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Using BS2 to run stepper motor — Parallax Forums

Using BS2 to run stepper motor

Bzmicro7Bzmicro7 Posts: 12
edited 2012-12-27 11:57 in BASIC Stamp
Hi There, I need help. I wonder if I can use BS2 from my Robotics w/Boe-Bot project to run and control 1 or 2 stepper motors.
I would greatly apreciate any help I can get. Stepper motors are something new to me. Thanks.

Comments

  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-12-27 06:36
    Yes,, but there are two different types of steppers and they require different techniques. Unipolar steppers have five or six* leads and need something like a ULN2803A Darlington array to amplify the BS2 signals. Bipolar steppers have four leads and either require an H bridge and fancy coding or a driver chip.

    The cheapest source for a small unipolar stepper and driver chip in eBay:

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?141149-3-Stepper-Motor-amp-Board

    It's not fast, but it is cheap to learn with.

    * six lead steppers can be used as unipolar or bipolar.
  • Bzmicro7Bzmicro7 Posts: 12
    edited 2012-12-27 08:54
    Thank you very much for the reply. I was checking parallax site and I see a micro controller called Little Step-U. I have an educational set up (Robotics W/the Boe-Bot) with BS2 on it. Anybody knows where and how this Little Step-U connects to? Your help is greatly appreciated.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-12-27 11:57
    That's a serial stepper controller and that page includes BS2 samples, so it will definitely work. I read the documents quickly and it looks like it provides a comprehensive solution for a single unipolar stepper. It includes speed ramping, relative and absolute positioning, and limit switches. It uses three pins on the BS2 for async serial with a busy indicator.

    But that’s only a single channel, so depending upon your application you might need more than one.
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