# Advice on powering stepper motor and Arduino with same 12v battery **URL:** \ **Category:** General Guidance\ **Created:** [March 19, 2019, 8:27am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620 "2019-03-19T08:27:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![turbomit112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@turbomit112](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/turbomit112)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 8:27am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/1 "2019-03-19T08:27:18Z")
Hi, For an engineering project I need to power a Nema 17 42BYGHW609 stepper motor, a servo, a IR sensor and the Arduino itself. To control the stepper motor I will use an L298N Motor driver and there will be an AMS1117 5V voltage regulator to go from 12v to 5v. The battery consists of 8 AA batteries is series to get approximately 12v. I will power the sensor directly from the Arduino The question: "Should I power the Arduino and servo on a second battery to circumvent any voltages spikes because of the stepper motor" Thanks in advance Stepper motor data sheet: > **[Technical data for NEMA 17 - 42BYGHW609](https://www.my-home-fab.de/en/documentations/technical-descriptions/technical-data-for-nema-17-42byghw609)** > > Wiring Schema 42BYGHW609 Connector Color Coile 1A Green Coile 1B Black Coile 2A Red Coile 2B Blue… ---
**Author:** ![turbomit112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@turbomit112](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/turbomit112)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 9:30am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/2 "2019-03-19T09:30:35Z")
I'm sorry almost forgot, I am using an Arduino Uno R3 ---
**Author:** ![Robin2](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/robin2/32/216045_2.png) [@Robin2](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/Robin2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 9:36am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/3 "2019-03-19T09:36:00Z")
If you were using a specialized stepper motor driver there would be no problem as they have the ability to limit the current to protect the motor. You need to provide a link to the datasheet for your stepper motor. Stepper motors are very inefficient as they draw full power even when stationary and are not really suitable for battery power. A separate power supply for the Arduino cannot do any harm. ...R [Stepper Motor Basics](http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=284828.0) [Simple Stepper Code](http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=277692.0) ---
**Author:** ![dave-in-nj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@dave-in-nj](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/dave-in-nj)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 10:03am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/4 "2019-03-19T10:03:18Z")
I don't think there will be any problem. the batteries will be dead in minutes. did you check out the power consumption of the motor? ---
**Author:** ![turbomit112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@turbomit112](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/turbomit112)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:13pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/5 "2019-03-19T12:13:10Z")
Yeah it won't last very long but that's ok, it only has to run for 5 min at a time. Correct me if I'm wrong but the motor draws 1.7 Amps and we will be running it at 12 Volts. The AA batteries have a capacity of 2200 mA so (1.7_12)/(2.2_12)= 0.77. that equates to about 45 min, however that is without the Arduino, the servo and the sensor. ---
**Author:** ![Robin2](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/robin2/32/216045_2.png) [@Robin2](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/Robin2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/6 "2019-03-19T12:37:59Z")
I reckon 22 minutes would a better estimate. Battery manufacturers tend to exaggerate 🙂 More importantly, an AA alkaline cell won't be able to produce 1.7 amps for long without a big dip in its voltage. Rechargeable NiMh cells will be much better, but you would need 10 of them to get 12v. A 12v lead-acid battery would be a lot more sensible - but still second best to a mains power supply. When you say "run for 5 min at a time" do you mean that the batteries will be replaced or recharged after every 5 minute run? ...R ---
**Author:** ![system](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/system/32/1140315_2.png) [@system](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/advice-on-powering-stepper-motor-and-arduino-with-same-12v-battery/580620/7 "2021-05-05T18:51:47Z")