TB6560 troubleshooting process?

[ShreddinPB]

Hey guys.. I posted this in another thread, but I am getting no responses and think it might need its own anyways.

How do I go about trouble shooting the pinout configuration on my 4axis TB6560 china board? Here is the info I have so far

the X axis motor locks up but does not move (except possibly one step as mentioned below) when plugged into the computer
the Y axis motor locks up but does not move (except possibly one step as mentioned below) when plugged into the computer
the Z axis works fine when plugged into the computer
LEDs: the two LEDs next to the 4 axis LEDs are lit brightly
the 4 axis LEDs light dimly when the axis should move

one thing to note is the X and Y axis (the two that lock up but dont move) they "click" back and forth, like they are taking a step but dont continue moving

I tested the power supply and its at 24V

I have one of those little blue Mini Manual Controller boxs that plugs into the 15pin manual port, and all axis work fine, so the wiring between the controller board and the steppers is fine.

I havnt physically tested the cable yet.. but it is brand new (purchased cause I couldnt get this working)
Cables To Go 02656 DB25 Male/Female Extension Cable, Beige (10 Feet / 3.04 Meters)
". All 25 lines are wired straight through pin-to-pin for ease of compatibility. Each cable is foil shielded for EMI/RFI protection,"

all I can assume at this point is that it is the pinout configuration.

Is there a way to test the pins on the actually controller board? Or trace the pins? Could it be as simple as knowing what pins on the controller chip are attached to what pin on the db25 port?

I had previously had the same issue with the controller I had on my proxon mf70 conversion, I did find the right pins in a random pdf, but due to moving to a new controller I lost that config setup in mach3

I did use the configuration listed here
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/genera...560_board.html
cause funny enough the ebay page I purchased from links to this page hahaha

any help wold be appreciated.. I have a proxon MF70 conversion and a Zen Tool Works 12x12 just sitting around doing nothing.. and I have some robot parts to build!

[doorknob]

I've had my 3-axis TB6560 board just sitting around, not yet hooked up, for several months.

I'm currently installing EMC2 on a PC that I just built (and I may also install Mach3 on a separate PC), so maybe I'll get around to trying to hook up my board sometime tonight - if I get it running (or even if I have problems), I'll be in a better situation to possibly attempt to help with your problem...

[ShreddinPB]

Originally Posted by doorknob I've had my 3-axis TB6560 board just sitting around, not yet hooked up, for several months. I'm currently installing EMC2 on a PC that I just built (and I may also install Mach3 on a separate PC), so maybe I'll get around to trying to hook up my board sometime tonight - if I get it running (or even if I have problems), I'll be in a better situation to possibly attempt to help with your problem...

Sound good.. I am 90% sure tho that the 3axis and 4axis boards have different DB25 pin configurations

[doorknob]

Well, it looks like my goal of having the board hooked up tonight was overly optimistic - for one thing, I seem to have cleverly misplaced the green connectors for the stepper wiring (but I'll find them one way or another).

I also decided to go ahead and mount the board in an enclosure - but it seems that those crafty PC board artisans at www. hyu68 .com somehow managed to place the heat sink of the 7812 regulator in just the right place to prevent the board mounting screw from fitting in the board mounting hole that they provided, so I'm going to have to puzzle out whether to file or mill a bit of clearance into the heat sink or just desolder the regulator and move the thing out of the way.

But it appears to me that enough of the PCB traces are clearly visible on the bottom of the board (and some of them are also easily visible on top) that when I get to that point I expect to be able to figure out which pins of the DB25 go to which axis' step and direction signals simply by "eyeballing" the layout (and by referring to the partial schematic shown in the 'how I fixed my TB6560' thread). (Yes, that doesn't help you with your problem, sorry...)

[antisubae]

Originally Posted by doorknob ...I also decided to go ahead and mount the board in an enclosure - but it seems that those crafty PC board artisans at www. hyu68 .com somehow managed to place the heat sink of the 7812 regulator in just the right place to prevent the board mounting screw from fitting in the board mounting hole that they provided, so I'm going to have to puzzle out whether to file or mill a bit of clearance into the heat sink or just desolder the regulator and move the thing out of the way...

I've got what's probably the same board, purchased from Kelig, and I had the exact same problem. A quick snip with some side-cutting pliers got enough heat sink material out of the way to get a screw down into the mount hole. It's not very pretty but it did the trick.

This board is just an interim solution for me until I scrape together the cash for a higher quality motor/driver setup, but thankfully it works as advertised on all 3 axes. Perhaps someday I'll even have a finished machine to use it in.

