pen lift motor pulses and egg and pen motor don’t move

[fire-497]

I just finished assembling our egg-bot.  I’ve installed inkscape and the driver.  I can enable/disable the motors and raise and lower the pen.  But that is it.  If I try to walk one of the motors they just sit there and the pen lift motor pulses.  I’ve tried to plot, but I must be doing something wrong.  It drops the pen, pulses and then raises and continues to pulse.  HELP PLEASE!

[Windell Oskay]

Hi fire-497,

  When you enable the motors, do the steppers seem to actually energize– that is, do they resist motion?  Or, is there actually no apparent change?  Do the steppers seem to move at all when you try to plot?

  And, can you describe what you mean by the “pulses?”

[fire-497]

Yes, they do slightly resist motion.  But that is it.  The pen lift arm makes a slight move about every half second.  It acts like they want to move, but more or less have the same pulse that the pen lift motor does.

[Windell Oskay]

Have you tried adjusting the motor current yet?

>It acts like they want to move, but more or less have the same pulse that the pen lift motor does.

Again, can you please describe what kind of a pulse this is?

[fire-497]

It was the motor current!  As soon as I adjusted it, the pulsing stopped and I can now plot.  THANKS for your help!

[Windell Oskay]

Great, glad to hear it!

[pwmeek]

I know that I have already read how to adjust the motor current. I read it before I had even received the kit. Now the kit is assembled and exhibits precisely this behavior, but I can’t remember where the motor current adjustment instructions are to be found.

Please remind me.

[Windell Oskay]

The instructions are in Part III of our essential documentation, the part about Making Your First Plot:  

http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Making_your_first_plot#Drawing_on_your_Egg

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