Best Motor Controller To Use For 2 Phase stepper

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jpatrick62

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Was hoping someone with some stepper motor experience could help me on which motor driver would be best suited. I am using a Teensy 3.2, and was given a Newport CMA-25PP
stepper motor to control. There are other motors available, but this one was the best physical fit so they already went out and purchased it, I had no say in the matter. So my issue is
what would be the best motor driver to use, particularly since many of the controllers I have looked at want 5VDC logic. The motor itself is a 2 phase stepper, UE10PP, 20 steps/rev, the
reduction gear is 256:1. Thanks for any help!
 
According to the datasheet the UE10PP is a 0.22A, 2.1mH stepper. Since you have a 256:1 gear on it you probably don't need a very good microstep performance. So, any of the omnipresent small stepper drivers like e.g. the A4988 or the DRV8225 will work. You can control them directly with 3V3 logic. Unless you need super high speed a 12V supply for the drivers should be enough.
 
Second that - its a low-impedance stepper so requires current drive, DRV8825 modules and A4988 modules are the
way to go, and you'll need to set to _0.35A_ max current setting for that motor. If you measure the current in one
winding it should cycle between +0.35A and -0.35A as the motor turns, typically starting with both windings at 70%
(45 electrical degrees).

Microstepping is pretty much essential for low-vibration operation, which will prolong gear lifetime and keep the
noise levels down. It will still be noisy of course, steppers always are. x8 to x16 would be a plausible starting
point, depending on what factors your driver supports.

And the usual caveat with steppers - never connect or disconnect windings to/from the driver when it is powered up
or you will almost certainly blow the driver chip instantly. And be sure to connect the windings correctly - check
the pinout with a multimeter - don't guess, don't trust the docs!
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the information. Looks like they have several of the MP6500s lying around, I'll see if they work as well.
 
Yes, that doesn't need a beefy driver at all. But, I would suggest you look at the TMC step sticks. They are head and shoulders above the others. I was using a 4988 in an astro tracker I made. While it worked fine, when I switched to the TMC2208 in compatibility mode, the difference was astounding - super smooth and quiet. Cost difference is negligible. That's now my go-to low amp (<1A) driver. Trinamic has a huge range of stepper drivers - a lot of flexibility in fine tuning the drivers.
 
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