I got a set of RepRap Stepper Driver v.2.3 kits to use for my CNC project, and was having no end of trouble with them, but finally had a breakthrough that has two of the three working…and one definitely, definitely dead; the magic smoke escaped from #3. The trick: the SOIC packages were ever so slightly bent in shipping, and I was a little too conservative in the application of solder paste, so some of the contacts around the IC were intermittent. After I finally found it, which was a little difficult because the pressure of a test probe temporarily fixed the problem, all that was needed was punching down a couple pins with a hot soldering iron. With two boards working I’m now in business to finish off the XY table.
Because I’m getting proud of it, a picture of the framing and drive for the XY table in the state it was in the other night.
All it (just for the table) really needs mechanically now are the bolts attaching the lower lead nut assembly to the middle crossbar, and the table itself to be attached to the rails and lead nut assembly on top (need to pick up some short flathead screws to countersink in for that). To be safe it should probably also have the bearing assembly/leadscrew protector/encoder mount tubes installed where the floating brass nuts are in that picture.
The workspaces in both images are noticeably horribly, horribly messy; both pictures were taken at the end of a couple hours of work, right before cleanup. I (unsurprisingly) tend to keep my workspaces compulsively clean.
I think this problem is not completly solved.