Hi, I need to control 8 stepper motors and I also need an Ethernet connection. When I look at the Arduino Uno it seems like i could easily just stack the 3 together but with the Mega it looks like i could have either the Ethernet shield or the CNC. I also didn't find anyone combining the 3, so my question is: Is it possible? Or perhaps i could use just and extension board?
Would really appreciate any comments you might have.
Just because a board comes in shield layout does not mean that you HAVE to use it as a shield.
Most shields that work together on the UNO will work just fine together on the Mega.
The SPI pins on the Mega are in a different place than the ones on the Mega, so you will need to kep that in mind.
Thanks for your reply!
Let me just get one thing right, when I connect the Mega and the Motor shield, not all the pins are "covered" by the Motor shield, but can i still use them to connect to the driver and the motor?
when I connect the Mega and the Motor shield, not all the pins are "covered" by the Motor shield, but can i still use them to connect to the driver and the motor?
No. The only pins that you can connect to are the ones on the motor shield. Connecting something to any other pin will NOT let the shield control that device.
The Arduino can control the other pins, but that wasn't what you asked.
I'm afraid I have another probably really basic question.
If i have an Arduino Mega and an Ethernet shield, which uses pins 50, 51, 52, 4 and 10, can I add a CNC Shield V3 with 4 A4988 drivers to control 4 stepper motors? The drivers should use 2 pins/motor so there should be enough pins, but how do I know pins 4 and 10 aren't used?
And if i can't use the CNC shield, I can only use a breadboard or is there something else?
but how do I know pins 4 and 10 aren't used?
Needle-nose pliers, a soldering iron, and some wire.
Since you won't tell us what shield you are talking about, you will need to determine if the shield needs pin 10 as an input pin. It can use pin 10 as an output, since the only requirement for SPI to work is that pin 10 be set as an output pin. Pin 4 is usually used for the SD select pin, but it doesn't have to be. Any pin can be used.