Extruder motor malfunction

R1+ extruder motor malfunction

If you find that your extruder motor is not turning when heated or during a print follow these steps to help you troubleshoot the problem. 

(For removal and installation of a stepper driver, look towards the bottom of this article)

Check the extruder motor cable connection, as it may come loose over time. 

1. Locate extruder motor connection

2. Push down on the top of the connector and make sure it is pushed all the way into the terminal. 

         3. Heat up your hotend and try to extrude some filament controlled by software, while putting pressing on the motor connection wires.

• If your motor runs, but does not function properly, you may have to replace your extruder cable. Contact our customer support so we can get you all set up and don't forget to mention this is the issue.
• If your motor does not run at all, it is probably the stepper motor driver, so proceed with the following steps to make the determination.  

NOTE: The extruder motor will not turn if it is not heated up to at least 180C.

If your extruder motor is not functioning at all, then proceed to checking the stepper driver.

         1. Shut off your printer

         2. Turn your printer on it's side and remove the 4-6 screws that hold the bottom panel in place. 

    3. Remove the bottom panel and set aside. There are fan wires that will be detached with the bottom panel, so be aware of this.

    4. Locate the 5 Motor Wire connections on the RAMPS board.

 5. Remove the X motor (Labeled X in the middle of the board) and Extruder (Labeled E0 toward the perimetr of the board) motor cables.

    6. Take the Extruder motor cable that you just unplugged, and place it into the X motor position on the 4 pin X plug towards the middle of the board.

     7. Flip your printer into the upright position and connect to Matter Control.

• Once connected navigate to Controls, and try to move the X motor left or right in 10mm increments. If your Extruder gears begin to move fluidly like they should, then your extruder stepper driver needs to be replaced. 

         8. Turn your printer off and return the motor cables to their correct positions. Plug in the fan that was on the back of the bottom panel into your RAMPS electronics board. Re-secure the bottom panel onto the printer and contact Robo customer support to place an order for replacement parts. 

How to replace your stepper motor driver. 

         1. Follow the previous steps to remove the bottom panel.

         2. First locate the RAMPS board and remove the two surrounding motor cables. Then slowly remove the stepper driver by using a rocking motion. 

       3. When placing the new stepper driver in place, make sure all the pins get inserted properly and the stepper is the same orientation as all other steppers. 

      4. Replace the wires in their designated ports. 

5. Plug in the fan and screw the bottom panel back into place. Now you're ready to get back to printing!