This sounds like a problem with the step (pulse) signal. The driver motors receive two signals from the computer via the board -- one is high or low and tells the motors which direction to turn, one is a square wave pulsed signal(quick that tells the motor to turn or a constant high signal that tells the motor to maintain its position. With an oscilliscope you can check for proper signal at the board. If you bought the board from us, please contact us to arrange a return authorization.

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Have checked stepper motor wires dozens of times and they are wired like diagram says. Stepper motors will not turn under power. I am using laser control option. What should I do?

The Mach3 USB interface board requires 24V relays externally. There are no relays on the mach3 usb board. If you use an external relay on the mach3 usb board, the relay connects to the V+ which is 24V and the output pin is the return.

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I understand what you are saying. Does your relay board work with the Mach3 USB board? If not, what relay board do you suggest to work with this usb controller?

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Our relay board works with our parallel breakout board. An off the shelf SSR (Solid State Relay) made for 24V should work fine.

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I have your Mach3 usb interface board and am interested in the relay board to turn plasma torch on/off. I have a different relay board that doesn't work, it needs 0/5v from output pin to trigger and the usb board doesn't put out 5 volts. Does this relay board need 5v on output or will work fine with this usb controller?

If one or more motor is not responding, please follow the troubleshooting directions below:

For parallel Bob only! Make sure both the parallel and USB are connected.

Re-check wiring, and connections for continuity (no breaks in the wires) and check for correct wiring locations from driver to BoB.
Check dip switch settings on the driver.
Check components, by swapping the motors (ex. y-axis motor to z or x-axis driver and z or x-axis motor to y-axis driver) to check if motor functions on another driver.
Depending on software check step low active (mach 3) or invert pulse (planet-cnc) for the axis which is not responding.
Mach 3 - config/port & pins/motor outputs / Planet-CNC - file/settings/axes

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I have an engine NEMA 34 from Y axis on my green bull that do not response, I already check connections and everything seems to be OK, how can I check that the motor it's working properly or not?

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?

Make sure the input port is set to port 3.

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Make sure the input port is set to port 3.

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Make sure the input port is set to port 3.

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I can not get my limit switches to work properly on my Mach3 USB controller. I know I have it wired correctly. I can not reset mach3 by either the reset button or the squealy line button below the exap button without unplugging the 24 volt power supply. I have watched the youtube videos at least 20 times and verified and triple verified the wiring. I can send photos to an email address.

This is most likely a wiring issue. I would disconnect all of the power to the drivers and reconnect one at a time to isolate the problem.

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that was not helpful. I already did that way before submitting this question. there are not that many wires here and I have already rewired this a few times. I actually think its a software or interface board issue because it does work sometimes but then trips (possibly a amperage / voltage issue) I am using the interface board that has a parallel port and usb for 5V. are there different settings that I need to setup?

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I'm using the big 651oz in stepper motor for X and Y and the smaller 325 for the z and X and Y keep tripping when I try to tune the motors on Mach3 but Z seems to work. I have to turn power on and off to reset....is this a wiring issue?

Is the cable between the mach3 USB and the YL260 shielded. If that does not solve the problem, add an induction coil to the cable to reduce any current fluctuations.

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Hello. I have bought an RnR Motion Controller and a YL260-A and I have it set up to the AVI from RnR to the VI1 of YL620-A but I'm getting that the RPM varies not like interference but like a drop from max value to min value. What could be happening?

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?

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

If you want speed control, it is recommended to use the RS-485 connection on the VFD and use the control program such as Mach3 to communication serially with the VFD using this RS-485 connection.

If you would rather use a controller such as the PMDX-107 to simulate the effect of a potentiometer using the Aref, Aout and Agnd and the Rev/Dir and Fwd/Run terminals to control operation and direction, you can connect those to the VFD.

PMDX-107 Aout connects to the VI (analog voltage in). This is like the wiper on a potentiometer.
PMDX-107 Agnd connects to the ACM terminal on the VFD for Analog common.
PMDX-107 COM connects to DCM terminal on the VFD for Digital common.
PMDX-107 Fwd/Run connects to the FOR terminal on the VFD for Forward.
PMDX-107 Rev/Dir connects to the REV terminal on the VFD for Reverse.

Refer to your PMDX-107 manual to correctly configure your dip switch settings and make sure to calibrate (tweak) the speed control using the trimmer next to the terminals on the PMDX-107.

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I have the USB controller board and the 8825 step driver. I need a wiring diagram between the two. Specifically, what does the GND pin on the X-axis connect to? Also, what does the 5V pin on the driver connect to?

You can find a wiring diagram here:
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-USB-Controller-Breakout#prettyPhoto/2/

The CP terminal is wired to the step terminal on the 8825 step driver.
The CW terminal is wired to the direction terminal on the 8825 step driver.
The GND terminal connects to the GND on the 8825 step driver

The 5V connector on the driver simply powers the logic side of the chip and needs to connect to VCC pin on the keyboard jog.

