Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

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Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby albill » Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:58 am

I know several people here have gotten mechanical kits from reprapdiscount.

My Azteeg X3 finally arrived a couple of days ago and I'm getting ready to mount it (too bad the holes don't line up) and connect the steppers to it. I noticed the notes on Azteeg web docs about trying to figure out which stepper motor wires were paired and I realized that others had to have figured this out here before.

So, can anyone who got one of the reprapdiscount kits (especially if you got the azteeg x3 as a controller) tell me if they found a simple method for figuring out which wires were which in the four coming off of the stepper motors?

After this, the only real issues I have are:

1) Making plugs to mate with my makergear hotend
2) Figuring out how to mount the x and y endstops (z seems pretty obvious)
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby bloomingtonmike » Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:34 am

Just connect them one at a time to X (disconnect the Z lead screw coupler) and jog X in pronterface and label each one that moves.

As far as the X and Y endstops - small mechanical switches mount to the tiny holes. I tapped the holes using a 2-56 tap and used small 2-56 round head machine screws from radio shack to mount them. I wired them Normally Closed. I found it easier to mount them and wire short wires around the carriage plates and then when I wired the machine that is when I connected the long wires to them.

I shouldl have used the molex microfit connectors everywhere. BTW - that is what the connectors are that makergear uses and sells.
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby albill » Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:37 am

bloomingtonmike wrote:Just connect them one at a time to X (disconnect the Z lead screw coupler) and jog X in pronterface and label each one that moves.


That's a good plan but the thrust of my question is how to identify which of the four wires does what, for each. Trial and error?
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby Zat German » Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:42 am

albill wrote:That's a good plan but the thrust of my question is how to identify which of the four wires does what, for each. Trial and error?

Turn a motor with your fingers and all the wires disconnected and make note of how easy is to turn. Now connect any two wires together and turn until you get more resistance. That's a pair. That also identifies the other pair. It doesn't matter which of the two pairs is connected first to the electronics, it will just reverse the direction. You can fix this by physically swapping them or in the firmware.
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby albill » Sat Apr 06, 2013 5:05 am

Ah. Interesting.

Thanks!
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby flurin » Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:41 am

Infos/links about stepper motor and wiring (on the last post):

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1892
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby bloomingtonmike » Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:42 am

albill wrote:
bloomingtonmike wrote:Just connect them one at a time to X (disconnect the Z lead screw coupler) and jog X in pronterface and label each one that moves.


That's a good plan but the thrust of my question is how to identify which of the four wires does what, for each. Trial and error?


I was making an assumption that the header was already on the end of the wire and it was connected to motor already. The more I think about that it comes unwired and wires are seperate.

My experience was red and blue were a pair and green and black were a pair. But yes - twist any two motor leads and you will feel more resistance when the two wires are a pair.
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby albill » Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:24 pm

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, the reprapdiscount frame just has naked wires on the steppers, no plugs or connectors.
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby rocketwiz » Wed Apr 10, 2013 1:10 pm

A general word of caution on using the cables that come with the reprapdiscount kit. As they aren't shielded care needs to be taken to ensure each of the 3 axis motor cables are separated. I installed mine in the makerslide which was ok but had the last 10cm or so of exposed wiring tied together which led to quite major print glitches.

I wasn't keen on taking the whole lot apart so solved mine by wrapping in ferrite beads and cores that I had lying around. Not the best solution but so far seems to work. Best to used shielded cable like 4 core microphone cable but these won't fit in the makerslide.
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Re: Reprapdiscount kits and wiring their motors

Postby SystemsGuy » Wed Apr 10, 2013 1:17 pm

Rocketwiz - it helps a lot to braid each set of four wires as well, and they will still fit. The problem I had was false triggering of the endstops - I ended up running them NC and using shielded cables to alleviate those problems..

rocketwiz wrote:A general word of caution on using the cables that come with the reprapdiscount kit. As they aren't shielded care needs to be taken to ensure each of the 3 axis motor cables are separated. I installed mine in the makerslide which was ok but had the last 10cm or so of exposed wiring tied together which led to quite major print glitches.

I wasn't keen on taking the whole lot apart so solved mine by wrapping in ferrite beads and cores that I had lying around. Not the best solution but so far seems to work. Best to used shielded cable like 4 core microphone cable but these won't fit in the makerslide.
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