question...I am having some issues with getting the nema17 motor i am adding to

3D Printing
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1

question…I am having some issues with getting the nema17 motor i am adding to my reprap as a second extruder, to work properly (reprap huxley, Ramps 1.4 with Marlin firmware, pronterface). E0 works properly but E1 only spins in one direction. everything else is fine; both heaters heat properly and the temp is good. could it be because the motor is different than the existing nema14’s i already have? or could it possibly be some configuration i have overlooked? any insights are appreciated. cheers.

2

just swapped the E1 and E0 driver boards (both a4988’s) and the one i had for the second extruder is now making the 1st extruder malfunction so its most likely the driver board, but i dont know if it just hasnt been set up properly or if it is fried in some way.

3

If you remove the 2nd extruder board entirely, and then revert the settings to only use one extruder, does it still malfunction?

4

i can still run the previous extruder and hotend even with 2 extruders set up in the firmware. ive narrowed it down to the stepper board because i swapped it out (instead of E1 its in E0) and it does the same thing, regardless of which motor is plugged into it. so i might need to buy a new stepper driver, UNLESS there is some technique i dont know about for fixing this issue. the stepper driver is an A4988 i bought on ebay. here it is http://www.ebay.com/itm/221694943952?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

5

Does E1 work with the board that was originally in E0?

6

yes.

7

Kk, definitely the board then. I just didn’t know if it was broken before or if something might have caused it.

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i just ordered it a couple of weeks ago. i will see if i can get a replacemnt.

9

Things to check: Do you have all the jumpers in place underneath the driver board for the type of micro stepping you’re using? Also, take a multimeter to ground and to the top of the voltage regulator on the driver board and see if the voltage is consistent between the two?

10

@Colin_Faulkingham borrowed a new stepper driver and the fault was there. just ordered some new ones and am borrowing a working one until then. problem solved :slight_smile: