Hi, I have a question: can I use a drv8825 with a nema17-03 stepper motor that uses 1.2A and from the datasheet I found it uses 4.8V? also in a circuit of a project I see that they use 7.4V 2S 2000mah batteries to power the circuit, but in the datasheet I noticed that the drv8825 require a minimum of 8.2V, can you help me? Thanks in advance
Hello.
The rated voltage of a stepper motor is the voltage at which it draws its rated current. Since the DRV8825 (like the rest of our dedicated stepper motor divers) uses current chopping to limit the current that the stepper motor can draw, it is safe to drive them from higher voltages (assuming you properly set the current limit as described on the driver’s product page). As mentioned in the first answer in the FAQs tab of that product page, using a higher operating voltage is actually beneficial as the current is able to ramp up faster, which lets you achieve higher step rates than you could at the rated voltage.
The DRV8825 has a minimum operating voltage of 8.2V. The 7.4V value you mentioned is the nominal voltage of a 2S LiPo battery; when fully charged they are around 8.4V, which would probably work fine for a little while (until it discharges back down below 8.2V). However, if you’re going to use a LiPo battery with the DRV8825, I would generally recommend a 3S (11.1V nominal) or higher.
Brandon