Stepper Motor Driver Selection and Jumper Settings

Many questions are asked about the important considerations regarding driver selection and jumper settings for stepper motors. At Şahin Rulman, we have prepared a blog post on this topic, covering stepper motor driver selection, connecting the stepper motor to the driver board, and stepper motor driver jumper settings. In our article, we will first discuss the important points to consider when selecting a driver for a stepper motor. Next, we will provide visual support on how to connect the stepper motor to the driver board. Finally, we will share details about the jumper settings for the stepper motor driver. We hope you find this blog post useful and wish you happy reading.

Driver Selection for Stepper Motors

Selecting the largest possible step motor driver ensures smooth operation of the step motor and increases performance by up to 15%. It is important to note that the amperage on the motor label must not be lower than the minimum supply amperage of the driver. If the minimum amperage value is higher than that on the motor label, the motor will receive excess amperage and overheat.
The driver’s ability to withstand high voltage directly affects the motor’s power. For example, powering the same stepper motor with 48 volts instead of 24 volts will yield nearly double the performance.

Power Supply Selection for Stepper Motors

When selecting voltage supply for drivers, environmental conditions must be taken into account. Switch mode (SMTP) power supplies have an integrated architecture designed for constant current. This is not a problem with quality brands, but with cheap brands, power supply failures have occurred within time intervals such as 6 months. During start-stop cycles, the ampere cycling between 0-4 amperes over time wears out the integrated circuits and damages the power supply. As a solution, we recommend our toroidal transformers to our customers. The reason for using toroidal transformers is that the output voltage loss during start-stop cycles found in sheet metal transformers is absent in toroidal transformers. During start-stop, inertial forces must be overcome in addition to mechanical friction. The part where the stepper motor is under the main load is the start-stop movements. The fact that laminated transformers suffer voltage loss at precisely this moment reduces the power of the system. Whether toroidal or laminated transformers are used, a margin must be provided according to the driver’s endurance. Voltage differences between night and day in some city grids necessitate this margin. For example, it is common for a city grid that should be 220 volts to actually be 270 volts.

Stepper Motor and Driver Board Connection

After providing information on selecting a driver and power supply for stepper motors, we can now begin discussing the connection between the stepper motor and the driver board. After purchasing a stepper motor driver board that matches the stepper motor’s voltage, current, NEMA rating, and phase values, the step settings are configured. You can adjust the microstepping settings using the switch on the stepper motor driver. Additionally, it is worth noting that the stepper motor driver board connection settings vary depending on the brand and model of the driver you have selected, so it is advisable to refer to the driver’s datasheet.

1) Connection Settings for Step Motor Drivers with Positive and Negative Output Devices

You can use the following connection diagram for positive output devices.

After the output connection is made, you can adjust the settings for the required resistance values for the connection using the standard connection diagram below, taking into account the output voltage conditions.

2) Stepper Motor Driver Standard Connection Diagram

After the standard connection settings are made, the current settings, microstep settings, power connection, and motor connection settings vary depending on the selected driver. Additionally, the causes and solutions for rotation issues, position, and speed problems that occur in the stepper motor driver are detailed in the datasheet file for the purchased driver connection settings.

Stepper Motor Driver Jumper Settings

There are three sections in the jumper settings of stepper motor drivers. The first section is usually the ampere (current) setting section. It is important to note that the driver’s ampere setting should be the same as the motor’s rated value in parallel connection, and half the rated value in series connection. Series connection is not used in externally powered stepper motor drivers. The driver becomes overloaded. In fact, when connected in series and the rated value is entered, the motor overheats and reacts. In overheated motors, the magnet life decreases, and torque values drop over time. The way to reduce heating in stepper motors is through high voltage and low amperage settings. A 70-volt supply and 2-amp setting is ideal. If sufficient acceleration and deceleration ramps are provided according to this setting, the ideal system is achieved.

The ampere setting in the stepper motor driver jumper settings is the supply ampere when the motor is in motion. The second section, the holding torque ampere setting, is usually placed on the drivers. In most drivers on the market, switch number 4 is related to this setting.
When switch number 4 is in the ON position, the driver system stops and applies the full ampere setting configured for motor movement. When in the OFF position, the driver stops the system by applying full ampere for 1 second, then maintains the system by applying half ampere. The preferred setting is usually to keep switch 4 = > in the OFF position. In some systems, the motor remains on for hours, but the system is not in motion. Since full amperage is applied for holding torque, the motor heats up quickly and is exposed to excessive heat after a while. This situation shortens the motor’s life. If holding force is very important for the system, switch number 4 is set to the ON position. This ensures that the driver holds the system’s position at full force.

Another step motor driver setting section is the resolution setting. This section specifies how many parts the motor’s one revolution (360 degrees) will be divided into. Generally, motors available on the market are two-phase. These motors divide 360 degrees into 200 parts. The driver, with its “microstep” feature, increases this number of parts from two hundred to up to 40,000.
To keep the vibration of the stepper motor at an acceptable level, the setting required on the market is 1000 pulses or 1600 pulses. Recently, the 1600 pulse setting has become increasingly popular. In some stepper motor drivers, the microstep pulse count is provided directly as 1600, while in others it is provided as a multiplier. We can give an example of the calculation logic for drivers that provide it as a multiplier:

• It is in the form of 8 x 200 = 1600 pulses. When the factor of 8 is selected, 1 revolution equals 1600 pulses because it comes from 200 motors.

In milling (CNC router) and automation applications, settings of 5000 or 8000 pulses are used to significantly reduce vibration in applications such as 1600 pulses and lasers.
While increasing the microstep setting is the right choice for reducing vibration, very high hertz values exceed the detection level of the drivers, which means lost pulses. Factory catalogs generally indicate a pulse processing time of 45,555 nanoseconds. A breathing time of 10,000 nanoseconds is the average value required for a total of 55,555 nanoseconds per pulse. Even if a faster pulse is fired, the driver will not be able to detect and process it before loading the new pulse, resulting in lost pulses.

• 60 seconds = 60,000,000,000 nanoseconds
• 60,000,000,000 / 55555 = 1080010.80 pulses (per minute)
• 1080010.80/1600 = 675 revolutions per minute (step motor’s effective operating range is 0-400 rpm)

On the other hand, experienced users of PLCs and similar devices send pulses up to a maximum of 20,000 hertz to stepper motor drivers. In this case, to set 1600 pulses:

• 20000×60 seconds =>1200000 pulses;
• 1200000/1600 =>750 revolutions per minute.

750 RPM is approximately twice the 0-400 RPM range in which the stepper motor operates effectively and efficiently. Consequently, low pulse resolution is suitable for high-speed applications, while high pulse resolution is appropriate for low-speed applications.
We have come to the end of our blog post on stepper motor driver selection, stepper motor-driver board connection, and stepper motor driver jumper settings. If you have any questions on this topic, you can contact us at 0212 576 04 06. You can access the datasheets for our 2-phase stepper motor drivers and 3-phase stepper motor drivers, which are compatible with stepper motors, on our website. We would like to remind you that you can review our stepper motor driver options via the relevant links. We wish you a good day.