Just to give you some perspective, we did some tests with our #1207 stepper motor using a DRV8825 driver in half-step mode with the current limit set to 280 mA:
- 24V supply with a bare shaft → 1500 RPM top speed (10k pps)
- 24V supply with a fly wheel → 2000 - 3000 RPM top speed (15k - 20k pps)
- 12V supply with a bare shaft → 1000 RPM top speed (7k pps)
- 12V supply with a fly wheel → 1500 RPM top speed (10k pps)
To get these speeds, we needed to ramp the motor speed up from rest over several seconds. We have not conducted the same tests with our #1206 stepper motor, but I suspect the results will be similar. I suggest you try playing around with the microstep setting and ramp duration to see how that affects your results, and I would be very interested to hear what your results are.
A ramp-down is probably not very important unless there are additional mechanical considerations (e.g. if you have a heavy load spinning very fast, stopping abruptly could be rough on your system, and it could potentially cause your stepper motor to take a few extra unaccounted-for steps).
- Ben