I’m having trouble with my build. Step sticks, installed. Arduino mega installed and configured. motors connected. Then I started my first test print. The print failed the hotend was too far away from the heat bed. I turn off the printer and notice that my Arduino mega was not completely pushed into the Ramps 1.4 and push it in while power was discounted. When I turn on my printer again no axis worked anymore. When I attempt to movie each axis I hear and initial thumping sound and then nothing after that. No motor moves at all. My smart control display works. All components are brand new.
I’ve tried:
- Testing different step stricks
- Plugging motors in different slots
- All of the above and different Ramps 1.4 board
Could the problem be my Arduino Board. I just bought it about a week ago.
Also, can anyone tell me if there are more reliable electronics to use? I’m very frustrated, I’ve been replacing pieces at an alarming rate since last year. It seems like everytime I replace a component another one brakes. I haven’t been able to print since early this year. I feel that this building experiment is over. I would like to either figure out how to make this printer reliable or find one a desktop 3D print that will give me a return on investment. Any idea? Thanks Everyone!
Please Help,
Brien
1 Like
Maybe @alexrigo can help 
I’m still to see him on this forum!
2 Likes
Thanks, @boydconner I hope that he’s around. I’m not sure to do next. I don’t want to buy another mega2560 if I don’t need. Appreciate all the help I can get. I want to get up and running again soon.
Thanks,
Brien
Have you tried removing the motors and seeing if they turn? I’ve actually had similar issues, but mine were because my acceleration was set too high so there was an initial jerk when the motors tried to move (the initial thump you described) and then a complete hang as the motor stalled since it couldn’t accelerate. That was pretty easy to solve just by turning down my acceleration, but I don’t imagine it’s the same problem with your printer.
This is very possible, I didn’t think to adjust acceleration. Thanks for the idea @karlzhao314 I’ll give it a try and report back! Thanks, Brien
Just adjusted the acceleration. No joy. I’m going to replace the stepsticks and replace the boards again, and see if I can find some kind of upgrade for the electronics.
