„Pololu High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4“

Support Motor controllers/drivers and motors
1

Hello, I am using Pololu driver for the first time, so I have few questions about the Stepper Motor Driver „Pololu High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4“ and I hope you can help me through it.

  1. Is this driver compatible to any Arduino libraries, like Acelstepper for example. I noticed that there’s an example for the AMIS-30543 (you can find it below) with this Library, so I assume that it’s possible to use it with Pololu High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4. right?
  2. controlling the current through the SPI interface will not cause any problems. so if I make an algorithm to reduce the current in the stanstill situations, when the motor is not moving. in order to avoid any heating’s problems?
  3. using this Driver with a stepper Motor Nema23 (2.3v / 4.2A as rated current) requires any additionally cooling? especially if i am running it with 36V power supply
#include <SPI.h>
#include <AMIS30543.h>
#include <AccelStepper.h>

const uint8_t amisDirPin = 2;
const uint8_t amisStepPin = 3;
const uint8_t amisSlaveSelect = 4;

AMIS30543 stepper;
AccelStepper accelStepper(AccelStepper::DRIVER, amisStepPin, amisDirPin);

void setup()
{
  SPI.begin();
  stepper.init(amisSlaveSelect);
  delay(1);

  stepper.resetSettings();
  stepper.setCurrentMilliamps(132);
  stepper.setStepMode(32);
  stepper.enableDriver();

  accelStepper.setMaxSpeed(2000.0);
  accelStepper.setAcceleration(500.0);
}

void loop()
{
  accelStepper.runToNewPosition(0);
  delay(500);
  accelStepper.runToNewPosition(10000);
  delay(500);
}

thank you

2

Hello.

Welcome to the forum; I responded to an email you sent with similar questions just before seeing this post, but I will summarize what I said in my response just in case others come across this with the same questions:

  1. Yes, the High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4 is compatible with Arduino boards. We have a dedicated Arduino library for the High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4. The driver needs to be initialized through the SPI interface each time it is powered up. After it is initialized and configured through SPI, you can either continue to control it through SPI, or use the STEP/DIR interface. So, you should be able to use a separate library, like AccelStepper, once it is initialized and configured.

  2. That is correct; you can dynamically adjust the current limit when you are not stepping. However, please note that this motor driver has no meaningful over-temperature shut-off, and an over-temperature condition can cause permanent damage to the motor driver. So, we strongly recommend you do not increase the current limit setting beyond 4 A (or lower in applications with reduced heat dissipation) unless you can first confirm that the temperature of the MOSFETs will stay under 140°C.

  3. You can use the High-Power Stepper Motor Driver 36v4 with a 2.3V, 4.2A per phase stepper motor, but if you are doing so without additional cooling, you should set the current limit no higher than 4A per phase. This will slightly limit the torque and speed your motor will be able to achieve.

Brandon