Stepper motors are brushless DC motors which can move in discrete steps thanks to the special coil arrangement inside. They are very popular in DIY and industry projects which require accurate mechanical movement control. In this SoloPCB Designer project, we are building a dual stepper motor driver shield based on two Allegro A4988 ICs which can supply up to 35V and 2A and provide overcurrent and thermal protection.
Circuit Design
The schematic of the project is drawn in SoloCapture, the schematic editor of SoloPCB Designer. SoloCapture makes the schematic drawing process very easy and fast. You can download SoloPCB Designer tools at Solo-Labs.com for FREE.
You can download the SoloPCB Designer design files of the project by using the link below.
There are two separate motor drivers on the board, DRIVER A and DRIVR B. Each driver has separate power and motor phase connections over the terminal blocks and control signals connected to Arduino. There are five driving modes controlled by MS1, MS2 and MS3 jumpers which sets the Full Step, Half Step, Quarter Step, Eighth Step and Sixteenth Step modes that affects the motor movement accuracy.
The jumper and the resistor connected to the ROSC pin sets the decay mode of the driver. If you solder the 0R resistor and remove the jumper, the pin is pulled to the Ground. If you don’t solder the 0R and place the jumper, the pin is pulled to the VCC. More detailed explanation about the decay modes are explained on the A4988 datasheet.
For More Details: DIY Dual Stepper Motor Driver Shield for Arduino
