How A4988 driver might get Damaged?

Robotics and electronics discussion Electronics
1

Hi, I am using Arduino for first time. I am using A4988 driver for my stepper motor. How can I damage my Driver or the stepper motor connected to it? Here are the few concerns I was thinking

  1. If using 2 motors with A4988 driver one of then fully connected where as another A4988 driver VDD is connected to Arduino (5V) power supply and 24V VMOT motor supply. But motor is not connected to A4988, will it damage the driver if both power is on at all time and one motor is running?
  2. If using 2 motors with A4988 driver one of then fully connected where as another A4988 driver VDD is disconnected to Arduino (5V) power supply and connected with 24V VMOT motor supply. Motor is connected to A4988 as well, will it damage the driver or motor while another motor is running?
  3. Lastly besides set up the current limit for driver and common ground for driver with Arduino, what are other way to damage the A4988 driver or other parts? Thank you.
2

Hello.

In general, it is possible to damage electronics like our A4988 Stepper Motor Driver Carriers in many ways. I am not following all of the connections you are proposing, but to ensure that you do not accidentally damage your driver, I suggest reviewing our product page documentation and starting out by following the minimal wiring diagram.

If you have questions about a particular setup, can you post a connection diagram that shows what you want to do? Information about your motor and power supply would be useful too. You could also put the setup together and post some pictures of it before applying power, and I will let you know if it seems okay.

- Patrick