Probelm with G202 stalling (stopping) on my machine, ideas?

[jdbaker]

We have been having a strange problem with our y-axis for a little while now, and we're not sure what is causing it. We have 2 1200oz motors driving the y-axis (one on each side), and every once in a while, the right side will stop working in the middle of a job.

The other side continues to work though, and the machine starts skewing and twisting. The light on the gecko drive doesn't go off, but it seems to stop responding. The only way to get it to work again is to unplug the drives, let them sit for a second, and then plug it all back in.

We're not sure if it's the gecko drives that are doing this, but think it's a good chance. Does anyone know what may be causing this (does this sound like a heat issue, a wiring issue, something else, etc...)? Any help would be appreciated as it's so frustrating to have it stall on you and mess up a project half way through cutting...

[mike40272]

Hi,
Try using a fan blowing on the Gecko. I've Had the same type of problem
with other Geckos (12). I belive they have a small heat problem.
Theory is great for creating and designing, can’t do without it, but not all things run like They appear to run on paper or in a lab. Conditions will change and the out come Will change. Values on components vary with the manufacturing process. Sometimes In order to get something to run correctly we need to think outside the theory box, and Apply what really works.
Mike

[CoAMarcus]

What kind of heat sink do you currently have attached to the drive?

[mike40272]

Hi,
I have a 3/8" flat peice of aluminum with dow heat sink compound.
I run nema 42 size steppers at 56 volts and 5 amps .
Mike

[CoAMarcus]

What are the dimensions of the piece of aluminum? Typically, a piece of metal is not a proper heat sink unless it has fins. Dissipating the heat is entirely dependent upon the surface area of the heat sink attached. Because of this, a heat sink with fins is recommended, such as one that goes with a CPU.

A fan is a mutliplier for dissipating the heat because it removes the warmed air pockets from the area and replaces it with fresh, cool air. What I would recommend is a heatsink and fan combo that goes with a CPU, because a CPU will create way more heat than a drive ever will.

When you remove the drive from the machine, how long is it not running before it is placed back in the machine? Something that you might want to try is to remove the problem drive and switch it with a known good drive and see if the problem is axis specific or drive specific.