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Document: Datasheet Date: 6-Jul-12 Model #: 1168 Products Page: www.sunrom.com/p-85.html





Stepper Motor Driver - Bipolar
This stepper motor driver offers a compact, reliable stepper motor control system. An integrated
chopper drive circuit safely provides the maximum motor torque for a given drive voltage, even one
many times over the manufacture-specified voltage, offering tremendous torque and speed
improvements over traditional stepper motor control circuits. Maximum coil current(2A) is easily set
using a potentiometer, and can be dynamically adjusted. The highly efficient design of the drive
circuitry makes it the ideal motor control solution for nearly any application.

Motor current for each phase is set using an on-board potentiometer and the controller is capable of
handling motor winding currents of up to 2 Amps per phase. It operates from a DC supply voltage of
9-24V. The drive provides all basic motor controls, including full or half stepping of bipolar steppers
and direction control. All signals (Step, Direction, Enable) can be interfaced to external logic or a
microcontroller. You can easily control the motor from your computer's parallel port or
microcontroller.

Stepper motors are rated by current and not by voltage. This is a chopper driver because it is
switching on and off current allows a set current to be fed to the coils and not be dependent on the
voltage of the power supply. The Chopper Driver also allows for the use of higher voltage power
supplies (up to 24V) overcoming the effects of the inductance of the coils giving better performance
and a higher top speed.

Full & half stepping, directional control, motor enable/disable, and automatic current regulation
provide a powerful, easy-to-use motion control system. The built-in chopper frequency generation
and current sensing circuitry drives the motor at a presettable coil current.
This controller is perfect for desktop CNC applications.


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Features
Easily adjustable motor current (0.3A to 2A)
Full and Half stepping mode selection
Step and Direction inputs directly from parallel port or microcontroller
Enable input can be connected to ground to disable motor (Optional Input)
Connections via screw terminals
Develops maximum possible motor torque by using dual coil-current sensing & control loop
circuits
Allows use of drive voltage beyond rated motor specification for enhanced torque & speed
Diodes and large filter capacitors for enhanced noise suppression
Primary drive circuit thermal overload protection
Initial Setup
The Stepper Motor Driver can be used with a power supply up to 24V.
Connect the power supply negative wire to a GND terminal and positive wire to the 9-24V terminal.

The bipolar stepper motor is connected to the A, /A, B and /B terminals. The stepper motor will have
two separate phase windings and optionally a center tap wire. The center tap wire should be left
unconnected. The wiring phase of motor can be identified with multimeter and measuring resistance
of motor windings. From the two phase 1
st
phase has to be connected to A and /A terminal and 2
nd

phase of motor has to be connected to B and /B terminals. If incorrect wires are connected, motor
will not rotate properly. More about motor connections are on following pages.

Control signals are connected to the STEP and DIR terminals. Connect a GND terminal to the GND
terminal of the source of the signals as well.

The EN terminal is pulled high internally, when a connection is made to ground through this terminal
current is removed from the motors coils, allowing it to turn freely. This can be used as a kill switch
input. This is optional input can be left unconnected making it always enable.

STEPPER MOTOR









9 to 24V DC -
Power Supply +

PC
Parallel
Port/MCU
+5V out
for other
circuits if
required

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Setting the Bipolar Stepper Current
The current that will be passed through the motors coils is set using the
preset VREF and Multi-meter. The voltage in volts at the test point labeled
TP VREF will be half the current in the motors coils in amps. That means
1V will give 2A, 0.5V will give 1A and so on. For a given motor, higher
driver current will make the motor to output more torque, but at the same
time causes more heating in the motor and driver. Therefore, output
current is generally set to be such that the motor will not overheat for long time operation. Since
parallel and serial connections of motor coils will significantly change resulting inductance and
resistance, it is therefore important to set driver output current depending on motor phase current,
motor leads and connection methods. Phase current rating supplied by motor manufacturer is
important in selecting driver current, however the selection also depends on leads and connections
which is covered in later pages.
Full and Half Stepping
When the jumper labeled STEP is in the F position the motor will move one step
for each pulse on the STEP input if the jumper is set to H the motor will move half
a step for each pulse on the STEP input. This jumper should be set before power
is applied to the circuit. Half step produces a much smoother performance and
less motor resonance.

Motor Connections
The driver can drive any 2-phase and 4-phase hybrid stepping motors.

Connections to 4-lead Motors
4 lead motors are the least flexible but easiest to wire. Speed and
torque will depend on winding inductance. In setting the driver output
current, multiply the specified phase current by 1.4 to determine the
peak output current.





Connections to 6-lead Motors
Like 8 lead stepping motors, 6 lead motors have two configurations
available for high speed or high torque operation. The higher speed
configuration, or half coil, is so described because it uses one half of
the motors inductor windings. The higher torque configuration, or full
coil, uses the full windings of the phases.

