Hello, I’m new to Arduino and steppers and I have a question that seems opposite to what people are usually asking. Please forgive me if this had already been answered.
I salvaged 2 steppers from a printer and I’m not sure if I can drive them with A4988 boards. Here’s the information about each of them:
Stepper 1:
Type - 2-phase 48-pole PM type stepping motor
Voltage - 42 V (DC voltage) ± 5% (voltage applied to the driver)
Winding resistance - 7.0Ω ± 10%(25°C/phase)
Inductance - 10.3mH ± 20%(1kHz, 1Vrms, 25°C)
Drive system Bipolar driving
2-2 phase, 1-2 phase, W1-2 phase, 2W1-2 phase, 4W1-2 phase
constant-current driving
Driving resolution 1/126.6 inch (0.201 mm/pulse) (2-2 phase excitation)
(Resolution on the Rear Paper Feed Roller)
I don’t know what is the maximum current that this stepper supports.
Stepper 2:
Type - 2-phase 200-pole HB stepping motor (Shinano Kenshi: SHP-35D1010)
Voltage - 42 V ± 5%
Winding resistance - 6.3Ω ± 10%(25°C/phase)
Inductance - 5.6mH ± 20%(1kHzÅA1VrmsÅA25°C)
Step angle - 1.8° /Full step
Drive system - Bipolar constant-current driving
Maximum rating - Power supply voltage 50 V, output current 800mA (per phase)
So, most people is asking about low voltage models, my question is about these 42V steppers - can I use A4988s to drive them?
TIA
Hello, Tia.
In general, it should be fine to use a stepper motor driver with your motor at a lower voltage than it i rated for, though that would mean you would also get less torque. From the specifications you gave, it looks like your motors are rated for over 5A each. None of our stepper motor drivers are appropriate for stepper motors that draw that much current, and I do not have any recommendations where to get higher power drivers.
-Derrill
Hello, Derril,
Thank you so much for your kind and fast answer. Less torque is not an issue at all; this first version will be used only for drawing and maybe some light carving - I’m trying to learn the principles of CNC and arduino trough these cheap experiments. I thought the stated 800mA were the maximum current they supported, 5A is indeed too much. I’ll probably just regulate the A4988 pot to permit no more then 1A current; while I have small heatsinks on top of the chips and a fan to cool the heatsinks, I prefer to remain safe.
BTW, my name is Pedro; TIA means Thanks In Advance 
Regards,
Pedro
Pedro, do you have any experience using a multimeter to test the functionality of your A4988?
Yes, I do.
Meantime I learned a few things and I have a smaller version working with
cdrom steppers. I hope to have some time in the near future to use those
bigger, stronger motors and build a new version.
Thank you.
