Empower your innovations with our advanced stepper motor driver, tailored to meet the demands of dynamic and precise motion.
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Stepper 9 Click is based on the TB67S581FNG, a two-phase bipolar stepping motor driver designed to control one bipolar stepping motor from Toshiba Semiconductor. The TB67S581FNG supports a PWM constant-current control drive and incorporates low on-resistance DMOS FETs, delivering a 2A maximum current. It can also provide a motor output voltage rating of around 40V and has integrated protection mechanisms such as over-current, over-temperature, and under-voltage lockout for error detection (red LO LED indicator). It supports full-step to 1/32 steps resolution for less motor noise and smoother control, with a built-in regulator that allows the motor to be driven by a single power supply. The current value in the PWM constant-current mode is set by the reference voltage obtained by the MCP1501, a high-precision voltage regulator. Also, the current threshold point of the TB67S581FNG, alongside MCP1501, can be set manually using an onboard trimmer labeled VREF. The TB67S581FNG supports various step resolution configurations through its control signals. These signals,
like step resolution settings, sleep mode, or LO/MO indicators, are controlled through the PCA9538A port expander, which establishes communication with the MCU via the I2C serial interface. In addition to this digital way of setting, these functions can also be selected manually via a multifunctional switch by selecting a particular switch (1,2,3 – Step Resolution Setting; 4 - Decay Mode Control). The PCA9538A also allows choosing the least significant bit (LSB) of its I2C slave address by positioning SMD jumpers labeled as ADDR SEL to an appropriate position marked as 0 and 1, alongside its interrupt feature routed to the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket. The CLK clock signal, routed to the default PWM position on the mikroBUS™ socket, shifts the current step and electrical angle of the motor with its every up-edge, while the Enable pin, labeled as EN and routed to the default CS position, controls the state of the output A and B stepping motor drive channels. Besides, all circuits can be stopped using the Sleep function and thus enable power saving mode. A simple DIR pin routed
to the default AN position on the mikroBUS™ socket allows MCU to manage the direction of the stepper motor (clockwise or counterclockwise) while the RST pin initializes an electrical angle in the internal counter to set an initial position. Achieving an initial electrical angle position is indicated via an onboard orange LED labeled as MO. The Stepper 9 Click supports an external power supply for the TB67S581FNG, which can be connected to the input terminal labeled as VM and should be within the range of 8.2V to 44V, while the stepper motor coils can be connected to the terminals labeled as B+, B-, A-, and A+. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.
Features overview
Development board
PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit is a cutting-edge hardware platform designed to evaluate microcontrollers within the PIC18-Q43 family. Central to its design is the inclusion of the powerful PIC18F57Q43 microcontroller (MCU), offering advanced functionalities and robust performance. Key features of this evaluation kit include a yellow user LED and a responsive
mechanical user switch, providing seamless interaction and testing. The provision for a 32.768kHz crystal footprint ensures precision timing capabilities. With an onboard debugger boasting a green power and status LED, programming and debugging become intuitive and efficient. Further enhancing its utility is the Virtual serial port (CDC) and a debug GPIO channel (DGI
GPIO), offering extensive connectivity options. Powered via USB, this kit boasts an adjustable target voltage feature facilitated by the MIC5353 LDO regulator, ensuring stable operation with an output voltage ranging from 1.8V to 5.1V, with a maximum output current of 500mA, subject to ambient temperature and voltage constraints.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU

Architecture
PIC
MCU Memory (KB)
128
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
48
RAM (Bytes)
8196
You complete me!
Accessories
Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards is a versatile hardware extension platform created to streamline the integration between Curiosity Nano kits and extension boards, tailored explicitly for the mikroBUS™-standardized Click boards and Xplained Pro extension boards. This innovative base board (shield) offers seamless connectivity and expansion possibilities, simplifying experimentation and development. Key features include USB power compatibility from the Curiosity Nano kit, alongside an alternative external power input option for enhanced flexibility. The onboard Li-Ion/LiPo charger and management circuit ensure smooth operation for battery-powered applications, simplifying usage and management. Moreover, the base incorporates a fixed 3.3V PSU dedicated to target and mikroBUS™ power rails, alongside a fixed 5.0V boost converter catering to 5V power rails of mikroBUS™ sockets, providing stable power delivery for various connected devices.
The 28BYJ-48 is an adaptable 5VDC stepper motor with a compact design, ideal for various applications. It features four phases, a speed variation ratio of 1/64, and a stride angle of 5.625°/64 steps, allowing precise control. The motor operates at a frequency of 100Hz and has a DC resistance of 50Ω ±7% at 25°C. It boasts an idle in-traction frequency greater than 600Hz and an idle out-traction frequency exceeding 1000Hz, ensuring reliability in different scenarios. With a self-positioning torque and in-traction torque both exceeding 34.3mN.m at 120Hz, the 28BYJ-48 offers robust performance. Its friction torque ranges from 600 to 1200 gf.cm, while the pull-in torque is 300 gf.cm. This motor makes a reliable and efficient choice for your stepper motor needs.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic

Step by step
Project assembly
Track your results in real time
Application Output
1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support
Library Description
This library contains API for Stepper 9 Click driver.
Key functions:
stepper9_set_direction
- This function sets the motor direction by setting the DIR pin logic state.stepper9_drive_motor
- This function drives the motor for the specific number of steps at the selected speed.stepper9_set_step_mode
- This function sets the step mode resolution settings.
Open Source
Code example
The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.
/*!
* @file main.c
* @brief Stepper 9 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of the Stepper 9 click board by driving the
* motor in both directions for a desired number of steps.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
*
* ## Application Task
* Drives the motor clockwise for 200 full steps and then counter-clockiwse for 400 quarter
* steps with 2 seconds delay before changing the direction. All data is being logged on
* the USB UART where you can track the program flow.
*
* @author Stefan Filipovic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "stepper9.h"
static stepper9_t stepper9;
static log_t logger;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
stepper9_cfg_t stepper9_cfg; /**< Click config object. */
/**
* Logger initialization.
* Default baud rate: 115200
* Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
* @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX
* are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will
* need to define them manually for log to work.
* See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
*/
LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );
// Click initialization.
stepper9_cfg_setup( &stepper9_cfg );
STEPPER9_MAP_MIKROBUS( stepper9_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == stepper9_init( &stepper9, &stepper9_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( STEPPER9_ERROR == stepper9_default_cfg ( &stepper9 ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
log_printf ( &logger, " Move 200 full steps clockwise \r\n\n" );
stepper9_set_step_mode ( &stepper9, STEPPER9_MODE_FULL_STEP );
stepper9_set_direction ( &stepper9, STEPPER9_DIR_CW );
stepper9_drive_motor ( &stepper9, 200, STEPPER9_SPEED_FAST );
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
log_printf ( &logger, " Move 400 quarter steps counter-clockwise \r\n\n" );
stepper9_set_step_mode ( &stepper9, STEPPER9_MODE_QUARTER_STEP );
stepper9_set_direction ( &stepper9, STEPPER9_DIR_CCW );
stepper9_drive_motor ( &stepper9, 400, STEPPER9_SPEED_VERY_FAST );
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
Additional Support
Resources
Category:Stepper