Hello. I am using MKS DLC32 ver2.1. But I am having many problems. Missing steps, unstable operation of the laser etc. etc. I used A44 and DRV88 series as drivers. Although I have relatively less problems with DRV88, I still do not have a stable machine. My request from you, can A44 and DRV88 users share the export files of the parameters in the picture with me? If I cannot get results with these files, I think I will change the control card and drivers. I will try my luck by getting a new DLC32 ver2.1 and this time TCM2209. But I should try the configurations first. Thanks.
There is not much you can configure for different drivers. The only thing that changes is the steps/mm value. The rest stays exactly the same. You need to adapt the reference voltage for the stepper motors which is different at each driver type, but that’s a physical change, nothing you can do in a software configuration.
As noted by Melvin, the missing steps are likely the result of inadequate current settings on the drivers or undersized steppers (and drivers) for your DIY laser machine.
With respect to the laser operation… what does “unstable operation of the laser” mean? What’s happening? Going on nothing, I’d have to guess undersized power supply… if you share some details about the machine and what exactly is happening, somebody may be able to offer some ideas to solve the problem.
Why do you need to make a current adjustment on a newly purchased driver? Shouldn’t it work without problems when we plug it into the control card as it is? I also tried 4-5 A44 series and as many DRV88 series drivers. There is nothing special in my system? I feed the DLC32 with a 24v 15A adapter. I measured the power values ​​of the adapter, it seems correct. However, when I first started using the machine, it moves normally, then the axes start to act up. They move intermittently. The laser light also exhibits an unbalanced power. Sometimes it is strong enough to be purple, sometimes it appears blue. After trying so many drivers, I started to think that the problem is not with the drivers, but that the control card is not handling the situation correctly.
There is another question that comes to my mind. For example, since the cables of my motors were short, I added additional cables to extend them. But these additional cables were a little thinner. Would the thinness of the cable cause problems such as the motors missing steps in axis movements or waiting and continuing again? I even shot a video. You can understand what I mean in the video. But as I mentioned before, it does not do this at first. It behaves like this after a few tries. Sometimes it even gets worse.
Why would you not need to? In any case, why not check to what they’re set to, compared to what they should be set to?
Looks like the steppers are stalling, either as a result of inadequate current from the drivers or from binding from the hard coupler(s). Hard to tell from the video, but looking at the machine screws holding the motor, the lead screw and the motor might not be 100% co-axial.
I don’t see anything of concern in the video. I see where you can’t see as much of the reflection of the light when a stepper stalls (and the laser isn’t moving) and the laser burns deeper into the wood obscuring the light in the depth of the cut.
Define thinner.
Absolutely: NO 
A newly purchased driver does not know what motor you are using it with. It’s the first step you NEED to do. You need to check out the maximum current your steppers can use. Then you need to adapt your drivers to that. And different driver types have different calculations, so the values will change. If you don’t do that, you can both burn your drivers and steppers in an instant.
And you are kind of doing that. If it starts normally and then starts to act weird, the drivers most likely get too hot to operate.
Adjusting the driver reference voltage is a mandatory thing. Maybe read some background here: https://all3dp.com/2/vref-calculator-tmc2209-tmc2208-a4988/
Another sign of a system failing where steppers draw too much current.
Yes, thinner cables limit the current the steppers will get. It depends on the thickness if this is the case here, but it can contribute to the effect.
1 Like
Melvin makes a good point, you could also be using too much current causing the drivers to overheat (and/or the heatsinks could have fallen off of them).
You need to get your driver current set correctly and then work on the other issue(s) if they persist.
Today I finally managed to break the control board. I would like to share the findings I made before it broke:
-The cables of the motors were heated and the outer plastic parts had become soft due to the heat.
-The DRV88 series drivers were too hot to be touched by hand. They were so hot that the adhesives of the cooling aluminums had almost melted and the coolers were about to sag and fall. (It seems that even the cooling of the 12v high-speed fan did not work)
-When I first turned on the machine, there was no problem with the work I did in a square shape. Then, after trying to write a complex text, it moved properly in the first turn. Then it started to deviate. The movements started again intermittently. It also started to miss steps.
-In the end, it gave a warning that the USB connection to the laptop was lost. Also, the LCD screen remained white.
The question is: The motors I have are Sanyo brand, maybe a little bigger than Nema17. How do I know how to adjust the potentiometer on the driver for these? In other words, how do I know how many volts I should set it to? Eventually I’ll get a new control card so I don’t break it either. Of course I’ll have to change the cables too.
Use a search engine to locate a manual or specification sheet for the specific Sanyo stepper motor part/model number you have to find out its rated current.
Use a search engine to locate a manual for the specific stepper driver board you have. I don’t know if you have a DRV8811 or a DRV8825 or what the current sense resistor value is on the specific driver board assembly that you have.
The DRV8811 chip uses the following formula:
Ichop(A) = Vref(V) / ( 8 x Rsense(Ohms) )
You’ll get more useful help from people if you include important details like make, model and part numbers, and things like actual wire gauges, etc. Otherwise we’re all just guessing at things.
1 Like