FlashForge Creator prints layers with y-axis problems

[choconut74]

Hi all,

When I print, especially those that have thinner 5mm thicknesses, or those that cause some vibration during printing, the extruders extrude plastic millimiters off where it printed the last layer. This ruins the print. I was advised by Tang in FlashForge Amazon to switch the x and y-axis motors/stepper cables in the motherboard, but this has failed. The printer head just runs into the sides of the printer, disregarding the axis stops. Any help is much appreciated.

[warkmal]

Swap x and y stepper cables is ambiguous. Did you mean you swapped the cables for each other; swapped them out for new cables; or just switched which connectors they're plugged into at one end, the motherboard?

If your original symptom was drifting in one direction, which direction was it?

Most common would be to the left as you face the bot, which would be most likely a failing x-endstop cable needs to be replaced, but could also be the x axis stepper motor cable. Tang may have been asking you to swap on both ends as a diagnostic to figure out which cable.

[choconut74]

Sorry, I swapped the cables for each other only on the mother board. Whatever the other ends are attached were unchanged. Facing the printer, it was shifting forwards and backwards. Yes, I believe he was asking me to swap them to diagnose the problem. Would you tell me how I do this? I've only swapped the cables on the motherboard, nothing else.

[warkmal]

Ah. Now the bot is confused about which motor to stop when it sees the endstop switch. You'll want to get back to where the x-motor is connected to the x connector on the motherboard, but to use your current state diagnostically first:

Don't print or home the printer, only jog. But before you do that move the head by pushing it around with your hands to the middle. Then use the jog controls from the LCD menu. X and Y will be switched, but you should be able to see or hear it skip steps in one direction or the other. If it skips steps left and right now, you need a new stepper cable for the y-axis motor.

If it skips still in the forward backward direction, it's not the stepper cable. Perhaps the y-endstop or its cable.