Features for the P0612 Stepper Driver Module

This Stepper Driver Module is a compact, small sized highly efficient stepper motor driver using current mode control. This form of control has many advantages including for battery driven applications such as robots. Features of the P0612 Stepper Driver Module -

• Motor supply voltage range of 5 to 30V

• Maximum drive current per phase 750mA

• Current mode control

• Drive current controlled with 1 resistor

• Step size selectable Full, Half, 1/4 and 1/8

• Step frequency of 0 to 100KHz

• Reset and sleep inputs for initialization and power saving

• 66 x 32 mm board size, 12mm high, therefore a compact, small size

• No heat sink required

• Adapter available providing easy to use screw terminals for all connections

• All control inputs are opto-isolated

Current Mode Control

The P0612 Stepper Driver module is not a basic voltage mode unipolar only driver. The driver stage of our module is a pulse width modulation based current mode driver capable of driving bipolar and unipolar motors with 4, 6 or 8 wires. 

It is recognized that pulse width modulation current mode control is the best way of driving stepper motors. This is because it enables the maximum performance to be achieved. Advantages included in this form of control are:

• Traditional drivers may need to be set to exceed motors rated current at low speeds to improve performance at higher speeds, thus risking overheating of the motor. Current mode control stops this by enabling the motors rated current to be provided even at high speeds.

• Better motor performance may mean that a smaller, lighter and cheaper motor may be used in some cases.

• For battery driven applications, such as robots, higher efficiency means the device can operate for longer, or a smaller, lighter and cheaper battery may be used.

The P0612 Stepper Driver Module has two current ranges selectable by shorting module pins to ground. The low current range is 50mA to 230mA, which is ideal for very small motors. The high current range is 150mA to 750mA. The actual drive current is controlled by a single resistor, or a control voltage 1 .. 5V may be used.

Microstepping Capability

The motor may be driven using the traditional full or half step methods. However the P0612 Stepper Driver Module can also drive in quarter and 1/8 step modes implemented by the current control method described above. There are many advantages to driving the motor with quarter or 1/8 step modes including -

• Quieter operation because the step frequency is higher and the steps are smaller.

• Smoother operation because the steps are smaller.

The step size is selected by two input pins that are simply shorted to supply or ground to select one of the four stepping modes.

Download the datasheet (PDF format)

Purchase the P0612 Stepper Driver Module from the Compact Control Design web shop through this link

A PIC Development Board is available allowing quick and easy prototyping and development of motion control projects.

An Evaluation Board is available allowing quick and easy evaluation of the P0612 Stepper Driver Module.

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