Ultimaker 3 stepper motor problems

[ggilley 0]

I have an ultimaker 3 that has started making a bad sound when moving the head. It looks to be the Y axis stepper. It's possible that the pulley screws on the motor need to be tightened. However, I cannot find a way to get access to the motor. I have searched, but have been unable to find instructions anywhere for how to take the printer apart to get access (and put back together working 🙂) Does anyone have any pointers or suggestions?

 

Thanks,

 

     Greg

 

[IRobertI 521]

To get access to the motors you have to remove the plastic cover(s) that hide them. These are held in place by plastic tabs that slot into the case. All you have to do is pull them out, it can seem a bit scary, but you're unlikely to break them. Putting them back is a pain in the arse though, I usually snip off the tab at the bottom of the cover to make it easier (that extra tab isn't necessary, they'll hold in place just fine without it).

 

Then you just remove the four screws that hold the motor in place from the outside of the printer.

 

If it's making creaking noises like an old wooden ship I would suspect the belts primarily though. Especially if the printer is a bit older. These are inexpensive but replacing them is a bit of an operation (ask your reseller for instructions). Expect to spend a couple of hours on that if it's your first time. The plastic  sliding blocks can be taken apart but they weren't really designed for it so you'll likely snap the little tabs that hold them together so I would suggest buying a new set of those (they're cheap too).

 

If you're able to post a video of the sound that would help to figure out what's going on.

[ggilley 0]

Okay, pulled out the motor, loosened and tightened the screw. That's not the problem. I uploaded a video to youtube:

 

https://youtu.be/tWaCr8KecY4

 

Thanks for your help!

 

      Greg

 

[IRobertI 521]

What a lovely sound hehe. Yeah, this is not an old belt problem, something else is going on. What's the tension like on the short belts? Is the belt on the left hand side motor very loose? What does it feel like if you push the print head around manually, smooth movement or is it difficult to move? (If the head is completely stuck the motors are probably still turned on, flip the printer off in that case).

 

Did this start suddenly? Did something happen just prior to this?

[ggilley 0]

Tension seems fine on the belts. Seems okay to move the print head around.

 

Yes, this started suddenly. Nothing happened before. A successful print, then when starting the next print, starting making this terrible sound.

 

       Greg

 

 

[IRobertI 521]

Hmm ok. What I would try next would probably be to swap the connectors around so that the X motor is plugged into the Y output and vice versa. Obviously this will cause the print head to slam into the wall since it will move the wrong way, but before it does it should show you if the problem is the motor or the stepper motor driver.

[ninjapigeon 0]

I know this is probably a bit late, but that sounds reminds me of two stepper motors fighting.  Did a wire get crossed somewhere?
I realize this happened before you took it apart, but sounds like you have one moving +X and the other -Y when it should be +Y.

Make sense?