Build Your Own SLA/SLS

update

iv now changed to sprinter firmware and now im getting better results,

but sometimes the stepper will still buzz randomly instead of moving then move on the next print step.

i have gone through all the trim pot setting on the driver board and still cant fix it

any suggestions

im starting to think its either a dodgy stepper driver board or the stepper ???

Stepper motors in general are pretty hard to kill, I would say you have a bad driver long before a motor issue. Besides a driver is far cheaper/easier to change out.
But I would look into your power supply first make 100% sure your connection is good and delivering 12 or more. I had a bad plug on one of my RAMPS boards and would cause intermediate motor action, also caused no movement in steppers when trying to setup.

Only one driver is needed , and Arduino uno R3, the whole process is real simple, The Issues I have faced were all related to the bad boards and drivers. From the below link down the load firmware. and the loader,

http://engineeringforless.com

https://github.com/Protoneer/GRBL-Arduino-Library

http://zapmaker.org/projects/grbl-controller-3-0/

thanks finhead ill hard wire the power connector and see if that does the trick.

i actually thought it was the power supply and so changed to another one but still the same

i will report back with results

So frustrated im still having the same problems

what iv changed

Replaced nema 17 with nema 23

upgraded step stick to drv8825 (also tried other brands)

hard wired the power supply and stepper connections

used 3 different power supplies

tried marlin and sprinter

every time iv changed something i tried and still the same result, works fine with the ramps 1.4 firmware but when i try marlin or sprinter with creation workshop the stepper just buzzzes, what am i doing wrong?

How about a little more detail on the buzzing. Does the motor move a little then stop and buzz? If so, the step rate is probably too high. Have you tried to use Pronterface or any other software to jog the motors and verify the hardware setup? It sounds like you are getting close to having it work. Do you have enough room to grip the motor shaft between two fingers before trying to jog it? Only do this with low powered motors though.

The stepper motors work by switching the field coils with transistors instead of a commutator. You can drive a stepper by manually connecting the wires and switching them in the correct sequence. Slow but it will turn. If you drive a stepper too fast the armature can't keep up with the field and it loses all torque and gets out of step. That usually has a sound that can vary from a growl to a squeel. The buzz you describe is fairly typical in my experience.

I would drop the step rates until you get consistent motion, then raise it until it fails. At that point back it down and do some testing to be sure that it will work under all loads and conditions for your machine.

Can you show a few pictures of your board wiring, your power supply specs and your Stepper motor specs. Sounds to me like your still not getting proper power or your driver board is not adjusted properly.
The drivers your using are only designed to run 2.5 amps at the high end so your motor must not draw more, but they also need to be adjusted properly.

Thanks sitzme I'll try that tonight but that is the best explanation yet as that's exactly what's happening

Here are some details on the set up also my stepper is the 263oz stepper

Stepper specs