Z Motors not moving

sfinlon

Hello,
I just bought a Duet Wifi board, and wired it all up. The X and Y are moving as expected, but the Z motors are not moving at all.
If I manually trigger the end stop it shows as being active so that's functioning, but the Z axis won't move up or down.

What could I have missed?

Phaedrux

Try testing each motor individually without a mechanical load.

If they still don't spin, try connecting those motors to another axis and see if the motors work at all.

It's possible that you have the motor current set too low. Do the motors make any noise or get warmer?

Post your config.g so we can see if things are configured correctly.

sfinlon

I'll have to try connecting Z1 and Z2 to X and Y and see if they move, but until I do here is my config.g

; Configuration file for Duet WiFi (firmware version 1.20 or newer)
; executed by the firmware on start-up
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Tue May 01 2018 16:12:49 GMT-0400 (EDT)

; General preferences
G90                                                ; Send absolute coordinates...
M83                                                ; ...but relative extruder moves

; Network
M550 PPrinter                               ; Set machine name
M552 S1                                            ; Enable network
M586 P0 S1                                         ; Enable HTTP
M586 P1 S0                                         ; Disable FTP
M586 P2 S0                                         ; Disable Telnet

; Drives
M569 P0 S1                                         ; Drive 0 goes forwards
M569 P1 S1                                         ; Drive 1 goes forwards
M569 P2 S1                                         ; Drive 2 goes forwards
M569 P3 S1                                         ; Drive 3 goes forwards
M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E128 I1                           ; Configure microstepping with interpolation
M92 X80 Y80 Z4000 E420                             ; Set steps per mm
M566 X900 Y900 Z12 E120                            ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min)
M203 X6000 Y6000 Z180 E1200                        ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)
M201 X500 Y20 Z250 E250                            ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)
M906 X800 Y800 Z800 E800 I30                       ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30                                            ; Set idle timeout

; Axis Limits
M208 X0 Y0 Z0 S1                                   ; Set axis minima
M208 X220 Y220 Z250 S0                             ; Set axis maxima

; Endstops
M574 X1 Y1 Z1 S0                                   ; Set active low endstops

; Z-Probe
M558 P0 H5 F120 T6000                              ; Set Z probe type to switch and the dive height + speeds
G31 P600 X0 Y0 Z2.5                                ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height
M557 X15:205 Y15:205 S20                           ; Define mesh grid

; Heaters
M305 P0 T100000 B4138 C0 R4700                     ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 0
M143 H0 S110                                       ; Set temperature limit for heater 0 to 110C
M305 P1 T100000 B4138 C0 R4700                     ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 1
M143 H1 S265                                       ; Set temperature limit for heater 1 to 265C

; Fans
M106 P0 S0 I0 F500 H-1                             ; Set fan 0 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off
M106 P1 S1 I0 F500 H-1                             ; Set fan 1 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off
M106 P2 S1 I0 F500 H-1                             ; Set fan 2 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off

; Tools
M563 P0 D0 H1                                      ; Define tool 0
G10 P0 X0 Y0 Z0                                    ; Set tool 0 axis offsets
G10 P0 R0 S0                                       ; Set initial tool 0 active and standby temperatures to 0C

; Automatic power saving
M911 S10 R11 P"M913 X0 Y0 G91 M83 G1 Z3 E-5 F1000" ; Set voltage thresholds and actions to run on power loss

; Custom settings are not configured

sfinlon

So plugging Z1 into X and Z2 into Y does make them move, so maybe it's a configuration error?

Phaedrux

I believe you're missing an M584 command to specify how your z axis motors are bound.

https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_M584_Set_drive_mapping

dc42

Try plugging them back into the Z connectors, then send G1 S2 Z10 F100. That should make the motors move in the +Z direction for 6 seconds.

sfinlon

@dc42 G1 S2 Z10 F100 produced no response.

elmoret

@sfinlon said in Z Motors not moving:

G1 S2 Z10 F100

This should work as long as Z is not already at 10, I've tested your config.g file on a Duet Wifi here.

