Okay guys having a issue that was not here when I ran my first test. Excited to have my prints done and MPCNC together, I know metal is not good to have around electronics so I kept the RAMBo board on wood from the start. Things ran fine first tho I had end stop issues which was wire related as the ends were bad. Replaced and checked continuity with multimeter all good. Homed machine 2 times all works. Ran a test run at only 15mm/s feed rate 1/16th depth per pass on a 1/8 bit for wood (Dremel made 561W) on my Dewalt 660. Solid run was stocked, so printed RAMBo case, started another run for gigles while waiting and boom noticed odd stuff.
So as the machine ran this 2nd run nothing was moved or touched in regards to the machine. X2 was lagging behind on every movement which had me puzzled so I quit the print about 11 minutes in. Ran G28 X and the X1 hits home but as soon as it does the X gantry stops. I double checked the endstop wires, they are fine. Checked endstop it still functions. So out of the usual PC repair habit I removed power from wall. I switched the wires at the board for X1 and X2. Now X2 moves fine and X1 does the same exact thing. I can hear sounds from the motor plugged into the X2 slot like it wants to move but without help it goes nowhere. Now that this happens on both X axis steppers when I switch either to the X2 header I know it is not belts or wiring. However I know RAMBo boards have protection on the drivers tho its acting like a bad driver. Anyone have any ideas on what I could be overlooking?
Added photo of wiring on board for that area to help show it in case I messed up.
Tested connections by switching the wires at the board with X1 stepper. Then X2 stepper works with no issue and X1 does the same thing being in the E0 stepper plug. Endstops are all good as well homing works fine for either X stepper that’s plugged into X plug on board but never the E0
I will go out tomorrow and get a screenshot of the return for M119 command and will run without the endstops as well. Report back after but I don’t see how reflashing would help if it was running fine during the first 6 minute trial cut and when I put the X stepper on the Y plugs both Y and E1 with the endstops both X axis square as intended.
Handy to now know how to make sure my endstop wires are good so at least out of this headache I have 1 things to come from it. I pulled both X endstop wires after and ran still with just only X1 getting any power X2 just humming like its trying. I will not when homing and I push X2 to home the hum stops so its clearly trying but E0 doesnt put anything out. Again this happens to X1 when I switch the wires and put them in backwards to invert movement, X1 will hum and X2 then has power. It shows as the 510 firmware from V1 as this unit is from the V1 shop and all steppers ran when I tested the assembly before my first run of 6 minutes. The board is clean you can see in photos, no blown fuses and I do not see any capacitors or resistors blown. A little insight I have worked on computer electronics for 13 years after a 2 year trade school, every electronic I own gets the same treatment. No water nearby of any sort and on a wooden dry surface away from anything metallic while in a anti static bag until it is used. Everything points to a failed driver, wherever E0 is hooked up there is no power to that stepper even with it known good.
Added close up pic of E0 I have removed to board to inspect. Can’t see anything wrong around the driver but looking at Repetier Host shouldn’t the number of extruders be set to 0? I’m going to reassemble after changing that again tho I don’t get why that reset will report back if that was the issue as if so I would feel really dumb
Tried flashing it and tested 2 times just to be sure but sadly no change, E0 still making no movement on the stepper motors. Tested both X steppers just to verify it was not a loose connection from the extra handling of wires on reassembly.
Yeah this is swapping them at the board to leave the wiring variable consistent in the testing. So none if the wire changes per stepper from board to stepper. Only thing that changes is where the wire plugs in. Anything in E0 does not work, that is 4 wires and 4 steppers all doing the same thing. Yet move that same wire to x, y or e1 and they function as normal with the wires being untouched.
Replacement is in and the machine is running crazy smooth! Lets hope we get some sort of response on why a driver would fail in hopes we can prevent that rarity happening again. Now off to the forums for more learning and improvement ideas!