are not completed yet. Please let me know if you would like to be added to our list of customers wanting plans. Thanks,

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If you have specific questions regarding CAD, CAM and Control, please add another question to the customer service and I will answer them in detail.

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How do I get started I would like to build a cnc router. Making the machine I can do, but I am weak on cad,cam and mach3. I am thinking about a 4’x4’. Do you have plans I can buy?

the greenBull can handle cutting aluminum as long as the correct bit (end mill) is used and the bit is cooled frequently to prevent chips from melting and causing damage to the bit or warping the material.

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Would your greenBull 6X CNC machine be suitable for cutting 2024T3 aircraft aluminium? Working on a kitlpane project and I need this capability.

You will need to build the table unit for your machine. There are instructions on how to do this at the bottom of the product page here, https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-blackFoot-v4
There is no estimate on how much this will cost though, since there are too many variables involved to do this.

- PC with parallel port and USB port
- 20awg stranded wires for the motors - http://www.buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx
- 18awg stranded wires for power supply to drivers
- 24awg stranded wires for breakout board to drivers
(location and spacing of components varies from one person to another, so we do not provide cables/wires)
- General purpose extension cord (cut the female end off) to provide power to power supply
- USB cable to power breakout board
- Parallel cable to communicate to breakout board
- Router
- (optional - instead of router) Spindle with power inverter http://www.buildyourcnc.com/SpindlesAndAccessories.aspx
- (if purchasing spindle with inverter) General purpose extension cord (240v) (cut the female end off) to provide power to power inverter
- End Mill(s) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/ProductsEndMills.aspx
- CAD, and/or CAD-CAM software (to produce geometry, machine operations, and g-code) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx
- CNC control software (to read g-code and control machine) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx

This answer is applicable to most of our machines with the exception of the greenLean and the blueChick since those machines are equipped with a table structure.

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If I purchase a greenBull 6X Long Z CNC Machine Kit and Mach3, what else would be required to assemble the working machine? I have CAD software.

You will need to build the table unit for your machine. There are instructions on how to do this at the bottom of the product page here, https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-blackFoot-v4
There is no estimate on how much this will cost though, since there are too many variables involved to do this.

- PC with parallel port and USB port
- 20awg stranded wires for the motors - http://www.buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx
- 18awg stranded wires for power supply to drivers
- 24awg stranded wires for breakout board to drivers
(location and spacing of components varies from one person to another, so we do not provide cables/wires)
- General purpose extension cord (cut the female end off) to provide power to power supply
- USB cable to power breakout board
- Parallel cable to communicate to breakout board
- Router
- (optional - instead of router) Spindle with power inverter http://www.buildyourcnc.com/SpindlesAndAccessories.aspx
- (if purchasing spindle with inverter) General purpose extension cord (240v) (cut the female end off) to provide power to power inverter
- End Mill(s) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/ProductsEndMills.aspx
- CAD, and/or CAD-CAM software (to produce geometry, machine operations, and g-code) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx
- CNC control software (to read g-code and control machine) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx

This answer is applicable to most of our machines with the exception of the greenLean and the blueChick since those machines are equipped with a table structure.

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IF I PURCHASE A GREENBULL 6X LONG Z CNC MACHINE KIT AND MACH3, WHAT ELSE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ASSEMBLE THE WORKING MACHINE? HAVE CAD SOFTWARE.

Did you install the Mach3 USB plug-in?

Make sure that you followed all of the steps and diagrams on the following page:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

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ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WORKS. I HAVE ALL STRUCTURE AND MECHICAL PARTS OF THE BLACKTOOTH CUTTER DONE. HOWEVER WHEN WIRE UP STEPPER MOTOR TO DRIVER. THAT MACH 3 USB CONTROLLER BOARD, TRY JOG MOTOR, WORKS! PREVIOSULY HAD PLANET CNC BREAKOUT HOWRVER, ONLY MOVED MOTORS IN ONE DIRECTION COULDNT CHANGE IT. ANY HELP WOULD BE APRECIATED

Dealing with our USB BoB, the potentiometer that will be used in the key jog, is a 5V, 5k - 10k Ohm potentiometer.

