Enhance your projects to unprecedented levels of precision and control with DRV8825 and STM32G474RE
Beyond spin and turn: Redefine motion control with us
Published Nov 08, 2024
Click board™
Stepper 21 Click
Dev Board
Nucleo 64 with STM32G474RE MCU
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
STM32G474RE
Transform your projects with our high-performance stepper motor driver, offering unparalleled precision and ease of integration.
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Stepper 21 Click is based on the DRV8825, a stepper motor controller integral circuit from Texas Instruments. By integrating two NMOS H-bridges, current sense, and a STEP/DIR interface, the DRV8825 allows easy interfacing with the controller circuit. The STEP/DIR interface provides a simple method for advancing through the indexer table, with the direction determined by the DIR input pin and the indexer traveling for each rising edge on the STEP input pin. It uses three decay modes of operation, fast, slow, and mixed decay, as a highly configurable current regulation. Additional features are overcurrent protection, thermal shutdown, supply voltage undervoltage lockout, and fault condition indication. The host MCU can control the direction and steps of the stepper driver directly through the DIR and STP pins of the mikroBUS™ socket. As a feature of its own, the Stepper 21 Click comes with a VREF potentiometer to set a reference
voltage for winding current on both A and B bridges. The Stepper 21 Click also uses the PCA9538A, a low-voltage 8-bit I/O port expander from NXP Semiconductors, and its standard 2-Wire interface to communicate with the host MCU and control some of the features of the stepper driver. The PCA9538A provides a flexible set of GPIOs, contains an 8-bit register set, and is necessary for interfacing the DRV8825 control pins to the host MUC over the pins-limited mikroBUS™ socket. Besides the standard 2-Wire interface, the host MCU has access to the expander's reset and interrupt lines over the RST and INT pins of the mikroBUS™ socket. The interrupt output is activated when any input state differs from its corresponding input port register state. The I2C address of the expander can be selected over the ADDR SEL jumper with 0 set by default. The expander can also control other features like Sleep mode, home position indication, decay mode
selection, fault indicator triggered by over-temperature and over-current protection, or allow you to turn the stepper driver on or off. Last but not least, the expander controls micro-step modes combination (Mode 0-2), thus allowing the selection of full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 steps. The Stepper 21 Click supports an external power supply for the DRV8825, which can be connected to the input terminal labeled as INPUT VM and should be within the range of 8.2V to 45V (2.5A), 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 for further development.
Features overview
Development board
Nucleo-64 with STM32G474R 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-M4
MCU Memory (KB)
512
Silicon Vendor
STMicroelectronics
Pin count
64
RAM (Bytes)
128k
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.
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
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo 64 with STM32G474RE MCU as your development board.
Track your results in real time
Application Output
This Click board can be interfaced and monitored in two ways:
Application Output- Use the "Application Output" window in Debug mode for real-time data monitoring. Set it up properly by following this tutorial.
UART Terminal- Monitor data via the UART Terminal using a USB to UART converter. For detailed instructions, check out this tutorial.
Software Support
Library Description
This library contains API for Stepper 21 Click driver.
Key functions:
stepper21_set_step_mode- This function sets the step mode resolution settings.stepper21_set_direction- This function sets the motor direction by setting the DIR pin logic state.stepper21_drive_motor- This function drives the motor for the specific number of steps at the selected speed.
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 21 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of the Stepper 21 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 "stepper21.h"
static stepper21_t stepper21;
static log_t logger;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
stepper21_cfg_t stepper21_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.
stepper21_cfg_setup( &stepper21_cfg );
STEPPER21_MAP_MIKROBUS( stepper21_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == stepper21_init( &stepper21, &stepper21_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( STEPPER21_ERROR == stepper21_default_cfg ( &stepper21 ) )
{
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" );
stepper21_set_step_mode ( &stepper21, STEPPER21_MODE_FULL_STEP );
stepper21_set_direction ( &stepper21, STEPPER21_DIR_CW );
stepper21_drive_motor ( &stepper21, 200, STEPPER21_SPEED_FAST );
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
log_printf ( &logger, " Move 400 quarter steps counter-clockwise \r\n\n" );
stepper21_set_step_mode ( &stepper21, STEPPER21_MODE_QUARTER_STEP );
stepper21_set_direction ( &stepper21, STEPPER21_DIR_CCW );
stepper21_drive_motor ( &stepper21, 400, STEPPER21_SPEED_VERY_FAST );
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
