Description of A4988 driver:
A4988 stepper motor driver is a complete driver for microstepping motor with by default translator for easy operation. This is a 16 pin driver. A4988 driver is specially designed to drive bipolar microstepping motors in different modes like full-step, half-step, quarter-step, eighth-step and sixteenth-step and have output of approx. upto ±2A and 35V. A4988 driver also contains a stable offtime current regulator which is able to operate in mixed decay or slow modes.
The translator makes the implementation of A4988 easy. The motor is driven through one microstep with simple one input pulse on the STEP. A4988 has ideal interface for applications in case the complex microprocessor is overburdened or unavailable.
The A4988 driver automatically selects the current decay mode between mixed or slow. In mixed decay mode current control has consequences of less motor noise, greater step accuracy and minimized power dissipation. In mixed decay mode, initially the device is set to fast decay mode for proportion of fixed offtime and later to slow mode for the reminder of the offtime.
The breakout board for bipolar stepper motor with A4988 driver has features including adjustable over current, current limiting and over temp protection with resolution to five different microsteps.
Key features of A4988 driver include:
- Simple step and direction control interface
- Automatically detects or selects the current decay mode
- Synchronous ractification ability with less power loss
- Internal under voltage lockout
- Protection from cross-over current
- Compatible with 3.3V and 5V logic supply
- Thermal-shutdown circuit system
- Protection with grounded to earth
- Step mods can be selected among full, half, 1/4th, 18th, and 1/16th
A4988 stepper motor driver circuit diagram
Black Edition:
A4988 stepper motor driver carrier –black edition is also available in the market having 20% more performance with exception of thermal characteristics. This (Green) and the black edition are interchange able with each other.
Integrated hardware:
A4988 stepper motor driver carrier includes a 16 pin breakaway 0.1” male header. This header is to be soldered with a 0.1 female header or a breadboard. You may connect Motor lead directly to the breadboard.
Power connection:
The driver needs a 3V-5.5Volt logic supply across VDD and GND pins and an 8V-35V motor supply voltage which must be connected to VMOT and GND. There should be decoupling capacitors for these supplies near the board and they must be capable of supplying estimated (upto 4A) currents for motor supply.
How to control stepper motor with A4988 driver