Half Coil Configurations - Higher Speed Low Torque
As previously stated, the half coil configuration uses 50% of the motor
phase windings. This gives lower inductance, hence, lower torque
output. Like the parallel connection of 8 lead motor, the torque output
will be more stable at higher speeds. This configuration is also referred
FIGURE 1 STEPPER MOTOR - 4 LEAD
FIGURE 2 STEPPER MOTOR 6
LEAD HALF COIL

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to as half chopper. In setting the driver output current multiply the specified per phase current rating
by 1.4 to determine the peak output current.

Full Coil Configurations Higher Torque Lower Speed
The full coil configuration on a six lead motor should be used in
applications where higher torque at lower speeds is desired. This
configuration is also referred to as full copper. In full coil mode, the
motors should be run at only 70% of their rated current to prevent
overheating.





Connections to 8-lead Motors
8 lead motors offer a high degree of flexibility to the system designer in that they may be connected
in series or parallel, thus satisfying a wide range of applications.

Series Connections Higher Torque Low Speed
A series motor configuration would typically be used in
applications where a higher torque at lower speeds is required.
Because this configuration has the most inductance, the
performance will start to degrade at higher speeds. In series
mode, the motors should also be run at only 70% of their rated
current to prevent overheating.






Parallel Connections Low Torque at Low Speed/High Torque at High Speed
An 8 lead motor in a parallel configuration offers a more
stable, but lower torque at lower speeds. But because of the
lower inductance, there will be higher torque at higher speeds.
Multiply the per phase current rating by 1.96, or the bipolar
current rating by 1.4, to determine the peak output current.






FIGURE 3 STEPPER MOTOR 6 LEAD
FULL COIL
FIGURE 4 STEPPER MOTOR 8 LEAD FULL
COIL
FIGURE 5 STEPPER MOTOR 8 LEAD
PARALLEL COIL

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5
Heat
The Stepper Motor Driver is provided with a Heatsink. Care should be taken when using the driver
to ensure that the driver IC on heatsink does not overheat. When the driver is first used monitor the
temperature of the heatsink. If it begins to get too hot to touch a fan or larger heatsink will be
required. This is quite important if the motor is turning slowly or is stopped for long periods.
Noise
The switching of currents to the motor can radiate electromagnetic interference. To reduce radiated
noise the motor leads should be shielded and as short as possible. The motor body should be
grounded and a grounded metal housing for the PCB can be used.

Power Supply Selection
The stepper driver can match medium and small size stepping motors (from NEMA frame size 17 to
43) from motor manufactures around the world. To achieve good driving performances, it is
important to select supply voltage and output current properly. Generally speaking, supply voltage
determines the high speed performance of the motor, while output current determines the output
torque of the driven motor (particularly at lower speed). Higher supply voltage will allow higher
motor speed to be achieved, at the price of more noise and heating. If the motion speed
requirement is low, its better to use lower supply voltage to decrease noise, heating and improve
reliability.

Regulated or Unregulated Power Supply
Both regulated and unregulated power supplies can be used to supply the driver. However,
unregulated power supplies are preferred due to their ability to withstand current surge. If regulated
power supplies (such as most switching supplies.) are indeed used, it is important to have large
current output rating to avoid problems like current clamp, for example using 3A supply for 2A
motor-driver operation. On the other hand, if unregulated supply is used, one may use a power
supply of lower current rating than that of motor (typically 50% 70% of motor current). The reason
is that the driver draws current from the power supply capacitor of the unregulated supply only
during the ON duration of the PWM cycle, but not during the OFF duration. Therefore, the average
current withdrawn from power supply is considerably less than motor current. For example, two 2A
motors can be well supplied by one power supply of 3A rating.

Multiple Drivers
It is recommended to have multiple drivers to share one power supply to reduce cost, if the supply
has enough capacity. To avoid cross interference, DO NOT daisy-chain the power supply input pins
of the drivers. (Instead, please connect them to power supply separately.)

Selecting Supply Voltage
The motor driver IC can actually operate within +9 ~ +30VDC, including power input fluctuation and
back EMF voltage generated by motor coils during motor shaft deceleration. Higher supply voltage
can increase motor torque at higher speeds, thus helpful for avoiding losing steps. However, higher
voltage may cause bigger motor vibration at lower speed, and it may also cause over-voltage
protection or even driver damage. Therefore, it is suggested to choose only sufficiently high supply
voltage for intended applications, and it is suggested to use power supplies with theoretical output
voltage of +9 ~ +24VDC, leaving room for power fluctuation and back-EMF.

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6
Control Signals Step and Direction
The requirement of control signals to drive stepper motor through this driver are DIRECTION and
STEP signals. These signals are of 3 to 5V level signals. The signals can come from various
sources. You can also input from parallel port running software like Mach3. Most CNC software that
output STEP and DIR signals on parallel port can generate these control signals.