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I am building a cnc mill using your USB controller and i would like to know what is the specification of potentiometer used for adjusting manual axis jog speed

Sure, our blueChick and blackToe CNC Routers are considered relatively small machines at 1'x3' and 2'x4' respectively. They both use NEMA 23/24 motors. We recommend connecting the machines to either Mach3 or LinuxCNC and come with the necessary interface for either control software. You will need a computer for the control software and if you desire LinuxCNC, you will need a parallel port. Mach3 will accept either parallel port, or USB interface.

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I recently purchased the linksprite cnc engraving router and was wondering if your 3 axis small kit would be ok? the engraver came with nema 17 motors and a arduino board but but not liking the grbl control. could you point me in the right direction .Thanks.

For the USB controller and reversing the rotation for a motor, you would need to do this in the software (planet-cnc). In the configuration, you will need to reverse the direction by inverting the direction output.

Technically, the motor changes direction when the direction signal changes from a high to a low, or vice verse. For instance, the motor turns in one direction when the direction signal is, say, low. The motor will turn in the other direction when the direction signal is high. High is 5v and low is 0v or gnd.

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I have wired the step motors with the USB breakout board. When I jog the y axis it travels in the wrong direction. How do i switch the motors rotation?

it is possible to install 2 motors on a single axis but you will require another driver and motor, but wire it directly to the same pins on your breakout board. Also the orientation of your motor since it is opposite side of the original so getting it to move accordingly to the original motor it will need to be orientated correctly. The slight shift could be the cause of the rod not being completely flat where the set screws are suppose to tighten the sprocket to the rod, so sanding it to a flatter surface might fix the shift in directions.
Currently do not have a kit or schematic available.

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Hello, I have a BlackToe 2 x 4 machine. I was wondering if it could be beneficial, or even possible to install two motors on the x-axis (one one each chain drive sprocket). I am noticing a slight shift in the gantry with each reversal of direction. If so, do you have a kit or schematic for this? Thanks

Try slowing your feedrate down and increasing spindle RPMs. End-mills will leave a poor finish if you go too fast. Make sure your cutting depth isn't too much. Maybe the endmill or cutter is blunt? Could it be the feed direction of the cutter? Some materials need to be fed in a certain direction.

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MOTOR GOING TWO DIRECTION WHEN JUST PUSH UP. IT WILL GO DOWN AND THEN GOES AGAIN UP WITH THE SAME BUTTON.

Consider the loads on each axis when choosing appropriate stepper motors. If your holding torque is maxed out at roughly 16oz/in (1lb/in), then you could use the NEMA 11 or 14. Also consider the shaft sizes and current ratings when choosing drivers that pair with the motors.

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I am planning to build a scratch CNC machine to do rotary engraving on writing pens. Can you recommend the parts I would need? I'm thinking NEMA 14 (11?) and 3/8" acme rod. Not sure which linear motion to use. I have an old lathe to use for the 4th axis.

That is a simple loose connection. How the direction connection works. There is a high state (5v), and a low state (0V or ground). If the down operation is the high state and the connection is not good, the connection could go to a low state and then go in the opposite direction.

Check the connection and confirm it is secure.

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My Z axis motor changes direction in the middle of an operation. It starts out correctly, than in the middle of an operation the Z axis goes in a negative operation instead of the positive direction. When I reset after this having the Z axis go down it goes up, and then asked it to go up it also goes up?

Can you send me a link to the digitizer you are using?

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Hi my names is Minh Truong I would like to said thank you very much for your video I got the system mach3 working fine but one thing I can NOT set and config the digitizer on the board IN4 I am not sure how to setup because in the Mach3 pin 14 for digitizer Please shoe me hoe to set it up for the digitizer.

The diagram for wiring the USB interface board is located here: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-USB-Controller-Breakout#prettyPhoto/2/

Under the board illustration, there are three smaller diagrams of limit switch wiring. On each, there are two connections, the GND and the pin which are labeled at the ends of the circuit on the diagrams. The pin side would go to the axis label ++ or -- terminal (i.e. X++, or X--). The other end, labeled GND would connect to any ground terminal on the board.

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I am using 5 limit switches on my 3 axis machine. I am using the usb controller for planet cnc. I would like to know where all the wires related to the limit switches get connected? A diagram would be helpful.