Do I need a new motor driver?

At first I thought my table was binding up for some reason. It happened only rarely but it got frustrating when I was cutting a big piece, it got confused and scrapped half a sheet of steel when it started cutting in the wrong place.

Since then ~ I’ve removed lead screws for the Y axis, the table is very easy to move and square. I’ve found that the table runs fine off one Y axis motor for the most part. (i can see a few thousandths of wobble on the far end from the motor if its running fast and changes direction) If I pull the lead screw on the one side that works well, and install it on the other side the table will bind sometimes, vibrate, and sometimes run the wrong direction. So, I diagnosed it to one side figuring it’s the motor, or the cord or the driver.

Swapping cords at the control box makes it clear the problem is in the control box ~ both motors work fine, one of the drivers is messing up.

Is there adjustment I need to look at, or should I just buy a new stepper driver? I wonder what they cost. I don’t mind dealing directly with Langmuir but I would like to know what is the part so I have option to find it other places if that’s what I need… this is true for motors as well.

Did you look for arcing at the connection to the troubled motor. Some of the older tables the screws were to long that hold the connectors on. If you tightened the screws all the way in it actually pushed the connection back out. LS either shipped shorter screws or washers to solve the problem. Any chance you have screws that are too long?

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I agree that it sounds like arcing across the pins in the motor cable connector. The motor turning the wrong direction, intermittently, is a classic sign of that issue.

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Just checking in to see if you still need help. If you’ve swapped the motors and the issue followed the port, it does sound like the driver is likely the problem. I’d recommend making sure all wiring is firmly connected—especially the black and white cable going from the power supply to the affected driver—and confirming the driver is receiving 36V.

If everything checks out, feel free to email us and we can help with an invoice or a warranty. Hope this helped!