I'd try something a lot simpler for an initial test: Grab one of the example stepper programs that come with the Arduino IDE, change the step and direction pin numbers to match your configuration and see if you can move one stepper a few steps.
That way you can prove out your wiring and power circuits stepper by stepper.
Are you sure that GRBL has the correct step and dir pins for your setup?
Are the stepper driver enable inputs wired? Make sure that the steppers are enabled by your code. grbl, by default, uses LOW to enable the motors. Is that the polarity of the enables on the TB6600 drivers?
Hi Wildbill, Thank for your advise...I think I started this build with a tremendous LACK of knowledge. The Arduino came from China together with the shield, dare I say No info and certainly no programs. As for the GRBL, other than downloading the program from the Arduino, I havn't done any think else!
There's me thinking this was going to be so simple.
I supose I am looking for a step by step guide made for idots like me!
Thanks for your reply, I can only repeat what I sent to WildbillHi Wildbill, Thank for your advise...I think I started this build with a tremendous LACK of knowledge. The Arduino came from China together with the shield, dare I say No info and certainly no programs. As for the GRBL, other than downloading the program from the Arduino, I havn't done any think else!
There's me thinking this was going to be so simple.
I supose I am looking for a step by step guide made for idots like me!
You're getting a savage lesson in the problems that big bang testing can bring you
I'm not sure that this is the best place to get the kind of help you're looking for - I don't think there are many GRBL experts here. We can help you test the Arduino and CNC shield with simpler code as suggested above. I expect you have some limit switches that should be verified as well as the steppers.
I have not used GRBL, but when I was using Marlin to run a 3D printer, there were quite a large number of configuration items that had to be set up. Obvious things like which Arduino pin was connected to what, but also motor step counts, acceleration speed, instruction buffer size (I think) and others.
I would expect that all that stuff will exist for GRBL too. Whether you can set it through a UI, text file or in the code itself, I don't know, but I suggest you do a little research to find out.
Thanks Wild Bill.
I may have come up with a solution! get rid of the Uno and shield together with the TB6600 drivers £££££££ down the loo. Go for a Openbuild BlackBox & udgraded 24v PSU an extra £200 may be just the job, it takes all the thinking out ouf it, just made for beginners like me.
I built myself a CNC using GRBL on an Arduino a while back.
If I were you I would get the Arduino with GRBL installed and a single stepper motor and experiment with this getting the motor to work. Once you have this figured I suspect the rest will all fall in to place as they are actually surprisingly simple electronics wise (all the clever stuff is done by the software)
In fact first just play with sending commands to GRBL over serial (You can do this in the Arduino IDE serial monitor)
e.g. enter $$ and it should show you all it's current settings
To move a motor a command such as G0 X100
would tell it to move the X direction motor 100 steps
