How to tell if your stepper motor is on the way out?

[twosoc]

Basically I'm getting some weird things happening with the X axis (left to right, I always get x and y mixed up) sometimes it will behave erratically, juddering in position and making the most hideous noise possible. Recently I've noticed that for some reason the horizontal cuts I'm making don't seem to be cutting all the way through either, when the vertical ones on the same piece i.e. same power/speed cut fine. for example, when I re-align the mirrors I always run a test of five squares about 2" one in each corner and one in the middle (I don't know if this is the norm) as it lets me check to see if they all cut the same.

Having aligned today, I noticed that all the vertical cuts went through beautifully, whilst the horizontal cuts didn't go through as well, sometimes not at all. this got me thinking as I've noticed that some of the cuts, (ones that were purposefully half way through especially) seemed to be jagged and almost pixellated. At first I thought it was a problem with the drawing and that the laser was following the path faithfully, but upon looking at the drawing more carefully, it seems that the lines on the screen were fine even when zoomed in close.

If I'm getting micro stuttering I imagine that this will account for the jaggedness, it didn't used to do it, so I'm wondering if the motor's dying, I can't explain the not cutting through on the horizontal cuts though, the mirrors are nicely aligned, and if you up the power it does go through.

It does get quite hot when running, but I've read elsewhere that this is normal. anyone have any ideas? I'd appreciate it.
Tim.

[waltfl]

Hi tim
ther are many questions, what do you cut? if plywood this could be a probleme I had it. did you try to switch the stepper driver?? I had this too.
next do you use the PPI ? did you try to set the stepper driver to a lower microstepping? what frequency settings you have on the laser settings, try to go to 15Khz this worked in my case lots of more power.
greetings
waltfl

Basically I'm getting some weird things happening with the X axis (left to right, I always get x and y mixed up) sometimes it will behave erratically, juddering in position and making the most hideous noise possible. Recently I've noticed that for some reason the horizontal cuts I'm making don't seem to be cutting all the way through either, when the vertical ones on the same piece i.e. same power/speed cut fine. for example, when I re-align the mirrors I always run a test of five squares about 2" one in each corner and one in the middle (I don't know if this is the norm) as it lets me check to see if they all cut the same.

Having aligned today, I noticed that all the vertical cuts went through beautifully, whilst the horizontal cuts didn't go through as well, sometimes not at all. this got me thinking as I've noticed that some of the cuts, (ones that were purposefully half way through especially) seemed to be jagged and almost pixellated. At first I thought it was a problem with the drawing and that the laser was following the path faithfully, but upon looking at the drawing more carefully, it seems that the lines on the screen were fine even when zoomed in close.

If I'm getting micro stuttering I imagine that this will account for the jaggedness, it didn't used to do it, so I'm wondering if the motor's dying, I can't explain the not cutting through on the horizontal cuts though, the mirrors are nicely aligned, and if you up the power it does go through.

It does get quite hot when running, but I've read elsewhere that this is normal. anyone have any ideas? I'd appreciate it.
Tim.