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CBeam XL

Discussion in 'CNC Mills/Routers' started by Ronald4418, Feb 3, 2021.

  1. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
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    I don't know who designed the CBeam XL but between it and the CBeam Plate Maker someone goofed. And why in Gods Name did they make the CBeam itself 40 x 80 mm in size. Regardless as to what a person can come up with, they're always going to run into the issue of End Plates and Stepper Motor Clearances. 60 x 80 would have made everyone's life a heck of a lot easier and would have made the Axis much stiffer with 5 Points of Contact instead of 3. And I haven't for the life of me figured out how to get 2 Y-Axis Steppers to work together and getting any type of assistance once you've fully committed hundreds if not thousands of dollars to one of these projects is non-existent.
    I'm getting to the point of stripping everything apart and melting it down and make a Statue Called Lost Dreams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  2. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    If they aren't working together its either
    1) Faulty wiring, see docs:blackbox:faq-identify-motor-coils [OpenBuilds Documentation] for the testing procedure - could be damaged wire inside the insulation, so please measure for continuity with a multimeter to identify any broken wires, or incorrect wiring order. Do not always trust color codes - use the procedure to identify and confirm the coils.
    2) If its a dual-Y Leadscrew machine, follow docs:blackbox:connect-nema23 [OpenBuilds Documentation] but if its a Dual-Y BELT driven machine, one motor has to have its wiring order reversed, see docs:blackbox:connect-nema23-reversed-y2 [OpenBuilds Documentation]
     
  3. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
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    It's not the motors or is it the controller, it's like they're moving at different speeds. I checked both Leadscrews to see if they were the same pitch and every part other then the steppers are Openbuilds products. So it's not Leadscrew Pitch. I then tried to go with Metal Guru's design using outriggers with a central Y-Axis. Now I have a SeeSaw like we did as a kid using 20 x 40 extruded aluminum on its side and a pair of aluminum angles with 2 wheels and eccentrics each side running just like all of the other Axis. But I can't get someone to help me with figuring out how judge the wheel axle heights so that my wasteboard doesn't act like a seesaw. When it was mentioned to me in the forums that this was an easier way to solve the issue I had a barrage of commenters suggesting this plan. But as soon as I ask for any information on the forums about the necessary axle heights to create a stable waste board, they go Dead.
     
  4. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Easy way to test:
    - take both motors off the machine and put them side by side on the desk
    - put some tape around the shafts to make a little "flag"
    - do some jogging and see if they stay in sync. If not, make a video, i want to hear the sounds coming off the motors to make a call on what it could be
    If they do stay in sync, investigate mechanical binding, or incorrect settings

    May I suggest reverting to the stock config, a community fork is harder to diagnose because of the differences. The original CBeam XL was a beast of a machine in stock config.

    The outriggers thing should not be needed.

    Incorrect wiring really does exhibit a symptom like you describe. Did you wire it according to the color codes in docs.openbuilds.com? The C Beam XL hasn't been sold for a while now, you may have older motors from a time when the color codes was different, at least on one motor, explaining the discrepancy. So if you do find the motors are not in sync, I am hoping you will follow the procedure linked earlier to verify the coil pairs wiring order
     
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  5. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
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    I used the wiring diagram directly from the motor suppliers and using a Multimeter confirmed that I had the correct pairs of wires connected together. in the proper sequence. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow with Metal Guru's design to see if I can adjust the Offsets of the outriggers wheel assemblies. If I can't figure it out, I will go back to the original configuration.
    What bugs me the most is that I have 3 motors all the same 2 of which are for the Y-Axis and 1 for my Z-Axis. 1 of the Y-Axis as well as the Z-Axis work perfectly with No Strange Sounds emanating from them, yet the other Y-Axis motor is making a strange sound, though if I switch it over from the Y2 Driver to the Y Driver it isn't making the same sound. I tried adjusting the Trim Pot a little and it did sound better, but then it seemed to move faster than the opposite Y-Axis motor. I can't see how adjusting the Trimpot would make one motor spin faster than another.
     
  6. Giarc

    Giarc OpenBuilds Team
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    If the motors aren't synced after doing Peter's suggested tests (if you try it), you may need to bring that up with your motor supplier.
     
  7. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
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    It took a few hours of hair pulling with Metal Guru's modification but I finally succeeded. Now running a single Y-Axis instead of the Dual. Now I just have to replace the CBeam from the Y2 with a 1000mm section and leadscrew and I can finish work on my CNC Baluster and Pool Cue Machine as well. That'll make it 4 machines, a CBeam XL, A CNC Baluster/ Pool Cue Maker, 3D Printer and a CNC Laser. That ought to keep me busy during my retirement years.
     
    Peter Van Der Walt likes this.
  8. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    it is entirely possible that no-one knows the answer! You have a modified machine so you have to measure it yourself.
     
  9. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
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    exactly what does out of sync mean?
    is one just a little slower than the other?
    is one half the speed of the other?
    is the speed/distance difference some power of 2?

    the first one indicates a faulty motor or maybe driver.
    the next two indicate either a 200 and a 400 step motor, or the drivers have different microstep settings. I have not seen you mention what drivers you are using so I don't know how to advise on checking that.
     
  10. Ronald4418

    Ronald4418 Well-Known
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    The motors were 168 oz. in., 1.3A, Hybrid Bipolar NEMA 23's 1.8 Degree, 200's and I am using the Blackbox Controller running the Openbuilds Control software on a Raspberry Pi 300 with the Twister OS. Previously, until a Wiring Error destroyed it I was using a GeckoDrive G540 running Mach3 through a UCCNC UC-100 under Windows 10 Professional as a 4 Axis C-Beam XL. The Motors were in perfect sync then and the only difference this time was the complete rewiring for the Blackbox and Home Switches which was the cause of the Wiring mishap with the G540.
    It doesn't matter now that I figured out how to create a reiteration of Metal Guru's CBeam XL.
     

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