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Stepper Motor Drivers

Stepper motor drivers are specifically designed to drive stepper motors, which are capable of continuous rotation with precise position control, even without a feedback system. Our stepper motor drivers offer adjustable current control and multiple step resolutions, and they feature built-in translators that allow a stepper motor to be controlled with simple step and direction inputs. These modules are generally basic carrier boards for a variety of stepper motor driver ICs that offer low-level interfaces like inputs for directly initiating each step. An external microcontroller is typically required for generating these low-level signals.

Most of our stepper motor drivers are available in compact (0.6″×0.8″), pin-compatible form factors. The following two tables, organized by increasing operating voltage, compare our selection of these:


STSPIN­220

DRV8834

A4988
(original)

A4988,
Black Ed.

MP6500,
Pot. CC

MP6500,
Digital CC

A5984

A5984,
Blue Ed.
Driver chip: STMicro
STSPIN­220
TI
DRV8834
Allegro A4988 MPS MP6500 Allegro A5984
Min operating voltage: 1.8 V 2.5 V 8 V 4.5 V 8 V
Max operating voltage: 10 V 10.8 V 35 V 35 V 40 V
Max continuous current per phase:(1) 1.1 A 1.5 A 1 A 1.2 A 1.5 A 1 A 1.2 A
Peak current per phase:(2) 1.3 A 2 A 2 A 2.5 A 2 A 2 A
Microstepping down to: 1/256 1/32 1/16 1/8 1/32
Board layer count: 4 4 2 4 4 2 4
Special features: low input
voltage
low input
voltage
digital current
control
versions also available
with fixed current limits
Available with headers soldered?: Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
1-piece price: $7.95 $7.95 $4.49 $4.95 $6.95 $6.95 $3.75 $3.97
1 On Pololu carrier board, at room temperature, and without additional cooling.
2 Maximum theoretical current based on components on the board (additional cooling required).

STSPIN­820

DRV8825

TB67S279­FTG

TB67S249­FTG

DRV8434

DRV8434A

DRV8434S,
Pot. Max.

DRV8434S,
2A Max.
Driver chip: STMicro
STSPIN­820
TI
DRV8825
Toshiba
TB67S279­FTG
Toshiba
TB67S249­FTG
TI DRV8434 TI DRV8434A TI DRV8434S
Min operating voltage: 7 V 8.2 V 10 V 10 V 4.5 V 4.5 V 4.5 V
Max operating voltage: 45 V 45 V 47 V 47 V 48 V(3) 48 V(3) 48 V(3)
Max continuous current per phase:(1) 0.9 A 1.5 A 1.1 A 1.6 A 1.2 A 1.2 A 1.2 A
Peak current per phase:(2) 1.5 A 2.2 A 2 A 4.5 A 2 A 2 A 2 A
Microstepping down to: 1/256 1/32 1/32 1/32 1/256 1/256 1/256
Board layer count: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Special features: Auto Gain Control,
ADMD
Auto Gain Control,
ADMD
6 decay modes
with 2 smart
tune options
Stall detect,
smart tune ripple
control decay
SPI control, stall detect,
8 decay mode options
Available with headers soldered?: Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
1-piece price: $14.95 $15.95 $10.75 $12.95 $9.95 $12.95 $12.95 $12.95
1 On Pololu carrier board, at room temperature, and without additional cooling.
2 Maximum theoretical current based on components on the board (additional cooling required).
3 Not recommended for use with 48V batteries, which can be well above nominal when fully charged.

