DRV8825 Stepper Motor Driver - Complete Guide

In this post I go over how to use the DRV8825 Stepper Motor Controller. We will learn about the basics of the DRV8825, how to use the microstepping function of the DRV8825, how to set the current limit to avoid exceeding your motor current limit, how to connect to Arduino, and we will go over several examples.

Examples

Move from one position to another

#include <AccelStepper.h>

// Define stepper pins
#define STEP_PIN 3      // Step pin
#define DIR_PIN 2       // Direction pin

// Microstepping control pins
#define M0_PIN 7
#define M1_PIN 6
#define M2_PIN 5

// Steps per revolution for the motor
const float stepsPerRevolution = 200;
// Microstepping multiplier (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32)
int microstepSetting = 1;

// AccelStepper instance in driver mode
AccelStepper stepper(AccelStepper::DRIVER, STEP_PIN, DIR_PIN);

// Function to calculate steps based on desired rotations
float convert_rotational_position_to_steps(float rotations) {
  return rotations * stepsPerRevolution * microstepSetting;
}

void setup() {

  // Set microstepping pins as outputs
  pinMode(M0_PIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(M1_PIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(M2_PIN, OUTPUT);

  // Set microstepping mode (adjust as needed: HIGH or LOW)
  digitalWrite(M0_PIN, LOW);  // Adjust microstepping settings as needed
  digitalWrite(M1_PIN, LOW);
  digitalWrite(M2_PIN, LOW);

  // Set the max speed and acceleration
  float MaxRPM = 300; // Set max speed in rpm (revolutions per minute)
  float Max_Speed_StepsPerSec = microstepSetting * stepsPerRevolution * MaxRPM / 60; // Specify max speed in steps/sec (converted from RPM)
  stepper.setMaxSpeed(Max_Speed_StepsPerSec);
  
  float AccelRPMperSec = 3000; // Set acceleration in rpm/sec
  float Accel_StepsPerSec2 = microstepSetting * stepsPerRevolution * AccelRPMperSec / 60;
  stepper.setAcceleration(Accel_StepsPerSec2);
  
  // Move to position 0 as the starting point
  stepper.setCurrentPosition(0);
}

void loop() {
  // Move to 3 o'clock position
  stepper.moveTo(convert_rotational_position_to_steps(0.25));
  while (stepper.distanceToGo() != 0) {
    stepper.run();
  }
  delay(500);

  // Move to 9 o'clock position
  stepper.moveTo(convert_rotational_position_to_steps(0.75));
  while (stepper.distanceToGo() != 0) {
    stepper.run();
  }
  delay(500);

  // Move to 6 o'clock position
  stepper.moveTo(convert_rotational_position_to_steps(0.50));
  while (stepper.distanceToGo() != 0) {
    stepper.run();
  }
  delay(500);

  // Move to 12 o'clock position
  stepper.moveTo(convert_rotational_position_to_steps(1));
  while (stepper.distanceToGo() != 0) {
    stepper.run();
  }
  delay(500);

  // Move to starting position (will rotate in opposite direction)
  stepper.moveTo(convert_rotational_position_to_steps(0));
  while (stepper.distanceToGo() != 0) {
    stepper.run();
  }
  
  delay(2000);
}

#include <AccelStepper.h>

// Define stepper pins

#define STEP_PIN 3 // Step pin

#define DIR_PIN 2 // Direction pin

// Microstepping control pins

#define M0_PIN 7

#define M1_PIN 6

#define M2_PIN 5

// Steps per revolution for the motor

const float stepsPerRevolution = 200;

// Microstepping multiplier (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32)

int microstepSetting = 1;

// AccelStepper instance in driver mode

AccelStepper stepper(AccelStepper::DRIVER, STEP_PIN, DIR_PIN);

// Function to calculate steps based on desired rotations

float convert_rotational_position_to_steps(float rotations) {

return rotations * stepsPerRevolution * microstepSetting;

}

void setup() {

// Set microstepping pins as outputs

pinMode(M0_PIN, OUTPUT);

pinMode(M1_PIN, OUTPUT);

pinMode(M2_PIN, OUTPUT);

// Set microstepping mode (adjust as needed: HIGH or LOW)

digitalWrite(M0_PIN, LOW); // Adjust microstepping settings as needed

digitalWrite(M1_PIN, LOW);

digitalWrite(M2_PIN, LOW);

// Set the max speed and acceleration

float MaxRPM = 300; // Set max speed in rpm (revolutions per minute)

float Max_Speed_StepsPerSec = microstepSetting * stepsPerRevolution * MaxRPM / 60; // Specify max speed in steps/sec (converted from RPM)

stepper.setMaxSpeed(Max_Speed_StepsPerSec);

float AccelRPMperSec = 3000; // Set acceleration in rpm/sec

float Accel_StepsPerSec2 = microstepSetting * stepsPerRevolution * AccelRPMperSec / 60;

stepper.setAcceleration(Accel_StepsPerSec2);

// Move to position 0 as the starting point

stepper.setCurrentPosition(0);

}

void loop() {

// Move to 3 o'clock position

stepper.moveTo(convert_rotational_position_to_steps(0.25));