Project 11

Stepper Motor Control - Arduino Uno

Stepper motor control with Arduino
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Project Description

The stepper motor is a small, inexpensive, and highly reliable motor used for precise rotational control, operating by energizing its internal coils in sequence to rotate in accurate, fixed angular steps rather than spinning freely like DC motors. To drive the motor safely and efficiently, the ULN2003 driver module is used, which contains Darlington transistor arrays that amplify the low-current control signals into the higher currents needed to energize the motor coils in one after the other. Read more about stepper motors here

The stepper motor moves in exact steps of 1.25° for example.  This stepping function allows stepper motors to be used in applications such as 3D printers robotic arms, dial indicators, air-vent controllers, camera camera focus systems, and CNC positioning tasks. 

Components
  • Arduino Uno
  • ULN2003A
  • Jumper wires
  • Stepper motor
Code 


#define STEPPER_PIN_1 8
#define STEPPER_PIN_2 9
#define STEPPER_PIN_3 10
#define STEPPER_PIN_4 11
int step_number = 0;
void setup() {
pinMode(STEPPER_PIN_1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(STEPPER_PIN_2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(STEPPER_PIN_3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(STEPPER_PIN_4, OUTPUT);

}

void loop() {
 
  OneStep(false);
  delay(2);
  

}


void OneStep(bool dir){
    if(dir){
switch(step_number){
  case 0:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, LOW);
  break;
  case 1:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, LOW);
  break;
  case 2:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, LOW);
  break;
  case 3:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, HIGH);
  break;
} 
  }else{
    switch(step_number){
  case 0:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, HIGH);
  break;
  case 1:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, LOW);
  break;
  case 2:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, LOW);
  break;
  case 3:
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_1, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_3, LOW);
  digitalWrite(STEPPER_PIN_4, LOW);
 
  
} 
  }
step_number++;
  if(step_number > 3){
    step_number = 0;
  }
}

Taking things further
  • A robotic arm can be designed by combining servo motors
  • Steering system for boats and motors
  • Ventilation control