Hello
I am building a Robotic arm that use servos and a stepper motor I have a mini maestro 12, how to connect the stepper to the servo controller and what type of stepper driver I need for this ?
Hello.
If you want to control a stepper motor from a Maestro, you might check out our Tic Stepper Motor Controllers which support a variety of input methods, including RC servo pulses. An alternative would be adding a general microcontroller and a stepper driver or Tic. You might be able to control a stepper motor driver directly with a Maestro, but it would take some complex scripting and it is not likely to give results as precise as the other solutions.
If you tell me how you want to proceed and post some information about your stepper motor (like a datasheet), I might be able to give you some more specific recommendations about what Tic or stepper motor driver you could use.
- Patrick
Hi Patrick
Thanks for your answer, you mean a micro controller like an Arduino?
Yes, an Arduino or one of our Arduino-compatible A-Stars would probably be good choices for directing a Maestro and a Tic.
- Patrick
Hi Patrick
I check the Pololu site for Tic, but there so many, with version should I choose? my stepper is a bipolar 12 volts, also the tic need to connect to a computer to work?
If you send me a datasheet for your motor, or a link to where you got it, I might be able to help you figure out which specific Tic would work best.
The Tic is easiest to configure while connected to a computer using our software, but you do not have to have it connect to a computer at all times for it to work. The Tics support a variety of control inputs; if you are using it with an Arduino or some other microcontroller you will likely want to use the serial or I2C interface, which we have a library for. However, you cannot use a Tic by-itself as a standalone controller like the Maestro.
- Patrick
Hi Patrick
This is the motor
Nema 17 Bipolar 1.8deg 26Ncm (36.8oz.in) 0.4A 12V 42x42x34mm 4 Wires
- Ship from: United States
17HS13-0404S1
from stepper online https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/index.php?route=account/order/info&order_id=41930
Any of the Tics except for the Tic T834 should work with a stepper motor like that. The Tic T249 generally provides the smoothest motion because of its automatic gain control feature.
- Patrick
Hello Patrick
Thanks for your answer, I don’t know if I am asking to much, but here is what I try to do:
I need to make a stepper motor to perform as a servo, I have the Pololu servo controller 12 controlling 4 servos , the tic 500 with a nema 17, and a arduino one, how to interconnect them?
I suggest you check out the Tic user’s guide which is available on the product page under the resources tab. If you want to control your Tic from the Maestro, then you will want to check the RC control sections. If you want to control your Tic from your Arduino, then you will want to check out the serial or I2C control sections.
If you are still not sure about the connections after that, please post a diagram showing your proposed connections and I will take a look.
- Patrick
Hi Patrick
I decide to use the maestro and the Tic only, no Arduino, I check the users guide but I do not find any reference how to connect the maestro with the tic.
The Maestro sends the same kind of signals as RC receivers, so while the Tic user’s guide does not mention the Maestro specifically, you can he can use the RC control sections to figure out what to do.
- Patrick
Patrick
I figure it out, the stepper is working as a servo, I use two separate batteries 6 vol,2 AMP, to power the tick and the maestro, can I use a Power supply to power both?,
Using a single power supply or two separate batteries to power your devices both would be fine as long as each device is powered within its acceptable voltage range. You will also need to make sure that you always have a common ground between your devices.
- Patrick