How to fix any stepper driver [3D printer mainboard repair]

You could also have mentioned one of the most common ways to burn the RAMPS drivers, plugging them in the opposite direction. Specially relevant because DRV8825 looks like the A4988 but the potentiometer is on the opposite side of the board - so you kind of fit it "reversed" compared to the A4988. Many people won't know that and will follow a picture which is intended for the wrong driver.

[@MadeWithLayers]

...which is why I point out people should pay attention to the motor outputs!

[@RealCousinOkri]

I don't recommend connecting stepper drivers on a breadboard, especially with cheap jumper wires. They might fall out, short out with some wrong pin and fry the chip. It's fine for quick testing, but making a proper circuit on a perfboard is safer and might be a good soldering and circuit designing practice.

[@ianide2480]

Indeed, breadboard is for short term testing to make certain that your connections are correct before a more permanent solution. 12v at 1 amp is 12watts of power running through tiny little bent pieces of metal inside the breadboard. Flex those even a little bit or just plug something into them a few times and they quickly loose their springiness and holding ability. A person might get away with this type of setup for 2 years or just a week and those aren't the type of problems that I want to diagnose.. To each their own I suppose.

[@Jabbawock1972]

You have there the DUET Board..when will you do a review of it?

[@jonplesetz5693]

Do you have a video where you show how to wire the external driver? I have a main board that has the drivers soldered in place and I believe one of the drivers is having issues. I’d like to see how to replace step by step. Thanks

[@MegaMaking]

I actually tried driving A4988 with 30v supplied voltage on a 12v system. In the data sheets, it said A4988 can handle up to 36V supplied voltage, A4988 is dirt cheap anyway so... To my surprise, it instantly become quieter, much quieter actually... almost as quiet as the TMC2208/TMC2100.

[@AnsonCTA]

Mega Making So in order to step up the supply voltage for more torque, do I supply more to the driver or to the stepper motor? If i am not mistaken, the red jumper in the video is supply to the driver and the orange is supply to the motor right? Is it possible to increase supply voltage within the mainboard?

[@MegaMaking]

no, most boards are sharing the supplied voltage rails with the fans and heaters. those cannot be driven at 2 to 3 times the default voltage (on a 12v system). not to mention that other components on the board might also not rated for that kind of voltage.

[@RoboSprout]

Out of curiosity do you by chance have a link to the motor specs? More headroom on the supply voltage helps but I would imagine it has a much greater effect if you have motors intended to be ran at 12v as opposed to the 2v or so range that most of the "reprap" stepper drivers are setup for. 24v helps a ton for sure IMHO and is safe for most control boards. Smoothieboard could use 30v directly in except for the optional 5v regulator and the large fet input (has a 12vreg for the fet drivers), but as far as motor driver specs and capacitors it is fine.

[@3DprintedLife]

RoboSprout most stepper motors can go up to 60v no problem. The drivers are more sensitive so as long as your drivers can handle the higher voltage, your motors most likely can too.

[@RoboSprout]

I wasn't referring to the max voltage. The voltage I refer to has to do with what voltage is dropped across the motor coils when powered at the specced max current. A lot of people use motors which have the incorrect specs which require a higher voltage drop across the motor. There is a certain "ideal" spec for the commonly used stepper drivers that the Reprap community uses and those motors have about a 2v drop generated across them when supplied with the rated current. Other motors will work but are not ideal and they tend to generate more reverse EMI as well as having a higher headroom requirement on supply voltage. Also, typically the motors with a larger drop across them will be the ones which also generate the most voltage back to the stepper driver when you move an unpowered axis by hand (I have a video somewhere showing this too)

[@metalurgiax]

Hey Thom can you please make an step by step video on how to do this on a cr10s board. My Ex driver died and I need to wait over a month to get the new board. I think this video is great but I dont understand how to make all of the connections in order to replace the driver.

[@MakerFarmNL]

This is the the kind of content I subscribed for. Thank you!

[@BryceSchroeder]

Thank you for putting the sponsor message at the end. I appreciate it.

