Stepper controler, 36v4, 4A

A stepper controler using discrete power MOSFET

This product is a stepper motor driver but a stepper motor uses discrete MOSFETS! It can control a bipolar stepper with a wide operating voltage (8 V to 50 V) and a continuous current of 4 Amp per phase without heat sink.

With additional proper cooling and forced air flow, the current per phase can reach 6 Amp max.

The SPI interface is used to configure:

• the current limiting,
• step mode (9 step modes from full-step through 1/256-step),
• decay mode,
• stall detection.

The driver also provides back-EMF feedback. This can be used for advanced motor control and stall detection algorithms.

The control board also includes several protections for reverse-voltage, under-voltage and over-current.

The board can set the maximum current output. With this active current control, an higher voltage can be applied to the coils without burning them (as the current is actively limited). The advantage of an higher voltage is the stronger magnetic field. Motor will be more reactive and it will be possible to achieve an higher higher step rates.

The Pololu High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4 combines a DRV8711 (a stepper motor driver) with physical MOSFETs transisitors. This raised the controlable current and voltage. The DRV8711 has many configurable settings (see DRV8711 datasheet for a detailed explanation). Pololu do also provides an Arduino library for quick start (is offers basic configuration and operation for the driver).

The power performance of this driver depends on the performance of the external dual MOSFET H-bridges. The current is as high as 4 Amps without any cooling. Add some cooling and you may raise the current up to 6 A per phase (depending on the cooling and forcerd air

More details on the manufacturer 36v4 product sheet.

Technical details

• Logic Input compatible: 1.8 V, 3.3 V, and 5 V .
• Wide 8 V to 50 V operating voltage range
• High-power: 4 A continuous current per phase. 6 A max with sufficient cooling.
• Configurable SPI interface
• Stepping can be controled:
  
  • through SPI interface alone
  • through optional STEP/DIR control pins
• 9 step resolutions down to 256 microsteps: full-step, half-step, 1/4-step, 1/8-step, 1/16-step, 1/32-step, 1/64-step, 1/128-step, and 1/256-step
• Adjustable current control.
• Adaptive blanking time, adjustable decay times, and various current decay modes enable the creation of ultra-smooth motion profiles through the SPI interface
• Optional STALL output enables stall detection when microstepping
• Optional BEMF output enables more advanced control and stall detection algorithms based on the back EMF of the stepper motor
• Driver supports alternate operating mode for controlling two brushed DC motors with PWM inputs instead of one bipolar stepper motor with STEP/DIR inputs
• Digital outputs are all open drain with pull-ups to externally supplied IOREF voltage for use with non-5V systems (IOREF can be connected to neighboring 5V OUT pin for use with 5V systems)
• Under-voltage lockout, over-current protection, short circuit protection, and reverse-voltage protection (up to 40 V)
• Arduino library and example sketches availables.
• DRV8711 datasheet

Content

For each order, you will receive the 36v4 board assembled and tested. The board is shipped with a section of pinHeader, a jumper and terminal blocks.