Hi, I was wondering whether there is a way to control 4 Nema 17 stepper motors using an Arduino uno (is there a way of stacking the arduino motor shield as no-one stocks the adafruit one without having to wait a month for it). I originally got the arduino motor shield but can only control two stepper motors. It is for a robot for a uni project.
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Hi James.
Depends what variety of stepper (I think Nema 17 only refers to physical size, could be wrong here) and how many Digital outputs it takes per motor. I think some controllers have the smart bits on board and only need 'Step" and “direction” inputs in which can there should be no problem running 4. You may not be able to stack them directly though. There will be some wiring involved.
Cheers Bob
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Hello Bob,
Thankyou for the reply,
the motor I am using is this model: 34mm NEMA 17 Stepper Motor
the motor shield I am using is this model: https://www.auselectronicsdirect.com.au/servo-motor-controller-shield-for-arduino-projects
What controller were you refering to and also could you please clarify what you mean by the step and direction inputs because atm I can only fit two on the board
Thankyou,
James
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This kit will do it:
Arduino CNC Shield Kit (auselectronicsdirect.com.au)
It is generally described as a CNC shild and is designed for CNC machines and 3D printers (eg, with GRBL) but it is general enough to use for any purpose where you need to control multiple motors.
Kits come with a varying number of A4988 or DRV8825 compatible stepper driver modules, or you can source your own. It also has easy-to-use breakouts designed for things like limit switches and spindle motors, which are very adaptable for robotic components.
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Hi James.
That stepper you linked is a 4 wire device.
If you search the Core shop for “4 wire stepper driver” there are 1870 hits. I don’t have the time to go through them. A couple listed which will give you some idea of “step” and “direction” input devices are Pololu-2973 and Pololu-2128. These are single drivers but are very small. You will probably find multiple drivers I don’t know, I didn’t get that far. These only require the 2 controlling inputs mentioned and all the rest of the smarts are on board.
Cheers Bob
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Ok thankyou for that Bob - Appreciate your time and knowledge
thankyou for that Jeff - I will look into it
