Having trouble connecting a roller rotary to my 120 W CO2 laser it works flawlessly with an 80 w Chinese Laser but when I plug it into the larger machine, it sounds as though the gears are grinding. I’ve done all the correct set up not sure if it’s a wiring issue if anybody can help with this, that would be great.
It sounds to me like the 2 machines are wired differently at the connector. You may need to get / make an adapter cable for it to be able to be used on both machines.
The machines are both C02 machines, correct? A rotary for a diode laser typically will have a smaller motor and not be compatible with the larger C02 drivers.
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Yes, and thank you for the reply they’re both CO2 lasers both Chinese machines but the larger one is a G wiki i’m using a fox alien roller. It’s plug-in play with the 80 W machine but when I plug it into the larger one, it doesn’t go forward or back it just sort of is stuck in a jerking motion
Definitely need some kind of adapter. I had a similar behavior on a diode machine rotary. Without the proper adapter it just “judders” in place.
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You will need what looks like an extender cable with a male connector on one end and a female on the other. It does not have to be more than 2"-3" long. Cross over the two middle wires on one end of the adaptor cable.
Important Note: Lately, these stepper motors have been using 6-pin connectors but only have 4 wires. It is possible the laser is a 6-wire hookup for the rotary and the rotary may not be compatible with the laser even though the plug will go in the socket.
If it’s that roller, then it has a NEMA 17 motor that will (almost certainly) be grossly overcooked by the current intended for NEMA 23 or NEMA 34 motors running the Y axis in CO₂ machines.
A good rule of thumb: if you can’t hold your thumb on the motor for a minute, then the current is too high.
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I believe you’re right do you recommend upgrading the motor that should do it? It’s probably cheaper than buying a new roller or if you have a roller, you recommend I’ve been trying to find something but not too familiar with them.
A larger motor won’t fit the roller frame, so that’s out.
Small stepper drivers are absurdly cheap, as long as you don’t insist on more QC than the entire roller got, of course. 
Set the DIP switches for:
- Peak current = 1.7 A
- Step/rev = match the Y axis driver or 6400
In each of the CO₂ lasers, wire a cable to bring the Y axis STEP, DIR, and +24V/GND terminals out to the new driver, perhaps using an aviation plug to simplify the connections. You put the new wires into the same terminal blocks as the existing wires; the controller will drive both of them in parallel.
Wire the new driver’s A&B motor terminals to the roller motor. If you can figure out how to mount the driver on the roller frame, then you don’t need another connector.
You must calibrate the roller on both machines because it will surely be different on at least one.
To use it:
- Turn the laser machine power off
- Unplug the Y axis as usual to disconnect that motor
- Plug the roller driver into the new connector
- Turn the laser power on
- Profit!
Which may be more wiring complexity than you expected, but once you get over that hump it’s plug-n-play on both machines and, more importantly, won’t slag down the roller motor.
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