Could you paste the results from M122, please?

sfinlon

M122

=== Diagnostics ===
Used output buffers: 3 of 32 (14 max)
=== Platform ===
RepRapFirmware for Duet 2 WiFi/Ethernet version 1.21 running on Duet WiFi 1.02 or later
Board ID: 08DGM-956GU-DJMSN-6J1F0-3SJ6J-KBNVF
Static ram used: 16152
Dynamic ram used: 100448
Recycled dynamic ram: 2184
Stack ram used: 1224 current, 4448 maximum
Never used ram: 7840
Last reset 00:01:23 ago, cause: power up
Last software reset at 2018-05-01 18:14, reason: User, spinning module GCodes, available RAM 7776 bytes (slot 1)
Software reset code 0x0003 HFSR 0x00000000, CFSR 0x00000000, ICSR 0x0441f000, BFAR 0xe000ed38, SP 0xffffffff
Error status: 0
Free file entries: 9
SD card 0 detected, interface speed: 20.0MBytes/sec
SD card longest block write time: 0.0ms
MCU temperature: min 27.1, current 29.2, max 29.4
Supply voltage: min 12.6, current 12.8, max 12.8, under voltage events: 0, over voltage events: 0
Driver 0: standstill, SG min/max 92/246
Driver 1: standstill, SG min/max not available
Driver 2: open-load-A open-load-B, SG min/max 0/9
Driver 3: standstill, SG min/max not available
Driver 4: standstill, SG min/max not available
Date/time: 2018-05-01 19:12:23
Slowest main loop (seconds): 0.155307; fastest: 0.000112
=== Move ===
MaxReps: 1, StepErrors: 0, LaErrors: 0, FreeDm: 239, MinFreeDm 238, MaxWait: 3237663633ms, Underruns: 0, 0
Scheduled moves: 12, completed moves: 11
Bed compensation in use: none
Bed probe heights: 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
=== Heat ===
Bed heaters = 0 -1 -1 -1, chamberHeaters = -1 -1
=== GCodes ===
Segments left: 0
Stack records: 1 allocated, 1 in use
Movement lock held by http
http is idle in state(s) 1 5
telnet is idle in state(s) 0
file is idle in state(s) 0
serial is idle in state(s) 0
aux is idle in state(s) 0
daemon is idle in state(s) 0
queue is idle in state(s) 0
autopause is idle in state(s) 0
Code queue is empty.
=== Network ===
Responder states: HTTP(1) HTTP(0) HTTP(0) HTTP(0) FTP(0) Telnet(0) Telnet(0)
HTTP sessions: 1 of 8
- WiFi -
Network state is running
WiFi module is connected to access point 
Failed messages: pending 0, notready 0, noresp 0
WiFi firmware version 1.21RC4(08b3)
WiFi MAC address 5c:cf:7f:76:60:45
WiFi Vcc 3.39, reset reason Turned on by main processor
WiFi flash size 4194304, free heap 17088
WiFi IP address 192.168.254.210
WiFi signal strength -64dBm, reconnections 0, sleep mode modem
Socket states: 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
=== Expansion ===

sfinlon

@phaedrux said in Z Motors not moving:

I believe you're missing an M584 command to specify how your z axis motors are bound.

https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_M584_Set_drive_mapping

According to the doc "Any M584 commands used to remap drivers must come before M350 and M906 commands." M584 is only used to override defaults. I believe as long as X is 0 Y is 1 and Z is 2 you don't need to specify.

dc42

@sfinlon said in Z Motors not moving:

@dc42 G1 S2 Z10 F100 produced no response.

I should have said, run G91 first. As @elmoret pointed out, otherwise they will only move if they are not already at Z=10.

Do the motors vibrate when you command them to move, or are they silent? Is there any sign of damage to the stepper driver chip adjacent to the Z connectors?

sfinlon

@dc42 I did a G91 and then G1 S2 Z10 F100 and no response.

When I put my hands on the Z motors I don't feel any vibrations whatsoever.

I don't see any damage to the stepper motor. I'll attach two photos from slightly different angles to show you.

dc42

With power off, connect one of the Z motors to the E1 connector. Put M584 Z4 E3 near the start of config.g (before any M906 or M350 commands), save and restart. Then see if jogging Z makes that motor move (remember to send M564 H1 first to allow movement before homing). Test the other motor in the same way.

sfinlon

@dc42 instead of that, I hooked Z1 up to the E1 stepper, and reconfigured the firmware with this M584 X0 Y1 Z4 E3 in the config.g.

