NON Wifi Duet 0.85 with dual z motors?
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I am going to be building a new Cartesian style machine and I happen to have a duet 0.85. I was wondering if I can connect 2 z motors to the z axis port? I would have to join the two motors to 1 lead, now I know each motor will be 2 amps each and from what I read the z axis port can only handle 2 amps at a time. Is this correct? can I convert one of the extruder ports to a secondary z axis? I am using DC42s firmware / config. Also can the ir sensor be used for bed leveling?
Thanks in advance.
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You connect the coils in the two stepper motors in series, not in parallel. That way they both see 2A. Duet WiFi is just the same, it just does the series connection for you to a single driver.
Yes, you can use the IR sensor for bed leveling.
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OK, so series would be connecting the 2 stepper motors together into one connection? sorry I am new to printer electronics and such.
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OK, so series would be connecting the 2 stepper motors together into one connection? sorry I am new to printer electronics and such.
Yes. You can find images on connecting stepper motors in series on the web.
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Thanks, I have seen wiring diagrams but never knew what was series or parallel.
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Last question, when using the ir probe for be leveling do I still use the z endstop? or does the ir probe take its place?
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You can do either, but on Cartesian printers, it's common to use the Z probe to do Z homing instead of using a switch. You select whether to use a Z probe or a switch in your homez.g and homeall.g files.
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….and with a tab of some sort positioned in the right place and covered in something reflective, you can use the same probe for X (and/or Y) homing too. This is how it was done on the RRP Mendel.
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OK, so series would be connecting the 2 stepper motors together into one connection? sorry I am new to printer electronics and such.
Hold on, what do you mean by 2 motors together into one connection? Make sure you understand the difference between series and parallel, because by simply putting the wire of each motor into the same slot on the connector would be parallel, and not series.
See this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Wiring-Your-Z-Stepper-Motors-in-Series/
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Well that is beyond my skill level, I suck at soldering and also manipulating small wires with my eyesight is horrible. I can build a printer with no issue I have built 2, I know very basic limited electronics, enough to get by. So I guess I need to find a different board for my printer I want to build instead I want to make a omerod style printer or mayne add a second z axis with a belt system.
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Hey Atomic. No requirement for soldering, it's just wiring the plug differently. Rather than both reds, both blacks etc you wire so the current goes through 1 motor coil, then the other then back to the board.
The instruction above gives an example
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wiring-Your-Z-Stepper-Motors-in-Series/
However there are some other examples on Google. I will add something to the documentation when I am not on my phone.
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You could get something like this to make the connections: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/on-shore-technology-inc/ES1000-12DSFB/ED3006-ND/2720753
Cut off the current connectors a few inches from the connector on the motors and use the terminal block with one of the cutoffs to wire them together without any solder, to connect the motors to the Duet.
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You could get something like this to make the connections: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/on-shore-technology-inc/ES1000-12DSFB/ED3006-ND/2720753
Cut off the current connectors a few inches from the connector on the motors and use the terminal block with one of the cutoffs to wire them together without any solder, to connect the motors to the Duet.
How exactly would I use that connector? I am not grasping the concept. So how would the wires connect? there is really no clear info for those who are trying to learn basic electronics, does each color wire get connected together? all I see is a small board that you have to make and that's all I get from it. Is there a pre-made thing I can use?
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What I linked to is a terminal block, it lets you connect wires without soldering.
This style is easier to see how they work: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/0387700104/WM5761-ND/362488
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So further looking at pictures, I am assuming that wires from motor one go into motor 2 and then out of motor 2 to a connector?
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Not all the wires from motor 1 go through motor 2. Interesting, googling a wiring diagram that works for a 3d printer isn't all that easy.
This should help: http://rigidtalk.com/wiki/index.php?title=Z-Axis_Stepper_Motor_-_Series_Connected_Splitter_Board#Why_Series.3F
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Not all the wires from motor 1 go through motor 2. Interesting, googling a wiring diagram that works for a 3d printer isn't all that easy.
This should help: http://rigidtalk.com/wiki/index.php?title=Z-Axis_Stepper_Motor_-_Series_Connected_Splitter_Board#Why_Series.3F
I really appreciated it. So all i need to do is connect the wires shown in the diagram? And use the connector you listed to connect the in the order shown?
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Here http://m.imgur.com/gallery/JwKg3uj is a wiring diagram that uses a terminal block. You can buy a terminal block in the electrical section of a DIY store (home improvement store in the US).
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Here is a question, how come I cant convert one of the extruder port for a second motor?
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Look up the M584 command in the gcode wiki at RepRapFirmware.org.
