V4 main tube "seized"?

[piie]

Hi

While I'm waiting for Adam's reply, I'd thought I'd just check in here too - in case anyone else have had this happen and what the solution might entail?

Haven't used my V4 for a few months, but when I started it up yesterday, the main tube did not spin and the motors made a bunch of protesting sounds.

At first I though it was a stepper motor that died, but when I released the tension on the belt - the motor turned without issue. I then removed the main powder tube, and could feel it was not easy to turn the tube, or actually remove it from the aluminium housing. I checked and cleaned everything ( there was no visible muck or anything else obviously wrong that I could see. I just noticed that there are two "bearing surfaces" on the main tube where it runs in the aluminium housing, but no scratch marks etc.) The rear part of the tube did however measure 1thou larger than the front, and it was appreciably more difficult to fit it through the aluminium housing hole.

Any ideas/thoughts? I couldn't find any other posts with this kind of issue...

 

[FeMan]

I hope you get the issue resolved. Adam has great customer service so I am confident you will.

I have had my main tube seize up a couple times too over the past year. On both occasions I was able to play with it by hand and eventually get it freed up and working again. I never looked too hard for the root cause. I would be interested in what you hear from Adam and it there is a fix of some sort.

 

[divingin]

Please post what Adam says, or what you do to resolve the issue.

 

[RubiconJoey]

The tube should spin freely but, it's entirely possible the stepper motor or the power supply to it is still the problem. It should have enough power to make the belt skip. Removing the belt would make it such that a failing or under powered stepper motor can still turn. I would look at the wiring for any obvious signs of damage.

 

[piie]

OK, I just let Adam know - I luckily still had my V3 lying around and I swopped out stepper motors - works like a charm - thinking back now, I should have done that from the start, but instead just swopped the two from the V4 around, as they are identically marked - the V3 one didn't have markings on it, so I feel a bit sheepish now and feel like I definitely dodged a bullet there... Now to find one with correct rating locally...