Use Arduino to Control a Large Stepper Motor! Part 2

Testing code from three different Arduino programs to drive the large NEMA 34 Stepper, then increasing the load on the shaft to see how the Stepper handles the additional weight!

Video Tutorial on how to control large, Nema 34 Stepper motors with an Arduino, a 24V power supply and an ST-M5045 microstepping driver.

I'm no expert on this subject matter and am anticipating (hoping!) others may have comments with even better hardware or software tips and tricks - but in the meantime there doesn't seem to be much content on YouTube on driving large Steppers with Arduino's, and I've had quite a few email inquiries about it, so here it is!

In this video, we machine a 0.75" hole in a ~7LB, 15" 1/4 inch steel plate, then turn a bushing which will let us secured the plate to the stepper D-shaft.

If you enjoy this NYC CNC video please hit the like button and share with a friend, it really goes a long way!

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[BarreraFamilyTexas]

About a year ago I pulled all the stepper motors out of 5 copiers that were being disposed of. I have searched from time to time for videos on controlling larger stepper motors with my Arduino so I am thrilled to find your youtube channel. I also found that Adafruit has a new motor shield (v2.0) that will run "1.2A per channel and 3A peak current capability"  much better than their older motor shield!!  You can also stack them. "32 stackable shields: that's 64 steppers"

[rhost]

Thumbs up, the wobble you are seeing is because you are landing on a microstep and its balanced between two full steps. The accel and decel has me thinking about rolling my own DIY surface grinder.

[jakeketchum]

I follow your channel more generally, but actually ran across this video while looking up the driver. Really appreciate your taking the time make these video's.

[thebitbarn]

I have read the comments, Picky, picky, . NYC CNC I feel your pain in trying to show people something that you have put a lot of thought into and built by hand. Let me tell you about me, I'm an electrical engineer and I would be considered an expert in stepper motors and drives. So on that note if you have any question ask away. As for the question of the motor micro stepping, what you are seeing is phase mismatch. This is caused by your drive not being tuned to your motor. Sure it will run it but as you have found it skips a lot and you loose power and precision. I will try to explain basic electronics theory to you and you have probably have heard this before but one rule of thumb is the higher the frequency the lower the power. As you ramp that drive up you can hear the harmonics in it. Most PWM systems don't really sing like that unless there is a drive problem or an impedance problem this is an incompliance between your phases . For your drive to function properly will need some type of feed back. And lastly you don't lose torque while micro stepping you have the same amount of power regardless of the step size. Micro stepping is for precision period.
You should have the same amount of torque all the way up the ramp. If anything you are flat lining that power supply. Might want to get a bigger one. Other than that keep trying and keep learning.

[rexpimplemyer]

Thank you for posting these, even if I'm late to the party. Awesome demo's of bringing the Arduino into a "man's world". Most seem to treat the Arduino like some little novelty toy for entertainment. Like you, I want to put this puppy through its paces for "practical"uses. Nice to see someone like myself with tech AND industrial experience.

[kgsxrk]

Thumbs up John. Been a faithful viewer since the apartment days.

[adisharr]

As you step through your frequency range you'll also find a point where the stepper may seem to get stuck or resonate. Standard stepper driver systems are notorious for this and the solutions range from skipping the resonant freq. to installing shaft dampeners.

[adisharr]

Microstepping (lowest torque) will give you increased resolution but the accuracy is fairly non-linear unless you're on a half or full step.

Full stepping dual phase will give you maximum torque but require twice the motor current (2 motor phases energized all the time).

Half stepping torque falls in between full step dual phase and half step.

[gearhed]

Thanks for the tests.Your experiments help everyone understand a little more than we knew before.

[InspireCNC]

i hooked up the pul+5 dir+ 5 to my 5v pin on my arduino, set up pul- to pin 9 and dir- to pin 8 like the directions, dc +/- goes to my dc power supply, and the motor hook up is correct. i wrote the arduino program to set pin 9 on high for 1000 miliseconds, then to turn off for 1000 inside of a loop. my motor wont turn though, it will hesitate for a fraction of a second, then does the delay that my program wrote, then hesitates again. any idea whats wrong?

[jimhall]

Thank you for your videos.  One comment, perhaps you could move your control electronics (on off and pot) to the front so you don't need to reach across the moving parts.

[Keith_Ward]

The step rate and size are really a matter of your application. You should experiment between full, half, and micro stepping as a trade off to what you need in torque, speed, or resolution.

[wilvanlierop]

The load must be analyzed carefully for optimum stepper motor performance. And inputs must be matched to the stepper motor and load. Damping may be required when load inertia is exceptionally high to prevent oscillation.

[NeoCNC]

Hi, I appreciate all the time and thought you put into these videos. Pay no attention to the "thumbs down trolls"

[bulletproofpepper]

thanks to you someone is telling the us how to add motors to our stuff.

[stevedelaire]

the one thing that is not quite clear (for me) is wiring schematic for the potentiometer and how that fits in the circuit
Thanks for posting

[iiianydayiii]

Also, thanks for the idea. I may use a setup like this (with a smaller stepper) for my lathe and mill power feeds.

[rhost]

Yes it’s possible to land on a micro step, but it isn’t actually a step. If you spin the rotor, you will feel it snapping to each pole detent in the stator. In a micro step, you’re actually balancing between the poles. If you vary the current, you can position the rotor at some ratio between those two points. At least that is my understanding, ymmv I may be completely off.

[ronald]

Will this system work with an Arduino Mega 2560 with a Ramps 1.4? I'm building an Ox CNC Router and I will be using 2-175 oz. in. steppers for the y-axis. A 340 oz. in stepper for the z axis and a 240 oz. in. stepper for the x-axis. I also plan on adding a 340 oz.in. stepper for a Rotary Table as an A-axis. All of these motors draw between 1 and 2 Amps maximum per phase.
The only other thing I have to wrap my head around is how to wire 8 wire bi-polar series stepper motors. I understand the method of determining which wires need to be paired. What I can't get my head around is what I do with the Center Tap Wires. Do I wire them together and not connect them to the board or something else? I have drivers for at least one axis at present but I would sooner have a neat and tidy package. Also I have a 36 volt 14 Amp main Power Supply to run the stepper motors and I will be adding a 48 volt Power Supply for a water cooled spindle.

I know my questions are a bit much but I depend upon you for the majority of the answers as you've made most of my decisions very easy to make since I started out with an X-2 Mini- Mill.

[paulpannabecker]

Good stuff as usual. Useful content, the chip making is always appreciated.