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How to switch on/off stepper motors, besides relays?

Eric Bader
Prodigy 155 points
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MSP430F5438, TPS22960, TPS2092

Hi everyone,

I am not sure to be at the right section of the community, could you tell me where to redirect it if not?.... I usually wander around the MSP430 section.

I am designing a main board (with a MSP430F5438) that would control 2 stepper motors boards. I have done a first post yesterday, explaining the full thing:

"How to get 4 UART on a MSP430?".

For energy consumption reason, I want to switch off the stepper motor boards when they are not used. 

 

My idea is to install two relays that would be controlled via the main board MSP430F5438.

Both relay coils run at 5V, one drawing 30 mA (150mW)  and the other one 89 mA (450 mW).

What would be the appropriate drivers TI offers for these requirements?

Would there be another way to do it,  faster without relays?

Thanks a lot for coming answer.

  • 0
    TI__Guru 56925 points

    Eric,

    I'm not an expert on driving stepper motors, but I would think that a MOSFET in place of a relay would work just fine as long as the ground of the main control board and the ground of the stepper-motor are common.  If they don't have a common ground, you should be able to use an N-channel MOSFET from the control boards ground to pull-down on a P-channel FET from the stepper motors source.

    I would also consiser a catch diode reverse biased across the stepper motors input to catch any current in the motor's windings when you disconect the supply.

  • 0 in reply to Peter James Miller
    TI__Expert 5640 points

    We also have some more integrated solutions that might allow you to get rid of the relay.  We have load switches that allow a logic level signal to switch higher current loads on and off.  Look at the TPS22960 which is a dual load switch with slew rate control or the TPS2092 which is a dual switch with current limit and thermal protection.