[doorknob]

Originally Posted by antisubae I've got what's probably the same board, purchased from Kelig, and I had the exact same problem. A quick snip with some side-cutting pliers got enough heat sink material out of the way to get a screw down into the mount hole. It's not very pretty but it did the trick. This board is just an interim solution for me until I scrape together the cash for a higher quality motor/driver setup, but thankfully it works as advertised on all 3 axes. Perhaps someday I'll even have a finished machine to use it in.

I don't know why I didn't think of approaching it that way, but it sounds like a brilliant fix, and so I'll give it a try. Thanks...

[ShreddinPB]

I did more testing and I still cant get it to work.
I tested multiple cables.
The new cable I got appears to be part of the problem. I did test all pins multiple times, and they all do go straight thru. I have a short straight thru cable also that I tested and its the same.
If I have the 10 foot new cable plugged in, only the Z axis works. If I plug in the shorter one, the X and Z work.
I tested both cables with them plugged into the computer.

All enable pins show +5 V
all dir pins show +5 V off and on, I assume thats due to what direction its supposed to be going.
I cant get a reading on any of the step pins, even tho the thing works.. should there be a high voltage on the step pins? or is it a PWM type pulse? I was just using a cheapo analog DC meter.

What type of signal should be coming from the step pins? What is the best way to test them?
I have a logic probe, osciliscope, digital multimeter.. all ready to go

[doorknob]

The step signal should be a pulse. You probably will not see it on a multimeter. You may be able to use a logic probe, however I would prefer to use an oscilloscope to check that signal.

In fact, I'd check the step signal(s) at both the DB25 pins on the controller board and also on the "other side" of the optocouplers.

IIRC, some folks have mentioned that the optocouplers that come installed on the board have (too) slow a response time. If the step pulse is not making it through the optocoupler unmolested, then you will definitely have problems.

In fact, it is not inconceivable that different DB25 cables from the PC's printer port to the board could affect the shape of the step pulses in a manner that could cause problems.

I'm not sure where (in your software) you can set the duration of the step pulse - it may be that the only control is when you choose between, for example, 25 kHz operation or 40 kHz operation, or perhaps there is a separate pulse width parameter that can be adjusted.

[ShreddinPB]

Originally Posted by doorknob The step signal should be a pulse. You probably will not see it on a multimeter. You may be able to use a logic probe, however I would prefer to use an oscilloscope to check that signal. In fact, I'd check the step signal(s) at both the DB25 pins on the controller board and also on the "other side" of the optocouplers. IIRC, some folks have mentioned that the optocouplers that come installed on the board have (too) slow a response time. If the step pulse is not making it through the optocoupler unmolested, then you will definitely have problems. In fact, it is not inconceivable that different DB25 cables from the PC's printer port to the board could affect the shape of the step pulses in a manner that could cause problems. I'm not sure where (in your software) you can set the duration of the step pulse - it may be that the only control is when you choose between, for example, 25 kHz operation or 40 kHz operation, or perhaps there is a separate pulse width parameter that can be adjusted.

I believe Mach3 has a PWM generator utility under diagnostics.. does anyone know what pulse value I should put in there to test it? What is the pulse that it normally sends to make an axis move?

[ShreddinPB]

Ok, I used the PWM generator in Mach3 and tested all the pins from the PC and they are all showing signal..
Which pin on the TB6560 do I test? I cant find anything online so far

[doorknob]

According to my interpretation of the TB6560AHQ data sheet at http://www.gaotaobao.com/template/fl...3_20080215.pdf, the step signal goes to the pin labeled "CLK", which should be pin 3 in that package. See page 5 of that document for a pinout diagram.

The direction signal should go to the pin labeled "CW/CCW", which should be pin 21.

[ShreddinPB]

Originally Posted by doorknob According to my interpretation of the TB6560AHQ data sheet at http://www.gaotaobao.com/template/fl...3_20080215.pdf, the step signal goes to the pin labeled "CLK", which should be pin 3 in that package. See page 5 of that document for a pinout diagram. The direction signal should go to the pin labeled "CW/CCW", which should be pin 21.

Awesome.. for some reason I couldnt find that data sheet.
I am still very new with my oscilloscope so I will try to do this.. thats why I said I got signal and not what it was exactly hahaha I could tell there was a pulse and all that.. but I couldnt figure out how to "zoom out" to be able to see the whole wave.
I have the MSO-19 from Link Instruments using their software that comes with it.

should the pulse be coming all the way to that pin 3 at full power?
Should pin 4 be at 5V when enable is on?
Is the direction pin just 0v or 5v depending on which direction it is going to go?