Ignorant, new, dumb, and really frustrated........

wow, I was typing the above reply and came back to your reply. It isn't quite that easy on this end because I never built a file the first time. I used the G540B4 base file that was in the samples. The program doesn't want to recognize the sample file as a configurable file. I do understand how it works and can do this. I just have to take the time to sit down and actually build a file. It is on my plate for this afternoon. I keep thinking there should be a way to open the sample file and change it from there. I haven't done much with it so far. Now that the holiday's are over and with the work schedule change, I will have time to really learn. It helps a lot that the temps finally came back up above freezing too. I don't have a permanent heater in the shop yet either.

I have 3 axis again. I need to get it back up to 4 so I can raise and lower the gantry with the stepper, but I can make this work while I decide what I want. Also, if I'm not rushing to fix it, I can probably work in a better price bracket than if I'm trying to get it done right away. Vacation and the holidays were a bit excessive, but that's what they're for..........right? Now I have to remember how I inverted the z-axis. I lost that in all the resets trying to make the regular config work. I remember it wasn't hard, but I don't remember what I did (except that I made it negative).

Click on the box to reverse the Z-Direction Signal as shown.

Wow, I can't believe the trouble you are having with the g540, I loved the one I had, it worked great for years, even after half melting the breakout board section due to incorrect wiring on my part.

If it turns out that an individual driver is at fault, you can replace them separately they are called g250x, though they are around $80 each.

They are pretty solid, though there are 3 things you need to make sure of to keep them working

1. make sure the current set resistor is correct for your steppers you are using
2. any power switch must be on the ac side of your power supply, never disconnect DC power from the g540, it will fry it.
3. always power down (AC supply) and wait a minute before unplugging any stepper motors (if not, it will fry the board).

That holds true for pretty much all of the Gecko drivers... and most other brands as well... if the coils suddenly loose power the magnetic field collapses and sends a back-EMP which causes damage. Cutting the AC power to the transformer allows the system to bleed down safely.

Once he gets the board running ok and proves the original X-Axis driver was bad.... then if he needs the A-Axis (as he said to drive the knee) he can replace the module, then reset the pins to the original configuration and move the plugs back to the original locations. The instructions I gave were to troubleshoot the system and if necessary, continue using it without replacement of parts.

But...

Having not used the G540... I didn't know it was modular... so I suppose... he could have just swapped the A and X modules to see if that fixed the problem.

Oh well... seems that we isolated it to a bad X-axis module.

Jerry

The G540 is modular within its case. The person I talked to in tech support told me I could open the case and swap the drives the first time........Then they told me because I had opened said case that any and all damage was my fault. They charged me for the repair and I gave in and paid the invoice. They returned the board and I still have zero output from the motherboard's db9 labeled as the x-axis. I have a parallel card coming (even though testing seems to prove my parallel is OK). At that point I will give Gecko the bad news and ask them how they want to handle things. If they can't offer a service friendly answer, I paid them via PayPal and a Visa. I really HATE to be THAT customer but......

In the mean time, switching to the DB9 marked A-axis to run my X-axis gets me up and cutting again. The G540 might be the greatest thing to ever come to CNC, but I have a VERY bad taste in my mouth over it. I LOVE my patriot. I will love it more when I get the CNC working like it should and learn how to do more with it. To achieve that end, I am going to invest in 4 stand alone drivers and a breakout board of some kind. At this point, I have no idea what components I am going to use. Price and research into reliability of what I can find will dictate that final answer. I would like to keep that final answer in a $200 budget, but I'm not going to hold or limit myself to that If it doesn't provide the "right" answer. I have to go back to work tomorrow. This 15/6 is going to teach me to HATE every third Tuesday. I will hope for a busy board and some standby time at home to let me play some more before the next round of days off. (They will pay me for standby to not punch in so I can DOT drive at night if jobs call) I got sidetracked with a wood working project for the wife's hobby room, so I haven't played more again. (got's to keep momma happy, cuz....) I need to get the belt sander I got for Christmas and my drill press set up in the shop out there with my toy so I can get "serious" about things. I bought a batch of used and new cutters, some of blanks for the lathe and intend to use the belt sander to shape and sharpen.

I can't thank all of you enough. Just the sounding board helps the frustration with dealing with poor customer service. The great advice and knowledge is way into the plus column. I might even manage a positive attitude two or three days back into the schedule. Work is still going to be work, but knowing I have "therapy" at home will help me get through 15 straight. To put 15 straight into perspective, I figure to be on OT by Friday AM. On a straight week I am usually on OT by early Wednesday. If I see straight pay on a Thursday, I am in a very foul mood.

Bigstarshot, just curious are you dealing directly with gecko or a reseller?
It's not uncommon for them to repair board free of charge, even when the customer obviously damaged it (reversed polarity, metal shavings on circuit board, etc..)
If you are dealing with them directly, maybe the accountants stop letting them be so nice with repairs if it was hurting the profits.