<p>I have a Mooz-2 3D printer from dobot (an obscure chinese brand) that I got from kickstarter. I've done numerous upgrades over the years, including a full-metal hotend, dual z-axis and a custom power supply. However, keeping the printer operational feels a bit like a game of technological whack-a-mole. Almost as soon as I'm done fixing one part of the printer that doesn't work, a new problem appears.</p>
<p>Currently, after I fixed a problem with a shorted limit switch, <strong>the y-axis of the printer no longer functions properly. It appears almost as if the limit switch is shorted</strong>; it only moves down when plugged into the y-axis port, but works fine in any other axis's port. The other axes exhibit the same problem when plugged into the y-axis port. I've tried re-installing the firmware to no avail.</p>
<p>I contacted the company and they offered to sell me a new mainboard for $220 shipping, which is ridiculous b/c the printer only cost \$300 originally, and the rest of the mainboard works fine.</p>
<p>I know that it's very difficult to troubleshoot online, so this is what I ask: <strong>Could the stepper motor driver be causing this issue?</strong> It's the only part of the mainboard I can figure out how to replace. Can it cause issues like this? If I can't fix this I'll have to replace the entire printer, as the mainboard and firmware are proprietary.</p>
<p>Comments and suggestions are welcome! I'm a bit desperate here, so I'd appreciate anything that might help.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-12T06:15:39.977Z
Is it moving away from the end stop? Have you connected the board to [Pronterface](https://www.pronterface.com/) (or something similar) over USB and send the `M119` command?
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-12T23:55:01.127Z
@0scar, it only moves away from the end-stop. I don't have access to pronterface, but after continuity testing the pins on the ports for the axes on the controller board, the two pins for the y-axis (and sadly, now the x-axis as well) appear to be shorted to one another. Now both axes exhibit behavior indicating a faulty limit switch when a motor is plugged into the, but work fine when plugged into the z-axis port.
Rafael
<troubleshooting><stepper-driver><replacement-parts>
Is my stepper motor driver to blame?
Rafael
# Is my stepper motor driver to blame?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-11)

I have a Mooz-2 3D printer from dobot (an obscure chinese brand) that I got from kickstarter. I've done numerous upgrades over the years, including a full-metal hotend, dual z-axis and a custom power supply. However, keeping the printer operational feels a bit like a game of technological whack-a-mole. Almost as soon as I'm done fixing one part of the printer that doesn't work, a new problem appears.

Currently, after I fixed a problem with a shorted limit switch, **the y-axis of the printer no longer functions properly. It appears almost as if the limit switch is shorted**; it only moves down when plugged into the y-axis port, but works fine in any other axis's port. The other axes exhibit the same problem when plugged into the y-axis port. I've tried re-installing the firmware to no avail.

I contacted the company and they offered to sell me a new mainboard for $220 shipping, which is ridiculous b/c the printer only cost \$300 originally, and the rest of the mainboard works fine.

I know that it's very difficult to troubleshoot online, so this is what I ask: **Could the stepper motor driver be causing this issue?** It's the only part of the mainboard I can figure out how to replace. Can it cause issues like this? If I can't fix this I'll have to replace the entire printer, as the mainboard and firmware are proprietary.

Comments and suggestions are welcome! I'm a bit desperate here, so I'd appreciate anything that might help.

**Tags:** troubleshooting, stepper-driver, replacement-parts
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Is it moving away from the end stop? Have you connected the board to [Pronterface](https://www.pronterface.com/) (or something similar) over USB and send the `M119` command?  
> **username_0**: @0scar, it only moves away from the end-stop. I don't have access to pronterface, but after continuity testing the pins on the ports for the axes on the controller board, the two pins for the y-axis (and sadly, now the x-axis as well) appear to be shorted to one another. Now both axes exhibit behavior indicating a faulty limit switch when a motor is plugged into the, but work fine when plugged into the z-axis port.  

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## 0 answers

