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How to Build a Stepper Controller

Stepper motors are electromechanical devices which are used for precise movement in automated systems. They differ from normal DC motors in that they require their power supply to be pulsed in order to generate movement.

Most stepper motors convert one pulse to a movement of 7.5 degrees of rotation. In order to generate these pulses, a PICAXE microprocessor circuit needs to be constructed and connected to the stepper motor via an L293D motor driver chip.

Things You'll Need

Bipolar stepper motor
PICAXE-08M proto board kit data sheet
PICAXE-08M proto board kit
Soldering iron
L293D datasheet
L293D driver IC
Side cutters
Thin gauge wire
Computer and data cable
Variable DC power supply

Instructions

Build Prototyping Board
- 1
  Insert the components into the proto board according to the PICAXE datasheet (see Resources).
- 2
  Check the polarity of the components and solder them in place.
- 3
  Connect the L293D integrated circuit to the PICAXE controller. Connect pins 4, 5, 12 and 13 via a heat sink to ground. Connect pins 1, 8, 9 an 16 to the positive side of the power supply. Use the thin gauge wire to make these connections on the proto board.
- 4
  Connect the remaining driver input pins to the PICAXE controller according to the datasheet (see Resources). Connect the stepper to pins 3, 6, 11 and 14 of the L293D chip.
Upload Code and Test the Circuit
- 5
  Connect the proto board to the computer using the PICAXE download cable.
- 6
  Input the code found in the PICAXE manual into the PICAXE software (see Resources).
- 7
  Connect the power supply and upload the code to your PICAXE chip.
- 8
  Remove the data cable, reset the power supply and test the stepper controller.

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