[@mystixa]

For the boards you aren't taking the chips out of.. isn't some sort of override necessary? How do you cut out the middle man when you're wiring in those external drivers?

[@ElectraFlarefire]

Found using stepper breakout boards a more solid option. Already has all the connections in the right place and often has the same connectors as the board originally had. If you have problems with drivers blowing up due to loose wires, you'll /definally/ have them with breadboards on a moving system such as a 3d printer. Great for testing, but I'd not recommend it for actually running.

[@void2870]

Would the drivers be messed up if you unplugged it while printing

[@olaruud9366]

at 5:28, are you saying that stepper drivers are interchangeable ? Can i get any stepper driver to keep as a spare or do i need to get specific ones?

[@david-tracy]

I only have the tmc2660 chip. I don't know how to use it w/ my RAMPS & Arduino Mega board. If the tmc2660 was already on a PCB w/ whichever other electrical components it needs then I wouldn't be as confused. Any direction is much appreciated. cheers.

[@sriharshagadiyaram8122]

Hi i own a guider 2s which is having a problem with extruder stepper. when feeding filament it is vibrating but not rotating to push the filament in. Please help me out with this problem.

[@Ed_Stoddard]

This is an option that I had not considered before. Have lost the extruder driver on two boards on two very different printers. Looks like for a few bucks I can have extra boards to power the next crazy idea I come up with. Big thanks. I like the casual look and nature of the new videos. This one seemed a bit rushed, though I followed along easily, I have some background in electronics. I say take your time and make them just a bit longer. Great job....

[@Amrouh]

great. I have a issue with my stepper motor not turning and making a griding sound whenever I want to remove or insert filement inside the extruder. by any chance do you know what the problem might be?

[@dimitrispapadopoulos5310]

can you unplug a motor while the motors are deactivated or even the printer is shut down, and then power on the printer and start printing a file while the motor is still unplugged? or will this blow the stepper motor driver as there is no load connected to it?

[@Enjoymentboy]

This was a great video. What would be really good is a detailed explanation on diagnosing bad drivers. I see a lot of videos on testing for a bad motor but none on how to identify if it is a bad motor or driver.

[@gavatron6260]

There's that sneaky duet board! Probably the best board on the market and no review yet?

[@maximilianlindner]

Thanks for ∆ Space for sponsoring this video!

[@wave02wave]

Hallo Thomas. Ich hatte zwei A4988 auf ein CNC Shield V3 gesteckt (Für X und Y). Leider falsch herum. Der angesteuerte Servo (Z) funktioniert noch über das Board. Der Arduino Uno dadrunter leuchtet auch noch. Die Kabel vom Motor sind eigentlich auch richtig. Kann es sein dass die Treiber kaputt sein? Ich hatte einen anderen ausprobiert, aber der ging auch nicht (obwohl richtig rum und nicht kaputt). Oder ist das ganze CNC Shield an den Stellen kaputt? Vielen Dank schonmal!

[@gamerpaddy]

soldering driver ic's from a4988 boards onto the a8 board instead of wire fiddling on the testpads would ne my choice. can be done with hotair gun or a halogen lamp and a lot of flux

[@MegaMaking]

yes, but it is usually not an option for those who are clueless about soldering.

[@jameshirschi9399]

Unfortunately, depending on which axis, the A8 board drivers are integrated into the main chip. That's what happened to my Z-axis, could only go up. Had to purchase new chip and special socket/board for uploading the bootloader, then could replace the chip and install the printer firmware again. The firmware, I had to get from the manufacturer (Gearbest). Big hassle, finally upgraded to Ramps.

[@Spartacusse]

Thank you. I was just able to add a pololu style A4988 to my Creality Ender 3 stock board in place of a fried X driver, mostly thanks to your video.

[@ReneJurack]

I was expecting more of a "repair" aka desolder/resolder video than "external extension" of a new polulu driver XD

[@MadeWithLayers]

Well, I doubt most people would be able to hot-air rework a board :-D

[@armaduzo2601]

True but the title is still a bit misleading... this is how to replace them not how to fix them :P

[@RoboSprout]

My channel has a video on it

[@RoboSprout]

I find it is actually fairly easy. The trick is preheating the board to about 85c. I use an IR preheater (triffidhunter uses a printer's bed heater). If the board is done properly they tend to be quite heavy.

