Mach 3 Missing Steps Issue solved, On DIY CNC Router

[@johnstrange6799]

Sounds aggravating af, but glad you got it worked out, and made a video to help the next person.

[@backwardsmachining7526]

For three weeks I've been working on a dragon clock and I've gone threw a lot wood because it just keeps doing crap its not supposed to lol

[@johnstrange6799]

@@backwardsmachining7526 I like the thumbnail image/logo by the way. Very cool.

[@covad7686]

@@backwardsmachining7526 Hi there, I'm making various CNC machines since 2009, bending, welding, plasma, lathes and so on. First of all I recommend you to get rid of mach3, it's always a good software for a start and to check things, but not really good for production. Mach has 100khz limit per axis, that's 100.000 pulses per second per axis. Speed * accel * microstepping = your khz, so with mach3 you won't be able to get high speed together with high accuracy and with high accel, you will have to choose one and still it will have the limit. RichAuto DSP has 1mhz, most of cheap standalone controllers have 200-400-500khz per axis, I believe that your new closed loop motor drivers are able to run between 200-400khz frequencies, depends on who made them. In second - the problem of missed steps for such wood engraving machine can be easily solved without replacing motors, however it's nice that you did that - closed loop motors have more torque at higher speeds. All that you needed to do is 1) to replace cheap stepper drivers with good ones. I believe that you had drivers in price range of $5-$15, some really cheap tb6600 or clones of DM542-556 maybe - these are terrible drivers, with old chips from 1980s i believe, you need branded drivers, Leadshine is a great choice. and 2) you need a nice power supplies, something like 42-60v for NEMA23-24 motors, the longest motors of these series can run on 66volt, and 72-80v for NEMA34 size motors. Set current according to RMS, not according to PEAK. Check your closed loop drivers, if it says that 60 or 80 volt dc is max it can eat, then replace your power supplies if they're below that voltage, also keep in mind that you always need 1.5 times bigger current per motor than drivers datasheet says, so if the motor has nominal 4A current then you need 6A power supply for it. Also it's always better to have individual power supplies for each motor.

[@dawddawds8019]

@@covad7686 I think everyone would get better equipment if they could afford it. Spending thousands on top of the line equipment isn't an option for all DIY CNC enthusiasts. Mike is a frugal guy doing what he can on a budget, and the results are pretty good. His channel is really helpful for anyone just dipping their toes in. It's really discouraging seeing builds that would cost the price of a car to assemble, when all you really want is a halfway decent router for hobby projects.

[@covad7686]

@@dawddawds8019 It's not really THAT expensive, and in your next message you've also recommended to install closed loop motors, so you do understand that everything has a price. He can keep current setup and engrave on much lower feeds to prevent step losses and get that clock done in 20 hours or he can upgrade the drivers or motors and make the clock in 4 hours, install ac servos and high speed ballscrews on and make the clock in 2 hours... everything has it's price. Hey I've just uploaded a new video about a budget cnc machine in enclosure. Customer couldn't afford to pay for it and I've decided to keep it in the house. You can also check my other videos for bending/welding/cutting machines and subscribe, I'll be posting more! Thanks!

[@dawddawds8019]

Before you said anything about your fix I was going to suggest closed loop steppers. It doesn't solve whatever issue you may have been having with your other steppers, but it's a good brute force solution lol. Miss you buddy