12 - Abnormal Operation 12.1 - Motors When troubleshooting the bi-polar stepper motors, one should first measure the resistance of both phases of the motor to determine if the motor has become defective. For each phase of the motor, connect the leads of a multimeter to both wires leading to the coil and check for a small resistance of about 1.7 - 2.4Ω. If the resistance measures anywhere in the kΩ and MΩ region, the coil has become an open circuit and needs to be replaced. If the stepper motor passes this first test, check for an open circuit between phases by testing each wire leading to phase A with both wires leading to phase B and vice versa. The resulting resistance should be infinite, indicating there is no current shared between phases. If this test produces a resistance in the 0 - 10Ω region, there is a short between phases and the stepper motor needs to be replaced. After these tests have been applied to verify the motors are not defective, it is time to check the wiring of the motor to see if that is the cause of the abnormal behavior of the stepper motor. The servo and stepper motors needed loose wiring to allow the motors to reach every location of the playing board. This can lead to kinks in the wiring, cutting off current to the motor which will cause sporadic behavior in the way the motor rotates the shaft. If the shaft of the bi-polar stepper motor vibrates when powered but does not turn, check the orientation of the stepper motor wires connected to the Big Easy Driver. This normally occurs when the output to one phase on the Big Easy Driver shares a wire from both coils of the stepper motor. To remedy this, switch one wire going to phase A with both wires of phase B and observe the behavior. The stepper motor should resume its normal operation once the wires have been aligned in the proper order. If the stepper motor is rocking back and forth (continuously switching directions), the wiring of the motor is correct but the current is being cut off to one of the coils. Check the wiring connections as this is usually a result of faulty wiring or a bad connection between the stepper motor and the Big Easy Driver. If the servo motor displays the same rocking behavior, again check for a bad connection. Should the of the stepper motors rotate opposite to the direction expected, simply switch the cathode and anode wires on the Big Easy driver.
12 - Abnormal Operation 12.1 - Motors When troubleshooting the bi-polar stepper motors, one should first measure the resistance of both phases of the motor to determine if the motor has become defective. For each phase of the motor, connect the leads of a multimeter to both wires leading to the coil and check for a small resistance of about 1.7 - 2.4Ω. If the resistance measures anywhere in the kΩ and MΩ region, the coil has become an open circuit and needs to be replaced. If the stepper motor passes this first test, check for an open circuit between phases by testing each wire leading to phase A with both wires leading to phase B and vice versa. The resulting resistance should be infinite, indicating there is no current shared between phases. If this test produces a resistance in the 0 - 10Ω region, there is a short between phases and the stepper motor needs to be replaced. After these tests have been applied to verify the motors are not defective, it is time to check the wiring of the motor to see if that is the cause of the abnormal behavior of the stepper motor. The servo and stepper motors needed loose wiring to allow the motors to reach every location of the playing board. This can lead to kinks in the wiring, cutting off current to the motor which will cause sporadic behavior in the way the motor rotates the shaft. If the shaft of the bi-polar stepper motor vibrates when powered but does not turn, check the orientation of the stepper motor wires connected to the Big Easy Driver. This normally occurs when the output to one phase on the Big Easy Driver shares a wire from both coils of the stepper motor. To remedy this, switch one wire going to phase A with both wires of phase B and observe the behavior. The stepper motor should resume its normal operation once the wires have been aligned in the proper order. If the stepper motor is rocking back and forth (continuously switching directions), the wiring of the motor is correct but the current is being cut off to one of the coils. Check the wiring connections as this is usually a result of faulty wiring or a bad connection between the stepper motor and the Big Easy Driver. If the servo motor displays the same rocking behavior, again check for a bad connection. Should the of the stepper motors rotate opposite to the direction expected, simply switch the cathode and anode wires on the Big Easy driver.