It seems like it has been one issue after another. The Z-Axis is now locking up while moving down on the Z-Axis. Just last week it was working perfectly fine and I made an LED sign for someone. I adjusted the potentiometers a month ago.
Jogging down 2"
That back and forth action I think usually means a loose stepper wire.
Also, remove the belt and see how easily the axis moves by hand. If that is locked up, then that is the problem.
Otherwise troubleshoot elsewhere.
I’d suggest checking your V-wheels to see if they’re too tight, or if there’s a piece of debris wedged in one. Also check the upright piece of makerslide to see if somehow it’s damaged.
Check all the wires associated with the Z motor, just to make sure a strand didn’t somehow come loose and short against another section. Also check to make sure all the terminal connections are tight and that the wires aren’t broken anywhere. That’s always a possibility with vibrating machinery.
Without a drill bit, you may want to check the pot settings on it again. If it’s dialed too high it’ll go into thermal overload and stop working. You need to find a happy medium, and it’s possible that the happy medium may shift up or down over time. I don’t know how, but with electronics you’ve got to account for the wacky stunts that the pixies in the wires sometimes pull.
If none of that works, try swapping the X and Z wires on your g-shield and try to move it 1". That’ll help you decide whether it’s a g-shield issue (X will stutter like that) or a motor issue (Z will stutter).
We used ferrules on all of our wire connections and none of them were loose. What appears to fix it is we adjusted the potentiometers and reseated the gshield.