Customer Response:
Thanks! Working now.

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I have the USB controller board and the 8825 step driver. I need a wiring diagram between the two. Specifically, what does the GND pin on the X-axis connect to? Also, what does the 5V pin on the driver connect to?

All of our controller will allow two steppers on any of the axes. Multiple stepper motors and drivers on a single axis is more a function of the way the stepper motor drives are connected to the output pins of the controller. To connect two stepper drivers to a single axis, you need to connect the output pins (dir and step) to each of the two stepper motor drivers.

Consider the controller on cost, features and how they are connected to the computer.

Out lowest cost controllers are:

Mach3 USB board - Has good features and uses the USB from the computer as the main connection
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

Parallel Breakout - The computer generates the main signals and this board conditions the signals for the drivers. Although it requires the parallel port from older computer, the board has the most broad compatibility with control software out there including Mach3 and LinuxCNC.
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-parallel-breakout-relay

Highest cost but most feature rich:

Pokey57CNC - works with both Mach3 and Mach4
https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach4-mach3-USB-ethernet-Board

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I am looking for a controller for a 3 axis dual Y stepper cnc machine. If at all possible I would like a list of the parts that will be needed. I prefer to go with an ethernet setup vs a parallel port.

No, we have gotten away from the planet-cnc boards as they have decided to not support our board with their software. You can use the Mach3 USB board as an alternative. You will be better off with Mach3 as a control software as this is widely used and supported.

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

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I have the older discontinued USB breakout board. The y-axis no longer works and have traced it to the breakout board. Is there a replacement board that can use the same Planet CNC software running on Windows 10?

Not a problem. The ALM is rather self-explanatory as this is a closed-loop stepper motor and driver that you are using. The ALM (alarm) is a signal that is used to tell the driver/controller that the motor is not in the same condition that the driver expects. In a closed-loop system, the motor has an encoder that tells the driver exactly how many steps that it turned, and if this value does not coincide with the driver's outputted number of steps, and within a specified amount of time, the alarm will trigger so the system can stop and the workpiece can be salvaged.

The MF is simply a signal that tells the driver that there is impending direction and step pulses coming. If the MF signal is high, then that is similar to an enable signal.

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Hello I recently read your site and have a question. I have a driver model DM2722A but I can't connect it to my usb controller due to the fact that the driver is not marked enable, but instead it is marked: mf-, mf +, alm-, alm +. I will be very grateful if you explain to me the meaning of the latter and tell me what should be related to "enable" Thanks in advance!

Is there a test button on the laser tube power supply? You can test the laser output by using the test button. This will help you determine if the laser tube is bad, or if you have wiring issues. Sometimes, wiring to he TL may not work as some controllers are set to active low, so you may need to wire the controller to TH instead.

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Additionally, the mA on the high tension line does not have any relationship to the digital trigger signal from the controller to the power supply.

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I am building my own laser and have watch your trocen videos.....but laser wont fire...double checked wiring and all seems correct to diagram....but the kit i bought was for a 40 watt and i amd using a 60 watt power supply and tube.....What size does the power switching unit need to be ....I think mine is too small for the trigger mA

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

Recommend first test to check a non-working axis, is to connect the current working axis(ex X-axis) to either the y/z axis to test the actual board and wiring in other axis setup. If tests failed and working (x-axis setup) does not working in the new axis location, go the Planet-CNC/File/Settings/Axes and check if your current non-working axis setup requires a inverted pulse. Check box and test again.
Next test if first fails, is to check continuity in your wires. A simple multimeter(ohm's) will work, just connect the positive and negative ends to one side of the same wire and if reading comes to 0.000, wire has continuity and if reads 0.L then there is a break in the wire and should be replaced.

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I installed the USB CNC Planet software- 2.10.1406.1201., and got out of your USB controller $ 75. 00.All have linked like a video USB CNC Controller/Interface Wiring Instructions Part 2, X - running . Y, and Z-axis does not work, it moves step motors and controller positions X -axis works, and Y and Z does not work.I used 425 oz-in motors

To control a spindle using the USB CNC interface, you will need a relay board that contains a transistor that can activate the relay with a power source with enough current that can activate the relay. This video explains all of the information you will need to develop this relay circuit:

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i have a breakout usb controller iam using a spindle output to active a relay 5V but it didnt work.... whats the problem, what else i need to active that realy 5v 10A?

Yes, you can connect a THC, Torch Height Controller, with the Mach3 USB controller. The THC uses the inputs to determine if the z axis needs to move up or down according to the arc of the plasma torch. The THC connects its outputs to the inputs of the controller so the controller will be informed of the states of the plasma torch.

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I am installing a mach 3 usb controller into a wright cnc plasma table and I need instruction on wiring the thc (proma compact ) torch height controller to this board. IE will this board work to replace the parallel port board with usb controller board?