This category also includes several larger driver modules that generally can deliver more current and offer more features than the more compact drivers above:

TB67S279­FTG Full Breakout TB67S249­FTG Full Breakout AMIS-⁠30543 TB67S128­FTG High-Power Stepper
Motor Driver 36v4
Driver chip: Toshiba
TB67S279­FTG
Toshiba
TB67S249­FTG
onsemi
AMIS-30543
Toshiba
TB67S128­FTG
TI DRV8711
Min operating voltage: 10 V 10 V 6 V 6.5 V 8 V
Max operating voltage: 47 V 47 V 30 V 44 V 50 V
Max continuous current per phase:(1) 1.2 A 1.7 A 1.8 A 2.1 A 4 A
Peak current per phase:(2) 2 A 4.5 A 3 A 5 A 6 A
Microstepping down to: 1/32 1/32 1/128 1/128 1/256
Board layer count: 2 2 2 2 2
Dimensions: 1.0″ × 1.4″ 1.0″ × 1.4″ 1.0″ × 1.2″ 1.2″ × 1.6″ 1.3″ × 1.2″
Special features: Auto Gain Control,
ADMD,
high max voltage
Auto Gain Control,
ADMD,
high max voltage,
high current
SPI interface,
low-EMI PWM,
high current,
1/128 microstepping,
back EMF feedback
Auto Gain Control,
ADMD,
high max voltage,
high current,
1/128 microstepping,
optional serial interface
extra-high current,
high max voltage,
SPI interface,
1/256 microstepping,
back EMF feedback,
stall detection
1-piece price: $12.75 $14.95 $19.95 $15.95 $24.95
1 On Pololu carrier board, at room temperature, and without additional cooling.
2 Maximum theoretical current based on components on the board (additional cooling required).

For higher-level control of a stepper motor, consider our Tic Stepper Motor Controllers, which feature some of the same stepper motor driver ICs as our carrier boards combined with an on-board microcontroller that intelligently generates the low-level control signal in response to a variety of interfaces, such as USB for direct connection to a computer, TTL serial and I²C for use with a microcontroller, RC hobby servo pulses for use in an RC system, analog voltages for use with a potentiometer or analog joystick, and quadrature encoder for use with a rotary encoder dial. The Tics also offer a wide array of settings that can be configured over USB through a free software utility.

Subcategories

These carrier boards for TI’s DRV8434x bipolar stepper motor drivers feature adjustable current limiting and 11 microstep resolutions (down to 1/256-step). They operate from 4.5 V to 48 V and can deliver approximately 1.2 A continuous per phase (2 A peak). Several versions are available with options like integrated stall detection and SPI control.

These carrier boards for Toshiba’s TB67S2x9FTG bipolar stepper motor drivers feature adjustable current limiting, adaptive gain control technology, seven microstep resolutions (down to 1/32-step), and more. They operate from 10 V to 47 V and can deliver approximately 1.2 A or 1.7 A phase without a heat sink (depending on the version).

These carrier boards for the MPS MP6500 bipolar stepper motor driver feature adjustable current limiting, over-current and over-temperature protection, and four microstep resolutions (down to 1/8-step). They operate from 4.5 V to 35 V and can deliver approximately 1.5 A per phase without a heat sink (driver is rated for up to 2.5 A per coil).

These carrier boards for TI’s DRV8825 bipolar stepper motor driver feature adjustable current limiting, over-current and over-temperature protection, and six microstep resolutions (down to 1/32-step). They operate from 8.2 V to 45 V and can deliver approximately 1.5 A per phase without a heat sink (they are rated for up to 2.2 A per coil).

These carrier boards for Allegro’s A5984 stepper motor drivers are great low-cost solutions for controlling bipolar stepper motors. They operate from 8 V to 40 V and can deliver up to 1.2 A continuous per phase (2 A peak). Fixed and adjustable current limit versions are available.

These Black Edition drivers are higher-performance drop-in replacements for the original A4988 stepper motor driver carrier. They feature a four-layer PCB for better thermal performance, allowing the A4988 microstepping bipolar stepper motor driver to deliver approximately 20% more current than our two-layer version.

These carrier boards for Allegro’s A4988 bipolar stepper motor driver feature adjustable current limiting, over-current and over-temperature protection, and five microstep resolutions (down to 1/16-step). They operate from 8 V to 35 V and can deliver approximately 1 A per phase without a heat sink (they are rated for up to 2 A per coil).

These carrier boards for STMicro’s STSPIN220 bipolar stepper motor drivers feature nine different microstepping resolutions down to 1/256-step, adjustable current limiting, and operation down to 1.8 V.