[@mystixa]

Its just a different type of repair. Even if you were to de/resolder the driver chips themselves, you are still just replacing them. For the majority of users this will be a more accessible repair, since most wont be comfortable or equipped to rework chips from their boards. The semantics are just nitpicking at this point, either its a repair that you find gains you acceptable results, or it isn't.

[@koihoshi]

I don't think the issue is my stepper driver, but I just with with A4988 drivers (for all of them), brand new, on an MKS 1.4 and i've tuned the voltage to about .73 vref. My motors move, but they intermittently (and on all of them) will start making horrible noises and can even see the belt vibrating. I've verified the wiring is B2B1A1A2 as the MKS specifies but I'm wondering if this is a driver issue, maybe?

[@martysworkshop208]

Can I replace a stepper driver for an easythreed x1 3d printer motherboard?

[@roadstar499]

Hi, i have had my ender 5 printer stop twice in a row during printing for no apparent reason... once 10 hours into the print and second time 2 hours or so into printing...when i discovered machine was still running display showed temp at 225 like i had set ,but nozzle was cold and stuck to the print not moving... then i restarted and everything functions correctly...weird... i just ordered anew mother board ... i hope this solves issues ..printer has a few hundred hours on it over last year or so...maybe these parts wear out on board...it was printing amazing since i fixed everything else... does this sound like mother board or bad driver? thanks

[@stephenkosloff6081]

hi thomas stepper driver has voltage (extruder) but doesnt power motor on my ender 3, the cables test out as working, when i swap out the xyz, the extruder motor works - what is the next test ?

[@viktorb137]

Hallo tom Weist du ob man einen nema 17 einfach durch einen nema 17 mit höherem Drehmoment tauschen kann.

[@Mobile_Dom]

would love to see you desolder a driver from a board and replace them. i.e replace the A4988 on the Anet boards with a TMC2208 which, AFAIK are pin compatible, just need to change a few resistors.

[@2smartiessmarthomesolution6]

Hello, I have a problem with my grbl CNC plotter when I run the X axis on the CNC, the y axis run and if the y axis run, then the y axis still run.mean x axis is not working in both conditions

[@Shaperjet]

won't shorting the polyfuse be dangerous for the machine in the long term ????

[@josueanibalvergarasassi9344]

I have anet3d V1-5 boarda, how can i know if i blow up the driver? pd: if i move the axis with the wire conected its not a smooth, but if i unplug the wire and move with the hand,the axis move just fine

[@ceryswatts3720]

Does anyone know what the Anet A8 motherboard is called? I'm trying to add another extruder but I don't know which extender will work because I don't know what the board is called! Any help would be greatly appreciated 😊

[@SplitPhotography]

Keep having random TMC ‘stepper_x’ reports error: GSTAT: 00000001 reset=1(Reset) Any idea why? Feel i have done everything, but from time to time this still comes. Driving me nuts. E3 Trubo card, Klipper.

[@speed24601a]

Great video! But all of this is beyond my skillset. Arduino scares the crap out of me when messing with altering the firmware, and the circuit board stuff is just beyond my knowledge base. My Creality 42-40 is just rocking back and forth. I've inspected the board. Looks fine. I've switched the Extruder wire with the X wire, and the stepper motor works fine. Maybe it's the actual wire itself that needs to be replaced?

[@Baptisteiom]

literally happened to mine today, was looking at replacement drivers.

[@banksyb5387]

So i recently had what i thought was a dead stepper.driver. I moved the driver, tried another motor, also re-uploaded my firmware and the same issue kept coming out of the Z channel in the board. the board has a secondary extruder output thats not being used, is there a way in Marlin to change the pins to use that extra extruder for the Z axis that died?

[@davey3765]

what are you using?

