Home
JAQForum Ver 24.01
Log In or Join  
Active Topics
Local Time 14:07 13 May 2026 Privacy Policy
Jump to

Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me.

Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Stepper Project

     Page 9 of 9    
Author Message
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 06:11pm 11 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

I had a bit of a tinker with it:









pico 2 board.zip


Please check:

Track widths
Hole diameters (a bit inconsistent)

Continuity (in case I messed up)
Edited 2026-05-12 04:14 by PhenixRising
 
Bryan1

Guru

Joined: 22/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1937
Posted: 11:01pm 11 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Morning Guy's, Well still on my morning caffine intake   Now Phenix that board is looking way much better   and I'm looking forward to having a good look at it.

Now with the limits Lyle that new circuit does look the goods mate   and what I'm thinking the first job I will be doing once I setup the 2350A on the breadboard is set up the I2C on the zero so the zero can take of of the limits then when a limit is reached a I2C interrupt can send the control(val) number to the pico so action can be taken.

This way your circuit can go on a new a new board with the zero for each axis while taking care of the battery management.

Now here is where I am stumbling in my research on a previous page it was mentioned
setick/ loop to move the axis in toggle mode.

Now on reading setick in the manual it does set an interrupt and let one give a pulse value now as I have setup a number box on each axis that can be the value to use for the length traveled and maybe another number box put in for the feedrate so the uS value can go in the setick. Now for me trying to put this snippet into code would mean a days tinkering and still going nowhere so if a member could please help me out with this I can move forward with both the code and the project.

Regards Bryan
 
Bryan1

Guru

Joined: 22/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1937
Posted: 02:36am 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Well just on lunchtime   and got the chain drive setup good enough for the trial runs as I do still need to finish off the idler sprocket so it's adjustable.




Regards Bryan
 
Bryan1

Guru

Joined: 22/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1937
Posted: 07:07am 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

This afternoon mounted the DM556's on some MDF and attached it to the side of the work table. Got the Z axis all wired up so in the morning the X and Y axis will get done then time to redo my breadboard so the testing can start. Now for that clamp for the Z axis wire I just made it from a Nescafe 43 coffee tin where it was folded in half then each side got a some love tapping to stiffen it up. A short length of 1/2" copper pipe soon got the radius done and tek screw soon got it clamped.





Now with the X axis mount I had to give it a love tap to correct the misalignment on the stepper. Also I made a 4mm spacer to move the mount out for alignment and it worked out a tee.

Also this morning got into Sprint Layout where I changed all the drill holes that were still 0.6mm and found the top left 2 transistors didn't respond to the GND test so connected the emitters on C1 to get them working.




pico 2 board.zip


Regards Bryan
 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 07:34am 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Hi Bryan,

Admittedly, I'm not totally in-sync with the discussions but when you mention "toggle mode", are you referring to manually jogging the axis?
Edited 2026-05-12 17:35 by PhenixRising
 
Bryan1

Guru

Joined: 22/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1937
Posted: 07:47am 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  PhenixRising said  Hi Bryan,

Admittedly, I'm not totally in-sync with the discussions but when you mention "toggle mode", are you referring to manually jogging the axis?


Yes by my term "toggling" it is moving each axis manually, now by lunchtime tomorrow I should be ready to start testing each axis as I do need to get a calibration on the backlash for each axis so when a change in direction is done that backlash amount can be added to the code.

Also that 4" LCD should be by this week as got an email from aussie post it's on the way
 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 08:42am 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

The way I handle jogging is to execute a move to the maximum or minimum allowed position based on Jog+ or Jog- signal. When the Jog signal disappears, execute a stop motion. In my case this can be a decelerate to zero velocity or an immediate stop.

I don't see a stop motion command in the stepper reference and so you might need to get creative with small incremental moves while a Jog signal is present.

Point being that the commands already exist.
 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 03:31pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

That was messing with my 45-degree-diagonals-only OCD   so I had to change them. The bottom VCC track was also bugging me  




Two pads were not through-hole so I changed them:






pico 2 board.zip
Edited 2026-05-13 01:39 by PhenixRising
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8818
Posted: 04:17pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Ideally, when two traces meet, they should only ever meet at right angles. When sharp points of copper are left between traces there is a tendency to get over-etching, which can cause the board to fail optical testing even if it is fine electrically. It also produces a weak point in the copper.

If the two traces differ a lot in width it is good practice for then to meet at a pad, even if it isn't drilled. This re-enforces the junction, once again protecting from over-etching or possible copper lifting with temperature changes.
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 04:40pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

How about this. I put a temporary pad there, generated a "teardrop" and then removed the pad.


 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8818
Posted: 04:57pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

The "teardrops" and smooth curves are pretty but a) of limited real value and b) a complete pain if you come to edit a board later as they are made from little triangles - they are not part of the trace itself and can be exploded off it.

Just don't put bends tighter than 45 degrees in traces, they'll almost certainly be strong enough then, even without curves. They will be easier to guide through narrow spaces too.
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 04:58pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

I dub this "Funky Junction"  


 
PhenixRising
Guru

Joined: 07/11/2023
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1891
Posted: 05:45pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

My buddy Gemini:

  Quote  3. Avoiding "Acid Traps" in T-Junctions
While a 135° angle is "safe," the 90° side of a T-junction is still technically an acid trap risk. In modern fabrication, the risk is low, but if you are working with very high-density boards (where tracks are extremely thin and close together), that 90° corner can still lead to "over-etching," which weakens the connection point.

Summary of Best Practices
For Power/Low Speed: A standard T-junction is usually fine, but adding a small fillet or teardrop is a "gold standard" move.

For High Speed/RF: Avoid T-junctions entirely if possible. Use a "Y" split or specialized power dividers (like a Wilkinson divider) to keep impedance matched.

For Reliability: Use teardrops. Most modern EDA software has a "Generate Teardrops" button that will automatically fix every junction on your board in one click.
 
Bryan1

Guru

Joined: 22/02/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1937
Posted: 10:57pm 12 May 2026
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Morning Guy's, Well it does look like this current pcb design does pass the muster with you guy's so I may aswell after a few years have a go with JLCPCB and get the boards made  

First gotta head into town for more cow juice as I can see quite a few caffines downed today as I play with the code, had a good look this morning and read of the stepper pdf and some of Peter's examples so got a good headwind into the tasks today.

Now with the Z axis I still have to set the thrust bearing for the backlash and honestly I can see that shock absorber being fitted as when we need to raise the grinding wheel in a E_Stop condition taking up the backlash isn't an option period, by going this way the grinding wheel doing 2,500 rpm may just survive.


On thinking one thing I didn't put on the pcb is the console breakout so that will be the first job to do, then I can use that micro-bridge as the link to teraterm etc.
Regards Bryan
Edited 2026-05-13 09:00 by Bryan1
 
     Page 9 of 9    
Print this page


To reply to this topic, you need to log in.

The Back Shed's forum code is written, and hosted, in Australia.
© JAQ Software 2026