AxiDraw fell off. What should I check ?

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  • May 6, 2020 at 3:27 pm #28357
    Bruno
    Participant

    Today, I made the unforgiveable.

    My AxiDraw (V3/A3) is placed at the edge of a small desk, because of space issues. While I take extra care when moving around it, something happened that I haven’t expected : while plotting a large circle, my pen went before the limits of the paper support upon retracting its arm, positionning the pen under its surface level. When the arm had to go back to its original position, it pushed the support against the wall, while the arm kept trying to get further. Basically, the AxiDraw pushed itself out of the desk and fell off about 1 meter.

    I quickly tried plotting some small circles and lines to check if the motors seemed fine, and check if lines are still well aligned, and apparently it doesn’t show any issue. But I admit I’m a little stressed out I’ve missed something I should check out.

    My questions are : What should I check out ? Is there a checklist, or a plot testing file, to check that everything’s fine ? If not, is buying some replacement parts an option ?

    Thanks a whole lot !

    May 6, 2020 at 5:04 pm #28358
    Windell Oskay
    Keymaster

    I’m sorry to hear about the accident; that sounds awful.

    Here are some general things that you might want to check:
    * Make sure that the vertical pen slide still moves freely, and doesn’t feel overly loose.
    * Check that the XY carriages feel solid, and don’t rock like there is slop when you try to move them.
    * With power off, slowly slide the carriage in X, then Y, then -X, then -Y, in a full rectangle over the full area of travel. Doing so, make sure that it feels like a smooth rectangle without a big bump anywhere.
    * Check the USB and power connector, and make sure that they aren’t loose on the control board.

    If all of that looks good, you’re likely in great shape to keep on plotting. If you find anything suspicious, let us know, and we’ll help you get it fixed.

    If any repair parts should be needed, they are indeed available.

    June 12, 2020 at 12:16 pm #28412
    Bruno
    Participant

    Hi !

    Just checkin in lately to thank you a lot for your rich and exhaustive answer. I finally did a full checkup. I noticed two things :

    – When I move the carriage on the X axis by hand slowly, the Y axis tends to move back and forth, sometimes by several centimeters, depending on the movement speed.
    – One feet is very slightly rocky when I push on top of it, which makes sense : according to the hole in my floor, it pretty much may be the foot that absorbed the fall.

    Should I take caution to one of these symptoms ? Either way, I’ve tried some new plotting and the results look as fine as before. I guess the machine is as sturdy as it’s advertised it is :)

    Thanks a lot once again !

    Bruno

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Bruno.
    June 12, 2020 at 12:48 pm #28414
    Windell Oskay
    Keymaster

    If the carriages feel solid, that’s the important thing. Y axis movement when you move X isn’t necessarily indicative of any issue.

    You might check that all four of the rubber feet are present. If the foot itself is bent, we can sell you a replacement at a discount.

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