[@banksyb5387]

@@davey3765 I have a mks gen l clone, with tmc2208. It was working great minus some under extrusion issues since i put it together. But then the motor buzzed instead of moving when the speed was a little high. It would move pretty normal during homing, but anything faster would cause the issue

[@banksyb5387]

@@davey3765 i got this figured out but now i have constant layer shifting. I swapped the driver, the stepper, reflashed the firmware and same issue

[@MUDMAD83]

What about if the board don't have breakout pins can I pull the Arduino mega pins off the chip

[@Brizzle_718]

So if my build deck won’t go left and right do I have to just buy a new stepper motor ?

[@theotromp9174]

Thank you so much for this awesome video! I have had a problem with the steppers twice in the 2 years of owning my tevo tarantula. The first problem was badly manufactured so i got a discount of the (€30,00). The second time the extruder motor stopped spinning and the driver was broken. After that i stopped printing for a few months and because if this video i am able to fix it again. So again, thank you so much, Best regards Theo

[@patryk5765]

Great video, but if you can, don't mix framerates from two different cameras. Parts from that second camera looks bad compared to parts from frontal camera.

[@nukedathlonman]

I have a question... Thinking about several devices, say for example a tool like a mill to the Canon printer on my desk, do 3D Printers have (or should have) a duty cycle?

[@MadeWithLayers]

Like, they need to rest for a while after a job? Not really - there might be some maintenance after a few prints (particularly to restore bed adhesion), but other than that, they can run 24/7. I've had prints that printed for almost a week straight without issues!

[@nukedathlonman]

Thomas Sanladerer Okay, I wanted to be fully sure (going to be getting my first printer really soon - aka any day). And yes, that was what I was talking about.

[@RolandGustafsson]

The off angle camera not at 60fps is annoying! :-)

[@nrdesign1991]

the off angle camera in general is annoying

[@goldbunny1973]

It reminds me of that irritating pratt who promoted the Peachy Resin printer? I'm not a fan of the style either but I still like & appreciate Tom. I wonder if anyone ever got a Peachy printer or if that thieving git got jailed for stealing $250,000 to build his house. How can you NOT get jailed for doing what he did...

[@ISeeFurther]

When you’re talking about advantages of external power and increasing voltage, is that the motor Supply or logic supply ?

[@nwimpney]

Motor supply. The logic supply isn't going to appreciate more than 5v

[@foodseeker-d4s]

sir i have prrusa i3 v from makerfarm, sir my printer's stepper motors are not working properly can you please tell how can i fix them , the main problem in extruder motor ehich is skipping the steps i tried every thing but still issue is the same

[@jujucattys156]

do u no what values are for tronxy xy2 pro

[@mkepler5861]

thank you soooo much Thomas, I really needed that information.

[@ReedCBowman]

What's the best forum for a mechanically inclined, capable but uninformed 3D newbie to ask newbie questions about diagnosing and fixing mechanical/electronic issues, including with a super-cheapo printer?

[@ArthurWolf]

You can also use simpler-to-wire external drivers, like the TB6600 ( only 3/4 wires ) Wiring instructions : smoothieware.org/general-appendixes#external-drivers

[@kazolar]

There are breakout expansion boards available which build in the necessary caps -- have inputs for supply voltages (control and stepper etc), so much easier to use than building your own -- or on a breadboard (yuk).They're supper cheap, and work very well if you want to add more stepper drivers or replace a blown one. Please clarify what you mean by increasing supply voltage. Under normal conditions voltage = speed, current = torque. A 12v system can't move as fast, but will have roughly the same amount of torque as a 24v system -- it's not linear -- and the effective power of a stepper is increased by giving it more voltage, but since power is torque * speed -- the ratios vary at different speeds. However saying that your printer will have more torque if you give your driver a higher supply voltage is not accurate. I'd be getting into weeds since this has more to do with stepper inductance and how higher supply voltage benefits them.

