Easy To Build Stepper Controller from Recycled Materials

Step 4: Soldering

Now you need to solder the chip into your blank proto-board (I got mine at The Source).
Solder each pin to the board. My board had two power rails running up the center of the board, so I soldered the positive pin on the uln2003 (see schematic from here and pictured below) to the one of the rails and the negative pin to the other rail. Then, you must solder pin 2 on your parallel port connector to pin 1 on the uln2003. Solder pin 3 on the parallel port to pin 2 on the uln2003, pin 4 on the parallel port to pin 3 on the uln2003 and pin 5 on the parallel port to pin 4 on the uln2003. Now solder pin 25 on the parallel port to the negative rail on your circuit board. Now, solder the motor to the driver. Hooking up the motor to the board requires some trial and error. I just soldered wires so that I could use alligator clips. You could also use screw terminals or something similar. Simply solder a wire to pin 16, 15, 14 and 13 on the uln2003. Then solder a wire (preferably black) to the positive rail. Your driver is almost done. Finally, solder your barrel jack (I recycled mine from an old RC car) to the power rails on your circuit board. To prevent my wires from breaking off, I put hot glue over them.

Comments

[cipryon]

can you use a usb- serial port adapter for the newer computers? or do you have to do some other programing?

[pfred2]

USB doesn't do real time. It does pretty good time I guess, but it isn't true real time. So for me the answer is no USB is unsuitable an interface.

[murray484]

If you build the circuit that I attached to the last step, it will work fine.



To use the cnc machine, you will need to design the item you would like to make in a CAD program such as AutoCAD or Google SketchUp.



Once the item is designed, you must load the item into a CAM program such as MasterCAM or CamBam. In the CAM program, you can create the toolpaths, and then export your model as G-Code, which is what the cnc machine reads.



Finally, you import the G-Code into your CNC program, in this case, TurboCNC. TurboCNC will then control your machine and cut the object out. Hope this helps.

[rm524]

my steper has only four wires with red can it used?

[nadav]

I also have a bipolar steper motor, but i think it can because if found this. http://elabz.com/driving-a-bipolar-stepper-motor-with-arduino-and-uln2803ag/ for how to wire it look at the bottom right of the schematic.
Btw, the ULN2803 is compatible with the ULN2003. So it should be in that sense. The only real reason it wont work is because of the software.
-Nadav

[scraptopower]

It's a bipolar stepper I think, more difficult to drive.

[pfred2]

How can bipolar motors be harder to drive? They've less wires to worry about! heh J/K But seriously I've built drivers for both and I don't find bipolar motors any harder to make drivers for. They perform a lot better than unipolar motors do too.

http://www.instructables.com/id/TB6560-Microstepping-Bipolar-Chopper-Stepper-Motor/step4/Its-a-runner/

[murray484]

I am not sure I understand what you mean. Could you upload a picture of what you mean?

[gee12]

hi all,, glad to meet you all,,,

honestly I am still newbie in electronics and microcontroller,,
And I'm still confused about making the motor drivers for my STEPPER,,

This is the specification of my STEPPER:

Step Angle: 1.8 Degree
Positional Accuracy: 5%
Number of phases: 2
Temperature rise: 80 degree max.
Dielectric strength: 500 VDC
Insulation resistance: 100 Mohm (500 VDC)
Insulation class: B
Radial play: 0025 mm (450 g load)
ohm: 0.76
Ampere: 1.25
Volt: 0.94
wire: 8

Any one!! please help me to  find a controller for this STEPPER??

[murray484]

The driver in this instructable will not work with this motor as it draws too much current. However, one of the HobbyCNC boards should work fine. Check them out at http://www.hobbycnc.com

[aguseguedre]

Hello, I´m trying to do the project and I discovered that the schematic of the parallel port is the back side of the male DB25. That is very important in order to connect the right wires .I thought it was the font wiew and I conected  the wires of the opposite side.I was lucky and nothing happened.

[opticlook]

my stepper dousn't have the red wire... will it still work?

[SmAsH!]

as long as it still has the right amount of wires, yes...

[libed91]

Does anyone know where could I find controller for four wire stepper?

[kareden]

One of these on this page:
http://www.8051projects.net/stepper-motor-interfacing/stepper-motor-connections.php

[libed91]

thank you very much :D, you saved me a lot of troubles