And that does let the Z1 motor jog back and forth. So is it possible the Z2 stepper motor is bad? I suppose I can splice the Z1 and Z2 connectors to make it work, but I wouldn't be able to use a second extruder then...

; executed by the firmware on start-up
;
; generated by RepRapFirmware Configuration Tool on Wed May 02 2018 11:04:28 GMT-0400 (EDT)

; General preferences
G90                                                ; Send absolute coordinates...
M83                                                ; ...but relative extruder moves

; Network
M550 PScott's Tatara                               ; Set machine name
M552 S1                                            ; Enable network
M586 P0 S1                                         ; Enable HTTP
M586 P1 S0                                         ; Disable FTP
M586 P2 S0                                         ; Disable Telnet

; Drives
M569 P0 S1                                         ; Drive 0 goes forwards
M569 P1 S1                                         ; Drive 1 goes forwards
M569 P2 S1                                         ; Drive 2 goes forwards
M569 P3 S1                                         ; Drive 3 goes forwards
M584 X0 Y1 Z4 E3                                   ; Apply custom drive mapping
M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16 I1                            ; Configure microstepping with interpolation
M92 X80 Y80 Z4000 E420                             ; Set steps per mm
M566 X900 Y900 Z12 E120                            ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min)
M203 X6000 Y6000 Z180 E1200                        ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)
M201 X500 Y20 Z250 E250                            ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)
M906 X800 Y800 Z800 E800 I30                       ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30                                            ; Set idle timeout

; Axis Limits
M208 X0 Y0 Z0 S1                                   ; Set axis minima
M208 X220 Y220 Z240 S0                             ; Set axis maxima

; Endstops
M574 X1 Y1 Z1 S0                                   ; Set active low endstops

; Z-Probe
M558 P0 H5 F120 T6000                              ; Set Z probe type to switch and the dive height + speeds
G31 P600 X0 Y0 Z0.1                                ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height
M557 X15:205 Y15:205 S20                           ; Define mesh grid

; Heaters
M305 P0 T100000 B4138 C0 R4700                     ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 0
M143 H0 S110                                       ; Set temperature limit for heater 0 to 110C
M305 P1 T100000 B4138 C0 R4700                     ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 1
M143 H1 S265                                       ; Set temperature limit for heater 1 to 265C

; Fans
M106 P0 S0 I0 F500 H-1                             ; Set fan 0 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off
M106 P1 S1 I0 F500 H-1                             ; Set fan 1 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off
M106 P2 S1 I0 F500 H-1                             ; Set fan 2 value, PWM signal inversion and frequency. Thermostatic control is turned off

; Tools
M563 P0 D0 H1                                      ; Define tool 0
G10 P0 X0 Y0 Z0                                    ; Set tool 0 axis offsets
G10 P0 R0 S0                                       ; Set initial tool 0 active and standby temperatures to 0C

; Automatic power saving
M911 S10 R11 P"M913 X0 Y0 G91 M83 G1 Z3 E-5 F1000" ; Set voltage thresholds and actions to run on power loss

; Custom settings are not configured

dc42

Did you try the Z2 stepper motor that way too? If you can make the Z1 motor move by connecting it to the E1 output, but not the Z2 motor, that suggests that the Z2 motor or its cable is open circuit.

You can test the Z stepper driver by plugging the Z1 motor into one of the two Z motor connectors, and putting 2 jumpers in the other Z motor connector.

The Za and Zb connectors are wired in series, so if either motor is open circuit, neither will move if they are both plugged in.

sfinlon

@dc42 Connecting the Z2 motor to E1 stepper didn't do anything, so I assumed I messed up a crimp in the connector.
Everything looked ok, but I replaced them with a new set of crimps and connector, and it responded.

I hooked the Z1 and Z2 motors back up to the Z2 stepper and now I have another weird issue.

The Z end stop is wired correctly, when I press it with my finger the LED lights up.

The weirdness is when I home X or Y, the Z motors start moving one at a time up and down. If I press Z home they go all the way smash in to the Z stop but don't stop trying to keep moving down.

Here is a short video of it doing the X homing and then Z going nuts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5kH3gIMu8I&

dc42

If the two Z motors are connected to the Za and Zb connectors but they are not moving in sync, that suggests to me that the Z axis is binding, or you have set the Z acceleration or speed too high, or the Z motor current is set too low.

sfinlon

@dc42 it might be the current set too low, I took the lead screws out of the spider couplers to just let them free spin.

