problem with hammering noise in stepper motor and not moving X-axis

Hi everybody,
Can somebody help in problem with hammering noise in stepper motor and not moving X-axis?
Story about Mendel Prusa, and it is -
Sprinter latest version, with RAMPS 1.4, and Mega 2560 board.
Sprinter compiled by Arduino 1.0.1.
It was some bugs in compilation which was obvious:
In Sd2Card.cpp:
====================================
#if defined(ARDUINO) && ARDUINO >= 100
#include "Arduino.h"
#else
#include
#endif
====================================
In SdFile.cpp:
===================================
#if ARDUINO >= 100
size_t SdFile::write(uint8_t b)
#else
void SdFile::write(uint8_t b)
#endif
{
#if ARDUINO >= 100
return (size_t) write(&b, 1);
#else
write(&b, 1);
#endif
}
===================================
I also disable SD card support in Configuration.h
I confirm wiring 1.4 RAMPS is like RAMPS 1.3.

Then I upload firmware. Start REPRAP host – it barked with messages like “dude respond with error” “timeout” and reprap host was not functional (sometime I did see reading of a temperature, sometime I was able to switch on heater on a bed, but no movement on any motors). Searching Forums shows “Yep! This is a bug in reprap, but let fix it in ReplicatorG first”.
Ok – I download and configured “ReplicatorG” and started to work.
In control panel I was able to move X-axis and Z-axes. I Adjust current on driver of stepper motor board to make bed move with less sound, and also adjust current on Z-axis to move up and down without jumps and noise.

Here come the problem: X-axes is makes hammering noise and jumps left-right without horizontal movements.
To solve I tried:
- I swapped X-axes with Y-axis connectors to stepper motors – well after swapping hammering comes from Y-axis, and X-axis is moving perfectly.
- Then I swapped (from original configuration) stepper motor drivers – X-axis is still hammering with different drivers.
- I tried to adjust current on a stepper motor driver for X-axis without any success.
- I checked signal on driver – direction pin looks working. To see another signals looks like need to plug oscilloscope.

That four experiments shows that the problem not in motors wiring, and not in stepper motor drivers, but ether in-
a) In firmware (wrong executing G-codes ?)
b) In wiring from Mega 2650 to RAMPS 1.4 ( pin 54, 38?)
c) In ReplicatorG (wrong commands send to Mega 2650?)

Or may be somebody knows different reason for this?

Alex Dobrianski

I was not able to solve mentioned problem – ether it is Mega 2650, or RAMPS 1.4 – I give-up – and fix the problem by trading X-axis socket to second extruder socket by changes in pin.c
#undef X_STEP_PIN
#undef X_DIR_PIN
#undef X_ENABLE_PIN
#undef X_MIN_PIN
#undef X_MAX_PIN -1 //2 //Max endstops default to disabled "-1", set to commented value to enable.


#define X_STEP_PIN 36
#define X_DIR_PIN 34
#define X_ENABLE_PIN 30
#define X_MIN_PIN 3
#define X_MAX_PIN -1 //2 //Max endstops default to disabled "-1", set to commented value to enable.

For me it is OK – I do not use second extruder.
All started to move – I adjusted X,Y,Z zero – and press button in control panel to check movement of a extruder wheel – nothing happened.
Attempt to understand where it is in source code – no time==no success. In forums – somebody suggest “In control panel extruder did not work, but it will work during print”.
Ok - it is true - tied couple of time to print “in air” and after conforming that ALL stepper are working, temperature of extruder is holding (badly – swing is +10 -10, but it is OK), inserted PLA filament, set temperature 200, pressed “Build”.
Filament jumped out of extruder. Couple attempts to understand what is going on – no time==no success. Require some equilibrating but filament is pushed inside.
After extruder's dance around half of slice filament reach hot end – couple drops – steady line, turn of a direction, another line, and extruder started to push-out of Teflon barrel with a speed of inserting filament. Power off. Extruder disassembled and jam cleaned (took around 4 hours).

After was chosen more safely approach – filament changed to PVA (easy to fix jams, less temperature, small cuts/portions of a filament to avoid jam), attempt to print “in air”, attempt to print one slice, adjust speed of pushing filament into extruder - looks like everything is ready – set everything up – start to print – two slices of a calibration cubes printed - success definitely. Set everything up – attempt to print full cube – on third slice extruder jammed (again extruder pushed out of teflon barrel).
Clean jam – second night lost, attempt to understand how gcode generated – total mess – (i.e. in “help” of Replicator G command like M71,M72,M73 – but nothing is working), third night lost. Adjusting feeding speed (RPM, mm/min) did not help AT ALL. Most annoying actually future in Replicator G is retrieving filament – sometime (NOT depend of g-code) filament is retrieving before print, sometime not.

After one month of constant fixing problems now I am really ready to give-up. Problem with extruder (after reading forums) looks like impossible to fix.

Some friends and I had a similar problem with the x-axis, but on RAMPS 1.4 and Marlin.

The only solution we found was to do the same as you: to connect the X-axis Polulu on the E1 (second extruder), change the stepper to the E1 also, and change the X-axis pins in the pins.h file in the Marlin firmware.

It looks like there is something wrong with our boards...

There is not much on the RAMPS that could affect that. Probably a short or open on the tracks that link the output of the Pololu to the stepper connectors. Or maybe the microstepping jumpers are faulty and it is trying to full step instead of microstep.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Mine does it too. I think the two steppers are trying to draw more amps than the board can supply. You can here it get worse when everything is trying to heat up.. I'm going to try two power supplys for the 12v inputs. I'll report back when I have had a go at it.

PEZ

Just as nophead suggested in one of the messages above (possible short circuit), maybe the following post: http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?219,154737 that can be found on the RAMPS Electronics folder, may be related to this kind of issue.

Pez,

Did a second power supply solve your problem? I'm having a similar hammering and rotation issue with my motors and looking for a solution. I'm running a 20A power supply right now which should be fine.

Thanks.