Quote Originally Posted by diycnc View Post
With the current setup, if one fuse blows on say the z axis, the other axis will just continue regardless, potentially damaging the part or even the machine. Is there a software or hardware tool to stop this happening?
I've been wondering about how to retro-fit stall detection to deal with every 2-motors-on-one-axis-machine owners worst nightmare using DIY rotary encoders. So far I have a bag of 15 optical detectors (under $10AUD including delivery from RS), a nice Postcript file that Google found for me that will draw the encoder pattern and a piece of 0.25mm stainless shim. The plan is to use the 'toner transfer' method beloved of DIY circuit board builders to acid etch my own discs to fit onto my ballscrews and use an Arduino to detect when one axis moves and the other doesn't. You could always use this to detect lack of movement on any axis by comparing the encoder output with the step pulse input.

This is going to be one of those 'something to do while the varnish dries on my main activity' projects so don't hold your breath, but I will be reporting my success (if any) on the forum.

Kit