I used a number of Pololu products in this project (a #3114 A-Star 32U4Prime SV, a #3140 Tic 36v4 microstepping controller, and a #2267 17 frame stepping motor). The I2C interface between the Arduino and the stepper controller was a cinch, thanks to the Tic Stepper Motor Controller library for Arduino. As tends to be the case with projects I start, whether at work or for personal goals, this took a lot more time and effort than I anticipated when I first started. But once in, I tend to power through, and make it to the finish line. This was a fun project, and I look forward to using it to make beautiful crystals.
Course 8 Guy (your founders will relate)