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Stepper Motor Driver

RICK SIMON
Prodigy 160 points
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DRV8885, DRV8880, DRV8880EVM, DRV8885EVM

I am looking for a VERY TURNKEY stepper motor driver.  This is the single motor I need to drive.

www.omc-stepperonline.com/9deg-thin-stepper-motor-125mm-05a-7ncm10ozin-14hr050504s-p-88.html

We have an evaluation kit for a ST L6470 chip and software where supposedly you simply enter the motor parameters (resistance, inductance, etc) and it supposedly spits out to the eval board all of the necessary parameter for the registers.  Their driver is very highly integrated, but I cannot seem to get it to work and there seems to be a lot more to it than they are saying.  I am not getting the support in the US that I feel they should have and my project is falling behind.

I am not a stepper motor expert and really don't have the time to become one.  Our focus on the project is a micro controller that talks via bluetooth to and app and then sends out commands (preferably over SPI) to the motor driver.  Does TI have a solution for driving a motor like this and make it VERY TURNKEY for me to work with the evaluation board and then the final design to be embedded with our micro?  Also, is there an engineer and TI that I can work with to help guide me through this development?

Thanks,

Rick

  • 0
    TI__Guru** 114905 points
    Hi Rick,

    There are several devices that may fit, such as the DRV8880 and DRV8885. Both of these have an EVM and GUI available for evaluation.

    Neither have a SPI interface, however. The interface is a STEP/DIR interface. This requires a STEP pulse to advance the motor one step, and a DIR input to control the direction.

    If you want to use a SPI interface, that may require a SPI device that can convert commands into the proper signals. You would need an ENABLE, STEP and DIRECTION at a minimum. Other signals can be configured via hardware.
  • 0 in reply to Rick Duncan
    Prodigy 160 points
    Thank you Rick. The STEP/DIR interface might work for us, but how easy is it to set up the parameters for our motor? I can try to get the eval board and download the software, but are you or someone available should I get stuck. The ST guys are in Italy! I need to know that I can make this VERY TURNKEY and someone is available should I get stuck. Can you email me your contact info? Thanks. Rick
  • 0 in reply to RICK SIMON
    TI__Guru** 114905 points
    Hi Rick,

    Are you using any special features of the ST device? If so, what features are you using?

    The biggest setting is the current chopping level. That requires setting a reference voltage at the VREF pin of the DRV8880 or setting a resistor on the DRV8885.

    I suggest you take a look at the DRV8880 and DRV8885 datasheet and DRV8880EVM and DRV8885EVM user guide. From this, you can see much of what is required.

    In general, the forum is the best place for support. It is monitored by several people in various locations, allowing support almost around the clock.
  • 0 in reply to Rick Duncan
    Prodigy 160 points
    No special features. I just want to run this motor at three speeds. They have a highly integrated IC with lots of smarts. I don't want to have to go through every register. They have a setup wizard that is supposed to make things simple, but I don't think it is working properly or I am not totally understanding it. I have a telecom tomorrow morning with their tech guys in Italy. Hopefully they get me working, otherwise, I may really need to get things going with the DRV8880 ASAP.