How to interface
Stepper Motor with
STM32
Amir Hosein Narimani
4006003001
Stepper Motors Introduction
Stepper motors are electric motors that rotate in
precise steps instead of continuously. They offer
high precision in position control and are used in
various industries, including CNC machines,
robotics, and 3D/2D printers.
Types of Stepper motors:
There are 3 main types of stepper motors.
[Link] magnet Stepper motors
[Link] Reluctance Stepper Motor
[Link] Stepper motors
Now, based on coil combination, two types of
stepper motors are found.
[Link] Stepper motor and
2. Bipolar Stepper motor.
Unipolar Stepper motor:
This type of stepper motor has two coils per phase, and each coil can
be energized separately using a unipolar power supply. The direction
of the magnetic field generated by each coil can be reversed by
switching the direction of the current flow. Unipolar stepper motors
are relatively easy to control, but they have lower torque compared to
bipolar stepper motors.
Bipolar Stepper Motor:
Bipolar stepper motors: one coil per phase, stronger but
trickier.
* One coil, switchable current direction for magnetic field
control.
* Higher torque than unipolar motors.
* Needs more complex control circuit.
Interfacing Stepper Motor with
STM32:
• Driver Module: Utilize a stepper motor
driver like the A4988 to manage the
motor's current and simplify control. It
translates STM32 signals into power for
the motor.
• Connection: Connect the stepper motor's wires
(usually color-coded) to the corresponding pins
on the driver module. Then, connect the driver's
control pins (STEP, DIR, ENABLE, GND) to the
STM32. STEP typically uses a PWM output for
speed control, DIR is a digital output for
direction, ENABLE controls overall motor
activation, and GND connects to ground.
• STM32 Pin Configuration: Set up the STM32's
GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins to
interact with the driver. Configure DIR and
ENABLE as digital output pins, and the STEP
pin as a PWM output pin. Utilize the STM32's
timer peripherals to generate the PWM signal.
• Code for Control: Write code to control the
motor's movement. Generate pulse sequences
on the STEP pin; the number of pulses
determines speed (more pulses for faster), and
the pulse direction (high/low on DIR pin)
determines motor rotation (clockwise/counter-
clockwise). This allows for precise positioning
in your application.
A4988 Motor driver module:
Circuit diagram:
