Z Axis Completely Unresponsive

#1

Hey Everyone,

I scored one of the cheap Zim’s on Ebay a while back. Just got around to putting it together and installing Octoprint.

All of that went good; Firmware is updated, temps show up and I can move the printer around from the Octoprint UI. All except the Z axis… I get absolutely no response from the Z axis inside of Octoprint.

Nothing looked damaged/mishandled when I took the covers off, but I’m guessing I should definitely be able to manually jog the z axis from Octoprint.

I’m new to 3d printers: Anyone have any diagrams of what I should be looking for to trace the stepper function? How can I test to see what is actually causing my issue? Any thoughts in general? I’m all ears…

Addon: So I tried manually sending a G28 through the terminal. This is what the console showed me:

Send: G28
Recv:
Recv: ok

I’m guessing I should have probably gotten two 'ok’s back. The fact that I only got one back seems to confirm to me my suspicions of a dead Z. Does the lack of any kind of response indicate that messages are never even getting to the stepper itself (IE, loose connection somewhere)?

Z axis not working
#2

Hi!
The first things I would try are:

  • check all cable connections (for Z, you´ll have to remove the base plate)
  • check the stepper motor by measuring the internal resistances
  • switch two of the stepper drivers on the zimboard (for example switch X and Z) to see if your Z-driver is dead
  • look for the tiny potentiometers on the stepper drivers. Normally you´ll have to set them like described in this video, but for testing you can also simply set it the same direction like the ones of the other axes (NOT like the extruders!)[quote=“phrozenl, post:1, topic:645”]
    Addon: So I tried manually sending a G28 through the terminal. This is what the console showed me:

Send: G28Recv: Recv: ok

I’m guessing I should have probably gotten two 'ok’s back.
[/quote]

No, you´ll only get one OK, due it´s only one command. Most commands have an empty “Recv:” line directly after the command:

#3

Could you solve your problem?
Would be cool if you posted the solution. Just if anybody else encounters this problem, too

#4

Unfortunately I have not yet :frowning:

I am still working through tearing down the machine to get access to everything. Life sorta got in the way there so progress is slow.

I absolutely appreciate your (fantastic) response and am using it to start debugging. I will definitely update everyone with my findings.

#5

Also check the Z axis end stop micro switches. If both of those are shorted or stuck it will not allow you to move in either direction. Seems unlikely that both would be stuck but maybe?