SparkFun has announced another experimental SparkX board design, which enables higher motor control on a Qwiic-compatible I2C bus, with support for a built-in emergency stop button, and the capability to drive motors requiring up to 2A.
The Qwiic Step is the latest of SparkFun’s entry in the SparkX board family, which are ranges of experimental designs marketed as fully-operational devices, but without guaranteeing them being manufactured regularly in the company’s range, following the release of the Qwiic GPIO add-on board and BlackBoard C Arduino-compatible development board. The Qwiic Step is designed to enable additional functionality to a microcontroller’s I2C bus, which offers Simple control of stepper motors.
The company gives explanations behind the idea of the board:
Ever found controlling stepper motors confusing? There are a huge variety of wires to get connected right: power, motor coils, and control lines. And the tiny screwdriver to adjust the terminals is never where it should be. Qwiic Step simplifies the tangle. Just connect your motor to Qwiic Step using the ergonomic latch terminals, apply 8 – 35V to the barrel jack, and plug in Qwiic Step to your favourite RedBoard with a Qwiic cable.
The company continues:
Qwiic Step comes preprogrammed to accept simple I2C commands, handling all the complex stepper motor calculations and control. This firmware leverages the AccelStepper library to fine tune each step of the motor. The speed, acceleration, position, and micro-step mode can be configured by the user. Additionally, the hold and run voltage of the motor is adjustable. This allows the user to specify maximum hold and run currents.
Read more: SPARKFUN LAUNCHES SPARKX QWIIC COMPATIBLE BOARD TO ENABLE STEPPER MOTOR CONTROL
