Getting Two Z_axes and one Endstop w/out Four Wires?

General Discussion
1

Basic Information:

Printer Model: Maker Select Plus (Monoprice and discontinued)
MCU / Printerboard: A64 and STM/Recore A7

klippy.log (61.2 KB)

Fill out above information and in all cases attach your klippy.log file. Pasting your printer.cfg is not needed
Be sure to check our Knowledge Base and in particular this and this post

Describe your issue:

Am I allowed to use two wires, one endstop, and two Z_Axes w/ accompanying motors?

I do not want to use four wires or create another working endstop. Is it possible to use two wires, one endstop (mechanical), and two Z_Axes?

Seth

P.S. I will work on the klippy.log soon. Please forgive my tardiness. Okay, I added the klippy.log, made some additional ideas available, and am trying now to use Klipper to handle one endstop, two wires, two Z_Axis steppers for Z and Z1, and then make the UART available.

Update

I think this is a limitation if anything. No issue any longer. I think the idea of having stops for each, separate motor movement should be in place. Safety is a big thing in relation to things happening that are out of the beholder’s eye.

2

If you don’t want to use 2 endstops, then don’t define an enstop pin for stepper_z1. It’s not required.

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3

Right @jakep_82 ,

Thank you. You are correct. In the [stepper_z1] header, I do not need the endstop pin(s) for the Klipper version I am using.

Thank you again.

Seth

4

Okay…

So, the dual Z_Axes w/ a motor for each axis seems to be disturbed. It is disturbed to the point that it crashes into the bed.

I can home XYZ but not the second Z_Axis motor.

  1. Do I need a second Endstop?
  2. Do I need to wire something differently?

Is there a way to port the second Z_Axis motor to understand and obey the first Z_Axis motor w/ the endstop?

Seth

5

If you use one, the x axes more parallel to the bed.

When you turn off the power, due to the weight of the X axes assembly, the Z height can change on both side differently. To be sure the X axes is parallel to the bed, you use an endstop at z1.

You need an endstop switch and a free input pin on your printer board. In addition Vcc and GND.

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6 
[stepper_z]
step_pin: ar100:PL6
dir_pin: !ar100:PE10
endstop_pin: ar100:PH6
rotation_distance: 2
microsteps: 16
position_endstop: 0.0
position_max: 177.0
homing_speed: 8.0

[stepper_z1]
step_pin: ar100:PL8
dir_pin: !ar100:PE12
rotation_distance: 2
microsteps: 16

So, this will not work…

The reason I am asking is b/c of the error in mechanics. It is like my source does not understand I have one endstop to handle both Z_Axis motors.

Seth

Update

So, I do need a second endstop but I cannot call it in the .cfg file. It tells me that it is an error.

7

It can work as long the X axes stays parallel to the bed.

Else you would need to run a [z_tilt] for what you need a probe. In that case you can directly home the Z axes with the probe.

Can you show me the code you try to use?

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8

This is it:

[stepper_z]
step_pin: ar100:PL6
dir_pin: !ar100:PE10
endstop_pin: ar100:PH6
rotation_distance: 2
microsteps: 16
position_endstop: 0.0
position_max: 177.0
homing_speed: 8.0

[stepper_z1]
step_pin: ar100:PL8
dir_pin: !ar100:PE12
rotation_distance: 2
microsteps: 16

In [stepper_z1], I do not have access to putting in another stepper endstop…

Seth

9

No free pin on the printer board?

10

There are free pins available but when I put an endstop_pin: in [stepper_z1], I get errors.

It says as output, no endstop is available in [stepper_z1].

Seth

11

So please show the code you try to use:

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12

Hello,

Okay. I was wrong. I am not sure how wrong I am so far but…

  1. The endstop for Z1 works but I cannot get both motors to work in tandem.
  2. I am working on the cfg file now.

Seth

P.S. I was just discussing the source in the cfg file, i.e. nothing more. I am sorry.

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13

@EddyMI3D ,

Okay, you were right all along. I must have been mistaken early on. The two endstops work w/ the two Z_Axis motors along w/ homing. Phew…thank you.

So, instead of just homing and raising up the gantry for the two Z_axis motors…

I typed, BY ACCIDENT, G0 Z0 Z110 thinking I could control the second Z_stepper at Z1 w/ a G0 command. Oops…

Seth

P.S. Thank you again for your knowledge.

1 Like
14

I learned it too, because on one of my printers I have the same setup with the Z axes.

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15

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