4 Axis TA8435 board wont run more than one motor at a time
Hi...
My 4 axis Iwannabuy board has been working fine for several months (>100h machine time - it has already outlasted my first router) but I did some tuning on the axes (clean/lube/adjust) and when I put it all back together the board is behaving erratically if there is more than a single motor connected or enabled.
Anyway - my issue is that if I connect only a single motor (doesn't matter which motor or which port it is connected to) it seems to works fine.
BUT
If more than one motor is connected none of them work properly - movement is very choppy (a few erratic steps a second if anything), and the direction is wrong - the motion is almost always in the same direction regardless of what mach3 is telling it to do.
This suggests to me that there is some issue with the motors drawing more current than can be supplied by the card, and this is causing some problem with the TA8435 chips properly processing step and direction signals.
I have also experienced a couple of over current resets of the PC PSU I have been using lately - I put that down to dust and started using another spare PSU I have lying around, but maybe they are related... I have tried several PSUs now and I get the same results each time.
I have not run my DMM over the board yet, but suspect some kind of issue with either the 5V or 12V regulator and surrounding components. Both of the leds for the regulators are on and appear as normal.
Does anyone have any idea of where I should be looking?
Regards,
Robohobby
Robo... All i can say is that i replaced the diodes on the powersupply side of the board... they got really hot and after some searching for the data sheets i discovered that the diodes are only rated at 3 amps each. = 6amps max 2 in parallel. So i replaced them with bigger ones. I do recomend that you use a fan for the cooling of the diodes and board. I bought mine from iWannabuy and it works 100%. Using it to power my new cnc foam cutter.
Hello,
I'm new to CNC. I'm planning to buy the 5 Axis CNC Stepper Motor TA8435H Driver Board Mach 2 3 and use it as a 3-axis driver for a 3-axis CNC? Is that possible?
Will this driver run with KCAM4? Has anyone tried it?
Thanks
Yes - no problems only connecting 3 axes to a 5 axis controller. Good too in that if you manage to burn out any of the axes you have 2 spares...
I have used KCAM4 with this card and it was OK - although the PC I was originally using it on had too much running in the background and it skipped steps whatever I tried. I set it up on a new XP image and it worked fine.
Having said that I really do recommend using Mach3 over KCAM - it is a much more configurable and standards compliant control software in my (limited) experience. As soon as I got mach3 going I never fired up kcam again...
The mach3 demo is limited to 500 lines of gcode and is free...
Regards,
Robo
Thanks for the tip cronselaar! - I will check the diodes first. I had thought I was doing fine for cooling the board, but on reflection I never did check those diodes, and I think I might left the board on overnight with the motors enabled (wife got me busy and I forgot about it - you know the drill), so that would explain it overheating to the point the diodes failed.
Given the limiting resistors are set for 1.5A the fact that it works fine with 1 motor, very poorly with 2 and not at all with 3 would back up the hypothesis that one of the diodes has blown (2 motors = 3A) and another is on the way.
I also recently built a rotary axis and that might also have helped push it over the edge - 6A driving these 4 motors alone without even thinking about current burned up elsewhere on the board.
I have a 5 axis board spare so I think I will be building a cooled enclosure for it and replacing the diodes this weekend.
Cheers,
Robo.
5 Axis CNC Stepper Motor TA8435H Driver Board Mach 2 3
Hi Robohobby,
Thank you for clarify the point over using this 5-axis driver as a 3-axis.
Surely I'll go for Mach later on.
Thanks again buddy..
Originally Posted by renatopub
Well BearPaw, to say that this board is well protected would be a bold statment. What I say is:
- The diodes they use seem to be the right kind for reducing back EMF and as long as 24V is used it should hold.
- The control chip has a current controller, the datasheet of the chip explains it very well.
That said, the board is not protected for anything else:
- Wrong wiring will blow it
- Wrong voltage will blow it
- too low motor inductance will probably blow it too
Hi renatopub,
I'm waiting for my 5 ch board. Expecting it by next week.
As regards to "too low motor inductance will probably blow it too"; how much do you recommend? (I'm not an electronic-guy)
Thanks
foamworks
How do I setting this 4 axis driver in foamworks?
Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but I've just bought one of these Chinese boards: http://cgi.ebay.com/4-Axis-TB6560-CN...item3a542a4a94
Interestingly, they look very similar to the TA8435H boards you've been discussing, but with the advantage of using the higher current TB6560 chips.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get this to work with some 280 oz in motors I have.
Jeremy
Yes it looks very similar except for the dip switch for the step resolution.
That makes me wonder would it be possible to upgrade old board with new higher current TB6560 chips......
Higher Current 4 axis boards
Nice find Jeremy,
I had been looking but didn't find much that used the TB6560 chip.
The documentation on this board looks a lot better than what was/was not
supplied with the TA8435H boards, I just hope the pinouts listed are in fact correct.
The AHQ version (AFG Surface Mount) TB6560 chip will deliver 3.5A peak.
It also looks like there is current limiting control using decay modes when
the motors are stopped or at idle.
The TA8435H chip does not seem to have this function and only uses current
control during microstepping. I don't need microsteps, full stepping only.
I'm still working on my original TA8435H design but this new TB6560 board looks like it may be my first upgrade ~ ;o)
Zeed -
I had already thought that but the TB6560 chip has different pinouts and
you need a couple of extra jumper switches for mode settings, was too
much like hard work.
These new boards should be a much better option.
I wonder if they have also upgraded the Diodes for higher current ?
Anyway it looks like a good deal, cheap 4 axis driver solution.
Michael
just wondering what new here
Does anybody have pinouts of limit swich connector?
The board is working nice,upgraded it to 24v power supply(2pc power supply) got 2 fans blowing to keep it cool....
With increased voltage also came some more speed and torque....
Still looking some motors to replace my old printer steppers,in Croatia it is like looking for the holy grail...and when i find some they cost a little fortune, i mean 100$ for one nema23 is just too much
Hi there Tony
Sounds good what you supply but you mentioned nothing about support and manuals.
What manuals you provide? Are they in proper English?
Nicolas
Can you post a link to the motor catalog ?
Stepper Motors wiring
Hello!
I've read the last 19 pages of posts and there's a lot of usefull information here!
I bought my 4Ch chinese board from "mega-supply" (exactly as in the attachment) and I think I'm on the right way - my relay activates when I press F5 in mach3 and the axis LED's blink when mach3 is milling.
The only problem is that I can't get the stepper motors runing.
Can you please confirm that this is the correct wiring for the 2phase/4wire steppers?
Thank you
Working
Hello!
Yeap, it was right! I forgot to configure the "enable" pins on Mach3, :P
Thank you!
I am sorry that I had to leave the party guys, but my Bridgeport Boss was keeping me busy. I have gotten all Axis on my 5 axis board to work. I am running a 24V PS and driving a 1.3A stepper. Over the past day My stepper is missing steps. I have yet to try the Pin 16 low setting yet, but will tonight. I also fear I may have overdriven the Stepper as I was pushing it rather had and she got hot. I will take photos, and screen shots of my setup tonight for you guys.
Also to clarify. I said the manual port was for a joystick. I should have said a Pendant. The pendant does not typically produce step direction signals itself. The pendant sends signals to the driver board, then to Mach. Mach interprets these and then runs the axis as needed. A typical basic pendant has a rotational knob, an Axis select, and a step amount.
For example:
A CNC zeroed on each axis
X=0.000
Y=0.000
Z=0.000
Pendant
Axis Select: X
Step Amount: 0.01
Rotation knob rotated 10 increments to the right (Positive)
New Position
X=1.000
Y=0.000
Z=0.000
Pendant
Axis Select: Y
Step Amount: 0.1
Rotation knob rotated 5 increments to the Left (Negative)
New Position
X=1.000
Y=0.500
Z=0.000
Pendants can be bought, but many people also make them themselves.
Pin 16 low did not help. I fear my stepper go bye bye. Oh well. A good excuse to upgrade. Daughter was driving me crazy last night so I did not have time to take any pics. I will try this weekend.
Motor and driver compatibilty
Since the driver needs 24V input, does it mean that it cannot be used with 10V 5VA motor? I attached image of back of motor.
Thanks.
Forget driver voltage.
Steppers run with constant current drivers.
Your motor is for 0,5A (derived from 5VA[=W]/10V).
The driver board is 1,5A, so no, your motor is to weak to run it without modifying the board.
You would need to replace the current adjustment resistors, which is not recommended for the electrical novice.
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