Taig CNC loosing steps again

[diamondback21]

OK Ive had just about all I can stand with this thing. Seems like all I do is chase this and that with this thing. The last time I used it, everything was fine and milling great. That was right after i had it all setup near perfect. Well I havent milled anything for a few weeks. I start milling apart and its missing steps. I have the older Microproto 2000HD/LE. Do I need to buy the step/direction phase adapter board from Microproto. My machine is from 2003. They says it makes it compatible with the newer controller software thats on todays market.

[awerby]

Originally Posted by diamondback21 OK Ive had just about all I can stand with this thing. Seems like all I do is chase this and that with this thing. The last time I used it, everything was fine and milling great. That was right after i had it all setup near perfect. Well I havent milled anything for a few weeks. I start milling apart and its missing steps. I have the older Microproto 2000HD/LE. Do I need to buy the step/direction phase adapter board from Microproto. My machine is from 2003. They says it makes it compatible with the newer controller software thats on todays market.

[Step and direction is nice; it allows you to use Mach3, which is more fun than dealing with DOS, but by itself it won't solve your lost steps issue. That's more likely something to do with mechanical forces than software. Adjusting your gibs can help, as can lubrication. If you've got gunk or rust built up in the slides and screws, that can add friction too - sometimes taking the offending axis apart will reveal the problem. Of course, you could also be asking too much of the system - these machines don't go much faster than about 25 ipm without starting to lose steps. Overambitious cuts in hard materials, or hitting knots when milling wood, can cause the system to balk. And it's possible that your old DOS computer isn't functioning well any more. Tell us more about what you've got, what you're trying to do and exactly what happens, and we can probably sort it out...]

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[steel2chips]

I feel your pain. Spend a day or two on a project only to have it ruined by a missed steps. I've had the same exact setup, and it drove me nuts. I did the conversion to step and direction and mach3 but still had the problem.

The damper solution discussed on thread 32284 improved things, but it was not perfect. Stepper motors have resonance at certain speeds and IMHO microstepping controllers are the only way out of the problem. Microstepping is just not possible with the Taig controller. Gecko is a solution if you have the money. I gutted the Taig controller and used Linisteppers... but its more work. It's worked for about a year without a problem. YMMV.

Recently I upgraded to a full servo based system, and am please with that result as well.

Disclaimer: I'm not associated with Gecko or Linistepper. Use at your own risk.

Good luck,
Steel2chips

[MechanoMan]

Honestly, just get a G540. It not only fixes this problem but it's far more capable. The Step/Dir board would have cost you $100 but I doubt it's gonna really fix things. The G540 upgrade is $299 (and maybe a $75 power supply) but that'll be better than you can imagine and you can eBay off your old controller.

[steel2chips]

MM,

I have to agree with you. The G540 is a great way to go. If it had been available when I was fighting this problem, it would have been my choice.

-steel2chips

[Jeff-Birt]

diamondback21, drop me a line. I can fix you up with a G540 and the right power supply for it and give you a hand getting it hooked up.

[MechanoMan]

I did notice quite a significant difference in motor torque when driving the G540 with a Smoothstepper as opposed to the parallel port. Much faster and more powerful.