[@goldenfox334]

I have a bizzare issue. My z axises stopped working. I can swap the plug to another spot and itll move one side because the z axises has 2 motors. I put in a spare driver and it didnt work ither. The motors do power up and you can feel it by simply trying to turn them but they simply will not spin. Ive checked all the voltages, reinstalled the original os, checked all the wires and what not, i have no idea what is wrong and if anyone could help id be greatful. Its a anycubic i3 mega s

[@thefailingstudent]

duet wifi review?

[@mikelabruna9976]

Grüße! I have two Monoprice Mini printers that are way too loud. I wanted to swap the drivers on the Board and found a QFN package, so directly ordered tmc2208 QFN 28... But the drivers are QFN 24 pin 🙄💩😔 Anyone can Point me in the right direction? Thanks und Danke, Cheers from blackforest

[@PhilXavierSierraJones]

Having problem with TMC2130 -- X axis only works randomly. I was following your tutorial and it didn't work so well. TMC2100 mode makes printer scream like banshee every time the motor is switched on. On default setup, SD card stops working and Marlin reports driver errors, so I removed Z axis driver and connected X and Y to respective pins, but after configuring, X axis does not move to correct position.

[@theviperman3]

I have same issue with TMC2130 and MKS GEN L board. X Axis randomly works but no other axis provides SPI feedback. Thinking the drivers might need to be powered after the board has power.

[@PhilXavierSierraJones]

theviperman3 Hey, I have the exact same board as yours!

[@reasonsvoice8554]

Can you just swap the driver chips for different types if its available in the same package type like the new upgraded creality boards are they just different chips soldered in place anyone with any info would be appreciated

[@simonbelanger3923]

You seem to have a knack for releasing videos about the exact subject that I happen to be exploring at the time, Thomas. Thanks for this one! I was *wondering* whether I could just tie up all the power inputs to all five drivers to the same mosfet (and thus, the same capacitors) or not, and now I actually feel comfortable enough soldering together the loosely-assembled circuit that's been inconveniently taped to the middle of my workbench for the past two weeks! :p

[@_nom_]

I'm pretty certain he's just stalking you

[@Slavko_Husam]

Hey Tom ! I think, about 5:30 you showed, 5 installed drivers and I think A4988 is installed wrong direction ;) Check it please

[@colbishfossouo4252]

i have a problem. after upload the marlin, im not able to run the 3d printer

[@otcerutne]

Hey Thomas, I have an Ender 3 with a damaged Y-axis driver board. Can I plug a pololu driver to fix it?

[@ಠ_ಠ-ಡ2ಝ]

Hello, do you find an answer ?

[@ChrisMuncy]

Tom, great video as always. I do have 1 piece of constructive criticism: Your second camera: At least color balance it with the other main camera or purchase a new camera. The change in quality is really noticeable between the flesh tones (color balance) and the resolution.

[@rizzler892]

Great tutorial! I was able to figure out I had a bad driver. Thanks Thomas

[@QuitProcrastinating]

I've had some missed steps lately and suspected the drivers, fried two of them while investigating because I've unplugged them live. It turned out the stepper wires broke due to lack of strain relief on them. Have I watched this video before I wouldn't have to buy new drivers.

[@mihaichiriac2959]

I have a problem... i have a tevo tarantula .. and my y motor when its runing... it vibrates ..not moving at all.. rough vibrations and nothing.. can it me the driver ?"

[@bungy1948]

check the paired wires in the plug

[@bbogdanmircea]

The most useful part is how to connect a stick driver to a breadboard, I did the same for a robot that uses a stepper to feed some tennis balls ... Actually not trying together enable and reset will disable the chip

[@brandoncathey2961]

I recently had a motor become disconnected during a print due to bad wire management :/ I tried replacing the main board and the motor yet it still wont move. Help?

[@brandoncathey2961]

It was my extruder motor for my cr-10.

[@AntonMakesStuff]

Oh boy I can't wait to learn more about square space!

[@ronsanocki639]

This is exactly the info I needed to finally get my printer working again. Thank you so much Thomas!

[@luke752010]

Outstanding video :-) What about the Alphawise U20 / U30 drivers ?

[@jastirria]

Do you have a link to that trinamic board?

