Is it normal for the machine to whine excessively when the motors are enabled?

[pwn3du]

I’ve used many stepper motor based machines including multiple 3D printers and a desktop CNC router and I’ve never had any of them make anywhere near as much noise as this machine does when motors are engaged (whether moving or not).

Initially I just ignored it, but I thought I should ask on here whether this was normal because I haven’t seen anyone else complain about noise level and that makes me wonder if my machine is somehow faulty or malfunctioning in some way. Is this related to micro-stepping of the motors? Is it the power supply making the noise or the motors themselves? Is there anything that can be done to quiet the machine so that when I’m using it all day I don’t feel like I should be wearing ear plugs?

[cborn]

That doesn’t sound normal at all. I would rate the V-One somewhat quieter than my 3D printers with motors enabled but not moving, perhaps slightly louder than my CNC mill in the same state.
It could be a frequency thing though, my hearing at higher frequencies is probably down a bit!

[pwn3du]

Well, what I’m hearing isn’t a constant pitch either. I’m used to the motors making almost melodic sounds while moving on my other devices, but this one pretty much at all times is making a whine that typically goes up in frequency while moving and then when the motion stops the pitch slowly decreases, sometimes in a warbling sort of way. I’ve heard coils in the past make a similar noise, though not at this decibel level. That’s where my power supply question came from. I’m not entirely convinced this is the motors making the noise, particularly since the pitch changes when the motors are not moving.

[rkagerer]

I get these noises too. I commented the other day they remind me of the background noises on the original series Star Trek Enterprise bridge.

[Matthewmaz2]

I am having the same issue. When ever the stepper motors are not moving, a whining noise starts and the pitch varies as well. I was thinking that maybe there might be an issue with the internal limit switches, but I am not sure.
–Thanks, Matt.

[blairrocks]

This is something I fed back to the Voltera team. It is extremely irritating when working with the printer, especially for long periods of time. I provided them with a recording of the whining noises and they informed me that this is the normal sound of the motors being held in place. They also said:

“You can use ALT+R to release the motors after they’ve finished doing what they need to. If you release them before any kind of tool movement you’ll need to re-home the unit as the printer will have no way to know the absolute position of tools.”

Hope this helps a little.

B

[pwn3du]

Well, it helps to know that it’s expected at least. I’d still love to know why this machine has to make so much more noise than any of my other stepper motor-based machines including while holding the machine perfectly still. For example, when I turn on the motors on my 3D printer to have it hold everything steady, there is absolutely zero noise above the noise of the cooling fans and even if I turn those off (temporarily) the noise of the motors is almost imperceptible.

[rryansilva]

+1 on this. I also have a lot of experience with stepper motor-based CNC machines and this is the loudest by far. The issue is not just the volume but the extraordinarily obnoxious pitch.

[jazozaya]

Hi everybody,

Unfortunately the whining you guys hear when the machine is idle are the steppers trying to hold their position. It is a side effect of the stepper drivers we are using (Allegro A4988)

After 5 minutes the motors will release automatically, but as @blairrocks mentioned, pressing Alt + R will release the motors immediately. Once released, the V-One will have to re-home and run the switch sequence again.

For what it’s worth, this issue has been addressed in the latest batch of units (different stepper drivers) but unfortunately we don’t have a backwards compatible solution.

[rryansilva]

Ouch. I just got my machine in December after waiting for it for almost seven weeks. Pretty disappointing to hear that it’s already an older version. I get complaints from people working nearby whenever I use the machine.

[cborn]

@jazozaya Was this whine there in the original Kickstarter units? I don’t notice it, but that could be due to my aging ears. (Seriously! The kids can play a “Mosquito ringtone” which they can hear clearly, while i can’t make out a sound even holding it up to my ear)

[seadog]

@jazozaya Encouraged by this conversation I ordered my Voltera V-One two days ago and received it today–incredible shipping speed! Unfortunately it whines enough that I worry about its long-term health. Seems like the latest batch of units are not what is being sent to customers.

[jazozaya]

@cborn - We used the same stepper drivers in the original Kickstarter units so the idling noise should be the same. From my experience it seems that different holding positions produce a different pitch, so I think that is why it gets perceived differently.

@seadog - Sorry for the confusion, the latest batch of units are still in production and will not be shipping out to customers until later this year. I guess I should have written next instead of latest.

[mixer]

@jazozaya

Do you have any more information when these will be in production?

[jazozaya]

Hi @mixer,

The production team is phasing these units in (a handful were already sent out), I expect to be fully transitioned in the next 2 months.

[unclebuck]

Set our new Voltera up today.

There is constant high pitched frequencies coming from the unit at all times unless the motors are released.
As we are in an area that deals with everything from ultrasonics to Rf, having these errant frequencies is very annoying.

Nothing was mentioned about this issue in any of the Voltera promotional videos or publications.

yes we can release the motors however i also have had several occasions today where it doesn’t return to 0 axis home correctly and i have had to home it once or twice and then its happy.

It is also leaving spots of no ink and not joining lines as it travels, however I am sure i can iron these out with some gerber changes.

If the noise keeps causing us issues and this is a brand new unit can we request a replacement to the newer issue?? Is there someone at Voltera I can email about this?

Thanks

[mixer]

So there is NO way for us to upgrade the motors?!

I really hope you guys can make some kind of upgrade available…

Or let me trade in my Voltera for a new one!

BTW what are the new stepper drivers? Can we not upgrade them ourselves?

[Dave]

Just received my V-One today and homed it. It also makes horrible high pitched noises. I am definitely not very happy, and never bothered to look into this when evaluating the purchase of a unit because none of the many videos online had any indication of this annoying sound. Literally gave me a headache within several seconds. I have several 3D printers that were designed before 2010 and none of them make noise like this when motionless.