Motor/s Not Moving Correctly - Grinding or Banging From Motors
If you find the motors are moving incorrectly or are making a grinding noise while trying to move, generally the issue is a loose electrical connection somewhere along the cable to the motor.
Before doing anything involving wiring including checking connections, ensure the controller (Nighthawk, XPRO etc.) is POWERED OFF and UNPLUGGED. Failure to do so can cause irreparable damage to the controller or drivers.
Check Electrical Connections
1. Go around the machine and ensure all green connectors are firmly plugged in to each other and cannot come apart without a firm tug, or are screwed together.
2. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, grab each individual wire and give a sharp tug (but not hard enough to damage the wire) to ensure they are held firmly in the connector. If not you will need to insert the conductor into the green connector and tighten the screw to secure it.
3. Check the connections at the controller end the exact same way.
Check Wiring Orientation
If your machine was a kit such as a SharpCNC or a YouCarve, ensure your 4 motor wires are inserted into the green connector in the correct order. If the wires are in the wrong order the motor will not move or will vibrate in place with a grinding noise. This will be outlined in your User Manual
Check Motor Couplers
Check that the 2 screws in each motor coupler are tight. One side grabs onto the motor shaft and the other grabs the end of the drive screw. If one of those screws are loose it will not make a good connection and the machine won’t move.
Note: Some machines with different styles of motor couplers may have more screws to check. For example the spring-type couplers in our YouCarve machines have 4 screws
Click Here to read through our other FAQ regarding axes stalling, which will guide you through checking the software side of things.