I just setup my new x-carve and it was running fine for some initial testing, but now there’s an issue. The z axis motor can spin freely (by hand and with power on) when the arduino isn’t plugged into my computer, but as soon as I plug the USB into my computer, the motor locks up. When I try to move it through easel, it makes a loud sort of crunching noise and shakes back and forth.
Has anybody ever experienced this issue before? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
This is normal. The 24 volt power supply provides power for the fan, the blue LED, the stepper motor voltage, and the spindle voltage if you have the 24 volt DC spindle.
When you plug the USB cable in that powers the Arduino and the logic circuits on the gShield. This puts motor control into the Arduino’s grbl code.
This is not normal and most likely indicates that you need to adjust the current limit for the Z axis.
Check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERzIdQIwik0
when you say freely, do you mean completely free or an you feel a light stepping?
Thank you for the responses! I found the issue. The far right wire (red) for the Z axis input on the g-shield was just barely disconnected. This was causing the issue. Always check connections! Hope this helps someone in the future.
