Xylotex problems...

[WilliamD]

I received my new board a few days ago, and finally got to hooking it up. Unfortunately, I have a few issues, suggestions and complaints.

First, the instructions state that the vRef will be set at 0 on delivery. That was not the case. It does not clearly show where and how you should test to see what the pot is at. Although I figured it out some of it doesn't work. The x and y will adjust when I turn the screw. So no problem there. But the Z axis seems to be stuck at 4.10 volts. I power the board down every time before I adjust, so no issue there.

Second, when I hook a 269 motor to the x port, the motor will lock up. That's a good thing. But when I go to job it in Mach 3, it spits and sputters and won't move smoothly. Now, this wouldn't be such a big problem if when I hooked the same motor up to the y axis port, with the same motor tunning settings, it runs extremely smooth. The vReff is also the same on each axis. In fact, I can play with the motor tunning in Mach3, and the motor behaves properly along the full spectrum. So the setting are exactly the same for each axis, but the x does not even move the motor, just short bursts. As for the Z axis, same settings, but no motor lock up, and no jogging. I'm sure it has something to do with the vReff no being adjusted, and something is obviously wrong with that axis.

Third, there's no clear explanation with how to adjust the micro-stepping feature. It says that it's delivered in 1/8" step mode, and the 6 prong jumper thing has all the jumpers on the last two prongs. But I'm not sure how to change it to anything else. I'm not saying that the instructions don't explain it, or that it's not possible, but definetly not very user friendly.

I can only expect the worst, seeing how the y axis works just fine, and the other two on the same settings are having issues. I needed this board for a little machine and thought Gecko's would be a bit overkill. I hope that I can get this fixed in a timely manner. I haven't seen any real complaints about the Xylotex boards, so I have no reason to believe that my experience is common. Although it says that every board is tested before shipment, so mine must have slipped the cracks. Any help or insight would be appreciated. I know there are a couple different versions of the same board, and that seems to make references difficult. Sorry to rant, but I needed this board to work properly and so far it has failed to deliver.

[ger21]

I just read throught the data sheet on their website. I didn't see anything about the Vref being set to 0 by default. It does tell you where to measure the Vref.

The potentiometer creates a voltage which is input to the drivers Vref (Voltage Reference) pin. The Vref voltage is referenced to ground (GND) and can be monitored at the test points TPX,TPY and TPZ

While not in the best place, it also says this.

The GND & Vcc (+5VDC) available on the right hand side of the board can be used to pull limit inputs high through a 10K resistor. It is not intended to drive other devices. This GND can be used for Vref set reference.

The picture in the Data sheet clearly shows where these points are.

The data sheet also says to power the board, then adjust the Vref. And don't esceed 3.6V. Perhaps you exceeded the 3.6V by adjusting it with the power off?

I'd contact Jeff at Xylotex, his support is outstanding. If the board did get damaged, they can usually be repaired.

As for setting the microstepping, it seems prett clear in the data sheet. Jumpers for MS1 and MS2 are listed in a chart for the different microstep settings. They are labeled with a 0 or 1, with a note saying 1 means jumper NOT installed.

[Hack]

I must say that the xylotex board to me was very easy to set with clear instructions. Perhaps you are missing some documentation that others may have?

Try going to xylotex site and downloading the information sheet for the appropriate board that you have. Perhaps this will clear things up for you.

As mentioned above, the Xylotex support is excellent, so don't hesitate to contact them.

Dan

[WilliamD]

Thanks for the replies! I had all the documentation from the website, although not all of it came with the board. Since my last post, I had the board powered and was adjusting the Vref per Ger's advice. It made no difference, but that didn't surprise me. I was just doing it the longer way. But, after being powered on for 5 minutes and testing the y-axis, there was a crack and a puff of smoke from the z axis. Nothing was even connected to it. I know all about not letting motor leads touch and short. I've already contacted Xylotex and we'll see what they say. I don't doubt the company or the support, I'm just frustrated with the board. I have Gecko's for another mahcine, and even put together a set of 320's for someone elses machine, so this isn't the first time working with this. Again, I had the y axis working perfectly, and all settings the same for the other axis. If none of them worked, I could see maybe I was doing something wrong. Unfortunately that isn't the case. I'm sure the issue will be resolved.

[Redline]

I just set my vref ,they were at 0 just like he said they would be .I powered up the board with my meter on the check points,made the adjustment powerd down then moved to the net point.I had no problems.I have not hooked up the motors yet but, so far so good!

[WilliamD]

Well, I sent my board off and it was replaced promptly. I got the new one, hooked it up and it ran perfectly. Very convenient setup! I am very satisfied with the customer service I received from Xylotex.