These carrier boards for STMicro’s STSPIN820 bipolar stepper motor drivers feature eight different microstepping resolutions down to 1/256-step, adjustable current limiting, and a wide operating range of 7 V to 45 V.


Products in category “Stepper Motor Drivers”

Pololu item #: 3730
Brand: Pololu supply outlook
Status: Active and Preferred 
RoHS 3 compliant
Out of stock.
Quantity:

This discrete MOSFET stepper motor driver enables control of one bipolar stepper motor. It supports a wide 8 V to 50 V operating voltage range and can deliver up to 4 A continuous per phase without a heat sink or forced air flow (6 A max with sufficient additional cooling). The SPI interface allows configuration of the current limiting, step mode (9 step modes from full-step through 1/256-step), decay mode, and stall detection. The driver also provides back-EMF feedback that can be used for more advanced control and stall detection algorithms. Additional features include reverse-voltage, under-voltage, and over-current protection.

Pololu item #: 2998
Brand: Pololu supply outlook
Status: Active and Preferred 
RoHS 3 compliant
Out of stock.
Quantity:

This breakout board makes it easy to use Toshiba’s TB67S128FTG microstepping bipolar stepper motor driver, which features adjustable current limiting and microstepping down to 1/128-step. In addition, it has the ability to dynamically select an optimal decay mode by monitoring the actual motor current, and it can automatically reduce the driving current below the full amount when the motor is lightly loaded to minimize power consumption and heat generation. The driver has a wide operating voltage range of 6.5 V to 44 V and can deliver approximately 2.1 A per phase continuously without a heat sink or forced air flow (up to 5 A peak). It features built-in protection against under-voltage, over-current, and over-temperature conditions; our carrier board also adds reverse-voltage protection (up to 40 V).

Pololu item #: 2970
Brand: Pololu supply outlook
Status: End-of-Life Rationing 
RoHS 3 compliant
Out of stock.
Quantity:

This is a breakout board for ON Semiconductor’s AMIS-30543 microstepping bipolar stepper motor driver, which features SPI-adjustable current limiting, 11 step modes (from full-step through 1/128-step), back-EMF feedback that can be used for stall detection or optional closed-loop control, and over-current and over-temperature protection. The board operates from 6 V to 30 V and can deliver up to approximately 1.8 A per phase without a heat sink or forced air flow (it is rated for 3 A per coil with sufficient additional cooling).

Pololu item #: 2134
Brand: Pololu supply outlook
Status: Active and Preferred 
RoHS 3 compliant
Out of stock.
Quantity:

This is a breakout board for TI’s DRV8834 microstepping bipolar stepper motor driver. It has a pinout and interface that are nearly identical to those of our A4988 carriers, so it can be used as a drop-in replacement for those boards in many applications. The DRV8834 operates from 2.5–10.8 V, allowing stepper motors to be powered with voltages that are too low for other drivers, and can deliver up to approximately 1.5 A per phase continuously without a heat sink or forced air flow (up to 2 A peak). It features adjustable current limiting, overcurrent and overtemperature protection, and six microstep resolutions (down to 1/32-step). This board ships with 0.1″ male header pins included but not soldered in.

Pololu item #: 2874
Brand: Pololu supply outlook
Status: Active and Preferred 
RoHS 3 compliant
Out of stock.
Quantity:

This version of our DRV8834 Low-Voltage Stepper Motor Driver Carrier ships with male header pins installed, so no soldering is required to use it with an appropriate 16-pin socket or solderless breadboard. Please see the DRV8834 Low-Voltage Stepper Motor Driver Carrier product page for more information about the driver.

Related Categories

Motion Control Modules
Tic Stepper Motor Controllers
Stepper Motors
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Solderless Breadboards
Premium Jumper Wires
Wires with Pre-Crimped Terminals
Crimp Connector Housings
0.1″ (2.54 mm) Male Headers
0.1″ (2.54 mm) Female Headers
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