Drive a bipolar stepping motor easily with TB67S549FTG and STM32F091RC
Smooth motor drive operation
Published Feb 26, 2024
Click board™
Stepper 12 Click
Dev. board
Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
STM32F091RC
Accurate rotation angle and speed control using pulse signals
A
A
Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Stepper 12 Click is based on the TB67S549FTG, a two-phase bipolar stepping motor driver designed to control one bipolar stepping motor with resistorless current sensing owing to the built-in function of Advanced Current Detect System (ACDS) from Toshiba Semiconductor. The TB67S549FTG incorporates low on-resistance DMOS FETs, which can deliver a 1.5A maximum current with a motor output voltage rating of 40V and integrated protection mechanisms such as over-current, over-temperature, and under-voltage lockout for error detection (LO LED indicator). It supports full-step to 1/32 steps resolution for less motor noise and smoother control, with a built-in Advanced Dynamic Mixed Decay (ADMD) function that helps stabilize the current waveforms. Thanks to the many steps that TB67S549FTG supports, motor noise can be significantly reduced with smoother operation and more precise control. It is suited to various applications such as office automation and commercial and industrial equipment. 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 TB67S549FTG, alongside MCP1501, can be set manually using an onboard trimmer labeled VR.
In addition to the I2C communication, several GPIO pins connected to the mikroBUS™ socket pins are also used to forward the information to the MCU associated with the PCA9555A port expander. The PCA9555A 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 PWM pin of 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 CS pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, controls the state of the output A and B stepping motor drive channels. The normal constant current control is started by turning the motor drive ON (HIGH level), while by setting the motor drive OFF, the outputs are turned high impedance because the MOSFETs are set to OFF (LOW level). Besides, all circuits can be stopped using the Sleep function and thus enable power saving mode. A simple DIR pin routed to the AN pin on the mikroBUS™ socket allows MCU to manage the direction of the stepper motor (clockwise or counterclockwise), while the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket
initializes an electrical angle in the internal counter to set an initial position. Achieving an initial position is indicated via onboard orange LED labeled as MO. A specific addition to this Click board™ is a multifunctional switch that allows the user, by selecting a particular switch, to set appropriate features such as 1 – Sleep Mode Activation; 2, 3 – Motor Torque Setting; 5 – Decay Control; 6, 7, 8 – Step Resolution Setting. In addition to this physical way of setting these functions, the user can select them digitally via the I2C interface. The Stepper 12 Click supports an external power supply for the TB67S549FTG, which can be connected to the input terminal labeled as VM and should be within the range of 4.5V to 34V, 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. However, the 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
Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU offers a cost-effective and adaptable platform for developers to explore new ideas and prototype their designs. This board harnesses the versatility of the STM32 microcontroller, enabling users to select the optimal balance of performance and power consumption for their projects. It accommodates the STM32 microcontroller in the LQFP64 package and includes essential components such as a user LED, which doubles as an ARDUINO® signal, alongside user and reset push-buttons, and a 32.768kHz crystal oscillator for precise timing operations. Designed with expansion and flexibility in mind, the Nucleo-64 board features an ARDUINO® Uno V3 expansion connector and ST morpho extension pin
headers, granting complete access to the STM32's I/Os for comprehensive project integration. Power supply options are adaptable, supporting ST-LINK USB VBUS or external power sources, ensuring adaptability in various development environments. The board also has an on-board ST-LINK debugger/programmer with USB re-enumeration capability, simplifying the programming and debugging process. Moreover, the board is designed to simplify advanced development with its external SMPS for efficient Vcore logic supply, support for USB Device full speed or USB SNK/UFP full speed, and built-in cryptographic features, enhancing both the power efficiency and security of projects. Additional connectivity is
provided through dedicated connectors for external SMPS experimentation, a USB connector for the ST-LINK, and a MIPI® debug connector, expanding the possibilities for hardware interfacing and experimentation. Developers will find extensive support through comprehensive free software libraries and examples, courtesy of the STM32Cube MCU Package. This, combined with compatibility with a wide array of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), including IAR Embedded Workbench®, MDK-ARM, and STM32CubeIDE, ensures a smooth and efficient development experience, allowing users to fully leverage the capabilities of the Nucleo-64 board in their projects.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Architecture
ARM Cortex-M0
MCU Memory (KB)
256
Silicon Vendor
STMicroelectronics
Pin count
64
RAM (Bytes)
32768
You complete me!
Accessories
Click Shield for Nucleo-64 comes equipped with two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with no effort. This way, Mikroe allows its users to add any functionality from our ever-growing range of Click boards™, such as WiFi, GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, environmental sensors, LEDs, speech recognition, motor control, movement sensors, and many more. More than 1537 Click boards™, which can be stacked and integrated, are at your disposal. The STM32 Nucleo-64 boards are based on the microcontrollers in 64-pin packages, a 32-bit MCU with an ARM Cortex M4 processor operating at 84MHz, 512Kb Flash, and 96KB SRAM, divided into two regions where the top section represents the ST-Link/V2 debugger and programmer while the bottom section of the board is an actual development board. These boards are controlled and powered conveniently through a USB connection to program and efficiently debug the Nucleo-64 board out of the box, with an additional USB cable connected to the USB mini port on the board. Most of the STM32 microcontroller pins are brought to the IO pins on the left and right edge of the board, which are then connected to two existing mikroBUS™ sockets. This Click Shield also has several switches that perform functions such as selecting the logic levels of analog signals on mikroBUS™ sockets and selecting logic voltage levels of the mikroBUS™ sockets themselves. Besides, the user is offered the possibility of using any Click board™ with the help of existing bidirectional level-shifting voltage translators, regardless of whether the Click board™ operates at a 3.3V or 5V logic voltage level. Once you connect the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with our Click Shield for Nucleo-64, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU as your development board.
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 12 Click driver.
Key functions:
stepper12_set_directionThis function sets the motor direction by setting the DIR pin logic state.stepper12_drive_motorThis function drives the motor for a specific number of steps at the selected speed.stepper12_set_step_modeThis 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 12 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of the Stepper 12 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 "stepper12.h"
static stepper12_t stepper12;
static log_t logger;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
stepper12_cfg_t stepper12_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.
stepper12_cfg_setup( &stepper12_cfg );
STEPPER12_MAP_MIKROBUS( stepper12_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == stepper12_init( &stepper12, &stepper12_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( STEPPER12_ERROR == stepper12_default_cfg ( &stepper12 ) )
{
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" );
stepper12_set_step_mode ( &stepper12, STEPPER12_MODE_FULL_STEP );
stepper12_set_direction ( &stepper12, STEPPER12_DIR_CW );
stepper12_drive_motor ( &stepper12, 200, STEPPER12_SPEED_FAST );
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
log_printf ( &logger, " Move 400 quarter steps counter-clockwise \r\n\n" );
stepper12_set_step_mode ( &stepper12, STEPPER12_MODE_QUARTER_STEP );
stepper12_set_direction ( &stepper12, STEPPER12_DIR_CCW );
stepper12_drive_motor ( &stepper12, 400, STEPPER12_SPEED_FAST );
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
