Use Arduino to Control a Large Stepper Motor! Part 1

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.

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[cghkjhjkhjhvfghc]

Came to watch stepper motor Arduino programing and I got machining... And stayed interested the whole time. I believe this will be the second time I've subscribed. Thanks for the video.

[salvadorginez]

I like how you show all the process for doing your bush! Starting from machining, welding and programming. Very cool.

[jeffbeck]

Great video. You really brought it all together in this one from arduino to welding. It is really informative to see you do real work like that, and fun to watch you put all that together like it is nothing.

[HineJared]

Yeah just let me dangle my arm over this huge spinning hunk of metal that looks like a saw blade lol 

[RalphDratman]

I thought you said you were going to hang some weights on that wheel to demonstrate the power.

[jburns]

Thank you! Used three st-m5045 stepper controllers with an Arduino relay shield (on an Uno) to control two 35 year old M092-FD08 (current version is LS08) SloSyn NEMA 34 steppers and one M061-FD08 NEMA 23 stepper thanks to your video.

[opiekunca]

I just wanted to say that this was an excellent video and it hit close to home for me. It has been years since I found myself working with a lathe and drill press and I thought I could almost smell the machining through the screen haha!!! I'm currently also working with NEMA 34 steppers on a Senior Design Project for my Mechanical Engineering curriculum. Thank you for your post, perhaps I'll reciprocate once I have some working footage of my group's design.

[adithmart]

I like that you have a bottle of Dykem next to your oscilloscope. You can make just about anything that you want with those two.

[martinhavshjsrensen]

Hey John! Just want you to know, that I´m very thankfull that you´re spending your time making these videos. I´m learning a lot! Thanks!!! :)

[justcarcrazy]

24:30 Why does the motor make a fraction of a cycle initially, and how does one prevent that?

[fortneyfyve]

Thanks for the response. I was referring to the little black box. I don't have a stepper motor, but have run DC motors using a mosfet as a switch activated by arduino and connecting the high power supply. My concern really is whether I would need to buy more hardware than I already have to run a stepper motor.

[giova]

Hi I would send gcode from an Arduino to a Fanuc OM-B series. Could you help me?
2) I would monitoring this old machine (Sigma VC1000). Monitoring I mean know when start, stop, allarm, type allarm. Any idea? Thank you.

[Greebstreebling]

I've used the MA860H controller with a nema 34 stepper to power the rotating dome on my astronomical observatory. I use two 12v lead acid batteries to power the controller / stepper and it draws about 4 amps when running under load. The accelstepper library for arduino makes the programming fairly straightforward and there are useful usable example programs on the accelstepper site - I use the library particularly because it provides the acceleration feature used in this video. The controller can be powered by ac or DC, if you use DC, two batteries in series gives the minimum voltage on which the controller is specifies to work. There is a better controller - the DM860I (perhaps) for DC operation which has a similar spec, but can use a minimum DC voltage of 20V which is better with two batteries in series. I have found the controller to be really reliable and easy to use.

[GuyFawkes]

An Industrial Servo Motor would be awesome. Stepper and hobby Servos are fun and easy but Servos are just awesome.

[erikgutierrez]

I was quite surprised when you started doing the machining. tbh that was my favorite part of it! :D 

[NeonblueIndustries]

Great Vid man. Never Enough Space in the shop! Always the way!
24:07 "Intergalatic Planetary, Planetary Intergalactic" - Beasty Boys

[TexasSkyPilot]

Very good video. However, I do have a question when you ran the toothed gear at high speed. The gear wheel does not appear to be perfectly perpendicular to the NEMA drive shaft. If you watch the outer edge of the gear you notice an optical movement at high speed. If I am incorrect, then what is causing the optical wobble?
Thanks and I love your series of videos. You do great cinematography work with the camera placement also.

[alexandermcgilton]

For a part like this I'm aware that concentricity is not all that
important, however it's a bad practise to make parts to dimension prior to welding. The uneven heating of the hub during welding would have contorted the assembly. Ideally the centre hole would be drilled under size, then after welding be further drilled and reamed having been located by the out side sprocket teeth. Machined on either the mill table or a lathe face plate.

[RJGross]

Looks like an old Tormach 1100 stepper, it has the paint scheme. I have a set sitting around after my upgrade, thanks for the Video! 

[BikiniDuckCreations]

When you said you were going to "test it out", and seeing the slots in the disk, I was hoping you would hang some weights off of it to visualize the torque. :)