Arduino Rotary Table for Dummies

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I'll give that a try tonite , so what would that mean ? that the stepper is gettin power ? could the micro stepping switches be off ? heres a copy of the driver board man .
thanks
animal
 

Attachments

  • ST330 Stepper Motor Driver Board User Manual (1).pdf
    946.5 KB
If the motor is powered and enabled it will be difficult to turn by hand. This is true even without the Arduino connected. If it’s still easy to turn you have a problem with the driver/motor/power supply.
 
Hello, thanks a lot for the very detailed and easy to follow guide... i tried it and worked, the only issue i have is that i do not use a reducer. How should i edit the sketch to avoid it and have 0 reduction?
I am sorry for my bad english.
Thank you very much.
 
Hello, thanks a lot for the very detailed and easy to follow guide... i tried it and worked, the only issue i have is that i do not use a reducer. How should i edit the sketch to avoid it and have 0 reduction?
I am sorry for my bad english.
Thank you very much.
You will have to change the variable called “TableRatio”. It is currently set for a 36:1 rotary table.
Are you driving a spindle directly from your stepper? If so, there are some other things that need to be done.

John
 
I have to directly connect the stepper motor to the rotation support... i have no rotation reduction
 
I have to directly connect the stepper motor to the rotation support... i have no rotation reduction
With no reduction (1:1) the original code will not work.
On the line after where Table Ratio is defined another variable is defined
const int Multiplier = (StepsPerRotation * TableRatio)/360

since it is defined as an integer, StepsPerRotation * TableRatio, must be evenly divisible by 360 to work.

I believe the quick fix was to change it to
const float Multiplier = (StepsPerRotation * TableRatio)/360
i never used this method so I don’t know if there were any other changes required.

a better approach would be to use the modified code posted by
Kquiggle in message 303.
 
With no reduction (1:1) the original code will not work.
On the line after where Table Ratio is defined another variable is defined
const int Multiplier = (StepsPerRotation * TableRatio)/360

since it is defined as an integer, StepsPerRotation * TableRatio, must be evenly divisible by 360 to work.

I believe the quick fix was to change it to
const float Multiplier = (StepsPerRotation * TableRatio)/360
i never used this method so I don’t know if there were any other changes required.

a better approach would be to use the modified code posted by
Kquiggle in message 303.
Ok, i was able to find a previeus version of the code, the version 5.5 (2018) and worked well for me.
 
I got mine to work. Then I went to put the controls in a box like Maxmekker50. I used a 4-pin aircraft style plug so I could disconnect the stepper from the controller box. I tested it prior to connecting the motor and everything seemed to work fine. The "Run" led on the TB6560 flashed yellow when the Arduino sent the steps. Then I connected the motor and tried again - nothing. I looked at the 4-pin connector and found a solder bridge. I cleaned it up but nothing, and the "Run" led is now red. Does that mean I fried the board?
 
It depends on which pins were bridged and the design of the board. It should protect itself against shorts.
Start by checking the power supply voltages and currents.

Dazz
 
Disconnecting steppers from driver board while powered will blow the driver every time.
 
No, it's quite simply something one does not do.
Bit like pulling the plug on a large running motor without first dropping the contactor control supply.
 
Disconnecting steppers from driver board while powered will blow the driver every time.

Except that was not the case here. The system was not energized when the motor was disconnected. The stepper control board had been previously powered without a motor connected for testing purposes several times without issue and was still able to operate the motor afterwards. The only issue occurred after attempting to power the motor with a short in its leads.
 
Hi
So if the motor outputs are not protected from a short, that is poor design. There should at least be a fuse. A better solution would be current limiting.
You should first check that there isn't a blown fuse somewhere.

If you or someone you know has some electronics knowledge and test equipment, it should be relatively easy to fault find and fix. Just compare the working outputs with the one(s) that don't work to pinpoint the faulty component.
 
Going back several posts, if you shorted out one pole of the motor, then it should survive as the driver is current limited. If you shorted adjacent poles the outcome could be problematic and to work it out would take a little time via vector anylises. I suppect that this is the case and you have exceeded the voltage ratings of the driver. Since the driver is probably dead, disconnect the motor, turn it on and measure the motor voltages which should be slightly lower than the supply voltage. Disconnecting a stepper while energized causes very high back EMF which could be hundreds of volts and will kill the driver output chips every time.

As for changing the ratio, I have modified the Sketch so that I can have three different ratios eg 90 to 1, 60 to 1 and 40 to 1 via menu selection. With my modified Sketch, you can have any ratio with in reason just by changing one number. I have made 5 of these controllers for different people who couldn't work it out for themselves.


Happy to share both Sketches with any one who wants them. p

Bruce
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
 
I haven't seen any posts as to how to mount the stepper to the rotating table. I have a 6" Phase II and chose to use a clamping system on the shaft housing. Here are the drawings for what I did. An alternative is to make a solid plate instead of the mount on sheet 2 and attach it like you would index plates. I use a spiral aluminum coupling between the stepper and the rotating table. Here are the drawings if anyone wants some ideas of a mounting arrangement. You will need to adjust the dimensions to your particular rotating table and shaft coupler. It was done in Fusion360 if anyone wants the CAD files. I'll post some photos when I reattach the stepper motor after fixing the electronics.
 

Attachments

  • Rotating Table Stepper Mount Drawing v4.pdf
    208.1 KB

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