Hello everyone,

I know there are hundreds of threads on this topic and thousands of sites on the web that have completely run this topic into the ground. That being the case, there is also too much erroneous and out of date information, too many acronyms, and too much misuse of naming, so I've completely confused myself.

I need to do something very simple; control some 2 Phase Bipolar stepper motors (only full steps) from my PC. My preference is to buy something plug-n-play (as this is only a very small portion of my project), but I've only come across very expensive controllers with more features than I need.

My understanding is that I will need a UART (my motors will be far away and I need to use Serial cable); a Pulse Width Modulator for generating a signal of proper length, spacing and level; and an H-bridge for controlling forward and reverse.

Assuming this is even correct, I feel like I'm missing something. Knowing which coil to signal and how long to signal it for, is that on the software end?

I did find a website that has bipolar "drivers," http://home.lsces.co.uk/ModelEnginee...tructure_id=78
Are these sufficient for my needs (given they match the voltage/current ratings)?

I'd very much appreciate any guidance. At the moment, I'm at a bit of a loss.

Regards,
Sebastian

 

A device like the Allegro SLA7051 Motor Driver may work for you. It apparently generates all the required signals to the stepper motor (2A maximum), requiring only a clock input for motor speed and a direction control signal.