DIR signal: In single-pulse mode, this signal has low/high voltage levels, representing two directions
of motor rotation; For reliable motion response, DIR signal should be ahead of STEP signal by 5s
at least. Please note that motion direction is also related to motor-driver wiring match. Exchanging
the connection of two wires for a coil to the driver will reverse motion direction. Making DIR signal
high will make motor rotate one side and making DIR low will make motor rotate other side.
Direction signal input is internally pulled high so it can be left unconnected if only one direction is
required from the motor.

Enable signal: This signal is used for enabling/disabling the driver. High level for enabling the driver
and low level for disabling the driver. It is internally pulled high. Usually left UNCONNECTED
(ENABLED).

Using LM555 as Step Input
To test the driver or have a stand alone application you can simply use a simple square wave
oscillator based on LM555. The preset can be used to vary the frequency of step signal. The higher
the frequency the higher speed.

Using Microcontroller/PC Parallel Port as Control Signals Input
Since control signals requirement are at 3~5V level you can use any microcontroller to generate
HIGH/LOW pulses for step and direction. Step pulse is a square wave signal like HIGH and LOW.
Each high going pulse will advance the motor one step.
For parallel port most PC software has options to set as to which pin to make STEP/DIR signals.







Square Wave Oscillator
You can use following board as step
input to the stepper driver.

http://www.sunrom.com/p-1050.html
MCU/PC PP

DIR
STEP
GND
Stepper Motor Driver

DIR
STEP
GND

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7
Wiring Notes
In order to improve anti-interference performance of the driver, it is recommended to use
twisted pair shield cable.
To prevent noise incurred in STEP/DIR signal, pulse/direction signal wires and motor wires
should not be tied up together. It is better to separate them by at least 10 cm, otherwise the
disturbing signals generated by motor will easily disturb pulse direction signals, causing
motor position error, system instability and other failures.
If a power supply serves several drivers, separately connecting the drivers is recommended
instead of daisy-chaining.
Typical Applications
Suitable for a wide range of stepping motors, from NEMA size 17 to 43. It can be used in various
kinds of machines, such as X-Y tables, labeling machines, laser cutters, engraving machines, pick-
place devices, and so on. Particularly adapt to the applications desired with low noise, low heating,
high speed and high precision.

CNC / Milling Machines
Robotics
Industrial Equipment
Remote-Positioning Equipment
Scientific Apparatus
Valve Controls
Troubleshooting
In the event that your driver doesnt operate properly, the first step is to identify whether the problem
is electrical or mechanical in nature. The next step is to isolate the system component that is
causing the problem. As part of this process you may have to disconnect the individual components
that make up your system and verify that they operate independently. It is important to document
each step in the troubleshooting process. You may need this documentation to refer back to at a
later date, and these details will greatly assist our Technical Support staff in determining the
problem should you need assistance.

Many of the problems that affect motion control systems can be traced to electrical noise, controller
software errors, or mistake in wiring.


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8
Dimensions


Board Schematic

U3
L298
IN1
5
IN2
7
IN3
10
IN4
12
OUT1
2
OUT2
3
OUT3
13
OUT4
14
G
N
D
8
ENA
6
ENB
11
SENA
1
SENB
15
V
C
C
9
VDD
4
U2
L297
INH1
5
C
7
EN
10
RESET
20
HOME
3
SEN2
13
SEN1
14
B
6
CNTRL
11
SYN
1
H/F
19
D
9
A
4
INH2
8
OSC
16
CLOCK
18
CW/CCW
17
V
C
C
1
2
G
N
D
2
VREF
15
CN5
PBT3
VCC
D3
BY399
D4
BY399
D5
BY399
D6
BY399
D7
BY399
D9
BY399
D8
BY399
D10
BY399
Current
Control
VCC
IN OUT
GND
U1
LM7805
1 3
2
R3
0R47 3W
R4
0R47 3W
R2
22K
C7
3n3 C6
100n
Stepper Motor
STEP
DIR
P1
10K Preset
+5V
ENB
CN1
PBT2
GND
CN3
PBT2
CN6
PBT2
Title
Code Rev
Date: Sheet of
1168 1
Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver based on L297/L298
Sunrom Technologies http://www.sunrom.com
1 1 Friday, March 18, 2011
B
A
D
C
J1
JUMPER3P
D1
1N4007
CN2
TP2
1
2
VCC
HALF
FULL
+
C4
100uF 25V
Imax=VREF/0.5
C3
100nF
TP
C2
100nF
D2
LED
R1
470R
C8
100nF
C5
100nF
9-24V DC
Ground
+
C1
100uF 25V
CN4
PBT2
RA1
10K R-ARRAY
98765432
1