We aren’t sure if this is the long term fix we want, so just doing one to start with.
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Gotta keep the almost year-old thread alive.
The stepper drive I selected doesn’t have adjustable step resolutions, so lesson learned there, but we need to purchase one that does before the rotary runs correctly. The setting on the laser controller for step resolution is factory locked.
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Still patiently awaiting…
Believe me scrolling through this thread reminded me. It’d be great to have it up before we completely miss holiday gift season.
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It really would be wonderful. People love the effect. It’s an incredibly popular tool. My classes would always be full. Countless people ask me the status every month. My mom even bought a set of tumblers for gifts and asked me to etch them last month.
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My rolling pin is still waiting too 
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Please! please!
Who is working it? I would like to offer some assistance in getting it repaired.
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It’s a double stack NEMA23 stepper, so we just need to find a driver that has a wide range of microstepping adjustment and can run that motor. 24-48v input, step/for/en signals are all 5v. I don’t know what resolution the controller is expecting, sadly.
Actually, if anyone wants to… Set up the rotary and engrave lines (like a ruler) around a cylinder. We can measure the lines and figure out how far off we are. So if the lines were 1inch apart in the computer and they measure 2inches apart when engraved we’re turning twice as much as we should.
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Might try the steppers with the driver built into them. We used some for the CNC Lathe build as the drivers we originally had fried.
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What brand did y’all use? The rotaries originally came with leadshine stepper/driver units and they would fail after just a few months. Buying separate motors and drivers was an attempt to get a more robust solution.
You may be right in having the driver separate, out of the smoke of the internal of the machine. Good drivers are not cheap from what I have seen.
https://www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/products-page/hybrid-servo-system/kl-5056h/
Looks like we might be able to get away with this: https://www.geckodrive.com/g901x-stepper-multiplier.html If we determine the needed resolution (that ‘etch a ruler on a cylinder’ test I described above).
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Does anyone have a few minutes to do this? The rotaries are under the desk for Donner. Anyone with previous rotary experience is welcome to.
Do you have a design for this or do we need to make one up? Are you looking for a literal ruler or is there a certain spacingm Is there a recommended size cylinder (or medium) for this?
I may be able to get by this afternoon do it.
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Nothing fancy, just some marks that should be 0.5" apart around the circumference. A cylinder is recommended, but size is fairly arbitrary, anything bigger than 1" should be fine.
I appreciate it
I was not able to make it. Things got nuts on my end with the holiday. The soonest I will likely be able to make it up will be monday. If you or someone else can complete the task before then do it… dont wait on me or anyone else.
I recommend instead that you 3D print a cylinder from PLA with lines/grooves in it at various ruler distances (e.g., millimeters, inches, half-inches, radians, and so on) all around the circumference. Then laser-cut on it and see what it lines up best with and calibrate iteratively until you line up with the pre-printed markers. I’d design and print this for you but I don’t have time this weekend and, more importantly, I’m very, very lazy.
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Hey at least you’re honest!
That sounds like it might be easier. Whichever way people want to do it is fine by me! I was planning on using one of those fabric tape measures that tailors use.