They dont seem have much torque. If I just touch my finger to it, it almost immediately stops spinning.

dc42

What motors are they?

sfinlon

@dc42 stock anet a8 motors.
I did just order 2 new nema17’s and new couplers because I can’t tell what part is failing.

dc42

@sfinlon said in Z Motors not moving:

@dc42 stock anet a8 motors.
I did just order 2 new nema17’s and new couplers because I can’t tell what part is failing.

Perhaps they are high-inductance motors that need to be connected in parallel instead of in series.

wilriker

@sfinlon I can see two errors in your config (having just converted my own Anet A8 to Duet I made the same mistakes):

For one Z Motor direction needs to be reversed so change
M569 P2 S1 ; Drive 2 goes forwards
to
M569 P2 S0 ; Drive 2 goes backwards

and (assuming you have not changed the lead screws) also your steps/mm for Z axis are wrong. Change
M92 X80 Y80 Z4000 E420 ; Set steps per mm
to
M92 X80 Y80 Z400 E420 ; Set steps per mm

If you are still using the original 16-tooth pulley also the values for X and Y need to be 100 instead of 80. And using the original extruder gear these steps would be 95 instead of 420.

I had my steps/mm for Z calculated wrong (should have trusted Marlin config more) and had set it to 1600 which led to horrible asymmetric jumping of the Z axis. I am glad that it did not break or bend anything (at least I hope it did not).

P.S.: Here is my complete section of drive settings for all motors, rods and leadscrews being stock. Note that motor currents are currently set to their rated current. I will tune this probably tonight to a lower value.

; Drives
M569 P0 S1                                         ; Drive X goes forwards
M569 P1 S1                                         ; Drive Y goes forwards
M569 P2 S0                                         ; Drive Z goes backwards
M569 P3 S1                                         ; Drive E0 goes forwards
M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16 I1                            ; Configure microstepping with interpolation
M92 X100 Y100 Z400 E95                             ; Set steps per mm
M566 X600 Y600 Z18 E300                            ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min)
M203 X24000 Y24000 Z480 E3000                      ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)
M201 X2000 Y2000 Z100 E10000                       ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)
M906 X900 Y900 Z900 E900 I20                       ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
M84 S30                                            ; Set idle timeout

One last addition: if you are also still using stock thermistors you could use the following settings:

M305 P0 T100000 B4725 C7.060000e-8 R4700           ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 0
M305 P1 T100000 B4725 C7.060000e-8 R4700           ; Set thermistor + ADC parameters for heater 1

sfinlon

@dc42 "Perhaps they are high-inductance motors that need to be connected in parallel instead of in series."

That's exactly what I was thought too! Because if I left the jumpers on Z2 and only plugged one or the other motor in to Z1 that one motor was fine.

So I cut the wire, and spliced and soldered them together in parallel, and plugged the combined connector in to Z1 and left the jumpers on Z2 and it's working fantastically now.

sfinlon

@wilriker I know marlin had the steps per mm at 100 100 400 for x y z but wasn’t sure if the steppers changed any of that.

I modified the thermistors like you exampled though.

What do you use for a bed offset? It looks like I’m not quite centered.

wilriker

@sfinlon I have my minima for X -35mm and Y -7mm. Might be slightly different on your machine but generally should be quite close.

Except for my mistake with Z direction and steps/mm I basically started with the settings from Marlin and they are working.

As I said, I would tune my motor currents and can already say that 50% (=450mA) for X, Y and Z (which by the way is regularly wired in series in my setup) work fine for print speed of 75mm/s and travel speed of 120mm/s. I only tested this in a dry-run yet, though.
By dry-run I mean I took the GCODE of one of my prints that I knew contained parts of all kinds (long slow and fast extrusions, long travels, diagonals, circles, zig-zag infill with fast direction changes, etc) and reduced it to two selected layers Andrew removed heating and all extrusions. Then I set my motor currents and "printed" this file and checked that there are no skipped steps. I have not yet fine-tuned extruder motor but at it to around 750mA for now.

P.S.: if anyone is interested in my dry-run file, I am happy to she l share it.