[@rudyvanparys2678]

www.trinamic.com/support/eval-kits/details/trams/

[@iamjamiesims]

Handling PCBs with that woolly jumper surely high chance of anti static damage to them boards.

[@filipJordan]

So in the end you did not explain what to do with anet A8 boards

[@tonyvandijk2008]

How can i repair a wanhao i3 plus board drivers .. help please

[@theygamed6914]

Yeah, I unplugged the driver while it was powered up. I'll never do that again. Thankfully I already wanted to upgrade my ender 3 motherboard to the silent one.

[@michor10]

Thanks, Thomas! Your videos are excellent. I love the super high resolution too. :D

[@PvtPrivate]

Yay, DUET review coming soon?

[@mhe0815]

Almost pointless. There is pretty much nothing that is not perfect on it. Since I started using Duet I don't even bother looking at the rest anymore.

[@moeni9727]

boost converters are electrically noisy, they might cause issues with stepper drivers

[@jameshirschi9399]

And,wouldn't your current drop? Can't change available wattage without changing the powersupply to a bigger one.

[@goldbunny1973]

Tom, if someone believes they've correctly identified you as a *close relative* would you want to know what the connection is or do you prefer to remain blissfully oblivous & retain existent acceptance of your 'suspected to be 'inacurate/incomplete' family tree?

[@Cdlzzl]

such fantastic resolution

[@baderellik]

It's perfboard 06:23

[@FranklyPeetoons]

Great info. Always great info. But 60fps doesn't add much to the presentation compared to 30fps. It's not a skateboard/explosion video so there's no fast action motion cadence to preserve. 60fps makes my stream buffer often, however - and there's no 30fps HD option for this particular video.

[@zzing]

Re: 3:05: I had current set too high and melted parts ;)

[@EunchanPark]

Thank you for great content. It is very helpful.

[@fnice1971]

Please more Video's that are more detailed. really good video we all like to see!

[@davidwillmore]

Broken/frayed cables are something you might want to also rule out--i may have missed you mentioning it. If so, sorry. See you at #MRRF!

[@noen-_-7446]

Hast du eine Webseite für den Prusa Clon ?

[@zebsolaria4763]

you got me into this hobby and i hate your for it LOL just kidding. I love your channel, sir. Outstanding work.

[@muppetpaster]

7:30 If you start to use these points you might as well reflow your broken down chip.....easy jobby...

[@TheFlatdog7]

Great Vid, good info. thanks

[@dooley9621]

Thanks mate

[@RespawnRestricted]

It'd be way easier to just replace the SMD stepper driver they're running a ton of jumper wires to a Proto board it would take a total of 2 minutes 2 desolder and resolder

[@FrankyieFrank]

You do realise that Marlin uses some other pin numbers than the schematic of the atmega2560 Arduino pin mapping tells you. Please look at fastio_1280.h for the Marlin pin numbers. There is a difference! Took me quite some time to figure that out back in the day.

[@MrWaldorfian]

Where is the part of the video where you FIX a stepper driver exactly?

[@stephenberrisford4064]

Loved this content and style👏

[@Kris2340k]

Squarespace, YOU SHOULD

[@awesomefacepalm]

My DRV drivers got so hot some resistors desoldered themselves

[@spike7112ify]

I saw that at 1:54

[@JohnJaggerJack]

I've done everything you just said to not do, to my Anet A8 and the drivers are still going strong to this day (3yo machine by now). I don't know how some people have managed to burn down their motor drivers. I can only imagine someone spilling liquids over the board would be enough to kill the drivers or maybe i've unknowingly hit the silicon lottery with my machine. Still, this video is very helpful for someone misfortune enough to kill their onboard drivers.

[@potatojz38]

Finally, I always wanted to know how his last name was pronounced

[@lucatarabinisolmi686]

I see amay of positive comments, but honestly, you were too fast and unclear... I have a vague idea of how you mean I should fix my anet a6, but this video is not enough for me to do it. Please use digital programmes to display the wiring, we can't understand where you're putting your wires. I may sound a bit harsh, but I just want you to understand :)