Stepper Motor Without Protection Board

1

Hello!
I am trying to figure out how to connect a stepper motor without a breakout board. Almost all the tutorials I found for connecting a stepper motor to a Raspberry Pi include a breakout board. Is it possible to connect and control a stepper motor with a Raspberry Pi without a breakout board (perhaps using the GPIO pins directly)?
I’m using a 4-wire Nema 17 stepper motor: https://www.oyostepper.com/goods-50-Nema-17-Stepper-Motor-Bipolar-59Ncm-84ozin-2A-42x48mm-4-Wires-w%20%25%2020-1m-%20Cable-Connector.html
I also have a micro stepper motor: https://www.oyostepper.de/goods-111-Digitaler-Schrittmotortreiber-DM542T-Schrittmotor-Treiber-10-42A-20-50VDC-für-Nema%25%2020-%2017-%2023-24-Schrittmotor.html
Any help is welcome! Thanks in advance!

1 Like
2

Hello @Coco298396,

Welcome to the forum!

You’re right to notice that most tutorials use a breakout board or driver, and there’s a very important reason for that.

You cannot connect and control a stepper motor like your Nema 17 directly from the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins. Here’s why:

  1. GPIO pins can’t provide enough power
    Your Nema 17 stepper motor requires up to 2A of current per phase. The Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins can only supply a tiny amount of current—far less than what’s needed. Trying to drive the motor directly could damage your Pi or simply not work.
  2. GPIO pins can’t handle the required voltage
    The motor driver you’re referring to (DM542T) operates at 20–50V DC. The Raspberry Pi uses 3.3V logic and cannot handle or switch higher voltages directly. The GPIO pins aren’t designed for this kind of load.
  3. Stepper motors need proper drive signals
    To move a stepper motor, you need precise timing signals—specifically, pulse and direction control. While the Raspberry Pi can generate those signals through its GPIO pins, they must go into a motor driver. The driver then handles the high current and voltage required to move the motor.

What you should do instead:
Use your DM542T stepper driver. Connect the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins to the PUL+ (pulse) and DIR+ (direction) inputs on the driver. Connect your stepper motor coils to the A+/A- and B+/B- outputs on the driver. Power the driver with an external 24V DC supply. You can then control movement using Python code that generates pulses and direction signals.

1 Like
3

Hey @Coco298396, Welcome to the forums!

Unfortunately, the Pi won’t be able to drive a stepper motor directly. Ryan has done a good job of breaking down the why for you.

I would suggest something like this motor drive board to get your project up and running:

Hope this helps! :slight_smile: