Hey there!
I am Peter.
For this build, I am using AR2.0 s/w with Aluminum kit.
Working through the build, the J3 motor doesn't seem to move the arm much. The arm remains in the position of touching the J3 limit switch.
I even tried connecting J3 motor to the J2 motor wiring to see if I was able to "jog" J3 via J2 + - buttons but it had the same result - not much movement.
NOTE: With the system off, I am able to easily move the arm up and down. So, I can confirm that the arm joint is not stuck.
Any suggestions on the cause and fix?
Hi Peter, I'll try and lend a hand but I certainly dont have a good understanding of what your problem is.
First of all I don't think you have burnt out your motor. I have had J4 run really hot a couple of times for a long time and it hasn't seemed to damage it. To be honest, I havent even pinned down why it does it but i wouldn't be too worried for now!
####The motor teeth (on no load) seem to move right.
####The arm seems to move easily (no tight bearings at the joint).
####But, with the motor installed in the arm, it is not able to budge the arm much - low power?
The motor is powerful enough so scratch that off the list (unless it is burnt out).
From the sounds of it I would double check that the spindle(?) from the motor isn't spinning from the gear. (ie; the motor is spinning but the gear is slipping). Easiest is just to use a marker a draw a line from the gear to the spindle and see if they stayed lined up.
If not, are the other pins set to the right level? They control how many steps they are and if they are set too high that could cause problems.