Hi guys,
I have 3 stepper motors laying around that are rated 2,4V 2A and I am thinking on putting them to use with the Arduino to build a small CNC mill and eventually be able to carve PCB boards.
I have been looking into RAMPS but I am not sure about the stepper drivers from the kit. If I wanted to go with the L298 would I need to place something else in between to control the motor or can I simply interface with the arduino and use the LM7805 to control the power input for the motors?
The L298 is not a good choice for driving a stepping motor because it is a simple h-bridge switch. You need a chopping driver. That is one that turns the motor on and off rapidly to control the current through it. These normally have a current control.
See this project of mine:- Proxxon MF70 Miller CNC CONVERSION
Nice!!! That's exactly what I would like to build!! haha
I also intend to use the ATmega 328p, Any suggestions for driving NEMA23 motors (2,4v 1A)?
I am new to the both to electronics and the Arduino world. I have been postponing Arduino and building a CNC machine for a while, and what to get started now. I got to know some things by reading but I am far from being good at it. Hopefully this project helps me get started. Build a small PCB milling machine first and from there jump to a bigger one, hopefully.
Anyway, thanks for the help. I am printing your project so that I can have if for reference.
Any suggestions for driving NEMA23 motors (2,4v 1A)?
These are good Pololu - Stepper Motor Drivers
Don't underestimate the difficulty of milling PCBs. The big problem is hysteresis. The next biggest problem is those tiny milling bits can cost up to £20 each, and they are easy to snap if you are not careful.
Finally the bed has to be dead level so that the depth of cut is constant.
I got an outfit like this to do my RoboDremel. Really works well for me. I run GRBL on the Uno.
Here is an article that features the board and explains the difference between the A4988 and DRV8825 drivers and how to set them up.
Thanks Mike, I also see that the Allegro A4983 you use should work right as well as the ones you recommended me. Thank you so much.
Yeah, I have been thinking about the milling bits. By the way, browsing through the Internet I saw some people using permament marker on the pcb, then using a V point scratch surface and then use a sketching solution. That's another option and looks easier, the only annoyance of course is having to use chemical solutions.
Hey Gruondfungus, thanks for the tip man!! I also saw that one and right now it's one of the main options, the drivers are among the ones recommended by Mike.
You are welcome. I have successfully made a small PC board (isolate mill and drill) on mine. Took about 8 tries, but I think that I made most of the mistakes so the next won't be so bad. Tiny mills are available on EBay. I got 2 x 0.3mm for about $9.00, if i remember right.