Strange problem. During a longitudinal cut (only x-axis moving), my y-axis steppers will start to creep. If I pause/stop the cut they will jump back into position. Here is a video of the problem: The frustrating thing is that I have been cutting lots of aluminum without this problem. I "solved" it once a week ago after lots of troubleshooting. It's back now and none of my troubleshooting is working. It will often start when the bit first contacts aluminum, so perhaps EMI/electrical? Troubleshooting: Adjust V-wheel tightness Ground shielded cables Remove router power cord from drag chain, away from stepper wires Add ferrite beads to stepper wires Test new DRV8825 drivers Adjust/balance driver voltage Change "step idle delay" to 255 (always active) PS - these threads have been unspeakably helpful to me - thank you all for sharing your knowledge! Other details: OX machine GRBL 1.1 CNC Shield V3 DRV8825
Hi How hot are the drivers? If the Y driver overheats it will shutdown, maybe only for .5 second, allowing the tool pressure to move the gantry. Remember to ground shielded cables only at one end, what they call a 'star' configuration, one ground point, and everything radiates out from there. Otherwise 99% certain it is EMI. >-: Have you tried grounding the aluminum workpiece?
Solved! Thank so much for the help, David. Hope this helps someone else down the road. I had to connect the machine ( including the gantry and z-axis) to earth ground. Totally solved the problem.
