[mw29715]

So I have a sherline 4 axis mill that has motors added to it. I have a breakout board and stepper motor drivers all set up with a power supply, and have the pinouts set as the documentation instructs in Mach3.

The first thing to note is that 3 of the motors are the same, flashcut cnc motors with 4 wires coming out of them. The other motor looks similar, but it doesn't have a brand name on it, and has 6 wires coming out, although only 4 are being used. The one motor that is different (Y axis) is the one working. The other 3 jump, but don't really turn. Also, when the power supply is on, the Y axis motor can't be turned by hand. The other 3 can be, whether the power is on or not.

I know nothing about how the motors are supposed to be setup, and have no documentation on them. Also, I have never worked with CNC machines before, and just started trying to figure this out a few weeks ago, a month at most. I do know not to cross A and B wires, but that's about it. Thanks for any help you can provide. I can post pics of the setup and motors if it will help.

[Crevice Reamer]

Hi mw. Welcome to the Zone!

This sounds to me like you are trying to run bipolar motors with unipolar drivers.

Maybe some of this basic CNC info will be of help to you:
Page 2

CR.

[mw29715]

Ok. So I either need different drivers or different motors? Or will I need different motors either way, since if I got different drivers I would still be trying to run mixed motor types on the same machine? If it's the motors I need to replace, what would be recommended for putting on the sherline that would fit the motor mounts I already have, or would the new motors come with new mounts? Would the motors that come with the probotics kits work for this, or will they not fit in the mounts? Thanks for all the help!

[draughted]

no, stop. tell us more about your setup.
a six wire motor doesn't mean its a unipolar driver. and when was the last unipolar driver you saw.

i think if you have done the soldering your self you should get a multimeter to check the wiring. all you need is the ohm meter to check for a connection between terminals.
a motor coil will have two wires each, and a resistance between them. my setup has both six and four wire motors and you will find that a motor will not turn if one of the coils two end are touching.
so a multimeter is the next step.

[mw29715]

The machine came to me with the motors already attached and the wires coming out. I attached the drive boards and power supply, so I know nothing about the motors, how they work or which wires are which. But I can post pics...

In the pics are the 4 wire flashcut cnc motor (the ones not working), the 6 wire mystery motor (the one working), the two motors side by side, and the drive boards with a close up of the wires connected. Does this help?

[draughted]

if you don't won't to buy a multi-meter you could always try a different wiring.
with one of your four wire steppers try swapping two of the wires.

but you can't be sure without it.

[draughted]

so, like i said before.
when the two ends of a coil touch it creates a magnetic resistance, and binds up the shaft
use this to find the correct wiring.
unscrew the motor wires from the driver boards and start touching the ends together to find the pairs that make some resistance. it is these pairs that get wired together.